Camouflage of Simmer
Jul. 23rd, 2025 08:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ismoWell, that was grueling. Today was my first visit to Madame in her new facility. I had (and still have) high hopes for this place as an improvement over the one she was in before. It will be much closer to Mademoiselle and family, once they complete their planned move to Madame's old house in the Village. There are more people, so better chances for her to make social contacts. The staff is trained in dementia care, and we are hoping they will be more active and helpful, and give closer attention to her needs. The facility is quite large, and contains amenities such as a "bistro," a gym and pool, a chapel, and a small shop. These are things she has wanted. However, today was not the day on which she appreciated her new surroundings. She knows two and only two things: she wants her car, and she wants to leave this place and go home. All my wiles were insufficient to cheer her up, calm her down, or switch her mind to a different track. Poor Mademoiselle is getting pure hell from her mom right now. I sent her a little report after my visit, and tried to reassure her that she has done the right thing and there is hope that Madame will calm down and be happier once the trauma of moving has passed. Naturally, Madame pleaded with me to help her escape, and I had to deny her. This is always very heart-rending. I was fairly wrecked by the time I got home.
The Sparrowhawk offered to get us some takeout for dinner, and I gratefully accepted. A little treat goes a long way to restore the soul. Thomas Aquinas recommends that when you have experienced an evil in the form of a loss or negative event, you can lessen the pain by 1) experiencing pleasures of some kind, 2) weeping, 3) experiencing the sympathy of friends, 4) contemplating the truth, or 5) sleep or baths. Very sensible. I've tried 1,3, and 4, and will soon attempt to experience sleep. It wasn't quite traumatic enough for weeping. Takeout was good enough.
I watered my plants, rearranged the refrigerator and washed up some containers, and set up my little step and exercised for a few minutes. I've been forced to recognize that I must have some kind of exercise I can do indoors, because here in Michigan, the winters are cold and snowy, and the summer is often inclement in its own way. So at least I took a crack at it.
The Sparrowhawk has been having interesting dreams lately. On Monday he dreamed that one of his old bosses was up to some unethical skullduggery, and the Sparrowhawk exposed his wrongdoing and was shouting at him, "Justify yourself! Justify yourself!" I told this to some friends, and they said I really should make a sampler with those words embroidered on it. I think that would be hilarious, though I might be the only one to appreciate the humor of it. Gothic letters, I think, with a few delicate flowers for decoration.
The Sparrowhawk offered to get us some takeout for dinner, and I gratefully accepted. A little treat goes a long way to restore the soul. Thomas Aquinas recommends that when you have experienced an evil in the form of a loss or negative event, you can lessen the pain by 1) experiencing pleasures of some kind, 2) weeping, 3) experiencing the sympathy of friends, 4) contemplating the truth, or 5) sleep or baths. Very sensible. I've tried 1,3, and 4, and will soon attempt to experience sleep. It wasn't quite traumatic enough for weeping. Takeout was good enough.
I watered my plants, rearranged the refrigerator and washed up some containers, and set up my little step and exercised for a few minutes. I've been forced to recognize that I must have some kind of exercise I can do indoors, because here in Michigan, the winters are cold and snowy, and the summer is often inclement in its own way. So at least I took a crack at it.
The Sparrowhawk has been having interesting dreams lately. On Monday he dreamed that one of his old bosses was up to some unethical skullduggery, and the Sparrowhawk exposed his wrongdoing and was shouting at him, "Justify yourself! Justify yourself!" I told this to some friends, and they said I really should make a sampler with those words embroidered on it. I think that would be hilarious, though I might be the only one to appreciate the humor of it. Gothic letters, I think, with a few delicate flowers for decoration.
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Date: 2025-07-24 08:31 pm (UTC)