Transitions
We drove up to Babbitt early Tuesday morning to bring Tammy's mom back with us to live. Her dementia seems to come and go but for the most part, she's enjoying her stay. 
Rather than try and explain to her at the outset that she was coming to live with us, we're easing her into the idea. There's been some resistance but it soon passes and she's once again content to sit in front of her makeup mirror and primp herself. It calms her. She'll work on her makeup for the longest time, to the point where she overdoes it, but it's not something we would want to deny her, not if it brings her peace.
We had a funny moment a couple days ago. We were all in the laundry room on the way out to the car when Tammy asked me to hold on to Elaine while she gathered some things. While we were standing there Elaine noticed the large mirror attached to the bench seat. She shuffled closer to have a look and asked me for some lipstick. I looked at Tammy and she rolled her eyes before reaching in her purse. We waited patiently for her mom to finish but knew we'd have to walk her away and toward the door to the garage if we were to ever get to where we were going. We did just that as she craned her neck to continue to look. It was both cute and funny.
It's a beautiful thing to watch Tammy care for her. She's so sweet even in those moments where her mother isn't very receptive to the attention Tammy is giving her.
I noticed a hummingbird at our feeder a couple days ago. I tried to get a photo of it but I wasn't quick enough. I want to be that guy in retirement (218 days from now) who has the little hummers waiting in line to get at the ports of our feeders. Just wait!
My thoughts keep returning to the fat bike I talked about in my last post. The quieter part of me wants to hold off to make the purchase but the louder part of me says I'm gonna get it eventually anyway so why wait? I'd like to be out on the trails with it not only in the winter but now. What's that I feel?...is that someone twisting my arm?
Rachel has some friends lined up and a 15 foot U-Haul reserved for her move back home tomorrow. She had a couple of job opportunities present themselves to her recently that (if she takes them) will keep her busy throughout the summer and beyond. She's not one to sit around and watch the world pass by. We're looking forward to her ever-pleasant presence around our home again.
I was out riding for a few hours on Memorial Day intent on doing a 75-mile loop to Lonsdale. Somewhere around Webster I decided to venture off my planned route and instead stop and see Mom at her temporary room in Northfield. While she may not be recovering as quickly as we'd hoped to see, she is slowly getting better. Whether or not she'll ever be able to return home is still unknown. We have a family care conference set up for Wednesday where we'll sit down with a social worker to talk about where she's at in her recovery and what her options are.
How does one come to terms with trading the comfort and solitude of your home for the hospital-like feel of a much less private room and gracefully accept this new phase in life? That has to be a most difficult transition.
Rather than try and explain to her at the outset that she was coming to live with us, we're easing her into the idea. There's been some resistance but it soon passes and she's once again content to sit in front of her makeup mirror and primp herself. It calms her. She'll work on her makeup for the longest time, to the point where she overdoes it, but it's not something we would want to deny her, not if it brings her peace.We had a funny moment a couple days ago. We were all in the laundry room on the way out to the car when Tammy asked me to hold on to Elaine while she gathered some things. While we were standing there Elaine noticed the large mirror attached to the bench seat. She shuffled closer to have a look and asked me for some lipstick. I looked at Tammy and she rolled her eyes before reaching in her purse. We waited patiently for her mom to finish but knew we'd have to walk her away and toward the door to the garage if we were to ever get to where we were going. We did just that as she craned her neck to continue to look. It was both cute and funny.
It's a beautiful thing to watch Tammy care for her. She's so sweet even in those moments where her mother isn't very receptive to the attention Tammy is giving her.
I noticed a hummingbird at our feeder a couple days ago. I tried to get a photo of it but I wasn't quick enough. I want to be that guy in retirement (218 days from now) who has the little hummers waiting in line to get at the ports of our feeders. Just wait!
My thoughts keep returning to the fat bike I talked about in my last post. The quieter part of me wants to hold off to make the purchase but the louder part of me says I'm gonna get it eventually anyway so why wait? I'd like to be out on the trails with it not only in the winter but now. What's that I feel?...is that someone twisting my arm?
Rachel has some friends lined up and a 15 foot U-Haul reserved for her move back home tomorrow. She had a couple of job opportunities present themselves to her recently that (if she takes them) will keep her busy throughout the summer and beyond. She's not one to sit around and watch the world pass by. We're looking forward to her ever-pleasant presence around our home again.
I was out riding for a few hours on Memorial Day intent on doing a 75-mile loop to Lonsdale. Somewhere around Webster I decided to venture off my planned route and instead stop and see Mom at her temporary room in Northfield. While she may not be recovering as quickly as we'd hoped to see, she is slowly getting better. Whether or not she'll ever be able to return home is still unknown. We have a family care conference set up for Wednesday where we'll sit down with a social worker to talk about where she's at in her recovery and what her options are.How does one come to terms with trading the comfort and solitude of your home for the hospital-like feel of a much less private room and gracefully accept this new phase in life? That has to be a most difficult transition.
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