A post in which we prepare for the worst

Today was another busy day. I was up early of course, and talked to Mom while she got ready to go to the hospital. She ended up being the bearer of bad news, and had to fire Louise this morning (the woman who sits with Granny at night, and whom we have all become increasingly concerned about over the last couple of weeks). She also had to tell Granny that she was going to have to leave the hospital on Monday not to go to home as she was expecting, but to go to a skilled nursing facility. It was an understandably intimidating agenda. Granny wasn’t expected to take this well. I offered to go with her repeatedly, but she refused. I offered her my biggest, most attitudinal bitch earrings, though, and she wore them. There was little else I could do but wish her the best and see her off.

Afterwards I woke Cole up to run off to the flea market. The one up there is small, but it’s something to do, and I have scored up here before. We didn’t find much today. I did go by to see the dragon lady. As usual, she had her wares laid out in heaps of abundance, but her pricing remains pretty aggressive. We haggled over one bowl, but in the end I didn’t buy it. I did score a new tape dispenser – woo hoo.

Cole and I stopped at the grocery store and then picked up breakfast on our way in. Ava is at the stage now where she doesn’t want to eat what’s on her plate; she wanted what was on mine. After finding her little hands all in my plate last night I sat across from her at breakfast this morning. “What are you eating?” she asked cutely. “Squirrel intestines.” I replied. “Oh I like that.” was the response. She is such a funny little thing.

I had planned to sit down for just a minute after breakfast before I got ready to go to the hospital. I was spelling Mom at 1pm so she and Donna could go and look at the nursing homes the doctor had recommended. But duty called. Granny had woken up feeling much better today. Mom called. “Will you make Granny a hamburger?” she asked. “She wants one of the ones from her house.” Of course I made it, although it felt rather surreal. She has her own little way of eating hamburgers the same way she has her own little way of doing everything. The patties are so thin as to just barely hold together, and of course there were very specific instructions as to the topping, etc. Although I would rather have cooked for a cordon bleu chef, I prepared the burger with care and trepidation, and sent it off to the hospital with my Aunt.

I then got ready and went over there early so they could have lunch before the appointments they had planned. Granny was picking at her lunch when I came in. She didn’t eat much of what they had on her tray, but gratifyingly had eaten almost the entire burger I made. She had been up in the chair all morning, and had walked her physical therapy also, so by the time I got there she was pretty wiped out. When she finished with lunch I put her in the bed, and she slept for an hour or so. I’ll admit I nodded off for half hour or so with her.

When she woke up we talked for a while, and she share reminiscences with me from during World War II, when she was a newlywed and Poppy was in the air force. She told me about going down to see him when he was in training in Biloxi, MS and how hot it was. “It was one hundred and ten degrees when I got off the train;” She said. “And I had been on my feet since I left Washington the night before. My legs were so swollen I had to lie down and put them up on pillows to make them go down. That afternoon, I got up, went downtown, and found a job.” I listened to her talk. I love hearing about her life.

She slept some more, and Lisa came over with the kids around 3pm. Then Mom came back in after a while. We visited until the kids wore Granny out, and then went to see Grandma Shumate for a short visit (Ava was getting fussy). We then went out for a late lunch. On the way back to the house, Lisa asked if I would take Cole to look for the book he needed for school. I hadn’t had any luck the night before and today didn’t turn out any better. There is apparently no book store in Wilkesboro. I suppose I shouldn’t have been as shocked as I was. We ran down one that was listed in the GPS which had apparently closed, and cruised the main strip of stores, but no dice.

We got back to the house and I rested and read for a bit while we waited for Mom. Louise was coming in to work tonight and tomorrow, after which she would be done. We were a bit worried she wouldn’t show up, but she did. By the time Mom got back she was very hungry, but Granny’s sister Kathleen and her husband Pete were on the way by for a visit. She had made some fried apple pies for Cole since he loves them so much. After she had been briefed on all that happened, they headed on out.

Things went as well as could be expected today. Granny and Mother both were up all night last night praying about what needed to be done. Granny had previously told my mother if she went into a retirement home she would turn her face to the wall and refuse food. I love my Granny, but she’s stubborn enough to do it. Surprisingly though, when Mom got there, Granny just told her that she knew what had to be done. The discussed it together fairly calmly.

Louise was a bit of a problem, but not near as much of a one as we had feared. Mom handled the whole thing beautifully and got the house keys back with barely a ripple. Lisa actually had a harder time than Mom did today. Granny’s housekeeper called Lisa very upset (Cole and I were still gone at the time). She said she would take Granny to her own house before she would let her go into a retirement home. Lisa handled it pretty well, but someone will have to talk to her at some point.

Since lunch had been so good, and Mom wanted Mexican, we went back to the Mexican place where we had eaten lunch. Ava flirted and made eyes at all the men, charming waiters and patrons alike. She must get that allure from her mother. By the time we had eaten and gotten back to the house it was late, and I was wiped out. It had been a long, long tiring day.