spring drive

Yesterday I could not get myself up to visit Mom. I just did not want to go. I did not want to face her.  But after much delay I finally set out.

Because it was such a beautiful day, clear blue sky, and in the high 70', I decided to be brave and took Mom for a car ride. No, Mom, you don't need a jacket today, it's nice and warm out, but you can wear it anyway it looks so nice on you.  (See how I recovered from my fumble - I diverted the argument!)

Mom pushed her cart (aka the walker) to the parking lot. Not that she needs it, she tells me again, but because she likes pushing it around. I get her into the car and figure out how to fold the walker up and stow it in the trunk, it just fits.

She seems pretty alert today, she comments on all the usual things as we drive past them: the dry rivers, the extremely blue sky, the beautiful mountain, the budding trees.  You can tell a lot about someone's vision by what they can see out the car window.  Maple tree buds, check. Reading street signs and cars' license plates, check. We play the vanity license plate game, trying to figure out the coded abbreviated message as we follow the car in front of us. BRDWTCR - "Oh look, it's a bird watcher." Mom says. "You should have that one." she says as she points out HIKER.

We get to the next city and I cruise up and down Main Street looking for a coffee shop where we might have an afternoon snack before we make our way back. I have to park four buildings away from the cafe, but Mom seems perky so this walk will be a good test of her stamina, now that she's using the walker. The one step up onto the curb is a problem.

I park in front of a bank. "That's my bank, what's it doing here?"  She recognizes the green logo.
"Mom, there's a branch of that bank in every town."
"Oh, I D Bank." she reads. She is reading the logo, not grasping how the graphics make up the letters TD.  You go look at it, you'll see what she saw.

We see other folks out today with their walkers, their bikes, and their skateboards. It's a beautiful spring day.  She is laughing at all the "girls", the young college women in their sleeveless spring dresses, she thinks they are being silly.

She has a fruit cup and I have ice coffee.  Mom is doing pretty well on our outing today. Stepping down the curb to get back into the car is a problem.  Getting up out of my car, is another challenge. There is nothing for her to grab onto.  We manage somehow, her knees are shaking. But she doesn't fall down!  What would I do if she fell?

All in all it was a good day.  140 miles for a cup of coffee, with Mom, it was a good day.