With all the crap I've waded through lately, I figured there had to be a pony in there somewhere! I think I can finally see the pony!! Things have been better on the home-front for the last 2-3 weeks. My mother has come out of her room and been active and sociable. She has had lots of appointments recently and we've usually done something in conjunction with that.....shopping, eating out, etc. This past Sunday was beautiful and we went to the Lowcountry Pow Wow, a small gathering of East coast Indian tribes. It was something different and we both enjoyed it, with my mother declaring it a good day!! By the end of the day, she was totally worn out but, bless her heart, she gave it a good effort.
 |
| All photographs can be seen HERE. |
Even better than that, the Aid and Attendance Benefits that I applied for months ago through the VA have been approved!! I kept getting letters saying they were reviewing the case but there was a long back log. Then one said they were reviewing the information to determine whether anything more was required......and my first thought was "oh, no......more paperwork". And then a thick packet arrived unexpectedly, confirming that she had been approved. We now have funds that will allow us to get help on a regular basis. I really haven't told her that she was approved because she will want to use that money to go home, with the expectation that the meager sum will pay someone to be with her. It won't. So, my plan is to have someone come in once a week to allow me to get out. I followed through with the ads in the paper and have found a lovely lady who stayed with Mama last Wednesday. Mama loved her!! When I got home they were watching TV and chatting away. My mother was very jovial and animated....a total contrast to the last few months. That seemed to bring her out and improve her outlook, proving that she needs to be with other people as much as I do. So, Alice is coming back tomorrow and I'm going to the Progressive Ladies' Luncheon on the island...yippee! On my way home, I'm going to stop by Memory Matters, an adult day care program for those with dementia. I'm hoping to get my mother involved in that once a week...at least in the beginning! She is very resistant to meeting people or tackling new situations, so keep your fingers crossed! Anyway, this is the best thing that has happened in a long time and I hope it proves to be worthwhile for us both.
 |
| Sunset right out my front door. |
On a completely different topic, since my retirement I've been "experimenting" with my hair style, to no avail! I colored it, let it grow, had it straight and then layered, etc. With fine hair, almost nothing works, at least not for long. So, last week I was at the salon at 8AM when they opened and told them I wanted it short. When I left, it was a cute, pixie-ish style on someone with not such a pixie-ish face! And by the time I did it myself, it turned into the Janet Nepolitano look! It's grown on me now that it is a tad longer and, if nothing else, I'm happy with something that requires very little effort.
Those of you who have read this for a while know that I struggle with latent hippie tendencies, which seem to bubble up from time to time no matter what I do. I'll blame my latest relapse on my iPad. After getting it, I learned about podcasts and somehow I discovered Janet Taylor at the
Temple Buddhist Center of Kansas City, MO.....of all places. She gives about a 15 minute talk and then a short guided meditation, and both her topic and presentation are very clearly stated, straightforward and calming. I generally listen to it in the morning and it calms me for the day ahead. It helps me "live in the moment", as they say, and take one day at a time. It has also helped me stop feeding into arguments fueled by 60 years of baggage and to accept the moment as it is.....and not read too much into it. There have been times when there was just so much swirling around in my head, much of it things I could do nothing about or something in the past or future......it's wonderful to find something (other than wine!) that helps me get through the day in better form. So, I credit Janet with some of the calm that has been happening around here and I feel fortunate to have discovered her talks.
Those of you who have read this for a while know that I struggle with latent hippie tendencies, which seem to bubble up from time to time no matter what I do. I'll blame my latest relapse on my iPad. After getting it, I learned about podcasts and somehow I discovered Janet Taylor at the Temple Buddhist Center of Kansas City, MO.....of all places. She gives about a 15 minute talk and then a short guided meditation, and both her topic and presentation are very clearly stated, straightforward and calming. I generally listen to it in the morning and it calms me for the day ahead. It helps me "live in the moment", as they say, and take one day at a time. It has also helped me stop feeding into arguments fueled by 60 years of baggage and to accept the moment as it is.....and not read too much into it. There have been times when there was just so much swirling around in my head, much of it things I could do nothing about or something in the past or future......it's wonderful to find something (other than wine!) that helps me get through the day in better form. So, I credit Janet with some of the calm that has been happening around here and I feel fortunate to have discovered her talks.