This past week I had three birthdays in my house to celebrate and three different birthday cakes to make or buy. OK, so I am a bit indulgent when it comes to my kids. In any case, the weather was beautiful and hot and it made us thirsty, even mom.
"I want one too," she ordered when she saw the margarita glasses come out and the smoothie maker motor begin its familiar summer chant. Rrrrrr, Rrrrrr roared the motor throughout the house, sounds of delight and promise to quench the thirst of a sweaty sunbather or in this case a 92 year old grandmother with nothing but time on her hands.
When the drinks were dispersed we poured some into a small brandy glass for mom.
"Why is my glass so small? I want one of those," she said as she pointed to the colorful margarita shaped glasses.
The aide quickly replied, "Jean, that's too much for you to drink. It has alcohol in it. It don't go good with your medicines."
"I don't care," mom barked. "I want what they're having."
At first I was inclined to agree with the aide, but quickly realized that at 92 she could have whatever she wants (in moderation of course). However, I soon came to regret my good intention. If Ringling Brothers was looking for a new main attraction for the center ring, my dinner table last Sunday would get top billing.
"Whoopee! Whoopee!," she resounded as she waved her margarita glass in the air over and over again. It was so comical that my son posted his dear ole' nanny on U-tube.
I guess tequila and anti-depressants actually aren't such a good idea, or are they? Judge for yourself. Click Here
I know one thing for sure, she slept like a rock or maybe it's like someone hit her over the head with a rock.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?
This week has been unbearable in terms of the heat index. The thermometer registers 95 but the heat index reads 102 and the hair on my arm fries on the walk from the front door to the mailbox. Needless to say mom can't go outside. She doesn't go out when it's too cold or if it is raining because she has a phobia about rain. She can't go out if it's too hot because dehydration is a threat especially when the aides forget to give her water on an hourly basis. Hence, this past week not only has the heat index been unbearable but so has living in my house. There is nothing worse than being cooped up indoors with the sun shining outside.
Throughout most of the winter the dinner table, on any given night had at least five people at it, more like six or seven. Since the heat wave began barbecues are back in fashion and once again the open door policy applies. I think perhaps I have as much if not more traffic at my dinner table than the border guards at Tijuana. You just never know who's coming for dinner. Add another burger, toss another dog on the grill; what's one more person at the table other than company for mom. And it's true, the more people around her the more alert she is and while she still gets lost in the story of a movie (I have to admit I do the same thing if it is an oldie but goodie), she still keeps up with the conversation. Just when you think she has gone over to the other side, as the ricotta from the calzone drips down the side of her mouth and Smalls and Nathan eagerly await the droppings, she joins in on the conversation; she doesn't miss a beat, unlike the morsels that are banished in the abyss under the table.
Today had two elements which kept mom in the house: rain and heat. These were also perfect excuses for me as well. I very rarely get to lie like broccoli in front of the TV without interruption. The rest of the family was away and only mom, me and the aide stayed home with the dogs of course. It was the perfect day to get lost in a movie or several as our day played out. We followed, unknowingly at first, a central theme that of traveling to Tuscany. First we watched Under the Tuscan Sun about a writer who goes to Tuscany to get over her heartbreaking divorce and ends up buying a villa and setting up house. The second movie was Letters to Juliet, another movie about Tuscany and old love revisited. Lots of Italian was spoken during the movies but especially the first one and while my mom's eye sight is vastly diminishing her hearing is sharp as a tack and she understood every Italian word spoken. She became our official translator (even though there were subtitles in most cases). It was an interesting day for traveling considering we never left the living room and Mom was happily exhausted.
It's days like these when the weather outside keeps us inside forcing us to co-habitat and reminds us of how our lives are rushed and filled with mundane urgencies that we forget to stop and smell the flowers of spring and than they are gone. We run to the grocery store, the dry cleaners, the drug store, buy and buy and stockpile and in the end these things that we buy don't sustain us, they don't feed our intellect or our family pool. It is days like today with the rain and the heat that force us to sit and renew our motives for getting up every morning and starting a new day. And as long as we are unwittingly blessed with nature's excuse for a family gathering mom will continue to travel to far off distant places and wonder who's coming to dinner?
Throughout most of the winter the dinner table, on any given night had at least five people at it, more like six or seven. Since the heat wave began barbecues are back in fashion and once again the open door policy applies. I think perhaps I have as much if not more traffic at my dinner table than the border guards at Tijuana. You just never know who's coming for dinner. Add another burger, toss another dog on the grill; what's one more person at the table other than company for mom. And it's true, the more people around her the more alert she is and while she still gets lost in the story of a movie (I have to admit I do the same thing if it is an oldie but goodie), she still keeps up with the conversation. Just when you think she has gone over to the other side, as the ricotta from the calzone drips down the side of her mouth and Smalls and Nathan eagerly await the droppings, she joins in on the conversation; she doesn't miss a beat, unlike the morsels that are banished in the abyss under the table.
Today had two elements which kept mom in the house: rain and heat. These were also perfect excuses for me as well. I very rarely get to lie like broccoli in front of the TV without interruption. The rest of the family was away and only mom, me and the aide stayed home with the dogs of course. It was the perfect day to get lost in a movie or several as our day played out. We followed, unknowingly at first, a central theme that of traveling to Tuscany. First we watched Under the Tuscan Sun about a writer who goes to Tuscany to get over her heartbreaking divorce and ends up buying a villa and setting up house. The second movie was Letters to Juliet, another movie about Tuscany and old love revisited. Lots of Italian was spoken during the movies but especially the first one and while my mom's eye sight is vastly diminishing her hearing is sharp as a tack and she understood every Italian word spoken. She became our official translator (even though there were subtitles in most cases). It was an interesting day for traveling considering we never left the living room and Mom was happily exhausted.
It's days like these when the weather outside keeps us inside forcing us to co-habitat and reminds us of how our lives are rushed and filled with mundane urgencies that we forget to stop and smell the flowers of spring and than they are gone. We run to the grocery store, the dry cleaners, the drug store, buy and buy and stockpile and in the end these things that we buy don't sustain us, they don't feed our intellect or our family pool. It is days like today with the rain and the heat that force us to sit and renew our motives for getting up every morning and starting a new day. And as long as we are unwittingly blessed with nature's excuse for a family gathering mom will continue to travel to far off distant places and wonder who's coming to dinner?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)