Snippets by Sister S

Pinwheels

We've got a near-summit of Sisters and brothers-in-law in town. Here's Sister S's take: 


Had a good first day with mom. I arrived shortly before lunch. We ate, then the gang had hand massages in the penalty box (Bev, Joanne, Gloria, etc). Then we went to arts and crafts with Jesse and made a pinwheel and went outside to see them spin. Then we went to Stratford for tea and brownies and discussion of the news. She did not speak, but seemed to be listening intently, and did not ask to leave even though it lasted a long time.

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Today Wendy from Bright Star is there instead of Ivette. She's great. We went down to the lobby after breakfast to watch the comings and goings. There was a bus going to Trader Joe's, which is right next to Bay Shore mall, so I left mom with Wendy and went along to buy mom socks. She only had 5 socks in her drawer and none of them matched. Beautiful sunny day. Does mom need anything wear?

Birthday boy

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Went to Kohls - 2 nice t-shirts, 6 pair of socks, 2 stretch bras. Then stopped in Trader Joe's for a $5 bottle of chardonnay. 30 minutes and back on the SJ bus! Success.

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Beautiful day in Milwaukee. Just had breakfast with mom, and Wendy from Bright Star came as we were finishing. Mom ate scrambled eggs, a whole English muffin with butter and jam, fruit bowl, and the forbidden bacon, cut up real fine.

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The art today was alcohol and paint applied with a dropper onto clear plastic, so each drop exploded into a bright color. Mom was beaming and said, "This is WONderful!" Now they're off to yoga before lunch.

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Jon came for lunch and we gave him our cards and a pinwheel for his birthday. Mom had trouble swallowing and packed her food in her mouth - first time since I've been here. Maybe she didn't like it. She ate the rice pudding dessert. Then she asked to go to bed and had a good nap.

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Move and groove didn't happen, but it was okay. She had a new young aide, McKenzie. She was very good with her and patient. Then she left and we did devotions and sang a little - Jesus Loves Me and Be Near Me Lord Jesus as she fell asleep. Felt a little choked up; it reminded me of us singing as dad was dying.

When an anti-depressant depresses

20 miles of gravel on the Eichenbaum State Trail

Mom has slightly improved. The nurses reduced her anti-depressant dose, and in the topsy-turvy world of pharmaceuticals, it has perked her up a little bit. She looks better, seems to feel better, and is able to get through a full thought occasionally without forgetting what she started to say.

"We think it was starting to snow her," said one of the nurses, on the dosage she was taking. Snow, as on a fuzzy TV.

The drama Sunday was all about Gloria. She's blind, maybe from birth, and 80-plus. For as long as she's been there, you could find her in her wheelchair out in the penalty box, reading in Braille, running her fingers over the thick pages of an untitled book. Sometimes she would gasp or say "No!" at a critical point in the narrative, and you would think,  "What is she reading? Must be a good book!"

But she is losing it. She doesn't read much any more, and if she doesn't sense the presence of somebody nearby, she'll call out "Help me! Help me!" and even shriek for some kind of reassurance. So we all say, "It's OK, Gloria. We're here." But often it's not enough. The other day they gave her a bath or shower and you could hear her throughout the entire floor crying out. "Help me please! Help me please! Ah, ah, ah! I'm dying! I'm dying!" It went on and on.

The other day Julie brought Ollie, the dog we babysit, and had Gloria touch his plush white fur. "Oh, this is nice," she said.

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Rode my bike 110 miles yesterday, Milwaukee to Appleton. It was fun, felt good till I hit the Eichenbaum trail. If I were rich, I'd have it paved.

Eden, Wisconsin, where they grow the trucks big.

Recent Mom art