Wednesday, Nov. 16

Up at 6:30, and once I got Mother settled, and we'd had breakfast, I got ready to go to water aerobics. Br-r-r, it was quite chilly this morning, so I was very glad to find the pool toasty warm.

Back home afterward, I enjoyed a couple of cups of hot coffee before getting ready for the day. Then Mother and I watched the elimination episode of "Dancing with the Stars, while Hubbie went to a building supply store to order the materials needed to build a ramp to Mother's porch. Son and his family will be here Saturday to begin the project.

That took us up to noon. After lunch, about 1:30, Mother's therapist came. This was a different therapist from the one who came Monday...a young man this time, who exercised Mother more strenuously than the woman therapist did. He wrapped two- pound weights around Mother's ankles (that felt like five-pound weights to Mother). He had her extend and lift, then bend and lift her legs, ten times for each leg. After that, he accompanied her as she made two loops around the house, using her walker. It was rather amusing to watch the two of them, since Mother is only 4 feet, ten inches tall, and the therapist is around six feet.

Finally, he wanted to see how Mother was getting in and out of bed. When I started to lift her legs so she could lie down, he exclaimed, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! I don't want your daughter helping you into bed. I want you to do it on your own." And then he showed Mother how to lift one leg, then the other onto the bed, then roll onto her side and help herself up with her arms. While she was reclined, he had her do leg lifts.

It was quite a workout for her, so she was plenty ready for a nap afterward. While she slept, Hubbie and I ran to a couple of grocery stores, a pharmacy, and the WDCS. While at the WDCS, we found sweet potatoes on sale at 33 cents a pound, so we bought several pounds.

Back home, I checked on Mother and found her still snoozing. So I gathered card-making supplies, stickers, rubber stamps, punches, etc., for making Christmas cards tomorrow afternoon during the scrapbook club meeting at our house.

By now, it was 4:30, so I checked on Mother, who was ready to get up...and she did it by herself. When she was settled in the den, I went to an arts council meeting, scheduled for 5 p.m. Only two of us showed up, and the council director promptly put us to work painting Christmas designs on clear oval ornaments.

Free handing designs is not my strong suit, so mine look like a first-grader did them. I really don't think they're fit to be offered for sale. Thankfully, the designs can be removed, so someone else, with actual artistic ability, can paint them.

I brought six clear ornaments home with me in hopes Sis, who is an artist, will agree to design them for us. I also bought an ornament designed by a friend...it features a Woodstock-like yellow bird in a snowstorm.

Back home, Hubbie had heated our supper...leftover leftovers (the remainder of the chicken casserole), a side of coleslaw, and French bread.

Afterward, we watched a Hallmark Channel movie called, "The Town Christmas Forgot." This was certainly no Academy Award winner, but it was at least family fair fit for Mother to watch.

Following the movie, Mother was ready to hit the sack. She was tired after a pretty strenuous day.