Blizzard...

Not a lot of snow, yet, but the wind is out of the NW at 31 gusting to 49. 17º with a wind chill of about a million below zero. I swore I'd never be in this kind of weather again, but excrement occurs. And speaking of that, this morning, there was a ... um... bathroom situation, so I had to go out in this nasty stuff to buy a plunger. Some things can't wait. I was out and back in 20 minutes, but it was ugly, with a capital UG. A semi jack-knifed on the highway. Activities canceled. The weather weasels are predicting 4" or less, but the visibility is down to a couple hundred feet with the blowing snow. The roads are one big ice slick.

It's supposed to be in the upper 70s in the Phoenix area today... Joan just couldn't wait to tell me that.

I decided that Mom could take a break from the half-marathon I scheduled her for today, so we worked on exercises with 2 pound weights. Not exactly pumping iron, more like pumping aluminum. Call it what you want, she's doing well.

Glitch...

I brought my Mother home from the nursing home this morning. The plan: after breakfast there, they would discharge her and we would head to her apartment. I checked in the office yesterday to make sure the paperwork was all done.

After breakfast, one mucky-mucks told me, "Um, there's been a little glitch. A doctor needs to sign her release order and it was done by a PA."

"This was all supposed to have been taken care of two days ago. I double checked yesterday and you said it was all good to go. Call the doctor's office NOW. Don't make this VERY anxious little old lady wait any longer."

Like most medical stuff, after an hour and a half of sitting and waiting, someone needed to kick-start this process. After a 30 second conversation with the doctor's office, and a bunch of apologies from them, they called the nursing home and authorized her release.

I had to shake my head at one point this morning (well, several points)... as I was carrying some of my Mother's things to the car, another resident at the home looked at me and said, "Who died?" He had obviously seen family members carrying stuff out before, and the outcome wasn't as good as our situation.

Back at her apartment, we took another "tour" of the place. I thought the first thing she'd want to do would be to eat a good meal or lay down in her bed... no, she wanted to sit at the table and pay some bills. When nap time came around, she asked, "Can I take a nap on my couch?"

"This is your place, Mom - your rules. You can stay up late, play loud music, dance naked in front of the windows - no more nurses, aids, or therapists telling you what to do. Well, just me... and you don't want to get on my bad side."

If the rest of her recuperation goes as well as her first day home, she's going to be fine.

Homeward bound...

Not me. The home visit with the therapist went well today, and I'll be springing her from the nursing home on Friday... well ahead of "schedule"; at least ahead of what the doctor and therapists predicted. Mom can get around with a walker, so over the next week or so, I'll be staying with her to make sure she can live independently; then, we'll make some decisions.

I have some work to do on her place to get it ready for her return; nothing major, just a few things to help her mobility.

She had tears in her eyes when we opened the door to her place. Less than a month ago, she doubted this day would come. Life changing events can happen in a second. And then take a lot of work to gain back what one can. Seeing day to day life in the nursing home is often tough. I don't take a moment of peace and quiet or personal modesty for granted. The look on my Mother's face when she sat on her bed spoke volumes.

Wow!

Leaving Phoenix yesterday, I was interested to see what the TSA search procedures would be at the Sky Harbor Airport. Frankly, not much different from the past unless you are selected for additional screening. I made it a point to strip down almost to my skivvies to go through the metal detector... no shoes, jacket, belt, billfold, cell phone, laptop, watch, coins, keys. It's a bit disheartening that we have to go through all this to be able to fly. The terrorists may not have won, but they have certainly changed our lives.

I saw two people get the additional screening: a young lady in a tight shirt and pants... I can assure you there wasn't room to hide anything in that outfit. She was patted down by a female TSA officer. And then an older lady with an artificial knee who did the back scatter X-ray. No hold up, no hostility; people were just doing what they had to do to get through the lines.

A 2 1/2 hour flight and a 50 degree temperature drop. My brother-in-law met me at the Omaha airport and gave me a ride further north. At the nursing home, Mom looks like her old self again... a big slower, and attached to a walker, but she is working hard to get out of that place. And, ahead of schedule.

My sister left an inflatable bed for me at Mom's apartment. Nasty. Besides the fact that it wouldn't pump up above "saggy", it looked and smelled like something died on it. Oh, well, I covered it with a bunch of sheets and blankets... on the bright side, it's even more uncomfortable than it is ugly and smelly.

I made a late night trip to the grocery store to pick up a few necessities: fruit, soda, cheese, and something to fix for a late supper. Stepping out of the store into the night air was shocking... temp in the teens, with single digits predicted for the night. It's been over 5 years since I subjected myself to these temps... I almost forgot how much it hurts to breath in that frigid air.

Today will be interesting: we (the physical therapist and I) will be bringing my Mother to her apartment for her first "home visit" since she fell. The therapists wants to go all through her place to make sure Mom can get around in there. It's nice and open, so I think it will be fine. Then, in a few more days, I will be bring Mom back to her apartment to stay.

This is the only thing that could bring me back to the frozen northland this time of year.

It's beginning to look a lot like...

I may not get into the shopping spirit this time of year, but I am like a little kid at Christmas... I like the decorating, the carols, even getting the annual Christmas newsletter ready. Not sure what decorating will be done around the RV this year, but I did get the Christmas newsletter printed - something to send to family and friends to share a bit of what this year held for us.

Lunch Date...

I had a lunch date today... with "the other woman"... and the Blonde encouraged me to go. No, not the boat or the motorcycle, this was with a lovely, lively young lady. I did see a couple women give us a second look as we came into the restaurant and sat close together to share a menu. She had been here before, I hadn't, so she was giving me some recommendations on her favorites. Oh, and she picked up the check.

Yes, the other woman has been in our lives since she was born - our darling daughter. We had a nice Daddy/Daughter day today. After lunch, I tagged along while she did some quick shopping. We talked, we laughed, and I told her how proud her Mother and I are of her; as a teacher, she makes a real difference in a lot of kids' lives.

I'll be in the frozen northland for a while soon, so she and Joan will get plenty of Mother/Daughter time, and they both thought this would be a nice treat for me. They were right.

Happy Anniversary, Baby!

Nearly 4 decades ago, I convinced that pretty blonde to marry me. And "they" said it wouldn't last. ;-) We have been a team since then... working and playing together. And looking forward to more.