Wild Hot Wednesday

Ok. Not Wild, but surely HOT!

As the Caregiver for my husband, I am now taking an online class regarding 'Caregiving' with the Veteran's Administration. I sort of dreaded the first class. Apprehension is pretty common when you aren't sure what you are getting into. 
[It isn't much different than the class called Building Better Caregivers]

I realized that I was not alone. I am not the only person caring for someone. 
I also realized that in some ways I have it much easier than other Caregivers. My husband actually sleeps at night. Imagine caring for someone who wanders 24 hrs a day?

Well. Enough of that.

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The mules are in the woods. They can walk around in the Buckthorn section of the woods and find patches of nice grass. It will be a bit before they can go into the larger section of woods. I want to figure out a way to keep them off the meadow for a while longer. The meadow suffered last year with it being so dry.

To say the least, being in the woods has taught my equine to deal with obstacles. They rarely twitch an ear to large logs or difficult trails.

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Against the other half's wishes I bought another hummingbird feeder and a little thistle feeder for the goldfinches.

Funny that adding a second feeder and attracting the goldfinches has caused someone to watch out the window and give me a running commentary on what kind of birds have come to the feeders!

Truth is, he is enjoying bird watching.

The hummingbird fights are something to see! If our military could build planes as agile as these birds that would be something wouldn't it?

Hummers are very territorial!

The female Grosebeak is also very territorial. -- Not a good shot -- but here she is defending a piece of an orange in the grass from a male Oriole.

I think the goldfinches are incredible in their color too. 

Enough of the birds right? I have yet to upload the photos from today where those golden beauties are hanging out in the Hickory Tree.

When I woke up this morning the fog was incredibly thick and it was muggy out. I fired up the 'Ru and went up to the ridge to see if the sky would provide a colorful sunrise.

I am in love with this area. The land is not flat, and the morning mists roll along on humid mornings creating an incredible landscape. The view never gets boring.

We accomplished some mowing today but won't be doing the rest of it until it cools off a bit.

Tomorrow it is supposed to get to 93 degrees. 

What bizarre weather. From using the heat last week and frosty mornings, too using the AC.

Oh boy! 

Bird alert! We saw Indigo Buntings today! They are so stunning in their bright blue feathers.

Things that matter and Caregiver Class

Mother Nature keeps me on my toes! Yesterday the winds moved in with 40 mph gusts! I cancelled my Duck Egg plans.

I did take a walk at sunrise in the nice cold fresh air. It was 31 degrees and frosty at the house, but much warmer on the ridge. The winds didn't start until after I'd gotten back from my morning road walk.
I don't know why, but I feel I have a better attitude if I start the day with a walk down the road and get fresh air. 
I tried out my 'new' hiking pants that are lined with fleece. I really love them! I also purchased a winter coat. Lime green.

Normally you'd see me purchase grey or black. Nope, for some reason, I decided Lime Green was good as it is very visible. You know, for those times I hike at KVR or some other obscure place.

Enough of that.

I got some indoor projects done while the winds were whistling outside. I covered the window air conditioner from the inside. Today, I'll get the outside covered too. That involves a tall ladder and someone to be there while I put the cover on. 

I worked on my CareGiver Class. Have I learned new things? Sort of. But there is a lot of specific things I would have liked to seen covered. Not just how to deal with emotions and feelings [very important] but how to navigate the convoluted VA system. Assistance in filling out paperwork and forms. Where to go when a veteran needs emergency care. I found the class lacking in those areas.

One of the interesting things is, the instructions ask that the caregiver make sure he/she has a Durable Power of Attorney in case the veteran/spouse is too ill to handle that. A good idea.

However the VA doesn't recognize the DPOA for disabled veterans. Because the Veteran gets federal funds, they need to have an appointed Fiduciary. That fiduciary has to be 'investigated' by the VA which includes a home visit. Generally, the Fiduciary can be the spouse, unless the VA finds that the spouse is unfit in some way to be a Fiduciary. 

I have gone through this process and there are rules to follow while being a Fiduciary. I would have liked some of the other caregivers in my class to understand the process they could face in the future.

None of this was discussed in the CareGiver program. This class was helpful if a person had never been a caregiver at all. It did emphasize self care, asking for help from family and friends, and how to reduce stress.

These are all things I've gone and figured out for myself over the years. 
Stress management.
Exercise for the mind and body. 

Asking for help from family or friends. This is a double edged sword. Family can be far away and they can be rather unhelpful as I discovered during the last years of my MIL's life.

Neighbors have been helpful in my case.

Apparently I am eligible for some respite care. That means someone is hired from the rural program like Helping Hands and they would come out to give me a break of some sort.

Our rural program is stretched very thin. I found that out when my MIL was supposed to get assistance to stay in her apartment. There simply are not enough people to go around to help those in need.

Let's not forget the fact that a veteran who doesn't trust people, would hardly let a stranger in the house or be comfortable with someone he/she doesn't know. 
Let's add Covid-19 to the mix and really...

do you want someone from the outside of your 'bubble' coming into your house?

So I am in the last week of this class and am filing out the paperwork for a newly Expanded Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers.
There is a long form to fill out. A VA exam, a home exam, and the extensive scrutiny of records by the VA. 

However the VA feels it is far better to offer a stipend to a Caregiver to stay home and care for their ill husband/wife rather than paying for nursing home care. True right? 

I've been doing it for years already. My husband does say thanks for all I do. 

I didn't sign up for this. But I am not angry about it. I do care for Rich.
Without sounding like a total shit, I would like to say that I feel his family could really step up a bit and offer to give me a break for a day or two.

But experience over the last 5 or so years has told me a different story. 

Things that matter:

 
We are healthy right now.
We are together right now.

We have a roof over our heads and food for ourselves and our critters.

That matters.

The rest is just noise.

Gearing up for the Fair

I've narrowed down the final photos I'm going to exhibit.

It took a lot more time and effort than I thought it would.

One of the hardest categories I had to deal with was "Nature".
According to Photographic Society of America Nature is:
Images used in Nature Photography competitions may be divided in two classes: Nature and Wildlife. Images entered in Nature sections meeting the Nature Photography Definition above can have landscapes, geologic formations, weather phenomena, and extant organisms as the primary subject matter. This includes images taken with the subjects in controlled conditions, such as zoos, game farms, botanical gardens, aquariums and any enclosure where the subjects are totally dependent on man for food.

Well okay, then I had to re-think my idea. I wasn't sure exactly what I was looking for, but my Nature submission was finally narrowed down to this:

Good old coral fungi and a slug!

I'm still struggling with the 'Winter Scene'.
I thought about the snow scene of our farm but then got sidetracked into other winter scenes.
I admit, winter is my favorite time of year to do photography.
And... I take so many shots in the woods and on trails that I hike ...it is hard to chose.
The pasture after our freak April snow storm.

The creek after week of ice and cold, then a melt.
Hubby likes this shot because of the cool ice and the water.

Then another favorite of mine the melt down in January.

But the winner may be this one. Taken at Parfrey's Glen on an ice hike with my friends.

Well, winner for me that is. I spread the photos out on the table and stand back as a judge may do and then just let my eyes roam over the shots.

Which one grabs the eye?

Hard to say. And then again, each judge has their own likes and dislikes. Are my 'scenes' not wide enough? Are they too focused? Do they want more color?

Oh boy, you'd think I was obsessing about this and you are right.

My domestic animal shot for black and white.

And the one I chose for Landscape.

I feel this does justice to the wide open landscape definition and it really is a true photo of our area. Perhaps not enough wow in the color, but that is okay.

My color reflection shot is hands down one of my favorite photos from Jersey Valley last year.
However, due to the recent floods, Jersey Valley may once again be gone. I don't know if there will be money to replace the wing dam that broke.

Enough obsessing.
I'm going to visit with some 4H kids who do photos each year to see how to properly exhibit the photos on Tag Board.

I am entertaining becoming a 4H leader again.

But that is another story all together!

I'm going out and enjoy this thing called sunshine outside.