I spoke to my Dad on the phone yesterday. I was talking with him about the weather in Adelaide and how hot it has been and that I hope he was staying cool during the 42C (that's 104F in the old scale) heat.Here is how our conversation began...
me: Hi Dad. How are you?
Dad: Hi, Jo-anne. I'm good.
me: How are you coping with the heat?
Dad: I have the ceiling fan on.
me: What about the air-conditioner?
Dad: I had it on earlier but I turned it off because I went outside for a while.
me: Umm Dad you don't need to turn it off when you go outside. You should leave it on so that when you come indoors it will be lovely and cool.
Dad: Oh no I can't do that. I'm not inside.
me: *Shakes head in disbelief*
We continued talking about other things after that.
Oh man do I worry about him. I don't know whether he is being Uncle Scrooge and doesn't want a big electricity bill or not. He is 83 years old and living on his own. He should be enjoying the luxuries of air-conditioning during the heat of Summer and not turning it off. Sometimes I swear the older generation have some pretty strange ideas. I wonder if it has anything to do with Dad growing up during the Depression, having his teen years during WWII and experiencing rationing for decades. Who knows.
Aargh! We have the same issue with my mother-in-law! Now that her husband has been in a facility for a few months she seems to be losing her grip a little bit. She was outside during the snow storms shoveling the driveway and the back yard...and not once! She kept going out there during the storms!!! UGHHHHH! We tried to stop her, because she doesn't even drive!! Why does she need the driveway shoveled. The front door has perfect access to everyone who would come to visit! Oh Well, I guess they have their own mind! And we might as well not try to get inside of it!!! LOL
ReplyDeleteOh Golly Poetess, they can be a worry some times can't they. Yes, you are right they do have their own mind & their own ideas. Perhaps it is best to not try and work them out. It may only drive us crazy in the process.
ReplyDeleteOh and please don't remind me about driving. My Dad still drives and I just wish he didn't. He is sooooo scary when he gets behind the wheel!