Saturday, August 6, 2016
I visited after dinner today. I was on my way to mom's room, when I suddenly stopped. I think mom and Donna were just coming from the Fraser room. They flagged me down and I joined them. I asked them if they wanted to go to the dog park. Donna was enthusiastic and Michael said he wanted to go too. The plan was to go back to their rooms, get jackets and then meet in the hall.
Mom and Donna both used the toilet. While I was waiting for the girls, I put clean clothes in mom's drawer, hung some up and checked the laundry bag. There was a big spider. Luckily I was able to dispose of it quickly outside via a side door. Then, I had to help Donna zip her jacket. It was difficult for me and I don't have arthritis like Donna. We said "bye" to Gerry who was watching the Olympics and set off to the nurses' station to sign out.
Michael was waiting for us. I told them to go ahead. I couldn't remember which room Michael was in so I couldn't sign him out in the book and no staff was around. I decided to just go. The gang was confused about which way to go so I had to lead the way. The gate was closed, but unlocked so I locked it after we had gone through.
I could see Santa and her companion sitting on the bench that I wanted to use. Normally the girls go to the farthest bench, but Michael is not as mobile. Today we saw some beagles at the east end as we approached. We watched them as we waited for Michael to catch up. We joined Santa and her "daughter-in-law" on the bench. Michael and Donna sat on the bench and mom sat in Donna's walker. Donna made sure that the locks were engaged on her walker. Good thing, because I never thought of it. Santa was happy to see us.
We sat and watched the dogs. Donna and Michael chatted about the dogs. We saw a friendly chocolate spaniel. I think he had been shaved. He looked so soft. He was rotund. The owner stopped and chatted a bit. Michael asked her some questions about the dog's breed and Santa asked how old it was. Santa's sentences are usually only one or two words, but she gets her point across.
We saw a cute, brown, miniature poodle. It was the smallest dog in the park. Today there were mostly smaller dogs at the park. They all seemed to play nicely.
Mom started to complain that she was cold so I decided to head back. Michael wanted to stay longer. Santa's companion volunteered to take Michael back.
After I locked the gate and caught up with the girls, Donna told me that she had seen a tiny mouse scurry by.
At the nurses' station I explained that I had taken Michael out, but that Santa's companion was going to bring him back. The staff member said it was fine and that he could come back by himself.
We played cards in the fish tank room. We played "war." Donna kept saying that she had never played the game before. I asked them which card was the strongest and they were able to do this more or less. Mom kept wanting to look at her cards to pick the strongest ones. She won both games. Donna wanted to continue playing, but I suggested we join Santa and her companion who had just returned. Santa's companion pointed to Michael who was sitting outside to let me know he was safe.
I went back to mom's room to pick up my things and when I came back, the girls had their hot chocolate and a big oatmeal cookie. I went to hug mom and say "good-bye," but I could see she was wondering what to do with the cookie in her hand. She didn't want to put it on the table, but she had no napkin. She offered it to me, but of course I refused. Reluctantly she put it on the table and gave me a hug. We laughed and said good-bye.
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