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Ash Wednesday/WinterRye of Bluster
Feb. 22nd, 2023 08:13 pmMemento, homo, quia pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris.
There's a little memento of this in Deathgift, where the soldiers call themselves "polvos," short for "polverados." Also in Sky Road where Singer quotes Mozart's Requiem after plucking it from the mind of an adversary.
It's Ash Wednesday, so we started off the day by going to church to get ashed. The freezing rain was already beginning. While we were there, I got a text from Madame's daughter, who I guess I might as well call Mademoiselle, to ask if I were going to see Madame today, because she had been trying to get hold of her mom. I said that I was, as expected . . . unaware that I was about to encounter the unexpected.
When I arrived, she didn't answer the door, nor my text. Finally I called her on the phone, and she came to the door. She was quite flustered and distracted, wandering around the house talking about various things, and I finally realized that she thought I'd come to take her to her respite apartment at the place that is not actually called Happy Hills, but something like that. Yesterday, when I spoke to her, she not only said nothing of this, but disavowed all knowledge that she was moving there any time this week. I texted Mademoiselle again, and learned that a) she was at home in bed, sick; and b) Madame had been telling her all week that I would take her there. Well, all righty then. I think what happened is that Madame knew I was coming to take her to lunch today, and just conflated the two things in her mind. It happens when confused people get anxious.
I schlepped her suitcase, a paper bag full of shoes, a satchel bulging with everything in creation, and a purse, the same, to the car, and managed to help her into the car as well. It isn't easy for her to climb in. I wish for her sake I had a smaller vehicle. However, the one I have is very good for driving on days like this. I had to scrape the ice off the windows again by the time we got started. She had misplaced her keys again, so I couldn't actually lock the door behind us. We went to the bookstore and had lunch, just in time before they closed the whole place early due to weather! I left Madame in the lobby and told her I was going to bring the car to the door. As I came around, what did I see but herself wobbling across the icy lot with her walker! OMG. A very, very kind and large delivery man spotted her and hastened to assist her so she wouldn't fall down. I'm very grateful for that guy. She has never done that before. I think she's very agitated right now and not thinking straight.
We proceeded to Happy Hills as the sky continued to shower us with ice pellets. There she was greeted by the welcoming team, who I guess were expecting her in spite of all the confusion. Her room was ready, and they set everything up for her. I stayed while they ran through the basic information, because I thought Mademoiselle might like to hear about it. Finally they went downstairs for a tour, and I was able to go home before the ice got any worse. Honestly, I am so relieved to know that she's not alone in her house during the storm. She's in a safe place where people are there to take care of her.
I came home, texted Mademoiselle the basic info and did a little actual work, and then made us dinner--mushroom and cheese omelet with skillet potatoes and onions, sliced tomatoes and green beans. The precipitation continues to rattle against the windows, but I don't care because I'm not going anywhere!
There's a little memento of this in Deathgift, where the soldiers call themselves "polvos," short for "polverados." Also in Sky Road where Singer quotes Mozart's Requiem after plucking it from the mind of an adversary.
It's Ash Wednesday, so we started off the day by going to church to get ashed. The freezing rain was already beginning. While we were there, I got a text from Madame's daughter, who I guess I might as well call Mademoiselle, to ask if I were going to see Madame today, because she had been trying to get hold of her mom. I said that I was, as expected . . . unaware that I was about to encounter the unexpected.
When I arrived, she didn't answer the door, nor my text. Finally I called her on the phone, and she came to the door. She was quite flustered and distracted, wandering around the house talking about various things, and I finally realized that she thought I'd come to take her to her respite apartment at the place that is not actually called Happy Hills, but something like that. Yesterday, when I spoke to her, she not only said nothing of this, but disavowed all knowledge that she was moving there any time this week. I texted Mademoiselle again, and learned that a) she was at home in bed, sick; and b) Madame had been telling her all week that I would take her there. Well, all righty then. I think what happened is that Madame knew I was coming to take her to lunch today, and just conflated the two things in her mind. It happens when confused people get anxious.
I schlepped her suitcase, a paper bag full of shoes, a satchel bulging with everything in creation, and a purse, the same, to the car, and managed to help her into the car as well. It isn't easy for her to climb in. I wish for her sake I had a smaller vehicle. However, the one I have is very good for driving on days like this. I had to scrape the ice off the windows again by the time we got started. She had misplaced her keys again, so I couldn't actually lock the door behind us. We went to the bookstore and had lunch, just in time before they closed the whole place early due to weather! I left Madame in the lobby and told her I was going to bring the car to the door. As I came around, what did I see but herself wobbling across the icy lot with her walker! OMG. A very, very kind and large delivery man spotted her and hastened to assist her so she wouldn't fall down. I'm very grateful for that guy. She has never done that before. I think she's very agitated right now and not thinking straight.
We proceeded to Happy Hills as the sky continued to shower us with ice pellets. There she was greeted by the welcoming team, who I guess were expecting her in spite of all the confusion. Her room was ready, and they set everything up for her. I stayed while they ran through the basic information, because I thought Mademoiselle might like to hear about it. Finally they went downstairs for a tour, and I was able to go home before the ice got any worse. Honestly, I am so relieved to know that she's not alone in her house during the storm. She's in a safe place where people are there to take care of her.
I came home, texted Mademoiselle the basic info and did a little actual work, and then made us dinner--mushroom and cheese omelet with skillet potatoes and onions, sliced tomatoes and green beans. The precipitation continues to rattle against the windows, but I don't care because I'm not going anywhere!
