Tuesday, Sept. 10

Up at 7 a.m. to get ready to take Mother for her six-month doctor appointment. The appointment was at 9 a.m. and included a fasting lab blood draw. This is not something Mother is thrilled about, but she did fine.

The doctor also wanted a urine sample, but this is something Mother is hardly ever able to produce. There's just something about the doctor's office that turns off her faucet. As soon as we got back home, though, she could harly wait to get to the bathroom.

Today, the doctor mentioned that flu shots are available. "Would you like one?" she asked. "I'd love one," I said. "We hardly ever have folks tell us they'd love a flu shot," she laughed, and went down the hall to fetch the nurse. I heard her tell the nurse that we'd love a flu shot.

Mother does not love flu shots. And today, even though the nurse used a child size needle on her, her arm is still bruised from it. Now she has needle wounds on her shoulder and in the crook of her arm.

At home, Mother was plenty ready for breakfast, since it was now 10 a.m. I fixed her a slice of Sis's homemade bread with butter, and a cup of coffee. She didn't want to eat much, since we were scheduled to go to the hospital conference room at noon for an educational talk and a free lunch.

We arrived in plenty of time to snag a parking space near the building, and a table near the buffet. We were the first ones in line today. Lunch was chicken breast in a white sauce, oven fried potatoes, green beans/wax beans/carrots combo, a yeast roll, and fresh fruit for dessert.

The talk today was about preparing for disasters...tornadoes, earthquake, ice storms, floods, even house fires. The speaker emphasized that we need to rely more on ourselves, our neighbors, family, and communities, and less on government organizations, although he provided us a list of those organizations to contact in case of emergency. In the short term, though, we should be prepared to take care of ourselves until help arrives. We were provided with leaflets and booklets outlining preparedness plans.

A second speaker spoke about a system called SHARE, whereby the hospital will eventually be connected with other hospitals and doctors offices to share patient information (with the patient's permission, of course). This would eliminate duplicating procedures, coordinating medications, etc. It would also give doctors a way of evaluating patient needs in case of emergency...such as learning a patient's medical conditions, medication allergies, etc., in case the patient is unable to communicate. It will eliminate the need for patients themselves to round up pertinent information, like x-ray records, to supply to other doctors.

Back home, we relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. Around 4 p.m., we went to the college down the road to attend the annual community picnic. There, we had a choice of hamburgers or hot dogs, with potato chips, and cookies or snow cones for dessert, and a choice of water or soft drinks.

There was a world of folks there, so we had a good time visiting. A bounce house entertained the kids, while a local musician entertained the adult.

Whew! It was hot out there, even though the long line of picnic tables were situated in the shade of the walkway. The snow cone makers stayed busy, and I even indulged in a cherry flavored one, plus a big cup of shaved ice.

There were a couple of speakers, but we managed to make good our escape beforehand. At home, Mother was ready to go home, so Hubbie accompanied her. I bagged some of the cookies from the picnic and took them to her later.

Hubbie and I spent the rest of the evening watching TV.