Day by Day....

I'm not sure where the time has gone or how we've spent it.  I'm still doing the "one day at a time" thing,  and on some days it's been "half-day to half-day".  My mother seems to do okay as long as she's occupied; however, I don't have the energy or creativity to do that 24/7.  If I occupy myself with my own tasks/activities (such as this), she will just go into her "zone' - head down, eyes fixed and lost in thoughts that do not seem to bring much joy.  Or, better yet, if I do something like go have my hair cut, she'll just retire to her room, with more of the same for hours and hours!!  It's hard to feel good if that's what you're doing.  Anyway, I do what I can and the photos below are of the flowers we planted in the space in the back yard that we cleared a week or so ago.  Anyone who has visited knows that this isn't my thing......it was done strictly for her benefit and enjoyment; but, I too enjoyed it and am very chuffed with the results.  We've established a routine of sitting out on the patio several times a day so Smokey, her kitty, can roam free.....the little flower garden is a nice touch.

We did have a day (almost everything takes the major part of a day) at Sam's in Savannah, with our favorite soup and salad stop at Ruby Tuesday's. This afternoon we hit the local Thrift Shop, which is one of the best around.  These are usually things my mother would really enjoy (and I think she did), but she just tires so quickly, and when it's over, it's over.

Though it's difficult to plan things and I'm likely to come back to find my mother in the zone, I have managed to get away for lunch with my friend Chris, as well as attend a dog handling class at Palmetto Animal League.

 Upcoming events include:

• The second and final part of the dog handling class this Saturday, when we actually work with the dogs....so, I hope all goes well with that as I really enjoyed being there again after such a long time.
• Sunday I've offered to take my mother to church again; and, shortly thereafter, I'm hoping to meet Cheryl as she travels from Camden to Florida.  We will just get together over lunch, but it will be good to catch up.
•  Pamela, who is here from California to get her 90 year old mother's apartment ready to sell, is experiencing many of the same things I've described. So, she and I are planning a "great escape" on Tuesday.....no idea at this point what we will do, but my guess is that it will involve a glass or two of vino. 

 The remainder of my time has been and will be filled with doctor's appointments and the everyday things of life, some of which get done and others don't.  My house is out of control but, somehow, that seems way down on the list.

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After a day of being depressed, last night my mother again became active during the night.  She has  recently begun talking a lot in her sleep, almost nightly.  Sometimes her hands are going as though she's doing something.  Last night, in addition to that, she turned on her light around 11:45.  When I went in she was putting her shoes in the closet.  When I asked what she was doing, she said she was cleaning her room.  I told her the time and suggested she do it tomorrow.  Later, she knocked her water container off the bedside table......again probably doing something with her hands and arms of which she wasn't aware. I asked what she was thinking/worried about......and we "talked" about her wanting to but not being able to be on her own at home.  Not what she wanted to hear.  So, I spent most of the night on high alert!!

Later today she is to see her doctor, so I called his office before she got up this morning and asked that he inquire about her sleeping, etc.  The last time she was there she told him she wanted to go home and he said that was between us, but he didn't see how she could manage on her own (and, of course, since then she has been home and lasted a week, which he doesn't yet know).  I asked that if she said anything like that again, that he counsel her as best/positively as he could (sometimes I think they know as much about that as they do nutrition!).  So, we shall see how that goes.  I have learned that in many cases it is better for me to pull strings behind the scenes rather than dealing with it directly myself.  In that vein, I've been in touch with Indigo Pines and they are going to send her an invitation to spend several nights there, to get a feel for it.  Needless to say, I'm going to push that as much as I can without getting a backlash.  Keep your fingers crossed.