I was really grateful that dad was willing to spend some of his furlough time off work to drive me to see my mom and family. He had hoped to be able to stain the decks, but of course, it rained Monday and Tuesday. We did get the pool closed.
On Wed we left about noon and just drove to Youngstown to make it a shorter drive on my back, 6 1/2, and relaxed at a cheap Best Western. It was quiet and nice. We walked over to a Mexican place for dinner. Dad ordered his usual, cheese enchiladas, but didn't like them at all. I don't know if the place was authentic Mexican, or just weird, but everything tasted different. It was crowded, and a real hit to this little trucker-oriented town. I had a bean burrito and guacamole salad, and enjoyed both.
On Thursday, dad met Frank and Mike and played 18 holes of golf, while I took the car and told mom I would take her anywhere she wanted to go. She chose her favorite clothing store, Col Water Creek, and McDonald's for lunch. She was happy and cheerful and even funny. She said she surely missed just being able to go grab a hamburger and a milkshake when she wanted one.
We didn't find anything at the store there, so we went into Macy's and Dressbarn, where we found a cute tweed sweater vest. She bought me one and herself one.
She was worried about money the whole time. She must have looked into her little purse 15 times to see what was in there.
She is given 2- $50 Visa gift cards, and that is all. Most places take them. She has a little cash. Well, Mike brought over her real Visa credit card and a Macy's card, and explained to me to watch if she used them so she didn't leave them on the counter. She was careful, but very confused as to which card to use and why. She told me she had tried to use the Visa gift card at Walmart on her Wed bus trip from her assisted living place, and they wouldn't take it. So she asked me to use one of them at McDonald's to see if they took it and how much money was left on it. They took it, no problem, and she had 32 left on it. She then asked me to use the other one at the salad place I bought my lunch at, and it had a balance on it as well. We used the balance on both up at DressBarn, so both were zero. She seemed happy to be able to use it up! Mike will get her new ones. He was quick to take the real Visa back, because on Friday when we went shopping, she didn't have it anymore.
There is a Dairy Queen right down the street. Again, she mentioned how hard it was to know it is there, actually almost in walking distance, and not be able to just go get a cone when she wanted one. That must be hard to lose that freedom.
Because she didn't have her cards, I bought us DQ.
She had $100. bill Milan had given her if we all went out to dinner. She wanted to keep that. We ate dinner at Carol's both nights. I knew mom would want to go out, but Milan had fallen in Mike and Marsha's bathroom just that previous Monday when they brought them there for Labor Day. He has no balance, and falls asleep sometimes right on the pot. So we didn't want to take him to a restaurant, or exclude him; plus, Carol had insisted on cooking...
Then mom and I took a short walk around her little lake, which she calls a park, and then got free soda and ice from her place and took it out back to a little patio and chatted for an hour.
Mike and Dad went golfing again. Dad's back got pretty sore from golfing 18 holes in 2 days and not being used to that.
The one incident I wanted to get down in writing was that even after being with mom all day Thursday, and telling her I would be over at 12:30 the next day, (after she got her hair done), she told me that when I walked in, she could not remember if I was coming that day or my sister Kathy. She said she knows her mind is slipping away. It almost broke my heart.
My back was really sore all the way home, even though I kept changing positions. Still sore today. But it was worth it.
Mike told us some very spiritual stories. Frank and Mike were together again. Frank sincerely thanked Don for taking such good care of me! wow. Carol took us to dad's grave and she cried there. She says he cries still all the time. There is evident tension between Mike and Carol. Sad to see.
I am grateful to dad to drive me there, because I am pretty sure I can't do that drive alone anymore, unless I finally get this back fixed. Chiro tomorrow, Pain specialist Thursday. Colonoscopy Friday. Egh.
Please try to think of things to help grandma have fun, cute experiences these final years. I think you for sending photos. She loves them. Maybe have the kids write her, or color a picture for her. Music is a great Christmas gift. Also, Carol can use spiritual boosts. She can receive emails with photos attached, and loves little sayings and the such. I even think she would like one of those little Mormon messages attached to an email. We told her at the cemetery that she would be with dad again. I don't know if she believes it or not.
