A little bit better

Lifeline

Mom much better today. I really think the time change -- the loss of an hour -- whacked her out. At dinner with the Cranberry gang, she ate everything she got, and, for dessert, had the black forest cake with whipped cream and cherries on top and the caramel collision ice cream. Again, all of it mashed into a sweet porridge. "Desserts are the best part of meals," she said. She had so much energy so late in the day that it made me think she'd had wine on the other days, when she was calling so crazily. A glass of wine completely shuts her down.

Still, she called yesterday and again today -- even after all those frantic calls earlier -- itching to return the extra bras. Having them in the place just bugged her, in the way that I think only someone with Parkinson's can be bugged. She wanted to go to the store with me to return them, as if somehow this would mitigate the trouble I would have returning them by myself. Quite the contrary. She said, "But you'll return them, right? Not Julie?" I said I would. I guess we'll see.

She was wearing one of the new bras, kind of a sports bra, and insisted on lifting her shirt to show me. Egad. "I didn't fuss with it all day," she said.

We called P, of P and P, and C, who was upset when Mom didn't recognize her on her call of the other day. I got on the phone with P after Mom talked to her. "Tell her we love her to pieces." And C told her, "I'm so relieved. You sound so much better."

Still, she's not getting better. She kept referring to a woman who lives there as "he," and said, at dinner, "We gotta talk something about when I should go home. I seem to be the only one who is not here just forever."

I don't know what to do with that. Just a year ago, with a clear mind, she said she liked the place, it was lovely, she would like to live there. We sold the house, moved all her stuff -- does she not remember?

When I was getting ready to go, she said "The things you get into having to deal with me!" And then "I hope that it turns out OK.",

"What?"

"Returning the bras."