07:36 – Barbara’s dad isn’t doing well, physically or mentally. For several days, he was back to his old self, but for the last couple of days he’s been declining fast. He’s angry, frustrated, and confused, all of which is understandable. Unfortunately, he takes it out on Barbara and Frances, which can make it pretty unpleasant for them to visit Dutch.
Yesterday, he said, “Barbara is doing everything for me”, which I first thought meant he appreciated what Barbara was doing. Far from it, as soon became clear. He was upset that he could no longer make decisions or do anything for himself and that Barbara (and Frances) were now making decisions for him and doing things on his behalf, including the sale of their old house. I explained to him that someone had to do these things for him because he sure couldn’t drive down to the closing at the attorney’s office, and that he was very lucky to have two daughters to take care of things that he couldn’t. But obviously it’s very difficult for Dutch, who’s used to making his own decisions and doing things for himself.