Friday, August 23, 2019

Coming Soon...or Not


This place has been promising for months that fish & chips will be "coming soon." I'm not sure what their definition of "soon" is. I blogged this shop back in January and it looked exactly the same -- maybe tidier. In fact I wondered if the project had been abandoned entirely, but those little signs by the door say "staff wanted," so they appear to be hiring.

Olga seems under the weather. Last night she acted so strangely when she came back from her outing with the dog-walker -- mopey, wandering and listless. Eventually she went in to the bathroom and curled up on the rug. She never goes in there! I think she wanted a small, dark place with a cool floor. I went in and sat with her for a while, and she eventually fell asleep, and then I moved her to the bed and she slept all night. I won't really know how she's doing today until I walk her, but she still seems a little mopey. I wonder if she ate sticks while out with the dog-walker. She loves chewing up a good stick, but if she swallows the bits they tie her in knots.

Today is the last day Dave and I have to both get ourselves to school by 8 a.m. It's always such a trial during opening week, because we're on the same timetable and competing for the same bathroom space, and I often wind up not getting a shower or eating breakfast because I just don't have time. (It's going to be even more complicated if Olga starts sleeping in there regularly!) Next week I move to my regular shift, 9:15 to 5:15, so I'll have slightly more leisurely mornings.

It looks like I'm going to be back in Florida in a couple of weeks, to help my mom relocate to another unit in her retirement community. Right now she's in an independent living unit, but she needs a place that offers more supervision. My brother is making the arrangements and although he's told my mom, we're not sure it's really sunken in. So that will be interesting. I think it's important for my mom to see that we're both involved in this change and that we think it will benefit her -- hopefully that will help her adjust. My boss and co-workers have been great about agreeing to give me the time off.

Oh, and it's a good thing I took that picture of our last caterpillar that I posted yesterday -- because now it's gone. We're officially caterpillar-less, as far as I can tell. I'll let you know if any moths emerge!

11 comments:

Beth Reed said...

Oh Poor Olga and Your Mom, I am so very sorry to hear that she needs more supervision. It is so difficult when we start to age. We think that we can do anything, are invincible and boom we find out we are not.
I will be with you in spirit. Will you be seeing Mary again? I am glad that your boss and coworkers understand you need this time away.

I knew a lady who had a dog that ate rocks. He had to have surgery to get the rocks out. He was costing that woman a fortune. I would have muzzled him as bad as I hate to do that but I would do it gladly before any walks or outside time. I hope that as you said that she didn't chew any sticks. Goodnight.

Mary said...

Hope that Olga feels better soon.

A hard transition for everyone when adult children have to be the parent for the parent, especially when the parent is teetering on the edge of understanding. Good that you and your brother are sharing this responsibility in a loving way. May it go well for all of you.

Edna B said...

Gosh, I hope Olga is okay. It's so hard to help our doggies when they are not feeling well. Hopefully, she did not chew any sticks. Maybe the dog walker should discourage her from doing this on their walks. I'm so sorry to hear about your Mom. It's good that both you and your brother share in caring for her. I'm at that "iffy" age and I'm so thankful for my girls. When I need help, they are right there.

That storefront sure could use a bit of TLC. Hopefully it will be open soon. The fish and chips sounds delicious. You have a wonderful day, hugs, Edna B.

The Bug said...

Poor Olga! I ate something the other day that left me feeling the same way (although I did not curl up on the bathroom floor, I did spend a good bit of time in there - enough said!).

I hope things go smoothly with your mother. We are probably heading that way with Mike's dad, and I do NOT look forward to it. I can't actually picture him in a care facility of any kind - but his mother lived well into her 90s & he's "only" 87.

e said...

I am sorry for the change in circumstance for your mother. I hope all goes smoothly. Will Olga perk up on her own or need a trip to the vet? Poor girl.

Sharon said...

Judging from the upper part of the front of that soon-to-be fish and chips place, I'd say they still have some serious refurbishing to do.
Poor Olga, I hope she's feeling better after your walk today.
Good for you for flying all that way to help your mother adjust to a new environment. I hope it all goes well.

ellen abbott said...

why do dogs eat weird nasty shit? poor Olga. hope she feels better soon.

Red said...

You'd think that a dog would know that a bellyache results from eating wood chips , but i guess they don't

Anonymous said...

Really sorry to hear about Olga and your mom. I hope things work out for both of them. The transition our aging parents make is often hard on them, and it takes time to get them to understand and accept why they need a bit more assistance. Patience is a very good thing.

Catalyst said...

It's always rough when you have to uproot a relative. My wife and her sister were out investigating retirement centers for their mother when she got to that stage and when they came back after the day out the acid-tongued mom said "Well, have you found a suitable dungeon for me!"

jenny_o said...

Poor Olga - hope she's feeling better soon, and without any "accidents" on the floor!

You're smart to work together with your brother as a united voice on your mom's situation.