Friday, August 29, 2025

Friday, August 29, 2025

Tonight's picture was taken in August of 2003. Mattie was visiting Los Angeles and that day my parents and I took Mattie to the LA Zoo. This Zoo had a hands on section which was geared to younger children. As you can see Mattie was so intrigued by what was in the water, he put his hands in and if we weren't holding onto him, he most likely would have jumped in with the fish! 

Quote of the day: When we focus on what is good and beautiful in someone, whether or not we think that they "deserve" it, the good and beautiful are strengthened merely by the light of our attention. ~ Katrina Kenison

The stars and planets aligned today, and I got my dad to his memory care center on time. This was important, because I was taking my mom to the city for us both to get our hair cut. Given the education I got a few months ago, I now know I have to cut my hair every three month, to maintain the health of my hair. Prior to this education, I cut my hair once a year. Could I go to a salon closer to my home? Probably, but since I lived in the city for two decades, I prefer going to a place I know well. I actually have a phobia about cutting my hair. I was telling this to our stylist today. I have had a history of BAD haircuts. People who feel like I would look better with bobbed hair. I mean very very short, I remember one stylist actually took an electric razor to the back of my hair. When I tell you it took me YEARS to grow out my hair, I am not kidding. My last stylist, I worked with her for almost twenty years. I loved her, but she retired. Fortunately our new stylist is lovely, listens and understands her clients. Ironically she told me today that many clients share my haircut phobia for the exact same reason!

My stylist was not born in this country, so she has a more traditional view on family. Which works perfectly for me, because I share the same values. In any case, she was working on both me and my mom simultaneously. Juggling one and then the other. As I always say, it is amazing what people observe. When I get my haircut, the staff really tries to take care of me. They are running around getting me cappuccino and making sure I am comfortable. I told Sonya today that I am NOT used to all this attention and someone looking to take care of me. With which she said to me....  you are very unusual for an American. She says she doesn't know many daughters who would devote her life to caring for her aging parents. In fact, she went on to tell me about some of her older clients, who only see their children maybe once a year. Sonya went on to say that she knows the toll this has to take on me, but it is thanks to me that my parents have a good quality of life, they both get out of the house daily, and their every need is taken care of. That meant a lot to me, because caregiving is a sacrifice. It is not easy work, and certainly undervalued in our society. 

While having a peaceful moment in the salon, it quickly ended. I was getting emails from the company who cleans our pool. They wanted me to add more water to the pool today! I literally flipped out in the salon because I had the hose running three hours in the pool last night. In fact, I have to refill the pool multiple times a week. I am so busy juggling countless issues at home, that I really did not connect the dots until today! THE WATER ISN'T EVAPORATING, it is leaking out somewhere! So my house repair rolodex is growing once again, as now I need to get a leak detection company out to the house, because this has to get addressed before this pool is closed for the season. What I have learned over these last two years is if you ever want a home with a pool...... JUST SAY NO! It is a nightmare to maintain and a total money pit! 

So let's keep the tally for current problems.... I have a hole in my dining room ceiling, I have a bathroom upstairs that has been dismantled from a leak, and now I have the pool issue! Truly I am on overload and some days I wonder..... how much stress can a body and mind take? I guess we will find out, because I am at my breaking point.