Wow, a new post!!! Don't faint on me, Ed!

The first interesting thing that happened lately was a nice lunch out with a friend last week. We went to Blackfish Cafe, one of my personal faves. I don't know if my companion was terribly impressed with the food, but I like to think we both had a good time. I thought the food was great, and the soup is one I would love the recipe for. It was a lentil soup with lots of veggies and a touch of coconut milk. YUM!!

This Monday we, my family, had decided to kidnap my dad from the rehab center where he is currently staying and take him out to lunch. The following pretty accurately illustrates what occurred:

Lunch out with dad was an interesting experience. First off, Athena and I went to make sure he was ready at around 11:30, my cousins were coming at noon because their car is higher and therefore easier for him to get in and out of and with a trunk big enough to pack several bodies in, so we knew the walker or the wheelchair would fit. I went to sign him out while Athena kept him and his roommate entertained. He was nodding off in his wheelchair when we got there, but at least he was up. I also had to run and try to find him shoes. I have no idea where his slippers have gone. So I made a quick run to Goodwill and bought two pairs I thought might work - based on what he was wearing before he went there - of course neither pair was big enough for his slightly swollen feet so he went in just double socks. The ground outside was wet but thank heaven the rain had stopped for the most part.

The folks at the nurses station said I needed to take him in the wheelchair because he couldn't walk far enough to go to a restaurant. Of course they didn’t tell Tess this when she arranged it all on Thursday. They also claimed they had no idea we were taking him out today.

My cousins arrived and Marty, my younger cousin, helped him get into the car, and Nick, my older cousin helped him get seat-belted. Athena rode with Marty and my dad, and Nick rode with me. Neither Nick nor my dad can get in and out of the back seat of either car. Fun, fun. When we got to the restaurant, Eric, Tess’s SO, came and got his wheelchair out and helped him get out of the car. He dotes on my dad and was so happy to see him. (With Eric’s agoraphobia it really tells how much he loves my dad for him to even go to a restaurant.)

We sat at a big round table. Clockwise from my dad were Nick, Marty, Eric, Tess, Cassie, Me, and Athena who had to sit beside her great-grandpa. Cassie immediately had to go hug her grandpa, so I passed her to Athena who helped Grandpa hold her. She snuggled her grandpa for at least 2-3 minutes, which for Cassie is a long time. She then got passed back across Athena and I to her chair. We all ordered and chatted about all sorts of things. Eric told us funny restaurant stories and tales from his days in Catholic private school. I think everyone had a great time. Sandwich in there, after lunch and before departure, Cassie going for a "walk" in the restaurant. She loves having her wheelchair in big open spaces and has gotten so strong. I showed her she could drive the chair between the tables in the banquet / party room area, the only person in there was an employee having lunch. He smiled and watched her. She talks the entire time she is wheeling around. She had been “walking” around with Athena, but Athena left her to go to the bathroom so she came and got me. She’s not spoiled or anything. Of course this had followed about ten minutes of her snuggling with me after she had finished her lunch of pancakes with Marionberry syrup. Then we left the restaurant to take dad back, sort of like the arrival process in reverse.

Athena, Nick, Marty and I spent another half hour or so with dad before we left him lying on his bed ready for his afternoon nap. I hate to say it, but he seems to be less strong than he was before he was ill, and I don’t know if he is making any progress at all. He seems happy enough so I won’t let it get to me, but I definitely need to find out what exactly they are doing in PT. Oh well, he is 88, and I have to be realistic. This may be as much recovery as he can get. I don’t know, but I am not giving up. I just know if he is to come home again it will take a lot more work than he is getting right now. There is no way I would feel safe leaving him alone in the state he is in. He couldn’t get out of the wheelchair or the car without practically being lifted, but was certainly happy to be out of the rehab center. I came home and slept for three straight hours.

Athena pushed her elbow into my shoulder picking Cassie up and seems to have irritated an old bursitis site. I am hoping it will calm down without medical attention, I am going to take a bunch of anti-inflammatory and hope for the best. Having no medical coverage makes it virtually impossible to see anyone about it. Good news, it has since calmed down and quit hurting. I will just have to take care not to reinjure it, since I think I have had bursitis in that shoulder at least five or six times.

I got ambitious yesterday and made five pairs of earrings to put in my Etsy shop: