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Wednesday, September 9, 2009

do you guys know...

... How many sugar cane fields there are between
Thibodaux and Plaquemine?
I am not sure, I lost count at 15!
Sunday I pick up Mumsie to go to
Roddie and Katie's house.
First off, we must acknowledge that she
believes her sunglasses were left in my car.
I tell her no and after she asks about 5 times
for her sunglasses, I decide before
we head one hour to the north
I will have to stop at CVS and get
at least the 6Th pair of sunglasses I have
bought Mumsie in the last 11 months.
Ahhh, now we can talk about important things,
things I can share with all of you,
Mumsie-ism's like I like to call them.
So, we are off on the old hgwy. one
and Mom shares that there are rain clouds coming
and we may get rain and she hopes
it rains on those sugar cane fields right there
because O'Neil always said to pray for
rain in September because the rain
would make the stalks heavier and he
would get a better price on his cane
when weighing it.
Well, I think, that is a story I've never heard,
that is something I can share with you guys
that maybe ya'll haven't heard in a while.
Some of you probably didn't even know
that O'Neil was our cousin who we called
Uncle O'Neil married to no other that the cousin
we knew as Sis.
You may have even forgotten that he was a
sugar cane farmer when this type of farming
was very productive and a way to make a living.
I put that one in the memory bank...
and keep on driving, for about 2 minutes.
Now dementia is a very funny thing sometimes
and you must see the humor in it or it'll
make you cry or get aggravated or
run the car into the ditch...
I prefer to see the humor in Mumsie's dementia.
Two minutes later, there are a few drops
of rain on the windshield
and Mumsie:
" Oh, good some rain, I hope it rains on those
sugar cane there O'Neil always said to pray
for rain in September so his crops would be
heavier when being weighed."
Hmm... I think I've heard this before...
I am quiet, and keep driving.
The rain subsides and 10 minutes pass,
"I hope it rains here,
the sugarcane needs it,
O'Neil always said..."
I Chuckle to myself and decide to
humor myself,
"So Mumsie tell me about O'Neil..."
The story goes on for a few minutes and
she is happy to share the story again,
for the third time now!
I mean, Plaquemine is one hour and 15 minutes
from Thibodaux and it is nice to have
company to fill the time to see
my offspring and his beautiful wife.
So every time we get a few drops on the shield
or we pass a new sugarcane field, I hear
of O'Neil and his crops.
We finally get to the Riera homestead
and we have coffee and dessert,
stay a few hours and then head back
home, the other way, passing
near the sugar cane fields once again.
But it'll be okay because the visit has broken
her train of thought and I just know
the conversation will be different for the
one hour and 15 minute trek home.
However, I realize I may be wrong when we
get in the car and Mumsie Minta says,
LILLY, HAVE YOU SEEN MY SUNGLASSES
I CAN'T FIND THEM ANYWHERE
I hand them to her with a smile on my face,
she smiles back and says
I FORGOT HUH, THAT YOU JUST BOUGHT
ME SOME
Those are the times that make you want to cry...
"Yep, Mumsie but it is okay because...
I KNOW LILLI-ANN BECAUSE I AM OLD!
This is what I tell her all the time to
lighten the facts of dementia and it always
makes her laugh.
You guessed it, first field we come to
OH I HOPE IT RAINS...
I am laughing aloud now and Mumsie has
no clue why, it'll be a long trip home.
Rain on the shield,
O'NEIL ALWAYS SAID...
The rain has stopped,
GUESS IT WON'T RAIN BUT THAT
SUGARCANE...
So if this post went on and on for
too long don't blame me, blame dementia
and love the Mumsie
and be happy when you pray to know
that she is oh, so happy
and she makes me happy,
even when sometimes I believe
I will run the car into a ditch!

5 comments:

  1. I know exactly what you mean...we go through the same thing each and every Monday when I bring Mom to Bingo. Our day usually starts by my going to the Manor to pick her up and we sit and chat for just a few minutes....

    Mom: mmmm...I can't wait to eat hot dogs and chili and, of course, my beer.
    C: Me, too, Mom..I love their hot dogs and chili.
    Mom: I wonder if they make their own chili??
    C: No, Mom, I think they get it in a can from Sam's or Walmart.
    Mom: Well, that sure is some good chili for being canned.

    Next, we proceed to leave her room:

    Mom: Do you think I need my sweater?
    C: No, Mom, it's really warm outside.
    Mom: But it might get cold inside the building.
    C: OK, Mom, bring it and if you need it, you'll have it...best to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it...
    Mom: (total confusion) OK...what about my walker?
    C: No, Mom, I don't think you'll need it, I'll be with you.
    Mom: Yea, but, what if it starts raining (????)
    C: Yea, you're right, Mom, it might get a little slippery in the grass if it's raining. Do you have your seat with your bingo markers and your wallet?
    Mom: Check!!
    C: What about the key for your apartment?
    Mom: Check!! (As she's tapping her pants pocket to hear the jingle).
    C: Ok, well, off we go, Mom, it's Bingo Night!!
    Mom: Oh, yea, I can't wait to (yep, you guessed it!!) have hot dogs and chili and my beer..
    C: Me, Too, Mom, I'm starved!!

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  2. At this point, we're walking out of her apartment, but before we lock the door, she pats her pants pocket for the jingling of her keys...Check, got the keys!!!

    As we're walking down the hall, she tells me about the artwork on the wall and about the lady who lives in that apartment.

    When we finally get to the dining room, all of the residents are neatly sitting at their assigned seats awaiting dinner and, just like a Queen in all her Glory, she waves her wand to tell everyone that she's going to eat hot dogs and chili at the Bingo with "my daughter, Celena". Everyone waves back and wishes us luck!!

    C: OK, Mom, don't forget to sign yourself out (I call her my library book)
    Mom: I don't know why because I'll never remember to sign myself back in.
    C: It's OK, Mom, they'll do it for you when we get back.
    She shrugs her shoulders and says, "OK".

    We are now in the care and here's the conversation:

    Mom: I'm so glad that you bring me to Bingo every week, but I'm always so worried about you driving home by yourself.
    C: It's OK, Mom, I stay on LA1 and the drive really isn't so bad..there's not a lot of traffic.
    Mom: How is Menton (Ted's Dad)
    C: He's doing really well and completely healed from his broken hip.
    Mom: Oh, he broke his hip??? How did that happen??

    Well, this happened since January, someetimes she remembers and sometimes she don't.

    We finally arrive at Bingo and we get her all set up in our regular seat, hoping that one of us will walk out of that damn place a winner.
    Oh, much fun we have all together at Bingo, Kris being a "diehard Bingo player" who doesn't miss a week.

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  3. Sorry, I had to leave for a little while, but now I'm back to tell the rest of my story, for the second time because some freaking error message about cookies came up and I lost my other stuff...SHIT!!

    Anyway...

    We all enjoy our evening at Bingo whether we win or not and now the evening has come to an end. We all hug and kiss each other goodbye until next week and go our separate ways.

    Well, I finally get Mumsie all tucked, safe and secured in my vehicle and we head back to the Manor...

    Mom: Boy, that sure was fun!! I really enjoyed my hot dog and chili; I wonder if they make the chili themselves...(Yep, we go through that whole conversation again about the chili). I sure wish that you didn't have to drive all the way home by yourself. Why don't you stay sleep?

    C: No, Mom, it'll be too hard for me to get to work in the morning. Don't worry, I stay on LA1......

    Mom: Well, I figure by 11:00 if I don't hear anything that menas that you made it home okay and I can go to sleep (Do you really think she stays up till 11:00 waiting for a phone call...hehehehe...Momma...).

    Here is my very favorite part of our Mondays together. Ted came with me a few weeks ago and I gave him a "play by play" of what was going to happen next....we both had to laugh...she is the cutest creature on God's Earth, I swear!!!

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  4. We drive up to the front door of the Manor and we give each other a kiss and make sure that she has all of her stuff. She gets out of the car, pats her pocket for her keys and proceeds to the front door. Although there is a buzzer, she always knocks on the glass door and peers in to see if someone is sitting at the counter. She patiently awaits outside, but as soon as she sees one of the ladies walking her way, she raises her little arms in "victory" and shakes her butt (I call this the Mumsie Jig). She walks inside the Manor, turns around to give me a big wave and blows me another kiss and off she goes to her humble little room.

    I don't know about you guys, but I want Dimentia!!

    Somtimes it's really hard for me to make those Mondays each week and I beat myself up wondering if there's an easier, better way to visit her and then I realize that our time together would just not be the same any other way. When she sees me she automatically thinks that it's Monday and we're going to play Bingo. If I show up on a Thursday evening, the rest of her week is messed up....hehehehe...Regardless, though, of when I show up and/or for what reason, we always talk about the chili at Bingo...funny.

    Oh, how I love our Mumsie, Y'all!! Of course she's my Mother and I have always loved her, but I can honestly say that I love her more now than I ever have in my entire life. She's like a precious little jewel that's kept in a safe and special place and each time the jewel is taken from her haven, she shines more and more.

    ((((MUAH))))) EVERYBODY!!!
    C

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  5. yeah, C that is exactly the way it rolls and last Monday you didnt make bingo, and she missed church on Saturday because she thought it was Friday so you are right, if you aren't there on Monday, she is off the week!!!!
    Not trying to make you feel bad, Im just saying...
    she did miss church Sat. hahahahah

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