Living With Crazy - I

My 79 year old mother just fell off a step ladder onto the new hardwood floors. I of course ran to her aid. She started crying and yelled at me when I tried to help her. I was told to: "Shut up, just shut up and go away!" Apparently she asked for my help this morning, but I was asleep and didn't hear her. Mom does this a lot she'll come into my room tell and/or ask me to do something and because I talk in my sleep I answer her; usually in the affirmative. Then later that day she gets angry at me for not doing what she wanted me to do. Does my mother know that I talk in my sleep? Of course she does! My father also talks in his sleep too, so maybe it's hereditary.

Mom shrieked and screamed so loud even daddy who is very hard of hearing, heard her and came hobbling with his cane to help. Now he's all shaky cause argueing and yelling make him nervous.

A bit of background info: We had new engineered hardwood floors installed in the living room, dining room, and hallway on Tuesday. The floor looks gorgeous! BUT the contractors which Home Depot hires will only move 5 pieces of furniture in each room. For about 10 days prior to the installation mom and I had to empty the china closet and the buffet of it's contents. This meant wrapping everything in bubble wrap or plain newsprint and neatly putting it into boxes and then storing the boxes in the computer room. We also moved all the small furniture that we could, leaving the heavier stuff for the floor installers. After the floor was installed my dear, sweet, crazy mother decided that every glass, dish, bowl, plate, and platter had to be cleaned before being put back into the china closet.

Here's the thing, the stuff was clean when it came out of the china closet! It was carefully wrapped and packed away. Why did everything have to be re-washed? Because my mom is an OCD/NPD freaking nut! I admit the silver was a bit tarnished as it hadn't been cleaned since Christmas; but other than that EVERYTHING was clean!

Poor dad, about 40 minutes after she fell he came with his walker to tell me she won't even talk to him; and he doesn't understand why. Poor guy, I know why she's angry. She's angry because he is physically unable to help because of his Parkinson's Disease. She told him around noon time on Saturday that she did not want his help because he shakes too much, and if he broke a piece of her good china or a crystal champagne glass she would probably start screaming and not stop. {This is true!} I know it sounds unkind but at least she was honest.

Now I am sure some of you are wondering why I didn't help her wash the 4 sets of china, crystal, and glasses. Because we only have one kitchen sink and it's not big enough for the 2 of us to stand side by side washing stuff. Plus, my mom has NEVER been satisfied with the way I have cleaned anything in my entire life. I'm not a moron, I know how to clean, but if I do it even one smidge different than how she does it, then it's not clean/right. That's where her OCD comes into play. An item can't just be cleaned, it has to be cleaned her way.

As for me, I told her Thursday I didn't think the dishes were dirty and she should stop wasting time and just unpack the boxes. She said, "No, company is coming and I won't have people talking about how I live in a dirty house." Did I mention mom has OCD about cleaning, she also counts things incessantly? Our house is never dirty. My mother majored in home economics back in the day when that meant something. She does not now, nor has she ever kept a dirty house.

About that company we're having, they will be here on the 2nd Monday in August. It's just the Circle 3 ladies from church. It's a ladies bible study group and each month they meet at someone elses house. The hostess provides dessert and the other ladies all bring a main dish or a salad dish. They seem to be a nice bunch.

So now I pray, I pray for her to not have seriously injured herself. The last time she fell off a ladder she had to have knee replacement surgery. She's lucky she didn't break a hip! I pray that she stops being such a beeyotch to dad and me. But most of all I just pray that I can take care of them for as long as possible and that I am never faced with the decision to put them in a home.