My MOM: 5/17/2006

May 17, 2006, Wednesday afternoon

Dear friends and family,

Athter leathing thuh dentthist office yetherday, thisth is mee trrying to taalk to my Mithgie! I think I have been to the dentist more in the last 6 weeks than I have gone in the last 5 years. But that is another story, but just to let the reader this does 'colour' my writings and activities right now. When he numbs your upper mouth, your lips, nose, and cheek is numb and trying to talk right away is a challenge.

I got to Ashton Gables at about 2:15 and mom was sitting in a rocker in the living room. I was impressed! She was dressed in green slacks, white blouse, and a light weight white sweater over the blouse. She had on lipstick, earrings, and really looked GREAT!
I will send a copy of this update on mom to STEPHANIE PALMER, who is director at Ashton Gables. She gets fussed at when things go wrong, so you definitely like to tell them when things go well!

I gave mom a big hug and apologized for being away for a few days. I told her about our trip to NC and Shana's graduation from Catawbah College, getting her BS in BA after 9 years out of high school. The Nutter brothers split our care this last weekend, Jack had mom at his home for 3 or 4 hours Sunday and Karen and I spent our Saturday and Sunday am with her mom. Mrs. Brock, Vicki's mom missed the nice dinner, being a little under the weather, but talking to Jack Monday, Vicki and her mom were out to dinner together after her doctor appointment. So looks like all the mom's are OK right now.

I had several residence around me as they seem to enjoy my visit as I have learned just about everyone's first name. We were sitting with Gloria, Ethel (a new resident), Carole Ann, Eleanor, Mary (from the memory unit) and one or two other popped into the circle and listened for a while then went their merry way. It is nice to include these nice ladies and men in the conversation as it gives me more subjects to talk about. I told Carol Ann if she had ever been told she was 'pretty'! She blushed but answered 'yes'! I am bad, aren't I!

I don't know how much mom understands or remembers about my NC trip but the other residences listened intently and Jeff loves an audience. Mom was sitting in the living room on Palm Sunday and I ask the minister if I could talk to the residence. I told them about what Easter meant in Christiandom and HIS resurrection is the reason for the season. The minister let me talk for about 10 minutes and I really did not mean to do that! But where do you find a stopping point in talking about your risen Christ and what HE means to all of us. It was a nice experience and the present residences seem to enjoy my sermonette, if that is what you call it.

I helped mom to the bathroom once during my visit and she has no incontinence she had when first at Ashton Gables I blame on Meadowood for not seeing about her needs soon enough. Mom came back to the sofa this time when returning as someone got our rockers. They had the 2:30/3:00pm snack while I was there and I got mom a cup of fruit and a cold Ensure with fiber to add to the cookies she did like. She nor I care for the popcorn, but the other mom did OK with.

Mom complained about a bruise on her arm and I showed Linda and Leslie investigated this for me. It turned out mom had blood drawn to check her thyroid levels, as she has been somewhat sleepy after meals. But today she was bright as a new nickel and it was good to find out the reason for the bruise.

Fiona soon told me mom had a nice mother's day card and she had taped it to mom's mirrow. It was from my friends Evan and Amie in California, and it was a beautiful card, with long stem yellow flowers held by a small hand, and inside a note wishing "Jeff's mother, a Happy Mother's Day!" I though first about keeping the card, but decide to let mom have it to put in her purse and I watched her take it in and out of her purse repeatedly, looking at it each time as if for the first time! What a joy! Dementia is bad, but she is happy and her smile! I don't have the words!

After giving her the card and thanking Fiona for saving it for us, I slipped away like a thief in the night, watching mom over her shoulder (with her assigned RA), letting her know I was leaving. Linda ask if I could work today. I hope my 3 hours with mom and varied other residences and applied TLC met AG standards. Taking care of mom for almost 5 years gives me a heads up on that job! I hope all of you have enjoyed my rambling this am, and be assured, mom is OK and is where she needs to be. MORE News at 11:00!
Son Jeff

HOW To Ruin a Neighborhood

Karen and I drove to Concord, North Carolina this last Friday for Karen's niece Shana's graduation from Catawba College. It was one of the nicest and easiest trips we have taken in sometime. It was an easy drive, ideal weather, and shopping along the way at Commerce, GA and Harry's at the Beaver Ruin Exit off I-85N.

Karen had a 40% discount AAA coupon at the Reebok Outlet at Commerce and it was burning a hole in her purse. The nice part is the outlet store is already discounted and this 40% is a discount that weekend only to AAA members. WoW! I bought some Reebok Running shoes MSR $129.95, discounted to $49.95, now $29.95! I bought two pair, why not? We bought running shorts, tops, T-shirts, and Golf Shirts all 40% off. She exercised her Mastercard to the tune of $150.00. But it was too great an opportunity to pass up.

We also stopped at Harry's (Whole Foods) Market at Beaver Ruin, and got beautiful fresh baked breads like Raisen and Sour Dough. They were sampling some great cheddar cheese and we got a nice piece for enjoyment. This stop is about 1/3 of the way to Concord and it is a welcome rest stop as well as a chance to grab a snack and stretch our legs and walk a little.

We got to Concord in 10 hours driving from Birmingham but that is factoring in the two shopping stops as well as other rest and fuel stops. Fuel is a real factor now as prices are all close to $3.00/gallon. We start watching at just over a 1/4 of a tank, and find high volume truck stops like Raceway at $2.69 to $2.79/gallon. You still spend over $30.00 filling up and that is no small change for this semi-retired meat peddler. But this is mother's day weekend and a very special graduation of Karen's and my favorite niece!

Kathi and Steve met us in the yard and motioned us to park behind her car parked in front of the garage. It was nice parking our car off the street as their street is relatively narrow and people park on both sides. Needless to say, we did not move the car the 3 days we were their guest.

We got our bags in, unpacked, changed into shorts and leisure tops while Kathi and Steve dressed for the baccelaurete service Friday night. They had fixed our dinner and all we had to do is warm it up, add some tossed salad, and pour a cold drink. Is that not coming home service!

Karen and I enjoyed our nice dinner with very little conversation as it was so good. I had brought our nice folding chairs and she and I retired to their front stoop with our gin and tonic, my nice cigar, and kicking back and reminesing about how nice the trip was and how we are going to enjoy our nice purchases. Several cars, their neighbors drove by as they oogled us blowing smoke into the evening air and sipping our tall glasses of gin and tonic over cooling ice. We were now feeling the effects of the long drive and the gin and tonic and the soothing of the smooth cigar smoke was getting to me.

They let us stay in their guest bedroom for 3 days and Sunday early, after breakfast, we headed back. We stopped at Harry's again using this as one of our rest stops. We did one in and out at Commerce at Bath and Body works to find a hand lotion and hand cleaner, the ginger and white tea version. They had this item on sale, usually $4.50@, now 4 for $10.00. Before we were through I had spent $40.00, exercising my Citibank Mastercard.

It is now several days at home and I can only hope our visit did not ruin this beautiful neighborhood they have worked so hard in building a good realationship with their neighbors. They may wish they never invited her sister and redneck brother-in-law Jeff from Birmingham. We still have some Piggly Wiggly bags to unpack! I had to wear some underwear a second day yesterday! Where did I drop that PW bag?

YOU NEVER KNOW WHO'S WATCHING?

YOU NEVER KNOW WHO'S WATCHING? (A true story)

You never know who you might see and where if you are looking! Let me begin this story with the fact that a lady who worked for me caring for mom, had her son shot, not once but twice, and he, by some miracle, survived. This is how the story now unfolds.

The woman who shot my friends son, has been indicted by the grand jury but was released on bond where her niece put up her home for her release. When the trial was to begin, this person did not appear and the bail and the bond was revoked. Jefferson County then issued a bench warrant for her arrest.

There is a local newspaper here and her name and picture was published an award has been offered for her capture and arrest. Her picture has appeared on one of our local network channels much like Americas Most Wanted. Now begins my story.

My friend calls me yesterday and she ask if I was standing or sitting down. I told her I was sitting. She said she had some news, some good news, and I would enjoy hearing it. She begins by telling me she is driving to Birmingham to pick up her car that is being serviced. She is not in her car, so the fugitive in question, did not recognize the car my friend was riding in.

She said "Jeff, we stopped at a light at Center Street and 3rd Avenue North, and there standing in the parking lot was the woman the police were looking for. She told her friend who was driving to go around the block as my friend dialed 911. They switched her to the Birmingham Police department and she described the defendant and they responded with a black and white w/o using their siren.

The person they needed to catch by then had jumped into a car and the police gave pursuit and overtook the car and arrested the fugitive pretty much as my friend watched. She told me "Jeff, and she had dyed her hair, but now will never know who saw her and turned her in".

What a coincidence that the mother of the victim would see this person in a grocery/filling station parking lot on a given day and be lucky enough to get that person arrested. You never know who may be watching you, do you?