Thursday, Dec. 15

Up around 7 a.m., and after breakfast, I helped Mother take a shower. Then I gave her a fourth day of the twelve-days-of-Christmas gift...a pack of heavy socks. She's been wearing mine, so I knew she'd like some of her own. They are warm when worn over a pair of thinner socks. She needs two pairs, because her toes turn blue with cold, due to poor circulation.

Once I got Mother settled in the den, I did a treadmill session and weights exercises and then got ready for the day. I didn't do a lot before lunch beyond polishing my fingernails and getting an outfit ready for afternoon events.

Around 11:30, Mother's therapist arrived. One of the things he did was show her how to use a device for putting on her socks. This will make it a lot easier for her, since she won't have to bend over or cross her legs, which aggravates the compression fracture in her back.

The therapist also put Mother through her usual exercise routine...lifting her legs with weights on them, using resistance bands, and walking around the house, using her walker.

After the therapist left, and before we went to our 1 p.m. event, we escorted Mother to her house to spend the afternoon with her cat.

The 1 p.m. event was a retirement party for a woman we worked with years ago. She was retiring from another agency than the one we worked at, so we didn't know most of the people there. But a few of us from the agency we worked at showed up, so there were folks for us to chat with.

Of course, we enjoyed visiting with the honoree and her husband, as well as her family. The husband works for a conservation agency, and he planted the row of pine trees on the west side of our house. It's amazing how fast those pines grew. They are big and beautiful now.

While his wife was out of earshot, he told us that when the reception was over at 3 p.m., he had arranged for a limousine to pick them and their family up, and tour them around town before going to a popular restaurant on the river for dinner.

One of the daughter's of this couple serves with me on the home medical services advisory board. She was one of the brave souls who participated in the "Minute to Win it," game at the home medical services Christmas party.

Back home after the reception, I relaxed for a little while before going to a "Cup of Cheer," gathering at the home of one of the ladies who is a member of water aerobics. She and her sister (who is also a member of water aerobics) live next door to each other, so they work together on the event.

The lady who stands beside me in water aerobics had asked if she could come by my house and go with me to the event, but then backed out because it began raining around 3 p.m. She is in her 80s, and is too unsteady on her feet to risk walking on wet ground or pavement.

The house where the party was held (about three minutes away from our house) was nicely decorated, with a pretty Christmas tree, a fireplace filled with all sizes of chunky lighted candles, along with a row of poinsettias on the hearth.

The dining room featured tables along two walls laden with all sorts of foods...biscuit sandwiches, hot and cold dips, fruits, candies, cakes, etc. A variety of drinks were offered in the kitchen.

Since I'd eaten a plate of party food at the 1 p.m. reception, I munched on only a couple of small treats at this party.

I enjoyed visiting with folks during the thirty minutes or so that I spent at the event. The house is very small, so only about ten people can be seated in the living room at any one time. So it was necessary for folks not to linger too long. A lot of folks (mainly women) pass through the house in the three hours of the event. The ladies know half the population of our town through their church, water aerobics, the schools where they taught, and other organizations.

Before I left, I thanked the hostess and told her I always look forward to this event. She said this might be the last year they do it, though, because the husbands are complaining of the expense.

At home, Hubbie helped Mother walk back to our house. A little while later, I fixed a supper of biscuits and gravy, and scrambled eggs. After that, it was TV time, though Mother gave it up and went to bed at 7 p.m.