ET REVERSUS EST!
(She has returned!)

March 28, 2017 - Tuesday

50 degrees/cloudy/calm winds

Terre Haute, Indiana

It was indeed a warm homecoming that Mom received last night at dinner time. Longtime friends weren't slow in showering her with hugs and kisses, and of course, all wanted to hear first hand accounts of Mom's latest medical journey.

Amazing how fast the human body can recover, even if one is just three months shy of her ninetieth birthday. I calculated that Mom doubled her strength and mental acuity approximately every four hours yesterday. If the trend continues, I'll have to tether her to the apartment by day's end so I know where to find her.

She awakened Monday morning and pronounced that she'd slept well. I'm glad SHE did. Mom had talked, laughed, and giggled, all night. Since it was her first night home and I was lying on a rollaway bed in the living room just a few feet away, I was privy to her all-night escapades.

There are many who believe that a person communicates with loved ones who have gone before while in a dream state. If that's true, Mom and Dad sure had a good time Monday night. If it happens again while I'm here, I'm going to tell those kids to keep it down. Some of us youngsters need our sleep.

Mom enjoyed a good breakfast Monday morning but I could tell she wasn't firing on all cylinders. Who would be? The poor girl had just undergone major surgery for colon cancer six days before.

With a full belly, she said she was sleepy, reclined in her chair, and closed her eyes. It was almost an hour and a half before she opened them again.

The nap made all the difference in the world and we talked until my brother-in-law, John, an RN, arrived to check her vitals and do a bit of rehab work.

The advances she made over the next four hours were close to miraculous. I could see her gaining strength as the day wore on and though somewhat tired when John left, Mom's improvement was noticeable.

One thing about it, my brother-in-law is a born educator. He was firm, yet gentle, and taught through positive reinforcement. I don't now how much Mom absorbed, but I certainly learned a lot throughout the day.

We spent the rest of the afternoon talking and watching television and when it was time to go to supper, Mom announced she would walk, a fairly long distance.

Pushing a walker, she made it to the front desk at the halfway point before growing too tired to go on. I borrowed a wheel chair and rolled her the rest of the way.

We barely made it to the entrance of the dining room before Mom was mobbed by her friends and acquaintances, all armed with hugs and kisses. I can well understand why she loves living here.

It's apparent that the residents of this entire community are their own family group. They love their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and in Mom's case, great great grandchildren, but those who reside here are a real family to each other, a self sustaining support group, amigos, the go-to people when sons, daughters, or others don't or can't understand. It gives me great peace of mind knowing that Mom lives within such a caring community.

I spent part of last evening in the courtyard studying the garden pond. Hmm, it has the right dimensions and correct depth, with a raised, rather than the usual in-ground, design.

I pictured this very pond in my garden. It's not what I had originally planned, but it would work and is possibly a better design. All I have to do is sneak it out of the courtyard in the middle of the night and get out of town before it's discovered missing.

Here's the problem. How do I get this pond home? Should we win the lottery over the next forty-eight hours, there's the side-by-side ATV sitting in the mall that has first priority. The Honda will need to ride on the top of the Kia for the trip back to the Upper Peninsula. 

I'm not certain there's room for the pond alongside the ATV. Dang. Just my luck. I should have driven the Blazer. Maybe there'd be enough room for both.

Today will see a bit more activity around apartment B-318. Mom wants to go for more walks and be a bit more active. Assuming she continues to improve and able to navigate somewhat on her own, I'll be heading north Thursday morning at first light. I'll surely miss Mom, but can hardly wait to get home to Sargie. We have plans for this coming weekend, the first of several activities scheduled for an upcoming week-long vacation for Sargie.

I'm going to leave Mom alone for a while today and head to the mall. For some reason, our data usage greatly exceeds our limit for this month. I'm not certain if it's caused by the tracking apps we have on our phones or for some other reason. Regardless, it might be time to change our plan.

  

Mom's ready to take a morning nap. I think I'll quit writing and tuck that little honey in just as she did with me almost sixty-five years ago.

After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road... by way of Terre Haute, Indiana...

I have room for the waterfall in the Kia, but not sure how to transport the rest of the pond.