Three Beautiful Things 07/12/17: Mom Puts on Make-Up, Corby's, Class of '70 at Midtown Pub

1. I walked into Mom's room around 10:00 and she was fast asleep and in her pajamas. I sat with her. I wanted her to have someone to talk to when she woke up and as she started to sort out the day and time and what lay ahead for the day. At about 11:30, she sat up and insisted she could dress herself. I didn't think this was true and I pushed the button for help and an aide came in and, having ticked Mom off because I buzzed for help, I thought it best for the aide and Mom to work things out.

They did.

Shortly before lunch, I returned to Mom's room and she was dressed and in her wheelchair. When an aide brought her lunch, Mom told the aide she didn't want it, to take it away. Mom was a little feisty after her long sleep. Then, out of the blue, Mom asked me to get out her Nivea cream and make-up bag and told me, "I want to go to the bathroom and put on my make-up." I wheeled her over to the the sink outside the bathroom and Mom put cream on her face and then make-up.

I kept thinking how good it would be if Mom had things like this to do more often. Putting on the make-up kept Mom focused. She seemed to enjoy it and it was something she could do without much help.  Christy arrived soon after Mom finished, about 1:40. I had plans to go to Coeur d'Alene and told Mom good-bye.

2. I arrived at Byrdman's and we sat on his front porch and yakked and each enjoyed a German beer. We sprang off the porch and headed out to Post Falls to Corby's, a bar owned and run by Dave Corbeil, who graduated from Kellogg High School in 1967 and was a well-known athlete -- and had helped coach the Babe Ruth All-Star team I was on in the summer of 1969.  Byrdman and I had a beer with Corby and shot the breeze, some about the good old days and some about the good old present. I was a solid time and we shall return.

3. Byrdman and I decided next to stop in at the newly opened Midtown Pub in Coeur d'Alene. We didn't know that members of the Coeur d'Alene High School class of 1970 were having a get together and we were thrilled by the news. Byrdman was especially excited, being a 1970 grad of Kellogg, because he'd played a lot of ball over the years with and against a lot of Cd'A guys.

Well, sure enough, we saw some people Byrdman knew well and I had some connection to. We talked with Tim Shepperd. Tim Turrell came by. Soon Jack Morris strolled in and we yakked with him. It was great talking about playing baseball and basketball back in high school and getting caught up on what these guys and other people we knew were up to.  Byrdman and I were not expecting such a blast from the past when we walked into the Midtown Pub.