Pressure (Barometric and Otherwise)

Whew, first time I sat down today.  Saturday kicked my butt.  Up at 4:30 AM to tend to Mom and pup.

Today made good on its promise for a temperature change but it took a long time coming.  In the meantime, my charges had a tough time dealing with the upcoming change.  My mother suffers from agitation due to her dementia.  Every five minutes she'd pop up in bed to address a thought or hallucination that had invaded her mind.  Medication only goes so far.  Monitoring her closely keeps her from straining her heart, or worse, deciding to chase a hallucination resulting in injury.

Dickens, who normally can be best described as a nut, decided to have a bark fest over absolutely nothing.  A neighbor asked me if the dog was mad at me or I was mad at the dog.  Dickens had been responding to another dog who lived across the street also barking.  When I explained this to her she seemed to understand, but by late in the day patience had left me.  I refrained from a snarky remark.  We were gone no more than five minutes, when Mom decided to resume the 'jack-in-the-box' routine.

About 4 PM, the recon storms arrived.  You know that renegade band of storms that come on fast and furious leaving the air twice as saturated.  Yeah, those storms.  The change in barometric pressure also resulted in a house whose agitation meter reached a red line point.  At one point, I brought Dickens in to visit Mom to work his magic.  This resulted in a licking, yet barking dog, in concert with a 89-year old woman trying to quiet the dog by yelling.  Mom continued her erratic behavior, Dickens continue his erratic behavior and my stomach growled because I hadn't had dinner.  So, I did what any other red-blooded American caregiver would do, I retreated to the bathroom.  For some reason when I announce my intention to visit the "Oval Office" they cut me some slack.

After counting to ten, I exited the 'office' and began to get everyone ready for bed.  Finishing my mother's evening care, I snapped a leash on Dickens, who by now looked like a panting, hot mess, for his evening constitution.  Just as his lifted leg hit the ground, the lightning flashed and we flew into the house.

The storm has passed, my charges are sleeping soundly, and now I'm going back to the Oval Office for some actual self-care and boy am I grateful!