… is paved with good intentions, they say.
I had excellent intentions at the beginning of this month. I would sew lots, work in the garden, cook lots, get my tax done and of course, post lots. I’ve managed the cooking and the tax. Not deeply impressive, but fate intervened in the shape of another trip south which ate up three days, the big toe which had surgery 6 month ago flaring up extremely messily and painfully, and my 93 year old father, who lives in Spain, needing surgery for skin cancer.
Pa is a notoriously impatient, irritable and still very dogmatic person. Age has not mellowed him a bit, and he still has all his marbles. So he was not a co-operative patient before, during or after the procedure. He was supposed to wear a sling to keep his arm still. Oh dear me no, that didn’t happen. He has resisted expert care until the point where, feeling dreadful, he summoned my sister to drive for 8 solid hours from France to Spain, to come and pick him up. She got there to find the situation was a storm in a teacup. Meanwhile, my brother and I were imagining the worst. It has been a little stressful…
Today I said enough was enough. I headed upstairs to my sewing room and spent half an hour preparing for some solid sewing time tomorrow. I get restive and glum if I can’t do my creative stuff, and that on top of the painful toe and the worry about Pa, has made me rather blue. Another round of toe surgery is at 11.00am tomorrow, and after that I plan to put my feet up and stitch like it’s going out of fashion 🙂
And get waited on hand and toe by the Husband of Chiconia, who has the day off!
talltalesfromchiconia 
Oh poor you on so many fronts, Dad, travels, your toe (I really should not laugh, but your photos are sooo funny) good intentions-never-to-be-kept, one more operation and then, at last, special loving treatment by husband. Get better soon. Hugs
Thank you, Carina! I’m waiting for more news about my grumpy Pa, and I’m waiting for the surgery. Patience seems to be the order of the day 🙂 Still, I have lots of hand sewing to play with tonight, so I’ll be happy again soon!
Silver linings, my friend, silver linings – sometimes you have to dig a little deeper to find them!
Sorry to hear about your dad’s illness, it must be difficult for you to be so far away. And your poor toe 😦 Keep both feet up. Take all the painkillers. If your body says chill, it means chill xxx
It is difficult, but I have a brother and sister both close enough to drop everything and get over there if there’s a real drama, and they’re both good about giving me regular updates. The toe is horrible, but it’ll be all over by midday tomorrow, and the local anaesthetic lasts for *ages* 🙂
Oh no! What a time you’ve had. Good luck with the op’, hope things start to pick up for you. I love your art work, I should do that to my patients at work when I’m bandaging them up! 😂
It’s under local, but it’s rather messy and there’s an infection to be cleaned out, so I’ll be looking firmly the other way! I’ve always decorated my bandages and plaster casts – if you’ve got to live with something like that, it might as well be pretty or funny, don’t you think? I think your patients might appreciate a bit of decoration!
it can be so difficult when we live in a different place to our nearest and dearest if they are having problems and you are certainly a long way away from your Dad. I hope the surgery goes well and your big toe can soon sport a fetching shade of pink like all the others – although I do like the smiley face too 🙂
There are times when the distance is a blessing, and others, like now, when I wish I was a lot closer… I think the post-op bandage needs a nice flower on it 🙂
Oh dear… it’s bad enough being a couple of hours away from sick parent, let alone the other side of the world. Still, sounds like he’ll be ok.
You really do seem to have been in the wars recently, so I hope your toe is on the mend very soon… creativity is a great restorative, so enjoy the sewing.
I’d better get Skype sorted out on my new laptop so we can have a chat soon…
I can’t say that any of the issues were huge, just that cumulatively they wore me down a bit. I’m assuming no news is good news where Pa is concerned, and I’m looking forward to a lie-in tomorrow before I have to face the blade!
A Skype would be lovely – sooner rather than later, I hope!
Getting your tax done is pretty impressive in my book, as, for me, it is always done grudgingly. It’s like housework ~ there are many more pleasant ways to spend time. Hand stitching is good for those times when you have to put your feet up. I am sorry that your dad is going through a hard time, although he seems amazing.
We have a slightly complicated tax situation, so I have a procedure in place for preparing statements for everything. It’s just the dread and anticipation…
Pa is amazing, still funny and on the ball, just not very amenable to anyone’s opinion except his own, especially when it comes to his health! I’m sure he’ll be feeling better soon, now that he has my sister hovering over him.
Good luck with the toe and hope your Pa recovers quickly. (I am muchly liking your decorated toe.)
If the toe has to hurt like stink, I might as well put a good face on it… geddit? It should start to improve quickly after tomorrow 🙂
Bad luck never sleeps, as a former boss of mine used to say. Good luck with the surgery and happy sewing. 🙂
Your former boss is right, but we can work to turn the tide, and the more creative work I do, the better I feel!
Sounds like a hard week. Best wishes to your dad and to you as you both recover!
Thank you. I think I’ll bounce back sooner than he does, but I have got a bit of hand sewing done and feel better as a result.
I know how much feet can hurt cos feet have a lot of nerves inside. And I know all about fathers like yours !!!! My dad was in a nursinghome the last 4 years and he made everyones life hell as he was mentally ill and he was bi-polar for 30 years, he did not understand why he could not live on his own, he could not even walk without help ! and he was mad, so mad and he could not understand why he was in a home with old people (he was 85) and they were crazy and all he said I don’t belong here ! he died last August and I am sure he is happier now !
That sounds like a very difficult situation to handle, and I think you must be happier too, knowing that he’s not distressed any more. Thank you for sharing that with me xxxx
I have been working with a lot of elderly people in the 40 years I worked (pedicure) and very very few grow old comfortably…..so I do not want to grow really old like many people do. But you can’t choose when you die ofcourse.
I agree, I’d rather not reach my 90s…
I hope those worries will soon be behind you ^^
Waiting to hear from my sister about what she’s going to do about Pa, but apart from that, I’m feeling more cheerful. Surgery won’t be fun, but it’ll be over soon.
Being waited on sounds really nice…an operation not so, but if you toe gets well…it’s worth it.
Prayers for healing for your Pa!
Linda
I reckon the waiting on bit will last until, say, dinner time…. Time will tell, with Pa. My sister is still there, and I’m waiting to see if she’ll bring him home with her, or if she’s happy he’s on the mend.
93 is a goodly time to be living alone! Yay for him.
He has a landlady, who is a nurse and keeps an eye on him, so he’s not really on his own, but he tried living with my brother and didn’t care for it (not boss in his own home), so went back to Spain!
According to a nurse who treated my Dad, that generation of men are the most independent of all…and they believe they are invincible. I hope all goes well for you and your Dad. A toe sporting false eye lashes, that’s a first!
Well, he came through the war unscathed, has never had any major illnesses, takes almost no medication, and consequently believes he is made of titanium…
and he’s obviously right 🙂
🙂
I sure hope that the toe surgery goes well and all is cleaned up. Foot problems are a nightmare. And family issues are always hovering, somehow. My dear FIL is 400 miles away (not a continent or two at least!), and is not doing well, so something is always on the back burner. Feel better soon!
The surgery’s over, the toe’s sore, but should be on the mend soon. And Pa has my brother and sister much closer at hand than I, so he’s in good hands. Thank you so much for your good wishes 🙂
I understand. Cumulatively, these things do wear us down. There is not much you can do about your dad so far away. Let’s hope the toe heals up quickly and thoroughly.
I know you understand first hand… The toe is painful, but only slightly more so than it was before surgery, and it will get better over the next few days 🙂
You *have* been having a time of it haven’t you?! Yuck! I hope things are looking up by now and you’ll be able to get a satisfying amount of sewing done, one way and another. You’ve been in my thoughts, and now I know why!
Things are on the mend, both my state of mind and my poor mangled but fixed toe. Lots of hand stitching done yesterday, with my feet up and cups of coffee brought to me! It can’t possibly last, so I made the most of it 🙂 Pa is feeling much better, and is already planning his Christmas trip to stay with my sister, so all is well there too. Happy Thanksgiving!
Oh your poor toe! But being waited on hand and foot sounds lovely! I would be into that! c
The toe’s on the mend; thank goodness it’s the thongs time of year down here 🙂 The being waited on bit lasted, as predicted, until dinner time, but was lovely while it lasted!
I’m glad to see that things are looking up on all fronts. Aging parents can be a challenge, for sure! We just came from Thanksgiving with my 89 (almost) Dad, and he spent the day gloating that he ate pumpkin pie with whipped cream and his blood sugar is still perfect, thank you very much….stitch and get better, and rest easy as your dad is in good hands with your sis.
He’s better already and wondering what all the fuss is about, the old rascal. And I’ve got LOADS of sewing done, hurrah!
Oh dear, your Dad sounds like a familiar type of patient. I hope he heals up well despite his wishes to do things his way. Your poor toe. 😦 Like the photo though!
I think he’s fairly typical of someone his age, perhaps a bit more stubborn than average. The toe is mending well, dressing change tomorrow!
Groovy bandage 😁 just the thing to perk you up & distract from your worries
You should see the one I got after surgery: bright fluorescent green, with black paw prints printed on it!
On one hand you know you can´t let your parents down, but on the other hand you want to live your own life. This is so hard to live up to. We love our parents, but sometimes they are just to much. I hope both you and your pa are feeling better now <e
❤
Pa will be fine very soon now, and I’m feeling much happier now I’ve done a serious amount of sewing and my toe is no longer so painful 🙂
Great!!!!!
With all you’ve got going on, your big toe is not only smiling but downright glamorous. Your other toes, not to besmirch them, are also lovely. (I’ve been too lazy to paint toenails since I was something like 15 years old, so I won’t be letting my toes see your post.)
Best of luck for your surgery and for your dear Pa too!
I tend to keep my toenails painted in the summer, probably to distract from my grubby feet. It’s hard to keep them clean when you live in flipflops or sandals and the ground is dusty. In winter, I do wear socks and sneakers a fair bit, so elegant toe-wear is less important! The surgery went well, the toe is healing, and Pa is back to being his normal ornery old self 🙂