My mom was finally discharged from the hospital. I picked her up yesterday, loaded her luggage and walker into the car and delivered her to my dad. He was ecstatic.

I’ve loved tending to my dad this past week or so. He’s still aware enough to be able to do many things for himself but is at that age (and stage of Alzheimer’s) where he really couldn’t care for himself for an entire week without help. I know he doesn’t remember every detail of the past week but he does realize that I’ve been here taking care of him. And he still has that wonderful sense of humor, too.

Once we got my mom settled into her recliner in the living room, she asked my dad how his week was. He said it was good to have his wife home instead of his mother. Then he looked at me with that sheepish grin and we all just laughed. I know he didn’t always want to eat when I fed him and he got irritated when I tried to help him walk, but as along as he saw my caring for him as “mothering” then it’s all good.

I know my mom was anxious to get home. My dad was even more anxious. No matter how well I cared for him, it just wasn’t the same. After 51 years together, I guess no one can fill my mom’s shoes in my dad’s mind. She’s one in a million.

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My niece has graduated from a two year college and is now enrolled in the college (soon to be university) just down the road from me. It’ll be nice to have Stephanie so nearby. Her brothers both attended the same school but with football taking up so much of their time, they didn’t get to drop by very often. I’m hoping Stephanie has more time for visits.

Steph is studying to be a dental assistant. Or hygenist? She has such a beautiful smile that she could do advertisements for any dentist who hires her. Whether she works for a Pittsburgh orthodontist or a charlotte cosmetic dentist, her smile would look great on a billboard or print ad.

Yeah, I’m partial because she’s my niece. But she really is beautiful. And no, she doesn’t look like me.

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My mother’s house is so ineresting! My mom has a problem throwing things in the trash. She always plans to give things away, even things no one could possibly want, but seldom actually does it. Instead, she has boxes and boxes, drawers and drawers, all filled with things she has to give away.

I mentioned to her that I’d help her go through her things so we could give away the good stuff and throw away the garbage. She started telling me how she wants to drop off her old Guidepost magazines in waiting rooms for people to read. She’s been collecting Guidepost magazines for years – decades, even – so I think it’s safe to just toss them now. But she won’t. She insists that we deliver them to doctors’ offices and other waiting rooms. UGH!

Besides all the magazines and books (enough books to stock a small library) my mom has stockpiled trinkets, plaques, women’s and men’s jewelry, trophies, pens, crayons and markers, VCR tapes (literally hundreds!) owner manuals for every conceivable product, clothes (some brand new) and holy cards from every person she knows who has died in the past 60 years.

This is going to be more of a challenge than tending to my dad this past week.

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About 10 years ago my mom asked my husband to finish a section of her basement to make a bedroom and bathroom for my Aunt Helen. It was really nice and made it so much easier for Aunt Helen than having to climb the stairs at night to use the bathroom.

Aunt Helen has been gone for just over a year and that room is still called “Aunt Helen’s room.” I guess that’s what it will always be. I thought about sleeping in there while caring for my dad but it’s a little damp there right now. My mom needs to get a new dehumidifier but hasn’t had time yet.

Right now she’s considering a few of the Santa Fe dehumidifiers but I suppose she won’t make a final decision until she gets home from her knee surgery. Until then, I just use Aunt Helen’s room to watch TV while I fold clothes out of the dryer. Maybe when my mom has her other knee done, I’ll be able to stay in Aunt Helen’s room.

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My mom’s knee surgery seems to have gone well. She’s in the extended care facility, learning to walk on her new joint. She says it’s hard work and painful but it’s getting better every day.

My mother hates to be sick and just wants to be left alone when she is. For three days she kept telling us to just stay home, no visits, because she was so nauseous from the pain medicine she was taking. The doctor switched her meds and she’s doing so much better.

My mother and her roommate have been telling the nurses they’re going to sneak out and head down to the Italian Festival to play bocci ball. Yesterday they joked about having to get out soon for their Alaskan and European cruises. Tomorrow they’ll be teasing about going to Disney!

I’m just happy that my mom is getting back to her old self. I hated seeing her in so much pain and even more, seeing my dad worry about her so much. Honestly, though, I’m going to miss being here once my mom gets home. This has been a really wonderful working vacation.

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My mom has finally scheduled her surgery on her left knee. She’s been talking about this surgery since before she retired – and that was over 15 years ago. Gotta love how nurses are so quick to tend to their own physical needs, eh?

She’ll be going in for surgery on July 21. At a minimum, she’ll be in the hospital 3 days then in the rehab center for 3 days. The rehab part could take longer but I’m guessing my mom will do whatever she must to get out as quickly as possible. I’m not sure how accommodating Medicare is with the length of stay or if it will fall back on the medigap policy she has. I just hope they allow for enough time for her to recuperate fully.

In the meantime, I’ll be staying with my dad to take care of him. He really can’t be left alone for days on end. Boomer, Maggie and Levi will be with me and take turns tending to Pap. I know my sisters, niece and nephew will be stopping by also, but I’m the only one without a “real” job so I offered to stay each night.

In talking to my mom about this, I’ve finally realized that her greatest concern is whether I’ll be able to keep my dad fed. She’s mentioned a few times that I’ll have to cook for him. Uh…. I know how to cook. Okay, I admit that I don’t actually do much cooking any more. And I’m not thrilled about having to wash dishes by hand. But, geez, I am capable of cooking a weeks worth of meals.

Or ordering pizza, at the very least.

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Jesse seems so happy to be home. He’s smiling all the time and just brightens the whole house when he’s around. I don’t know how I got through the 3 years that he was in Hawaii.

I know he has a round trip ticket and anything can happen between now and the end of August when his return flight is scheduled. I just have a feeling, though, that he won’t be using that return ticket. I think he’s home for good. I realize that might be wishful thinking, but I do know my son pretty well. He’s happy here.

My hope is that the economy allows him to stay. Right now, he’s looking at different options. I think he’d like to take a look at the company where his brother works eventually. That may be a good fit for him. I know he isn’t crazy about the drive into PA but at least he’d still be home. I’d hate to see him have to travel away from home, looking for jobs in San Francisco or Arizona or some place far from here. Heck, I’ll drive him to work each day if that’s what it takes!

I’m sure Jesse will want to look into getting his own apartment if he decides to stay in the area. I just hope that doesn’t happen too soon. I’m not ready for him to leave just yet, even if it’s only a few miles away.

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On the one hand, I love when school is out because I really really do love having the kids home all summer. I think I hate school more than they do. I had kids because I like kids so yeah, I want them home.

On the other hand, when school is out I end up with stacks and stacks of papers and books, piles of backpacks and boxes of crayons, cheap pens and pencils, rulers and all sorts of other supplies. I always put them in a safe place so we’ll have them for next year. And then I forget where that safe place is. So we have to buy new stuff in August.

Someday when my husband and I both die, our kids will have to clean out our house to sell it. In the process, someone will discover a treasure trove of school supplies. If my kids are like me at all, they’ll take those school supplies home to put them someplace safe until they need them. And then they’ll forget where that safe place is.

Thus begins another family tradition.

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When I don’t want to work and my mind needs to escape, I usually get online and surf. Sometimes I look for homes for sale, either in my area or in a place I’ve always wanted to visit. Sometimes I check out vacation mountain rentals, Caribbean villa rentals or cruise lines. Other times I check out the lastest in plastic surgery or the newest Prada bags.

Right now, I can’t seem to get my mind to stop thinking about next Thursday. My husband and my son will be coming home from Hawaii. My son has lived there since 2005; my husband goes there every year, for anywhere from eight months to 3 months. This time, he’s beent there since March. We’re not sure if he’s going back or not.

The biggest difference about this trip to Hawaii was that I didn’t go over for a visit. With fuel prices so high, airfare was just to expensive. I’m not sure why but it didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. Maybe it’s because I would have had to be away from Kendyll for that long.

And won’t she be excited to see her Pappy and Uncle Spank?

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We took a drive last week and I caught myself pointing out to the kids all the houses that their dad built. My husband bricked quite a few very nice homes in this valley over the past few decades, many that the younger kids had never seen.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that one house, a stately white brick, now had black vinyl shutters instead of the previous kelly green ones. I never did understand how anyone could choose that shade of green to put on such a beautiful home.

If I take Maggie and her friend to the mall this weekend, I think we may take a detour to see some of the homes that Brian did in Ohio in the early 90s. I know Maggie never saw them and I’d love to take a look again. It’s been a very long time.

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