MeadowBunting of Trill
Apr. 12th, 2019 09:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ismoI'm happy that we won't be going back to my mother's place to clear out her former apartment tomorrow. The Duchess and I were going to do it, but it turns out they will let us have till the end of the month. So we're going to move things on the weekend after Easter, instead, which will work out better for everyone. Mr. Science even says he will come then, and bring a truck. And big news, although not to be operationalized until later: Mr. Science has turned in his paperwork for retirement at the end of this year! That is quite momentous. You know you're old when your little brother retires. . . . The Duchess and I agree that we don't need the extra stress of moving and disposing of Mother's things right now. This stuff is very hard.
I spoke to Mother briefly on the phone this afternoon. The Duchess was visiting her, and Mother had been asking her where I was, so the Duchess called me and handed the phone to Mother. I thought visiting more frequently would make her feel better, but so far, the main result seems to have been that I've become a focus of anxiety. She obsesses about my whereabouts and what I'm doing. She also gets me mixed up with her sister and cousins, who used to live with her, so when it's time for her to eat or sleep, she wonders why I'm not eating or sleeping along with her. I had been hoping that she might recover a bit from the way she was when I last saw her, but I guess not. The Duchess says she is still talking about living at "1210," which is what they called her grandmother's house. She also says that she got up and walked around on her own--which is impossible--and that my father was right behind her, but then he went somewhere. She told the Duchess that she wanted to go home, too. These are classic dementia themes. It's just so strange that this has happened so fast. And, of course, it's heartbreaking no matter how it happened. We're just grateful that she can stay where she is for now, and be cared for.
Today, all the snow was gone, and it was a beautiful spring day, though a bit brisk. The wind is blowing hard, bringing in another episode of freezing weather. We walked over to the garden store to see if they had stepping stones to place on a certain muddy pathway next to the garden bed. They didn't have any, and their hellebores, a plant I've been coveting, didn't look that great to me. I like to buy local when I can, but I think I'll be better off ordering both of those from other sources. I'm sure the local store will suck plenty of money out of my pockets for other entrancing delights. I already saw a fern that I wanted, and I will need some seeds soon, not to mention extra soil to top up the beds for planting. I'm trying to think about things that are coming to life rather than things that are dying.
I spoke to Mother briefly on the phone this afternoon. The Duchess was visiting her, and Mother had been asking her where I was, so the Duchess called me and handed the phone to Mother. I thought visiting more frequently would make her feel better, but so far, the main result seems to have been that I've become a focus of anxiety. She obsesses about my whereabouts and what I'm doing. She also gets me mixed up with her sister and cousins, who used to live with her, so when it's time for her to eat or sleep, she wonders why I'm not eating or sleeping along with her. I had been hoping that she might recover a bit from the way she was when I last saw her, but I guess not. The Duchess says she is still talking about living at "1210," which is what they called her grandmother's house. She also says that she got up and walked around on her own--which is impossible--and that my father was right behind her, but then he went somewhere. She told the Duchess that she wanted to go home, too. These are classic dementia themes. It's just so strange that this has happened so fast. And, of course, it's heartbreaking no matter how it happened. We're just grateful that she can stay where she is for now, and be cared for.
Today, all the snow was gone, and it was a beautiful spring day, though a bit brisk. The wind is blowing hard, bringing in another episode of freezing weather. We walked over to the garden store to see if they had stepping stones to place on a certain muddy pathway next to the garden bed. They didn't have any, and their hellebores, a plant I've been coveting, didn't look that great to me. I like to buy local when I can, but I think I'll be better off ordering both of those from other sources. I'm sure the local store will suck plenty of money out of my pockets for other entrancing delights. I already saw a fern that I wanted, and I will need some seeds soon, not to mention extra soil to top up the beds for planting. I'm trying to think about things that are coming to life rather than things that are dying.
a garden is magic
Date: 2019-04-13 06:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-04-15 02:04 pm (UTC)