– Just Babbling –

We Were Exhausted The Other Night!

It had been a very bad day with the MIL

The Wife-Unit said: “Your drink is going to be a double tonight!”

Oh Yeah, I replied –

BUT

That Double is going to be Doubled tonight !!!!!!

Dealing with someone with Senile Dementia is so much fun. NOT!

I think I got the youngest BIL pissed at me not too long ago.

Oldest BIL, Youngest BIL, the Wife-Unit and I were sitting on the back porch/deck discussing placing the MIL in a long term care facility. Yeah, a nursing home!

Wife-Unit and the BILs have visited a few. Middle BIL, the one who lives in Texas has said, “You are the people that are living with it, do what you have to and it’s fine with me. The youngest BIL is the one who looks at me as he leaves the house and says. “I’m glad it’s you and not me.”

The MIL is living on her own planet, in her own solar system, in her own galaxy; probably in her own universe.

Generally I try to keep my mouth shut

Youngest BIL turns to me and asked, “What do you think?”

I wish I had the Canon in my hands when they heard and reacted to what my answer.

“I don’t think that Ma should be put in a Nursing Home until such time as we can no longer handle the situation.”

I am sure the seismographs in the National Earthquake Center went off the scale as at least two and possibly three jaws hit the porch/deck.

The two jaws that definitely hit the deck were the Wife-Units and the Youngest BIL’s.”

I know enough about “Family” finances to know where I stand.

The way the MIL”s & FIL’s wills and trusts are set up the MIL’s funds have to be exhausted before the properties can be sold. After those funds are exhausted than the FIL’s trust could be tapped.

Any way, it amounts to one confused mess. As I said, MIL is in her own universe.

You can say that around here C.R.S.:

CONFUSION REIGNS SUPREME!

AND then we add to the confusion with Holiday schedules

When one is dealing with three sons and three DIL’s and extended families scheduling is sometimes complicated.

We scheduled our Thanksgiving Family Dinner for Nov. 21st..

Middle Son announces that he will cook the “Bird” on the charcoal grill.

The Middle Son is a pretty good at cooking on a grill. Both he and Youngest Son have very successfully “Deep Fried” turkeys.

Middle Son was the one who did the cooking when we had the “Shrimp Boil a while back.

Through an exchange of emails between the Wife-Unit and the DILs it’s decided what and who will prepare the other parts of the meal.

So mid morning on the 21st Middle Son pulls his vehicle into the drive and starts unloading his grill and assorted items.

He gets his grill going out near the swing and he asks if we have an aluminum foil pan.

The Wife-Unit says no, not the size that would fit under the dome of the Weber. I get the hint and head for Jewel. (Albertsons in many parts of the country/)

I no sooner get out of the drive and start up the hill when Middle Son goes down the basement for additional charcoal lighter fluid.

Middle Son returns to kitchen with a couple of foil pans that he found on a shelf in basement.

I never knew the foil pans were in the basement and the Wife-Unit had forgotten about them.

At least four people reach for cell phone to call the “Old Man” and tell him that he doesn’t need to purchase foil pans.

At least four people have sheepish looks on their faces as they remember that the Old Man, me, doesn’t have, doesn’t use, and doesn’t want a cellphone. The Old Man, me, hates the damn things.

The Old Man, me, returns from Jewel to find Middle Son loading charcoal into a second Weber Kettle Grill.

I have no idea why Middle Son is firing up second grill. I guess one could say I was a member of the “Less” family, Clueless. I guess I missed the fun.

When Middle Son returned to kitchen from basement with starter fluid and aluminum foil pans he had said the grill is ready for the bird. Wife-Unit had taken aluminum foil pans and washed them. Middle Son had gone out to his vehicle in drive to retrieve something from a cooler in the back of his vehicle.

Middle Son had returned to kitchen to find my Wife-Unit placing the bird, the turkey she had purchased into foil pan.

Lehper was glad that he had not been involved in planning. Lehper was glad that he had spent much time hiding and playing solitaire in little home office. Lehper was glad he was not the one who neglected to tell Middle Son that his Mother, my Wife-Unit had purchased a “bird”, ie turkey. Lehper was glad that he was not Middle Son and had neglected to tell his Mother, my Wife-Unit, that he planned to purchase the “bird”{ie the turkey).

What do you do with two totally defrosted ready to cook turkeys?

I guess that you must cook them cause that is what was done.

Oh Well! That is why they invented baggies, Tupperware and Glad storage containers. . Send leftovers home with the troops.

The turkeys were good. Middle Son had used some hickory chips along with the charcoal and there was just a very slight smoked taste.

After we had finished eating I had gone out on the rear porch/deck to get a cold one out of the cooler. “L”, Oldest Sons wife also wanted something out of the cooler. Out on the deck she asked me if I had any other places I wanted to go or photograph. I laughed and asked her how much time she had. She said, “Well, what are some of them?”

I told her a few of the categories of places and things:

To photograph all of the surviving UP Big Boy Locomotives

Several of the railroad museums.

Several Aviation Museums

Visit and photograph all the battleships that are museums.

All the aircraft carriers that are museums.

“L” asked me if there where places that I wanted to go that could be done on a weekend.

“Yeah, I replied, the railroad museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin and the museum outside of St. Louis, Missouri.” They both have “Big Boy” steam locomotives.“

I have been to both museums in the past. The one in Green Bay was many years ago and the only photos are 35mm slides. St. Louis was just a few years ago but I would like to re-visit. Never can tell, they may have done additional restoration.

“L” commented that when we had visited Washington D.C. I had planned in advance what I had wanted to see. She asked if there was any place on my list that had multiple attractions that I wanted to photograph.

Denver, CO I told her.

The Forney Museum has a Big Boy. There is also the “Wings Over The Rockies Aviation Museum. The Colorado State Capitol Building is impressive and many years ago when we were there you could get to the upper floors and an outside walkway that was great for taking photos of the city. I don’t know if Post 9/11 that is still possible or if construction of newer buildings had eliminated or blocked some of the view.

The Molly Brown House is a few blocks away from the Capitol Bldg and so is the Denver Mint.

The Denver Art Museum is another impressive building. Relatively close is the Denver Zoo.

Not far outside of Denver is the Colorado Railroad Museum. There is also Red Rocks which I would like to visit. Then there is the Air Force Academy. I would like to visit and photograph the Chapel. Besides they also have a B-52 bomber on the grounds of the Academy.

I also told “L” that just outside Denver is Fort Logan National Cemetery. I had mentioned before to “The Family” that when and if I travel anywhere, if there is a National Cemetery anywhere near, I am going to it.

When “G”, Oldest Son, “L”, “T”,(“L”s Father) and I visited Arlington, we were all affected by the experience. I had the same feeling when I visited The National Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii and Lincoln National Cemetery a few miles from where we live.

Just the other day the Wife-Unit came up to my little hide-a-way to look for something and she asked what “L” and I had been talking about out on the porch/deck. I told her and then opened Google Earth and showed her the place markers for the Big Boys, the carriers, the battleships and other things I would like to visit and see.

The Wife-Unit asked, when she saw all the place marks.”When are you going to get started and would you drive or fly?

I told her I probably would fly and rent a car if it was much over five hundred miles. Anything less I would most likely drive.

Well you better get started, she replied.

Hmmmm! Maybe in the Spring.

I think I’ve babbled long enough.