General Update #223 - Sunday, November 22, 2020

8:30 a.m. - Dusty arrived to farmhouse after purchasing meal supplies and refilling 5-gallon water jug for the water dispenser, finding Joyce in the bathroom. Joyce had urinary incontinence issue requiring diaper pad insert replacement. Urine and bowel movement (type 5) passed. Dusty assisted with cleanup, cleaned out open wound on right buttock and applied fresh barrier cream. PT walk into living room and back to kitchen after bathroom trip.

9 a.m. - BP 145/87, pulse 80. BGL @ 120.

9:22 a.m. - Breakfast (6 mini pancakes with peanut butter and banana slices). Breakfast finished at 9:36 a.m.

9:40 a.m. - Morning medication (carvedilol, metformin, multivitamin, Mucinex, potassium, iron, 2 Tylenol) with nutritional shake. 

10:20 a.m. - Craig arrived to farmhouse to visit, have breakfast, and read newspaper. Departed ~10:40 a.m.

10:55 a.m. - Bathroom trip without incident. Urine and bowel movement (type 5) passed. Weight 165.2 lbs. PT walk to living room and back to kitchen. Began enrichment activity (sorting out dresser drawers). 

Joyce was particularly alert and energetic throughout the morning. Joyce was excited to be working on clearing out her dressers so we could get the coffee table in the living room cleared off and her clothes put away. She was very excited to work on this project, especially when we got to talking about her mother and remembered how cleaning out her house went for us with her Depression-era hoarding mindset. Joyce confirmed that she does not want to leave her kids with that much to deal with after she is gone.

In going through her dresser drawers, Joyce came across her "10 year" award with H&R Block - a small wrist watch. Joyce observed it was very sad how she was treated by H&R Block corporate officers at the end of her career for so many years of good service. Dusty commented that they were lucky that Joyce was not litigious as she could most likely have won an ageism case against them. Joyce said that was not her way, and it was just better to let people get away with things instead of confronting them when one is wronged. She also lamented that Mollie appears to have abandoned her all together, which hurt more than the Spokane H&R Block officer letting her go. Joyce commented that Mollie claimed Joyce as a mother to her for years and now is no where to be seen. Joyce could not recall the last time she saw Mollie and Dusty suggested that it most likely was in 2016 at his wedding. 

The Bertha Rosenfelt strawberry pie recipe was located after many years. For posterity and to prevent its loss again:

Bertha Rosenfelt's Strawberry Pie
1 cup sugar; 1/4t salt; 1/2 cup cornstarch; 1 pint water; 3/4 cup white karo syrup; 1 box strawberry Jell-O.

Cook everything together, except Jell-O, boil until clear, add red coloring, add dry Jell-O powder and mix well. Cool to room temperature. Fill pie crust with fresh strawberries. Cover with cooked mixture. Serve with Cool Whip.

Alice Briney's version of the recipe was also located:

Alice Briney's Strawberry Pie
9-inch baking pie shell; 3/4 cup sugar; 2 table spoons cornstarch; 1 cup water; 2 tablespoons white corn syrup; 2 tablespoons strawberry gelatin powder; 1 quart fresh whole strawberries (trimmed and washed). 

Mix sugar, cornstarch, syrup and water together. Bring to a boil and cook until thick and clear. Add gelatin powder, stirring until dissolved. Cool. Arrange strawberries to cover bottom of baked pie shell. Pour gelatin mixture over strawberries and chill until set.

Joyce requested to have one of her dresser drawers setup as a "keepsake" box. She placed photographs, obituary notices, and small items made by her mother (handkerchiefs, crafted decoration, etc.) into this drawer that she was not yet ready to pass onto her next of kin. Dusty was directed to take the photographs of Juanita "when it was time." A few minutes later, Joyce could not recall who Juanita was in the photos, asking Dusty who she was and stating it was a shame that people don't write names of who is photographed on the backs of photos. 

2:14 p.m. - Lunch (Chicken breast stuffed with broccoli and cheese, instant mashed potatoes). 

2:43 p.m. - Lunch paused for bathroom trip. Urinary incontinence requiring diaper replacement. Remaining urine and small bowel movement (type 5) passed. Open wound on buttock was cleaned and fresh barrier cream applied. PT walk to living room and back to kitchen. Joyce stated she was very tired and wanted to sleep but wanted her leftovers for dinner. Dusty wrapped her lunch and placed it into fridge (Joyce had eaten about half of it). Joyce settled into recliner for nap.

5:15 p.m. - Joyce woke from napping and resumed sorting her old clothing for donation.

5:30 p.m. - Craig arrived to visit, departing ~6:02 p.m.

6:15 p.m. - Joyce self-initiated enrichment activity (coloring) for herself, citing that she felt like coloring instead of sorting out clothing. Joyce asked that the remaining clothes be left out in the kitchen with her to go through tomorrow morning or afternoon "when she felt like it." 

7:30 p.m. - Dinner (leftovers from lunch). Ate all remaining mashed potatoes and all but 3 bites of stuffed chicken. 

7:55 p.m. - Evening medication (carvedilol, metformin, 2 Tylenol) with nutritional shake.

8:05 p.m. - Bathroom. Urinary incontinence, requiring diaper and diaper pad replacement. Remainder of urine passed. Wound on buttocks cleaned and fresh barrier cream applied. PT walk declined. Joyce returned to her recliner and resumed coloring. 

9:53 p.m. - Joyce declined bathroom trip.

Dusty departing farmhouse ~10 p.m., Jess arriving tomorrow to provide morning care for Joyce.

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Joyce continued to remove her oxygen line throughout the day, citing it "annoyed her so [she takes] it off when 'the nurse' was not around."