Yesterday was 31 degrees dreary, dank, and depressing. Today was 52 and sunny with a few clouds. I enjoy the sunrise a little earlier each morning. We visited Cliff's mother this morning. She is constantly anxious and frazzled. It's so sad. Voices in her head torture her and she can't stop them. We try to redirect her and engage her in a different conversation but it only lasts for 15 seconds before the voices in her head take over. Cliff fills her bird feeder outside the window but she doesn't even have an interest in the birds. I've gotten to know many of the patients in the unit and love talking to them. Today a few of them were getting their nails done. The ladies still love being pampered. They get their hair cut and washed in the "beauty parlor" and someone comes into the unit to do their nails. One lady that I call "the church lady" wheels some of the patients up and down the hall and sings to them. Sunday she was gently singing "Amazing Grace" to the others. It's enriched me to be welcomed into the unit by the patients............as long as I can still go out through the double doors to the parking lot.
Some days are full of doing tasks and chores that Cliff did for me. The floor wasn't that dirty but he enjoyed saying. "Guess I need to pull out the vacuum. I'm tripping over debris." I thanked him. Whenever I was in the kitchen trying out new recipes, making cookies or the double batch tapioca pudding for him, he was there beside (getting in my way sometimes) washing the utensils, pots/pans, cutting boards, drying them and putting everything back in their proper places only to have me take some things back out and reuse again. "I just washed that" he would state. He learned to ask if I were through with things before he cleaned up after me. I thanked him. He emptied the dishwasher when it was finished in such an orderly manner (getting in my way sometimes because I was also in the kitchen working but he wanted to be there with me). I thanked him. Every morning he made my bed reminding me of the order that the pillows needed to be placed. John&
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