Birthday, ambulance

MOM'S BIRTHDAY
(If I'm not going to write very often, I might as well use a lot of pictures.)

We took over the dining room Thursday last week and celebrated Mom's 82nd birthday. We brought fudge-lined chocolate cake with white frosting, wine, a giant orchid, dark-chocolate-covered almonds, and high-end peanut butter cups. We sang  "Happy Birthday" four times, as Mrs A., who has no memory, kept saying "Aren't we going to sing 'Happy Birthday'?" So we sang it again and again. And even the grumpy woman, who never smiles, wheeled her chair over and tugged on Mom's shoulder to wish her a happy birthday. Mom, of course, didn't notice, but it was touching nonetheless.

"This is the best birthday I've ever had," Mom said, but I doubt she can remember any of her other birthdays.

Still, we had fun.

So, Julie and I are up north now, a five-day escape. It does seem like we get away a lot, but what we're doing is making the most of my three weeks of vacation. And boy am I ready to retire.

So wouldn't you know, on Monday night, a day after we got up here, I get a call from the nurse. Mom has fallen, and while nothing is broken, she won't stand again, even with help. She had been using her walker, but it didn't keep her on her feet. One of the aides said she had been outside with her earlier, and she nearly fell then, and I noticed, on Sunday, that her legs shook more than ever as she took her little stutter-steps, and she would sometimes just freeze in place, unable to move.

The nurse wanted her to go to the ER, which I thought extreme, but I said OK, and she went. Then I wondered, should I drive down, three or four hours? It might all be over by the time I got there -- or maybe she'd be there all night, afraid and full of worry. I held tight, and finally got a call from the ER. She had an infection, and was wearing one too many medical patches, which exacerbated things. She was home by 10:30.

I called her in the morning.

"Mom, I'm sorry I couldn't get there to help out."

"Oh, that's OK. There were a lot of people."

The nurse relayed this: As mom got into the ambulance, she looked at the attendants and said, "My,  aren't they handsome."

Who knows what goes on in her head.

Up North

Up North