spend more time with my dad

It’s been a while since my last entry for this goal, but I still spend a lot of time with my dad.
Recently, he went back to the hospital. He had a bacterial infection, caused by an antibiotic perscribed for an ingrown toenail. He fell, because he was very light headed, and in the hospital it was discovered his infection was extremely contagious!
So poor dad had to move his bedroom downstairs. He has decided this was a good move, putting him closer to the bathroom, to the primary heat source (Vermont winters being particularly cold), and no stairs to navigate makes us all happy.
I hung out with him at the hospital, and stayed overnight with him his second night back. I was glad to spend more time with him, although I wish the circumstances could have been better.

Last week, my Dad went in for a pace maker, which earned him an overnight in the hospital. I went up to visit him twice on Wednesday, and although it is a day I don’t typically go visit my Dad a hospital visit was not what I had in mind when I said I wanted to spend more time with him.
Of course it was an upbeat couple visits, and I saw him in the morning with my 2 sisters before surgery, went home to sleep, and then saw him again that night with 1 of my sisters and my brother, who drove up from Mass to check on him. When we all get together, we usually get to joking and being loud (since my Dad is hard of hearing), so at one point the hospital staff shut his door.
My Dad spent most of the day in his hospital gown, with no underware on. Every time he had to pee my brother would jump up and keep the back closed for him. My brother called it “ass duty.” When I got there, I did inform Dad that even though they did not tell him he could put his underware on after the surgery, that in fact they did not require them off, and if he did put them on the worst they could do would be to ask him to remove them. He thought on it for a few minutes and asked for his skivies. He’s not one to typically question authority, and if they wanted his undies off, even if it made no sense at all, why should he question it? But his modesty and my common sense did win the argument over for him.
So my claim to fame for this adventure was that I am the one who got my dad to put his underpants back on!

How come every Monday morning (when I go to my Dads for breakfast) for the last month the weather has been so bad that I just go straight home after work? Does the winter have it in for my quality Dad time?
Besides this, I seem to have too many projects going on. I am also adding to my standard work at home, increasing my weekly chores. (You lean thinkers know what I’m talking about.)
This goal will have to be held over into next year, for sure….
On the other hand, I may never be satisfied, and will always feel that I need to spend more time with my Dad.

Today, I went to Dad’s for Sunday diner, made him a hamburger (plus an extra he can eat later this week), and spent some time with him (and my oldest sister). I gave him a new pair of headphones, which he uses when he watches TV. He loves watching movies and Gunsmoke episodes, and the TV gives him so much pleasure!
It was a good day, and I really appreciate my father. I’m going to have breakfast with him in the morning.

In an effort to keep my dad out of the sun for extended periods, and to keep him from exerting himself, we (Dad’s kids) are going to try and mow his lawn for him. I had some time this morning and went over, used his riding lawn mower, and did the mowing! Since I normally don’t see him on Tuesdays, it was extra time, and counts as spending more time with my dear old dad! I got to chat with him, and felt pretty good having done something for him! It was a god day…

My dad is such a great guy!
He recently had a heart attack! Apparently, 2 weeks ago, as he was climbing up the stairs, he felt suddenly winded. He was going upstairs where his exercise equipment is; the tredmill, stationary bike, and weights! (My dad is 81, and in better shape than me…) Anyway, he had to stop and catch his breath. Then he went ahead and did his full workout. He didn’t realize he had an attack, so he just did his exercises like usual. I get a real kick out of him continuing his workout, when most people his age would have been laying down.
A week later, his condition worsened, until he was too winded to do any workout! This upset him a lot, and my sisters finally insisted he go to the doctors. Long story short, they made their discovery, and my dad was surprised! He thought he had walking pneumonia, not a heart attack!
We his family are freaking out. It’s a slap of reality. Today I went to my dad’s to chat with him and do some music recording (everything is set up at his house). Usually I eat lunch with him on Thursday, but he had other plans. So there we were talking and talking, while the time just melted away. Suddenly I realized if I didn’t get to “work” I wasn’t going to get anything done. My dear father apologized for taking up my time with our conversation! Of course my main reason to stop by was to talk with my dad, he’s such a nice guy he just figured he was getting in the way of what I really wanted to do! Well, talking with him is always time well spent, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

I have breakfast with Dad Monday mornings, usually see him Thursday mornings, visit and fix him supper Friday nights, and have Sunday dinner with him and most of my siblings + family every other Sunday! What more do I want?