Gadwall of Ember

Busy day today. I stopped at the coffee shop to get two lattes and a slice of lemon cake for myself and Madame. I had decided already that I would not try to take her anywhere for lunch, but would substitute a treat in her room. The weather forecast was bad, and it was already spitting freezing rain when I set out. Also, without her hearing aid, she cannot hear at all, and I'm not prepared to take her even down to the bistro in the building if she can't hear me or anyone else. When I arrived, there was not one single space left in the parking lot, so I had to go across the street to park, and walk back up the hill to her building. I was tempted to turn tail and go home, but I'm not that easily discouraged. Normally, I get there before the residents are taken to lunch, but today they started early for some reason, and she was already in the dining room. Again I thought, jeez, I could just leave! But then she spotted me and waved, so I sat down at her table. That did not suit her, however. She's very jealous and considers Other People to be The Enemy. We went back to her room and asked the staff to bring her lunch on a tray.

We communicated by a combination of lip-reading and writing notes, some of which she found hard to decipher. I was glad to find a note from one of her other friends telling her that Mademoiselle would pick her up tomorrow for dinner at her son's house. She doesn't really know that tomorrow is Thanksgiving, nor does she know exactly what tomorrow is, but I think she found this reassuring after I'd shown her the note about six times. I looked around for the errant hearing aid, but couldn't find it. She visited the bathroom and became entangled, and had to be rescued and then given a complete change of clothing. By the time this was done, she was tired and started to get agitated and confused. I got her somewhat calmed down and then walked her to the room where some staff members welcomed her to an activity before I headed for home.

The Sparrowhawk had started a fire in the fireplace! We have obtained some really nice hardwood that burns beautifully and puts forth a lot of heat. By this time, the freezing rain had turned to snow and was pelting down and swirling around violently under the lash of the wind. It was very cozy to be inside with a warm fire. We had a Zoom with Deb and the Prussian, made necessary by a job the Sparrowhawk had to do at our usual time, and made possible by the fact that the Sparrowhawk was not going to the gym in this weather. After that, we had a bite to eat. Earlier in the day, I exchanged texts with the Duchess, and she suggested that "if I had chocolate," Dr. Music would appreciate it if I happened to bring a chocolate dessert. "IF, said the Spartans . . ." So I made a chocolate cake. It turned out I did not, in fact, have the correct form of chocolate. We were out of cocoa powder. But I improvised with different kinds of chocolate, and I think it has come out all right. If the weather looks as it did earlier today, I will probably not go, and we can take some cake to Dr. Music at another time. But the gale might subside overnight . . . .

And, in conclusion, today would have been my father's 102nd birthday, so it's very appropriate that I'm making a cake. Happy birthday to der Alte, without whom none of this would have been possible!