1. When I arrived at Kindred about 10:30 a.m., Mom's physical therapist saw me and told me that she and Mom had had a great session earlier and said something I didn't quite understand about Mom walking to the bathroom. She shared this news when I was in the hall and she was in the rehab room working with a resident. Mom walked to the bathroom? I hope to learn more later.
When I arrived at Mom's room, Christy was with Mom and soon left to go to work. I hadn't been with Mom long when she said, "Okay. Let's go!" When I asked where, she said, "Outside."
My heart leapt.
I love wheeling Mom out back so we can look at the deep purple violas, handsome columbine, luminous Shasta daisies, and other flowers. The peak heat of day was still to come. It was comfortable out and a refreshing breeze kicked up every several minutes.
After a tour of the garden area, we parked in the shade on Kindred's patio and before long Mom told me she was very tired and wanted to go back home -- she was referring to her room. We stopped for a few minutes to see our longtime friend Peny Benson and soon Mom was back to bed.
2. With a couple of breaks tucked in, I sat with Mom until 5:30 p.m. It was an uneventful afternoon. Mom slept. On occasion, she woke up, sort of, long enough to ask me a random question about the kitchen or the car keys or to find out where Christy was. Often she said things so quietly or mumbly I couldn't understand her, but I never asked her to repeat herself. She wasn't really talking to anyone.
I think Mom's wig was too hot at one point and it was coming off so I took it off and asked Mom if she's like me to brush her hair. Her hair barely grew back after her chemotherapy treatments about seventeen years ago, but she enough grows that she occasionally has it cut and there's enough to brush. I thought she might like the sensation of feeling the brush going through her hair.
She did.
Around 5:30, Mom and I hugged -- she told me a couple days ago not to fall on her, so I always say, "Mom. Can we hug? I promise I won't fall on you." She smiles a little or chuckles and says, "You better not." It's a pretty good deal.
3. I drove out to Kingston to Ed's house, talked for a bit with Ed and Nancy, and then Ed and I bolted in the Malibu down to the Cd'A Casino. I played for a while, went to the Red Tail Grill for a BLT and a pint of No-Li's Born & Raised IPA and returned to the floor and hopped around from machine to machine. I left with fifteen bucks in my pocket I didn't have when I came in. I am always happy if I can just manage to break even, so winning a little was a bonus. Ed and I worked hard on the drive back to the Silver Valley to get the problems of the world straightened out. We'll see as Sunday unfolds how that worked out.
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