You should know better!

Two things that we all should have learned.
1-Never get directions from Mom.
2-Never play board games with Mom.

Marti never got that memo.

Taking Mom and Dads direction for the express bus to the suburbs (WAX), she got on the wrong bus and Dad and I had to go find her in the bowels of Las Vegas.. Not the glitzy parts..



Could have been worse.

Tonight Mom and Marti were playing a game... Mom likes to make up her own rules.
Bella has her own way of joining in.



Hey why didn't you deal me in?



Because you are a cat.. now let me make my move!



Look I know how to play this.. put a tile right here.



See! I told you I knew how to do this.



I never got the memo warning about going to the market with Marti.

Pass the popcorn.

Anytime you sit on a plane or lose hours of your life at the DMV, there is someone holding a copy of this.

It's the Davinci Code of today.
Yesterday we finished the trilogy, the American way, we watched it.
Subtitles and all.
2 1/2 hours of twists and a list of characters as long as a public school classroom roll call.
A movie you need to watch every minute, or you are lost.
Dad stayed awake the whole movie!


Sadly, Scarlett Johanssen wasn't with us.

It's come down to the little victories.

He even volunteered to go with me and pick up Quynn and Chelsea form the airport. (Crazy kids drove back to Utah in the middle of the night.. )
At eleven at night! 
Mom and I strangely discouraged him and she went with me. (We forgot we were glad when he wants to get out of the house.)


Airports are full of germs and weird people.

Tomorrow is Marti day! Glad she is on her way..


Good thing I know my way to the airport!



living with the reality there is no panacea.

The Kubler-Ross model states the first stage of grieving is denial.

I like denial, and as long as Dad was up and working and playing it was easier to bury my head in the sand and pretend that this stupid cancer was somewhere way off in the background.

The last month or so has made the denial game impossible.

Today a quick trip to Walmart wore him out.
(I like to think that it was because Walmart is toxic.)
http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/photos

He hasn't been eating much.
Poor guy, seems everything tasted rancid to him... This coming from a guy who has been known to eat some truly awful things... and liking it.

I am hoping he still has some joy in him.



If only.



What more can I say?

I woke up Bella and asked her opinion..

Because she always has something to say.

Girl Power

We miss Sarah... her quiet stealth humor.
Topher and Mike are not so subtle when they have something to say.
Either way, my siblings make make me laugh.


Mom and I try to rally Dad, but sometimes he just doesn't want to have fun.
I guess it's his right.

Come next Tuesday he won't have a choice, the little power house, known as Marti is flying in.



If anyone can do it Marti can.

 Marti is a lot like Dad, but make no mistake, she is Junes daughter.

Looking at flights out here, she found them all ridiculously priced. 
Was she to be discouraged?
No, not at all.
She found a last minute package deal with Hotel and Flight for half the price of just the flight.


Our family motto.

So even if she doesn't stay there.... We have pool access!!!!

Wait... Public pools have germs and pee.. ewwww.

I will let them hang out at the pool, I will  just stay home and read in the sun...




Much better!



Escaping the heat and blahs.

Today we were trying to think of fun things to do that didn't involve tourists and neon.


Nature can be cruel.

Dad suggested we go check out Mount Charleston.  Southern Nevada's lesser known attraction. Not one slot machine or casino in sight.



A little cabin in the woods. How bad can it be?



I stopped at the visitor center, there was just information and maps... No video poker.

 I looked for show girls, but Smokey the Bear must have them hidden in his den of iniquity.




Don't worry Miss, they only grow this big in these parts..
Help Me...

 As we drove higher and higher, then temperature got lower and lower.. We went form over 100 degrees to 62.  A nice break from the heat... for just a little while anyway... love my heat.



Benches made from rock are stupid.. and hard.




Life was nice before the bee attacked.



Was it the cool air, or his cool wife and daughter that has dad smiling?






Doesn't matter, we all had a good time.. and that makes me happy!



What's for dinner?

One of the good things about having siblings and friends come visit, is dinner is a little easier. (The sparkling personalities are a plus, also.)

Lately it has been a gamble cooking a meal. Who knows if or when it will be eaten.


I'll just have a bean or two.


Mom has never been one to sit down and eat a big meal. Dad was the guy who had seconds then later scarfed down leftovers.

So it was nice to actually sit down as a family and break bread.  Thanks Sarah, for eating my food!

Oh and Marti..


Veggies suck! But we will try to feed Dad more green stuff. I wish he had a bigger appetite, I would fix whatever he wanted all day long.  Hate seeing him get so skinny.

Add Velveeta, and baby carrots.

Sister time.

Tomorrow is Sister day!
Making her way from across the country to visit.
Looking forward to seeing her. 

Bella is so excited she helped me make the bed in the guest room.

Dammit cat! Now I have one more thing to clean.

She sucks at helping.

I usually keep the bed covered with a Bella guard.

Not everyone is required to love Bella and her trail of fur.



Sarah, in true Udell fashion, likes to play.


I hope she can bring the smile back into Dads eyes... It's gone missing.

Old people get their day.

Anyone who lives in Las Vegas knows, never, ever gamble on the strip.


It sits all blingy and pretty as it takes your money.. fast!

 I don't gamble to win, but I like to at least play a little on my five bucks. (It is better when you win.)
The local Casinos are much better.
And when you get a players card, you earn points. Points towards all sorts of stuff from free buffets to crappy T-shirts.



Which make great work shirts.

Which brings us to Wednesdays. Senior day all across the valley.
5x your points as your bony fingers hit the slot buttons.


Big money! I pray for big money!

 The buffets offer 1/2 point deals on the mediocre food.. and extra creamed corn and mashed potatoes.

The casino floors are slowly buzzing with the noise of social security checks going bye bye.

So the journey begins.. taking Dad out to play a little.

Don't expect to move quickly, we have to navigate the wheelchairs and walkers.

Watch your step for the oxygen tanks that sit humming next to the old man and his beloved cigarette.

Don't get tangled in the mess of  lanyards dangling from your fellow slot sharks neck, a collection of players cards attached and ready for action.


I drove around the parking lot twenty times, everyone of the hundred or so handicap parking spots were occupied. Seriously, I had to drop the teenagers off and hike back to the front door.



Looks like this on a Friday night.


It's all worth it... Mom and Dad love them some slot action!
So do I.





You just never know.

I think it was the great and mighty Oprah that said "Everyone has a story."


Listen to me.. for I am Oprah!

Hate to admit it, but she may be right.
Days ago a guy came knocking on the door. He said he was just laid off and was willing to do anything around the house for short money.
I sent him on his way knowing that there was a palm tree that need to be planted next door.


Is this deep enough?

Moments later I hear them in the back yard. I knew the Teenagers would have something for him.
They kept his number.
Meanwhile........
The grass they planted refuses to come up and face the desert sun.
Sod it is.
Cheap enough for such a small space. 
They call the guy. He wants the job of laying it.
Says he will ride his bike over.. We are talking a couple of miles in over 100 degree heat.


Am I there yet?

Mom picked him up. Cause that is how she rolls.
On the trip back to the house, she found out he worked at the pet cemetery for 15 years. The place was sold and the whole crew was let go for cheaper labor.
He told of the rich and famous burying their pets there. Vegas icons like Dean Martin.

It even has a little chapel.

Of a woman who spent $2,800 to give her pet rat a finally resting place.



I guess they can be cute.
 But not really, its a rat!

 A woman brought her dearly departed Fido a McDonald's hamburger and fries every day, because he loved them in life. (Dead of a doggy heart attack??)

 People actually get buried in the pet cemetery to rest for all time next to their four legged best friend.

Interesting guy.. with shit luck.

I know his story is true because when I Googled Craig Road Pet Cemetery I got their facebook page and there he was.



Damn if I knew I was getting fired I would have called in for this freak Vegas snow storm.

 So listen to Oprah and don't just dismiss people because your a cynic like me.
Unless he introduces himself as Brian David Mitchell.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_David_Mitchell

The one thing that confuses me though is... how did Dad get so dirty when they hired someone to do the work???? Guess he can't help it, the man needs to be involved.. help where and when he can.. that is just how he rolls.

When you are hot you're hot

Take in some 104 degree heat, add a dose of pancreatic cancer and you end up with tired. Couple of naps a day tired.


It is too hot out to do much yard work. Too hot to sit out and read a book. (for most folks.)
So we look for fun things to do indoors.
Short and cool trips to Costco are always a winner.


Weekend are better because there are more samples, grazing, senior buffet.. whatever you want to call it.
Weekend are the worst, because of the crowds vying for those little morsels of packaged meats and burritos.

A three pack is only $12.99

As we were trolling the delicious free food.
One of the women handing out oatmeal or some other mushy bits, made a comment to Dad.
So he stopped to chat.. Mom looked and me and said. "At least he still feels good enough to flirt."




The other sure cool bet, is a quick drive to the casino... a favorite of the teenagers..
If you want to make Dad smile, take him to the Santa Fe, and watch him win $95.00.

I'm not going to lie, winning makes me smile too.

Way to win some money Dad!!!!