“… so older people are more at risk?”
I could see the wheels turning.
“How old are you now?” I told him. His eyes widened. “When did that happen?”
I mentioned birthdays and their usual function of adding a year at a time to your age…
Next day the multivitamins arrived.
Designed for seniors.
“Make sure you take them…”
My son survived only because the thought was there… supporting my obviously elderly and decrepit immune system.
I did try to point out that sleep was also good for my immune system… but he didn’t take the bait, so I’m still up before dawn. To be fair, I did get one later start… which was lovely… but all the others we’ve agreed have gone down the drain when the birds woke him too early…
Then he imposed social distancing, of a sort. Not between him and me… that, given the level of support he needs, would be an impossibility. But to keep me away from potential infection, as I am obviously on my last legs. Except, as he has not been able to get a grocery delivery for the past few weeks… and cannot book one before mid-May… I am still having to shop for what he needs on a daily basis, which sort of scuppered his plans.
But lately, his ‘care of the elderly’ has become a bit confused.
On the one hand, he frets about me climbing ladders in case I fall, and with my ancient and threadbare immune system in mind, encourages me to have lunch with him most days… so he knows I have eaten “at least one decent meal” and am not “existing on cereals”. While I protest that my joints cannot take the extra weight I am likely to gain, he does have a pretty good chef… even if I do say so myself.
On the other hand, frail and falling apart though I apparently am, I have hauled out the pumps and cleaned his leech-infested pond yet again, wrestled with old roses whose roots are almost as big as me, digging holes for them so deep that he asked me what I’d brought back from Australia, cleared his back garden of the mess, bricks and heavy tubs the builders left behind, hefted solid limestone paving slabs and serviced his trike. And today, just for a treat, I will get to jet-wash his entire garden…
So I reckon I’ll have worked off my lunch.
“Well,” said my son, “If you’re that old, it won’t be that long till you retire,” assuming I make it that far in my frail and feeble state. “ …so I need to make the most of you while you’re still around…”
“…!”
Sue Vincent's Daily Echo 
You are amazing. What you manage to do is amazing. I have a best friend who like you cares for two disabled children. I have no idea how she does it either.
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I’m just a mum, doing mum-stuff. Even though, at this point in my life, I always imagined that if help were needed, it would be the other way round 😉
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Ah kids…. they know just how to make you feel soooo good and yet assume that we will just always be there to catch them. You are a star Sue….. I too do not know how you do it.
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I’m just glad we both still have a sense of humour 😉
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I am being treated as though I am made of glass, due to a minor tumble the other day. Being watched like a hawk in case I do it again. Anyone would think I had a choice!
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Nick did that with me for a few days after the last fall… till something heavy needed shifting… 😉
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Kids! 🙄
Bless him. He does appreciate you, so much, but has his own spin on how to let you know;
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He can put his own spin on most things 😉
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They’ve got it down to a time art, these boys!
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They are very good at it 😉
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You are doing so much!
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Someone has to…
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I get that. Lots of moms and grandmas step when needed.
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I doubt I’ll be stepping far after today’s jobs 😉
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You’re already doing too much stepping in.
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My husband and I waited 2 weeks for a grocery delivery this month, and I’m trying not to dwell on what May… may bring. We’re both disabled, which is why we pay for delivery in the first place. 🙃
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My son is severely disabled after being stabbed through the brain ten years ago… which is why he pays for deliveries too. He is a foot taller than me, and ten years of helping him get around hasn’t done my spine any favours 😉
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hahah. You are NOT old! You are well seasoned with a touch of piquant.
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I may not be old, but can I get a refund on my joints? 😉
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I had to laugh. 🙂
Been there, heard that, and the warnings not to do it when I did a simple yoga head stand. Our children need to understand that old will always be 10 years older than our present age. 😀
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You know that, I know that…but please don’t tell my son! His gutters need cleaning… 😉
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I used to think of my parents in the same way. When my mom and dad were 65, they laid the concrete block for the first floor of the home I inherited when mom passed away. That was a lot of work, but it saved them thousands of dollars to build this home.
It looks like you have that kind of strength. 🙂
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After today, I’m nt so sure about that 😉
But the garden looks good 🙂
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It takes talent to keep a garden growing.
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Thankfully, his garden is doing beautifully and we are waiting for the first roses to bloom 🙂
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Sue, it is good to know your sense of humor is in excellent form. Laughter is still the best medicine. 😉
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When the sense of humour goes, I think I’ll curl up in a corner and not come out again 😉
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I hear you but instead of the corner (been there), I’ll head for the lovely trees just up the road… 🙂
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Sounds like a much better idea 😉
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That is unless it is Poet’s Corner at Shakespeare & Company in Paris? I’m always up for that. 😊
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Oh goodness, yes… I would join you there any time 🙂
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😊
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🙂
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Humor is a valuable key. I was glad to help out with the grands when they were younger… now I’m helping an elder neighbor… Just what is old anyway? Add an ‘e’ for olde and it becomes a four letter word! 😀 And one can also add a ‘b’ at the beginning and get Bold! We are ‘Bold’ 😉
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After eight hours wielding the ruddy jet-washer, I can think of a few more four letter words 😉
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oooh…. ‘wash’ is definitely a four letter word! 😀
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So is ‘bath’…and I think need one 😉
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Since Hubby has been working from home… he’s been mowing the yard. Though I’ve been weeding the flower gardens (much easier after a good rain). A ‘good’ ‘soak’ is a ‘nice’ reward 😀
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It is a necessary one tonight. 😉
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Ah… it is only about 1pm here.
Have a good night 🙂
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🙂
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just think of all the senior discounts you get… 🙂
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I haven;t found any yet 😉
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some day…
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I live in hopes 😉
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Ha, I guess it is the thought that counts! 😉
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Yes… but which one? 😀
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Reblogged this on Loleta Abi Historical & Fantasy Romance Author & Book Blogger for all genres and commented:
Families…
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😀 thanks for sharing, Traci x
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You’re welcome, Sue!
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Cheeky brat! 😀
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I may have called him something similar 😉
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Heh, heh, heh … I bet you did! 🙂
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I need one of those smileys with a halo 😉
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Bwhahahaha! 😀
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Heh 😀
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Sounds like one of those situations where the politest part of what my Mam says to us is, “You’re lucky I love you.” 😉
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Your mam is a wise woman 😉
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Bless him for caring. I’m sure he appreciates all you do for him, even in your “advanced age”. My kids both sent me messages at the start of this explaining the seriousness of the situation for folks our age. So cute! Gotta love them.
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Nick keeps lecturing me too 😉
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Oh no, not the pond again! I don’t know how you keep it all up Sue. ❤
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The pond gets done weekly at the moment… to keep the water quality up for the fish. I can think of worse jobs…but not many 😉 xx
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LOL 🙂 xx
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😀 xx
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Hats off to you, Sue! Don’t let anyone tell you you’re old.
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I don’t mind growing old…as long as I can do it at my own pace 😉
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Haha!
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😀
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LOL! Sue, my sons are the same – they are taking care of the old folks throughout this pandemic and making sure we have what we need so we don’t have to go out to the grocers. I do enjoy a little pampering now and then. Who doesn’t? It’s just that I’m still very independent and I like to do things for myself. Enjoy their pampering! It’s just another way to say, “I love you, Mom.”
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They have odd ways of showing it somethimes, but yes 😉
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Reblogged this on Musings on Life & Experience and commented:
Sue, her son, and her age.
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Thanks for sharing, Suzanne.
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