Tuesday, December 29

5:30 a.m. rolled around pretty fast this morning, but I hopped right out of bed when the alarm went off, so I could get ready to take Mother to the ophthalmologist's clinic for her second cataract surgery.

We arrived a few minutes before the appointed 6:50 a.m. hour, and the receptionist took Mother right back for preps.

The waiting room was frigid, as it was for her first surgery earlier this month. The nurses and receptionist shivered, despite commenting that they were wearing thermal underwear and several layers of clothing. The patients stay in their coats during surgery, and are provided with blankets for further warmth. I guess this is a clinic bent on keeping the environment cold enough to inhibit the growth of bacteria.

By 8 a.m., Mother was out of surgery. She was a bit more wobbly this time, and seemed not to feel as well. On the way home, she said her stomach had become queasy after taking her BP meds this morning. And the evil-tasting med she was given to relax her during surgery wasn't as effective today. So although she was in no pain during the procedure, she was more alertly aware of pressure in her eye as the doctor worked.

Back home, she was ready to have something to eat, and more than ready for her morning coffee. She had three pieces of toast, with margarine and pumpkin butter, and several cups of coffee. After that, she lay on the couch and napped for a few hours.

When she awoke around 2 p.m., I fixed her a bowl of Ramen noodle soup, with lots of crackers and cheese, and more coffee. She felt much better after that, and was ready to walk around the house a little.

Even though she ate a late lunch, she was still ready for supper at 5 p.m. We had leftover chicken noodle soup, with yeast rolls, and fruit salad for dessert. After that, Mother was ready to work on her jigsaw puzzle again. Together, we finished that puzzle by 7 p.m., and she chose another one to begin tomorrow.

She was alert and ready to go home by then, so I walked her to her house and made sure she was settled in, before coming back to my house.

I didn't accomplish anything much other than taking care of Mother's needs today, which is all I meant to do. While she slept, though, I did write a letter to my high school friend who sent me a Christmas card (I haven't seen this friend since we graduated). I also sent a note of congratulations to my widowed sister-in-law, who recently remarried. And I put away my Christmas movies and music CDs, as first step to getting my house back in order after the holidays. Most of this chore will be done after New Year's Day.

After supper, Hubbie and I watched the movie, "Eight Men Out," a 1988 PG movie starring John Cusack, Michael Lerner, Charlie Sheen, Christopher Lloyd, and others. This film is based on the 1919 sports scandal, when the Chicago White Sox threw the World Series. We got this movie DVD free with cereal box proofs. It's a good movie.