Puny

Mom has been tired this week. She describes herself as feeling "puny". She has had some two-nap days. She says she gets up and does something, then sits in her chair "like Dad". I laughed and told her I didn't think she was "like Dad" just yet! But, she is tired enough that she does not want to go pick blueberries, and this is the end of the season.

Mom is focused now on getting the guest room cleared out. We have been piling heirlooms in the guest room as she sorts through things. I asked her yesterday, when she brought it up again, if she wants me to box and ship for her. She didn't bite on that idea, but maybe it will grow on her. She does want to see if Bill will visit and take some things.

Maybe this is just exhaustion after coming home from vacation followed quickly by houseguests. Mom is typically "up" for company and then has to recuperate afterwards. Or maybe it's the beginning of the downhill slide. There's just no way to call it.

A Whole New Level

Of weirdness, that is.

You know Mom has progressed from having three closets painted to redoing the guest room, master bedroom and bathroom, hallway, living room, dining room, and kitchen, plus fencing the backyard. Perry is doing an amazing job and Mom is really pleased with the results. The house does look really nice.




But here's the weirdness, at least to me. As Perry has progressed through the house, Mom has refused to put back up any of her pictures or decorations. Okay, that kind of makes some sense to me. But this weekend, Mom asked me to decorate the mantle, the built-in china cabinet, and her buffet...with my stuff. From my house. Not her stuff. My stuff. She said she wanted to see what it would look like with my things. So I did. It was weird and oddly angst-filled for me. Gayle texted me later to say, "Mom is so happy with your decorating! She says, 'I think this shows that Gwen really wants to move in here and will be happy here.'" Okay.


Mom's desire was to see my china in her cabinet. Wish granted.


Really, I would have decorated the buffet with a lot of family pictures. Gayle cautioned me that Mom has criticized her for having "too many pictures" of her family around her house, so I used stuff instead.


The prop, picture of Dad, and books are actually Mom's. I snuck those in there for some nostalgia and she didn't seem to mind.

While the Cat's Away...

the grandkids will play.





At least that's what Mom thought when she saw these pics of Karis, Nate and Meg while she was in Idaho. She told my sister-in-law, "They look like they are having fun!" Mmm-hmm. Right up there with trimming the grass with a pair of scissors.

A Few More Idaho Shots

A rare snap of Mom without parka and hat!


Enjoying a summer day in the north.


I think this shot pretty much sums it all up. :)

Oh. My. Word.

I have been away from my mental therapy for waaaay too long. Ten days, to be exact. Why, you ask? Well, I could let Kevin Kline and Sandra Boynton explain. Or I could tell you that in the last ten days:

We picked Dave up at the airport.
We celebrated Father's Day with Dave's family.
I went to the doctor because I sound like a lunger.
Karis, Meg, Nate, and Ev helped with VBS.
Nate and Ev attended Sports Camp.
Dave and I went out for dinner with dear friends.
My sister and brother-in-law came to stay with Mom and all three of us worked like dogs.
Meg and Karis took their college placement exams.
Dave and I went out for dinner with my sister and bil.
I moved some stuff over to my mom's. (More about that later.)
Karis and Meg left for Summit.
Nate, Ev, and I helped with VBS Put It Away Day.

Whew!

Energy

Mom seems happy to be back at home. But I'm again struck with how frail and tired she seems. I know she is recovering from a hard travel day. And I know the sweltering heat and jumbled house take their toll as well. It is just such a contrast between energy level in Idaho and energy level at home.

As I was mulling this over yesterday, I realized that in Idaho, Mom let Loren and Carrie serve her. She even commented, "They bring me my food!" Of course, here at home, Mom will not allow us to serve her. She insists on doing her own cooking/cleaning/watering and gets agitated with offers of help.

I'm wondering if that explains some of the difference in energy level. While away, Mom was pretty much waited on. She had energy to spare. While here at home, she expends all her energy on the activities of daily living.

I'm not calling it right or wrong, just observing and pondering.

Business as Usual

Late this morning, Karis asked her grandma what she would like for lunch. She told me about the ensuing conversation.

Grandma: I'll just eat another bagel.

Karis: Grandma, you can't just eat bagels. You need some meat.

Grandma: I'll go up to HEB later and get some tangerines.

Karis: Grandma, that's not meat!

Grandma: Hey, who's the mother here?

Karis: May and I are going to pick up something from McKenzie's. Do you want anything?

Grandma: Why aren't you going to eat there?

Karis: Because I don't like to spend time there. I work there!

Grandma: Why aren't you going to Chicken Licken?

Karis explained to me that Chicken Licken is what Mom calls Chick-fil-a. So she and her friend went to Chick-fil-a and got Mom a chicken sandwich and fries for lunch.

I just skipped the tortuous conversation and got Mom some barbecue for dinner.