beekaytee, I'm sorry other humans suck, but your friend is very lucky to have someone who cares so deeply. Is there any network of hospice like volunteers you could tap into? When my mom was on home hospice, I had a couple of volunteers who would come to watch her while I went grocery shopping or to karate.

Dahlia, the new foster pup, is a sweet girl. She was very shy at first and I had to keep Crowley on a leash to keep him from jumping at her until she got adjusted. Soon enough, she was baiting him to run and chase her. I just posted a picture on facebook of them snuggled up together asleep on the couch. So heart melting.

Ugh BJ, that's so frustrating. I have been there too, and yeah, the degree to which we blow off the needs of those who can't ask is pretty dire.

And Hil, I think I need a prof organizer, only I am too ashamed to ever invite someone into all my chaos

And Hil, I think I need a prof organizer, only I am too ashamed to ever invite someone into all my chaos

I think the only reason that I was able to get over that was that I know that my mom and sister have both hired professional organizers, and their houses are at least as bad as mine.

I would love a professional organizer but my issue is more the difficulty of looking for one and figuring out if they're any good and figuring out if I need to look at multiples to hve comparisons or quotes and then the actual contacting of someone and the setting a time and and and...

...this is why I haven't changed my cleaning service. Because it's already set up.

Also why a lot of shit in my house is theoretical and not done.

I would love a professional organizer but my issue is more the difficulty of looking for one and figuring out if they're any good and figuring out if I need to look at multiples to hve comparisons or quotes and then the actual contacting of someone and the setting a time and and and...

I purposely skipped most of this -- my first criteria was someone who had an email address listed, rather than just a phone number, and that eliminated a lot of them. Then I kind of randomly picked one who looked good enough, and who had photos on her website that looked worse than my house.

Hil glad the professional organizer is helping and yay for laundry service.

Beekaytee I'm so sorry your friend wasn't properly cared for.

Yay for the new foster dog.

I am feeling better. I even sat down and worked on knitting. Realized that I'm not actually knitting the pattern and so that is one reason it looks odd. Also the other mistakes. I'm about 4 " into the scarf and I don't know how many attempts I've made at this. I know I had to redo the cast on about 5 times because I kept miscounting. I've decided to so the proper pattern until i get to the last 4" and then change it to what I was doing wrong and hope it doesn't look terrible.

I also got rid of some stuff and mom and I reorganized the kitchen. I also made pot roast and went grocery shopping and tomorrow I'm making things to freeze for the future meals and banana bread...maybe. I also have a dentist appointment to get a filing fixed so it depends on how I feel.

Thanks for being a place I can vent. It really helps.

I did not want to call and go off in front of the daughter, who is massively stressed.

Suzi, she has a hospice nurse a couple of times per week, and he's excellent. The hospice worker who is in 9-4 each day is a travesty. I end up doing her work once she's gone.

I kid you not, this woman has been coming for weeks and, I have locked the door each night, and left a key in a special place. Apparently, Friday...the first weekday I have not been available since April...this nincompoop called my friend and cried on the front step because she had forgotten how to WORK. THE. DEADBOLT. That's right. She was undone by turning a key she'd used more than a dozen times. I guess, the sick person, who weighs less than 70 lbs and can barely lift a cup, should just pop out of bed, come downstairs and save your sorry backside.

I just can't with that crap.

There really isn't anyone for supper and bedtime, besides me, when the daughter isn't here. Which, I don't mind at all. In fact, on days like today, I'd rather it was me.

How heartbreaking, and all too commonplace, to hear of this neglect. The reason I cherish my step-dad so much is that I never worried about my mother in her declining years. He doted over her 24/7 for years, patiently, lovingly. We all deserve this and too few of us have this care in life or death.

I can't figure out why using a laundry service feels more like "giving up" or being lazy

When I was in school and working I dropped my laundry at the laundromat, which was convenient and inexpensive, but they didn't do things my way, like they used hot water and hot dryers. When in Florida my beloved cleaning lady does the laundry while she cleans. And she does it right!! I have zero guilt about this and would not hesitate to have help daily if I could afford it.

My fantasy organization scenario would be to give an organized Buffista an expense paid vacation to Florida to help me unpack all the boxes of my crap that have been in storage forever when I in theory sell my house and move. I can and probably will do it myself, but hours in the day issues, and it is way easier to do it with help.

Yay for sweet foster pups!!

If I did not have so much going on, I would do this in a heartbeat, Laura. It would give me actual joy.

I've been careful to not fuss about the mess in my friend's house. No need to add stress to stress, but one day when she gave me free rein to prep the downstairs for the visit of a judge inlaw, I could not stop giggling.

In this crazy ass world bringing order grounds me.

I think I'm experiencing the other kind of foster fail - I'm not sure if I should be fostering until Crowley is a bit older. Dahlia crated up easily enough last night but has been needy as all heck this morning. Crowley keeps trying to play with her the way he plays with Jack and while she played with him last night, she is not interested this morning. Which leads me to admonishing him constantly and makes me feel like a mean dog mom.

He is still struggling with house training and the snow outside today isn't helping. I have a downstairs crate for him to be in until he figures out that he only gets free run of the house if he goes outside. But I feel horrid putting him in there and having him whine while Dahlia is so skittish. She isn't that great with going outside herself. I've spent so much time cleaning up indoor messes and I'm so flipping over it. Which, again, makes me feel like I'm being a not great dog mom.

I don't even know what I'm hoping for from each of them right now.