Hey Peoples @Determined @Faith-and-Hope @Shaz51 et al. 🙂
Thanks for checking in on me, sorry, did a bit of a disappearing act there...
Updates on last known...
Second attempt at root canal fixup pretty much confirmed there's an extra root, but the local dental health services hasn't got the facilities to deal with it. Looks like it must branch out right low down in the root canal where they can't get to it, so I've got a referral down to the big city dental hospital. That may take a year or so to come to the top of the list, so the tooth's been packed with potent steroidal anti-infection stuff and temporarily capped off... and has been pain free since. So a successful interim measure.
Mum's heart trouble has turned out to be congestive heart failure. She's had another couple of low-oxygen incidents with it since, one which put her in hospital, the other she didn't want to go, and they managed to stabilise her at the aged care home. This will keep happening, and will probably be what finishes her at a time yet unknown, but looking more imminent than it has. In between... she's her usual self.
We made a trip up there with our Younger Son and his fiancee in after the first hospital stay. Didn't want them to miss out on meeting her. Also meant Younger Son got to see for himself how far my Dad's memory has slipped. That was a sad thing for him- finding out that the usual bantery conversation just wasn't possible any more. But generally, the time away with them was pleasant, and a good chance to talk through a few family/marriage related matters.
Older Son totally froze over the process of moving house. Anxiety kicked in big time. Also, two months notice isn't really enough time to save up the four figure sum that you need on hand to move to a different rental, particularly when his income is DSP. So about two weeks before moving deadline, we concluded he would have to move back here with us. We got a week's extension on the deadline.... realised it was going to be humanly impossible to have him out by then... asked for an extra five days, were reluctantly granted an extra 1 1/2... but couldn't do it in that time, so they got the keys back at the end of the five days anyway. House was left clean and rubbish free, with no outstanding rent, so hoping they let that pass as "one of those things".
And while moving him, got heads up from the local council at Mum and Dad's end that the neighbours were unhappy about the garden looking overgrown, and rats being present in the yard. So we had to leave him to sort himself out here and go up there for a week. Front garden is now weed free and some of the more unruly plants trimmed. Back garden has had a more basic cleanup, but good enough given it's not so visible. And we've left a humane but effective self resetting rat trap in the backyard, next to Dad's shed. Poison free- a type that's been used to clear rodents from wildlife reserves. It disposed of two before we left, so hoping it will put a proper dent in the number of "unwanted tenants".
Younger Daughter continues to thrive in her job at the local supermarket. When the manager was getting a few days off recently, she left our girl with the responsibility of unlocking the store first thing in the morning for the other staff. Now that's a high level of trust... and Younger Daughter's not yet 18... her birthday is later this month. Whatever job she goes on to after this, methinks she'll be leaving with a glowing reference.
Older Daughter... Autism diagnosis has been confirmed. Waiting to see what the practical outcome of that turns out to be. She's had a bad stretch this past week with SH, and there's the usual "no show" of the mental health services at the hospital. Not sure if things have settled with her yet, or if there's more incidents to come.
Hoping things quiet down enough now for us to have a bit of a break. Badly needed.
