TV, Mortgage & Mail
I got ahold of mom this evening early enough so we could chat. She started the conversation by telling me there was nothing to report (she does this a lot), and that she’d shuffled paper and done small chores today. She then repeated there was nothing to report. There are times when she seems cagey […]
Called to Say "Hi"
At 7:20 this evening… Mom sounded cheerful as she asked if she could call back, as she was just sitting down to dinner. Two hours later, she hasn’t returned my call. She’s forgotten. I am not personally wounded by this in a mother-daughter kinda way, but am, tonight, feeling more sensitive and sad about this […]
Thanksgiving 2016 ~ Day Five
I called mom early to make sure she was up. Every morning she’s been here she’s told me she slept late. Not only was she up at 6:45, she said with a chuckle, “I’m having some breakfast, so there!” The drive to the ferry was unremarkable, as one wants most drives to be. The ticket […]
Thanksgiving 2016 ~ Day Four
Mom and I measured the furniture she identified as destined to return to the Island. Again, the exercise felt like a farce. But, my job now, as I interface with her about this project, whose subtext is to get the house ready to lease, is that of a cheerleader, rather than a pragmatist. If she […]
Thanksgiving 2016 ~ Day Three
When we picked up mom in the morning, she asked me where we were going… An expected query. Even with Black Friday upon us, our typically clogged highways were easy sailing today. We got to the museum in record time, found close parking, and enjoyed the exhibit, lunch and a stop in a beautiful rug […]
Thanksgiving 2016 ~ Day Three Phone Message
Mom left a phone message around 5pm asking for daughter #2’s house phone number because, “I might like to call her and talk to her from time to time.” Mom’s tone was Very clipped and ended with, “Please call me back if you are so inclined to do so. I would appreciate the information.” I […]
Thanksgiving 2016 ~ Day Two
The most re-asked question yesterday was, “What are we doing tomorrow?” Like maybe a dozen times between grocery shopping, and when my husband and I headed back to our place after dinner. I answered her question each time, exactly the same way, even asking mom if she’d like me to write down an itinerary. She […]
Thanksgiving 2016 ~ Day One
Mom dozed 80% of the drive home. Before falling asleep, she asked if my step-daughter, Chloe, was in school. Chole graduated from college 18 months ago, and mom, of course, can’t recall this. I caught mom up on Chloe’s current stats. Surprisingly, Mom dozed off mid-conversation. 20 minutes later mom woke up as a red […]
Thanksgiving 2016 ~ Preamble
Well, really, this is the beginning of day one. I leave to meet the ferry in 45 minutes. One of mom’s neighbor’s on the Island called last night to tell me mom is very excited about her trip here. Did my heart good. Tomorrow is more or less prescribed. We’re having a very small gathering […]
World Series
Mom tells vivid stories about taking the street car and bus to get to Cleveland Indian games when she was a kid. This was before she moved west as a newly minted teenager. The best part of these recollections is understanding how much she enjoyed the game. She spent time as a youngster playing hardball. […]
Dementia Dance - Travels with Mom 