Thursday, May 16

Up at 8 a.m. on this rainy day, and did a treadmill session after breakfast. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 9:30, and she went to her jigsaw puzzle. Once I was ready for the day, I worked burning photos to a CD until lunchtime.

After lunch, Mother went back to her jigsaw puzzle, which she finished today. Hubbie and I ran errands...to the bank, the library, the newspaper office, the greeting card shop, and a department store.

At the department store, we spent a $10 gift certificate that Hubbie received for his birthday to buy me a chunky orange necklace to wear with the teal knit tunic. I used the gift certificate because Hubbie didn't need or want anything.

From the department store, we went to a fast food restaurant to buy frosty soft serve ice creams. Headed home before the treats could melt. Mother really enjoyed hers. We all had cups of coffee with the ice cream, which is a favorite way for us to enjoy it.

After that, I went upstairs to work on getting Hubbie's social network site back online, because he couldn't access it after the computer was repaired. I had to re-register him at an e-mail site, and then give him a new user name and password. Took forever to do this, since I kept getting blocked at every turn. But I finally accomplished it.

In the middle of this adventure, my former Literacy Council student called from her new home in Florida. We talked for quite a while, and enjoyed catching up with each other's lives.

It was 4 p.m. by the time I got back downstairs. I put leftover lasagna, and a dish of whole kernel corn in the oven just as I got a call from my niece in New York. She wanted to let me know that her dad, my brother, suffered a stroke last Monday. He presented with all the symptoms we were told about at Tuesday's program on stroke...drooping face, inability to raise one arm, and inability to speak coherently.

Niece said that she's been advised that her dad should be placed in a nursing home, and she's upset about it. She feels guilty about doing it, but I assured her that it was best for him and for her, because she would be unable to do what's needed to take care of him. He is unable to sit up or walk to the bathroom. She couldn't lift him. He needs more intensive care than she can provide. Also, she works, and she couldn't afford around-the-clock care for him at home.

This is a sad situation, and my heart breaks for her and for him. I wish I could be closer to help her, but my job right now is to be here for Mother.

After supper, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, and then he and I watched one-hour shows on TV. While we did this, I uploaded photos to an online site. I have a lot more of this to do on the laptop, and then I need to do the same thing with the office computer.