Still here in Colorado

 July 29, 2012
Well here it is July and guess what I am doing? Still caring for my now 89 year old mother who is presently living at a hospice facility which is requiring us to hire personal caregivers to be with her 24/7. So my sister and I are taking one of the shifts - it has been an 8 hour afternoon in to evening shift, but beginning tomorrow we will do the over night shift - 9 pm to 9 am!
What a trip it has been...negotiating the elder care system in this country. Very crazy!

I posted this post in the wrong place on the site. So now I figured out how to do it correctly!

Mom's condition has changed again and we are no longer required to have sitters. We are still hiring a sitter for mornings and we are there in late afternoon until she is down for the night. She seems alert when she is awake, only eating ice cream, still continent.
Ken, Kerensa and Danica are here. Ken and I are about to do a short backpacking trip after we drop Danica and Emma off and transport JD to Paonia. Susanna is here to be with Mom while we are up in the mountains.
I will post after that trip.

It is the insomnia kid again! Guess I am rehearsing Danica's departure in the morning, and our return to Colorado to attend the memorial for Ken's uncle Ray and for me to resume care of my mom.  It has been so comfortable to have Sneaks home and have enjoyed Andrew's company in the evenings with tales of his new job. Tonight it was almost like the old days when Andrew and Danica were best buds as Danica bestowed all of her camp stove wisdom on her brother (he received a backpacking stove for graduation). Looking forward to seeing Ken's aunt Margie and cousin Joyce tomorrow night. I need to sleep because Ken may need me to do some of the driving tomorrow. I will try to develop a theme with this blog but right now it is nice to just share my thoughts with anyone interested in reading them. It has been a long time since I have written. I read an old letter to Danica today, a letter I wrote in 1974 that Mom had saved. It took me back and made me realize that I don't write letters anymore. I think this blog is going to be me writing letters again. I am about to begin a new phase in my life and this can be a way to document the process. Thanks for reading. I probably won't be able to write again until I get to Centennial at mom's.
Your friend,
Patrice

Really nice to visit with a 4-H family this morning. Renewed my love of the organization and made me realize that the good youth development is continuing.

So, I am now an official blogger! I need to say profound and enlightening prose. So of course writer's block immediately sets in. I am at the public library, loading Turbo Tax on my computer to begin the tax season once again. I am trying to tie up all the loose ends of my life in Montana in preparation for moving temporarily to  Colorado to care for my mom. I wanted to share our Annual Report with as many folks as I could without printing it up and having to snail mail it to everyone. So Danica suggested a blog as a way to post it on facebook! So I am now a blogger with not a whole lot to talk about!

Loucks Family Happenings 2011 (XMAS Newsletter)

Below is the link to our family newsletter, covering the events of 2011.
Loucks Family Newsletter