Painting with ease

Here she is, walking and painting and loving every minute of it. Mosey applied green and yellow as she shuffled across the canvas, rolling on paint in this crazy contraption. The Therapeutic Recreation staff will be selling pieces of the painting to raise money to buy the automatic paint rolling machine or whatever it's called. Super fun.

It's a fiesta!

These fabulously huge sombreros appeared on Mom's hat rack unannounced a fews weeks back. Hank was like a dog on a pork chop when he spotted them looming among the other regular sized hats. Mosey, always game, sported her sombrero with grace and dignity. Hank's general wrecking ball capabilities increased ten fold with the giant sombrero acquisition. He hopped around the room knocking stuff over willy nilly with his big straw hat and limited visibility. Mosey sat as still as a statue watching her grandson's antics with only mild irritation.

CALL FOR HATS: Any hats are welcome, really crazy hats are especially desirable. If you are one of the 3 people that reads this blog you know how to find me.

Lychee Jelly, in 1 ounce shots

Show and Tell

Items that Hank insisted on bringing to Grandma: one green shovel, one plushy loon, one plushy bunny, two Bon Appetit issues, one turquoise truck, one freshly picked sunflower. Items that Hank insisted on keeping: one turquoise truck, one plushy loon. Not bad.

Found: some teeth

I continue to de-clutter my mom's room on a weekly basis because her hoarding behavior crosses all categories: animal,vegatable and mineral. I should be so lucky to come across mystery jewelry, magazines and the occasional shoe. Instead, I must always be on the look-out for the errant ham sandwich or pee soaked pad tucked away in her dresser acting as the most acrid of sachets. So when I came across the teeth I yelped a little. There's nothing quite so unsettling as finding some false teeth set inside a plastic cup nestled beside a baby doll in a tiny crib. FYI: Mosey has all her teeth so I knew they weren't hers. Fortunately, nursing homes are used to things like teeth and hearing aids and glasses going on safari so they were labeled. I didn't go so far as putting them back in the toothless resident's mouth but I did hand them over to the proper authorities.

Me and Mom peering into our future

The Great Cookie Caper

Chow Mein Monday

It was hot and windy out on Sunday so mom, Hank and I headed out to the courtyard for some fresh air and sunshine. Always looking for a project I decided we needed to water the plants on the patio. So we filled up the watering cans, tiny ones for Hank and Mose, two big ones for me and we set to the task at hand. Hank was all about dumping the water out fast and furious, with little regard for the parched plants. Mosey was a spendthrift with her water, sprinkling it on the marigolds a few drops at a time, the water a precious resource.
She moved like a turtle in a dress, hovering over the plants, inching along and checking the soil. Meanwhile, Hank couldn't get his little watering can filled fast enough, then dumping half of it on his shirt before he ever got to the planter. Then back for more three more times before Grandma had even begun.

Roses and Airplanes

Mosey and I had a little picnic the other day near the Lake Harriet Rose Garden. We had a fine time eating some cheese and fruit , a few crackers and some tamari almonds. Simplicity itself. I even brought along tin plates, cups and cloth napkins to make it really feel like a post-war picnic. We sat on a bench under a huge old oak tree and watched the planes fly overhead, one after another. They were low and loud and mom commented on every one: "There must be an airport near here." My response each time: "Yup, there's one not too far away." Another plane, another loop of an endless conversation.

The Cardinal and Ms. Mosey

A couple weeks ago Mosey decided to wake some residents up in the middle of the night "just for fun". Her words, not mine. Apparently, she got up around midnight and ambled off towards Mae's room; that was her first stop and it turned out to be the most effective. When mom walked in Mae started yelling so loud that some other folks started waking up. Mom kept moving down the hall until sixteen residents in total were up for good, demanding cereal and entertainment. Go Mosey.

Are we in Harlem?

Mom's orientation to place is very fuzzy these days. On a drive around south Minneapolis recently she asked repeatedly if we were in Miami and I would tell her as gently as possible that this is Minneapolis and we live here now. "Isn't that where Mar moved to?" "Yes, she lives here now, too." (Her orientation to others is also a wee bit fuzzy.) We had this conversation off and on for about 45 minutes and I was getting used to answering the same question in a variety of ways to keep it interesting for both of us. So I was taken completely off guard when mom asked if we were in Harlem.

"I don't think so...does this look like Harlem?"

"Well, not exactly..."

"Have you ever been to Harlem?" trying to keep my voice in a conversational, just-having-a-little-chit-chat tone.

"Oh, yeah...me and George used to drive around there all the time. It was real fun."

"You and Dad used to drive around Harlem?" trying desperately to remember any story of them being in Harlem at any time.

"Oh, yeah, we'd drive over to Harlem from Miami Springs and just go up and down the streets. It was real nice."

For the record, Harlem and Miami Springs are very far apart but for mom Harlem was just out the window so we soaked it in: blue skies, many green trees, miles of single family homes with matching yards, wind blowing hard and kicking up dirt and dust, highways and lots and lots of cars. Although I've never been to Harlem, who knows, maybe it looks alot like south Minneapolis.

It's my turn

Henry and I stopped in to visit Mosey yesterday and we went out to the patio to get some wind in our whiskers. Henry pushed mom's walker around for a while and when it was time to go back in for dinner Henry didn't want to give it back. I started explaining the importance of mom using the walker to Henry, reasoning with him and generally cajoling him to give it up. He was not impressed. Mom, in her infinite wisdom, simply stood up and said to Henry, "It's my turn, now" and he let go of it without incident. Zen Master Mosey keepin' it simple.

Hats, chocolate cake and many mothers

The world is full of mothers. On the compound today it was all mothers wanting cake, reluctantly wearing hats from Mosey's vast array and allowing photos only after some coaching. These mothers are a little shy, feeling inadequate, not pretty enough, a little rumpled. Afraid to get their picture taken but not afraid to lick all the ice cream off their plates. Suspicious of anyone that dares to give them a manicure but nearly making wolf whistles at any man that suits their fancy.
Another day in Moseyville.

Fountain of Youth

I decided tonight was the night to drink the bottled water collected from The Fountain of Youth in St. Augustine, Fl. Mom drank it up and enjoyed every drop.

Dirty Pearls

So there's mom working on arranging some pot pourri in her lap. I made some from the fresh flowers that we've been buying from the nearby flower shop. It smells fabulous in her room and she liked looking at the pretty dried roses and arranging them according to color.
Tonight was a first for me: I had to clean the pearl necklace that she's wearing in the photo. There was some pink goo on them and I couldn't not clean them. Mom said the lady that gave them to her insisted that she wear them and wouldn't take them back. So now mom's got a fresh clean pearl necklace hanging in her room ready for the next lady that comes along needing some pearls.

A Twix is a wonderful candy bar

I can't believe it! Walker Methodist has wi-fi! I'm sitting with mom here while she finishes up her multitude of beverages displayed before her; hot tea, about two tablespoons of milk and a shot glass of water.
A new resident sitting next to mom at lunch is fixated on candy bars, the Twix bar, in particular. She says "A Twix is a wonderful candy bar" frequently, in loud declarative sentences. Mom thinks it's pretty funny and she jabs her thumb in the candy lady's general direction and rolls her eyes with malicious glee. "If you have more candy, you have more fun!" Another zinger from the candy lady.

Indoor Birdhouses

I was hanging out at the compound with Mosey yesterday, getting her prepped and prettified for her in-house mani/pedi. While we were waiting for Linda the cosmetologist to show up I continued pimping mom's room out; this time I strung more colored lights and started hanging stuff from the ceiling. To mom's delight, I dangled two thriftstore birdhouses in the corners and she asked if any birds would nest there. I assured her that it's definitely a possibility. They look pretty cool up there and mom seems mesmerized by them, as if waiting for some birds to swoop into her room and make a home for themselves. Dementia isn't all bad.

At large

A big day on campus today. Mom and I went to the Gift Shop on the main floor and bought some candy, thank you cards and a pretty pair of earrings. We had fun shopping and mom was amazed at all the stuff and was pleased with the decent prices. The Gift Shop is definitely priced for geriatrics. Then we went to lunch next door and she loved that, too. I don't have to take mom very far for her to have a great time. Now I'm in the computer room on another floor with mom behind me reading Bon Appetit, which she loves. Mom loves food. If we have time we'll stop in at the greenhouse and water a few plants...another one of our favorite spots. There's been so much snow on the ground that venturing outside is out of the question. Too much ice, mounds of snow and blowing wind. Someday soon the weather will improve and we'll be outside enjoying the elements. This past weekend Gina, Jan and I hosted a finger food dinner party for our mothers. I brought mom's china, silver and crystal, as usual and we all brought easy to eat appetizers. Utensils are getting more challenging to use for all the moms so Gina and I came up with the finger food idea. It was a hit...we had a great time although the moms were a little spacier than usual due to the full moon and lunar eclipse on Saturday. I used to scoff at that voodoo until the floor nurses started pointing it out and sure enough, the residents get pretty rammy, circling the exits, asking for rides out and generally feeling a little more caged than usual. We made it through another lunar event without too much hullabaloo.
Now mom's snoozing on the chair, her arm dangling....time to break camp and keep moving.

Mosey and the Dream Factory

Mom's doing fine in spite of the fact that I've only been able to visit her on Mondays and Wednesdays for the past month since I've been on the ice. (Go to shantyofmisfittoys.blogspot.com to see what that's all about.) It's been a good lesson for me to see that mom's world doesn't fall apart when I'm not there. She's well taken care of by the staff, she's got plenty of friends and little jobs to do and she's ALWAYS in a good mood. If I could be so lucky.
When I do go to visit her I spend more time de-cluttering and de-hoarding her space and restocking supplies so I'm usually spinning around her room while she's sitting in her comfy chair watching me and commenting on the photographs on the wall. It's pretty sweet.
I've also been visiting mom mostly in the evenings after 7pm when she tends to get more confused and I think she likes the interaction. The staff let me know that she gets a little anxious at night, standing by the door and wanting to go home (Bluefield, mostly and sometimes Miami). So, the switch to visiting at night seems to help get her settled into going to bed instead of back to Bluefield.
Thanks a million to Lorr and Char for doing some legwork for me...all those pesky details like changing the health care surrogate, health insurance, getting the pharmacy bills paid and working towards getting the bills on auto-pay really make a difference in my ongoing need to accomplish Mosey tasks.

I've also started compiling a list of items that I think Mom would enjoy. Mom LOVES getting stuff in the mail, (thank you Char and Caroline for the constant stream of goodies) she carries her little treasures around with her for days.
Mosey Wish List:
a box of chocolates
a hairbrush
herbal tea
a fun mug (the mug with Caroline's picture on it disappeared:(
snacks
cloth handkerchiefs
stationery

Okay, that's it for now...back to the ice.

Hank, Mose and a few teeth

I've been trying to get into the rhythm of bringing Henry to Mom's place on a regular basis. It's harder to work on mom details(clip nails, moisturize, toilet duties, prettifying, etc.) but I'm getting the hang of it. Henry basically gets right to work systematically destroying mom's room while me and mom putter around. Actually, he's not that destructive, he just has an insatiable curiosity that often involves emptying containers and sort of filling them back up with whatever detritus he can find. Mom loves to watch him do his thing although they didn't interact too much today. They were both busy with their own projects.
I'm trying to get mom to take part in as many daily rituals as possible. Applying lotion to her always dry legs and feet is the mission I'm on fire about these days. She does a pretty good job but it takes alot of cueing on my part to keep her on task. And getting lotion on her legs means the stockings which I've grown to fear and loathe must come off. I work up a sweat every time I wrestle with those things. The contraption that Lorr sent(The Stocking Butler) to help with getting them on works okay but mom doesn't like it for whatever reason. So she complains and I comply.
Rainy's coming for a visit in three days and counting....yay! Of course, I've got tasks lined up for her when she arrives.
Big news! I found mom's glasses that have been lost since Thanksgiving. (Fortunately, Lorr had an extra pair so mom's been okay.) They were in one of her jacket pockets with some wadded up Kleenex, of course. What is it with the elderly and squirrelling away tissues? It's an epidemic on mom's floor. So, we can all breathe a sigh of relief that mom won't be without her glasses. I had the fear of Dog in me once she lost that first pair that if the second pair were lost it would be a HUGE hassle to get her Rx filled. Lorr ordered two more pairs for mom a few weeks ago(before I found the lost pair) so mom will never be without her glasses. If she had a fall because she didn't have her glasses it would weigh heavy on my soul for years to come.
Once again, I am surprised by the neglect that some other residents endure. If the family isn't around and they lose their glasses or their teeth, it's basically curtains. When I go on my weekly rummaging through the Laundry Lost-n-Found I am always struck by the basket of unclaimed false teeth. I look at the toothless residents, wondering if their teeth are sitting in the basement waiting to be reclaimed. These are the things that keep me up at night. That, and my teething child.

"I can't go up for communion...

...I sinned too much this week." That's what mom said this past Sunday at Catholic Church. When I asked her to elaborate on what her sinning was all about, she was predictably vague. Needless to say, no amount of whispered coaxing would get her to take communion so she left a sinner, ready for more sinning this week. Mom has become attached to baby dolls lately...she started hoarding other residents' dolls so, after much thrift store rummaging, I found a baby for her, and a crib. Apparently, regressing to taking care of dolls is a commom dementia behavior. I left her room today as she was sitting in her fancy new chair(scavenged from the Walker bowels) holding on to the doll. It seems to have a calming effect on her which is good. Today she was getting really wound up about taking care of her friend down the hall. Kind of a nightmare...I had to get a nurse to take the woman out of mom's sight so I could toilet her in peace. The woman kept trying to open the bathroom door while I was wrestling the pee diaper off of mom. Yeah, it sucked.