I call him Caregiver. He says he is Helper. I like and need all he does for me. He's easy and he loves to work and be helpful.
Donnie, my "Helper"
He likes to eat and I enjoy cooking. I do a lot of food preparation so I appreciate everything he does in the kitchen. We eat mostly at home but enjoy going out for a treat.
Bone broth and vegetable juices are staples in our refrigerator. He has bone broth with me but not the juice. Making and/or preserving broth and juice take time and lots of standing.
Katie's juices
He has picked up more and more of the work of getting both products ready for the freezer. After picking up Katie’s juices, he helps transfer them into freezer jars. Then he stacks them in the chest freezer.
After I make the bone broth and it has cooked several days in the crockpot, he finishes everything. He has a system for transferring the broth to jars then cleaning up. It’s a messy, greasy job. He shoos me out of the kitchen. An hour later, I’ll go back and see nine beautiful, dark walnut colored jars lined up on the bar. After they cool, he moves them to the refrigerator, then the freezer.
Donnie, my sous chef
If I’m working in the kitchen, he wants to help. He opens cans, squeezes lemons and makes my gatorade everyday. He fry bacon, stirs cream sauces and hard to stir bread or icing and always does clean-up.
The family affectionately call Donnie the “clean-up man”. The dishwasher is his domain. I try to minimize pots when preparing a meal, but still clean-up is a big job. Cooking without worry of having to leave the kitchen neat is a good thing!
He carries all my stuff
Another everyday responsibility is walking five miles with me. He can feel when I might fall. He holds my hand tight in what he considers “dangerous”. He determines “dangerous” based on past episodes with falling or stumbling. Downhill, cul-de-sacs on an incline and when I’m tired.
Usually, by the end of our walk, I am showing signs of fatigue. Depending on weather, or other things going on during the day, I may want to go farther than I should. He let’s me make the call of when to turn back unless I’m really struggling. Then while I’m trudging step by step up the steep driveway he’ll say, “Aren’t you glad we turned when we did? You always forget about this last uphill stretch.”
By this time, I’m done! You’re right. The rest of the mileage is easy when I’m rested.
Uber driver, Donnie
My schedule is his schedule as my Uber driver. He likes driving and I like being chauffered. Do I still drive? Yes, when I need to. He usually does errands or reads a book.
Handling administrative messes is his specialty. He handles everything tedious and financial with aplomb. Managing taxes and insurance issues are like a game. He’s been known to spend hours on the phone straightening out a problem with my medical insurance and drug providers or doctors.
Donnie, my Cleanup Man handles problems without complaint. He’s optimistic, persistent, and patient. He encourages me and helps me problem solve. I always feel like he will figure out a way to fix whatever is stressing me. Everybody needs a Cleanup man. I’m grateful for everything he does making my life easier.
No comments:
Post a Comment