I made a pan of Tiramisu tonight in honor of Danny coming to dinner tomorrow night. When I was just about done, my mom said she was going out for some subs for dinner. That was around 5:45. I finished cleaning up and just hung out in the kitchen, thinking she would be returning in 20 minutes or so, as it was only a 5 minute drive to any Subway around here. After waiting 45 minutes, I decided to go back in my room and get on the computer to wait. And I waited. And waited. And then it was an hour she was gone and I began to get worried. I tried calling one of the Subways she frequents, but the number was disconnected. I said, "Dad, you know Mom has been gone an hour already?" He said, "Yeah, so what?" I said, "Well, I'm getting worried. It doesn't take an hour to get subs." I thought, who should I call? She didn't have their cell phone on her - she never does, I don't know why they bought it. Should I call the Venice police? What would I say? "Uh, hello...my name is Sharon Johnson and I lost my mom." I can picture them laughing and thinking it was a prank call. But then they would remember this is Venice after all, and most of the people here are old. Out of embarrassment, any young people around here probably dodge questions of where they live, and who can blame them.
Anyway, I decided not to call the police and then I thought of calling the different Subways in town. But then, what would I say to them? "Uh, hi, um, I'm looking for an old lady who uses a walker and goes real slow - did you happen to notice one who came in there tonight?" And just as my father got on the bandwagon and started searching through the phonebook for these numbers, who should walk in, but my mom. She of course came in singing a song and walking slowly. I got up and went out to the kitchen and said, "Where did you go, to China??" "No honey, I went to the Subway off of Jacaranda Boulevard." "Mom," I said, "You've been gone for over an hour. It doesn't take an hour to get subs that are 5 minutes away." "Oh, well, you see there was a long line and one of the people in line offered for me to take their place, but I said, 'Oh, no thank you,' so I just waited like everyone else and....." She went on and on telling me about the other people waiting in line and the workers behind the counter and that one of them didn't have gloves on and a lady in line told him she wouldn't buy anything from him until he put gloves on. This went on and on. I was just happy for her to be home. My imagination takes over when she's supposed to be home and she gets delayed somewhere.
My mom makes friends everywhere she goes. She will talk to everyone and anyone. When the man who cleans the pool is here, she will talk and talk to him and it really aggravates my dad. "He's supposed to be cleaning the pool," he says, and my mom just ignores him and keeps on talking. They are polar opposites, that's for sure. My dad likes sitting in his chair all day watching the stock market and my mom never sits still. She's either doing laundry, folding towels, emptying the dishwasher, tidying her room - something - all the time. When we were kids, we were never allowed to just sit around and watch cartoons on Saturday morning. We had to do chores. My brothers had the easy stuff and I had to do the gross stuff like cleaning bathrooms, floors and ironing. Girl stuff. They got to mow the lawn, take the garbage out, clean their rooms. I hated ironing because it took so long. That was in the days when we had to iron the sheets and that took forever. Although that was easier than my father's shirts. I hated doing those because of the buttons and you had to use spray starch. When we were done with our chores, we could go outside and play, but very seldom - only if it was raining or nasty outside - were we allowed to watch Saturday morning cartoons.
Tomorrow is Saturday and maybe after I wake up, I'll go in the den, turn the TV on and watch cartoons, just to see what mom will say. That would be pretty funny, but I probably won't, because cartoons just don't hold the same thrill for me than they used to.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Old People Horror Movie
The Jewish Community Center, which my parents and a few of their friends started more than 30 years ago, was having a "festival" which included a rummage and food sale on Sunday, so my mom and I went to see what they had. The food they serve there is pretty standard Jewish food, and we all wanted some kosher hot dogs and latkes, but by the time we got there, they were all out. Thousands of people come to this festival every year and this year was no different. We got there late at around 1:00, because I had gone to church in the morning. We ended up with some mandel bread, blintzes and chopped liver. Well, I should explain what this stuff is. Latkes are potato pancakes - grated potatoes that are seasoned and fried - very delicious. Mandel bread is a hard bread/cookie that is similar to scones. My grandmother taught me how to make these and they are very good, especially if you like dry cookies or scones. Blintzes are really good, and they are made out of a crepe like pancake that is stuffed with fruit or cheese. Really delicious! Chopped liver is just that - a yucky liver from a cow that is ground up with eggs and onions and spices that people eat with crackers. It is disgusting, but my parents love it.
I looked around at the rummage sale and there was so much stuff that it was hard to look at all of it. That's when my ADD kicks in. I was mostly looking at the art work anyway, as I love to find different pieces of original art. There was nothing that interested me, so I sat on one of the couches that they were trying to sell, and watched the hoards of people trying to squeeze through the hallway. I didn't see one kid there - they were ALL old people, with the exception of a few that were probably around my age. Oh, I take that back - I did see 2 kids, but they were so strange looking, that they looked old. Many people stopped to admire the couch, one took a measuring tape out and measured it, and another asked me if it was comfortable. People were swarming in through every door - it was very unsettling. I felt like I was in a movie and instead of aliens creeping in, they were all old people of every make and style. Most of whom spoke with New York accents at stellar volumes. "Hey Harry, look what I found over here! OK Sylvia, I'm right behind ya!" I was glad when my mom was finally done visiting with all her friends. We took the food out and ran for our lives. Of course we didn't really run. I waddled with my cane to the car and she slowly walked with her walker far behind me. And I walk slow. No matter how fast I try to get her to walk, a turtle would pass her up. She is exactly like the old man Tim Conway used to play on the Carol Burnett Show. She even mutters to herself like Tim did.
I really shouldn't talk - I mutter to myself all the time. Since I get tired of saying everything twice around here, I will sometimes talk to myself in a low mutter; however, I don't answer myself. Yet. I learned the other day that my great grandmother had dementia before she died, and my grandmother had it (her daughter) and now of course my mom has it, and I naturally will be next in line. What a dismal thing to look forward to. I just hope I don't end up like one of those little old ladies who drool, swear and talk crazy to everyone. I hope I am more like someone who is living in bliss, happy and singing in the hallway somewhere. Oh well, let's change the subject. I will fight becoming like that anyway, and since I am a born fighter, I may just win.
Yesterday, my mom and I went to the dog shelter in a nearby city, because we all talked about getting a dog. My mom wants a small one, however, I want a Mastiff, but since this is their house, I will humour her with trying to find a small dog. We didn't see anything appropriate at the shelter. We were going to see a dog this morning, but I didn't have a good feeling about it and then my mom surprised me by telling me that she wasn't ready for a dog now anyway. I just thought it would be good for both of them, because Kita brought so much life in here and they both fell in love with her. Maybe when I come back from Madison, I will start the search again for a small dog if I can talk my mom into it.
I'm going to Madison so soon because my granddaughter Jade will be "dedicated" in the church service on March 4, and so I scrambled to get an airline ticket today. I also will be meeting with a state retirement counselor, as I am planning on officially retiring and will be pulling my pension as soon as I am able. I can't believe that I am actually retiring. After all these years, and now it is really going to happen. When did I get this old? Good grief, it seems like I was young just a short time ago. It's bizarre how fast life goes the older you get, but when you're young, it seems like it takes forever. I wonder if we are ever really content with who we are, with what we have, and when we have it. I can honestly say that since last June, I've never been more content in my life. Maybe that just happens as you age. Or maybe it's because I trust God more now than I've ever before. Whatever the reason, it's finally good to know.
I looked around at the rummage sale and there was so much stuff that it was hard to look at all of it. That's when my ADD kicks in. I was mostly looking at the art work anyway, as I love to find different pieces of original art. There was nothing that interested me, so I sat on one of the couches that they were trying to sell, and watched the hoards of people trying to squeeze through the hallway. I didn't see one kid there - they were ALL old people, with the exception of a few that were probably around my age. Oh, I take that back - I did see 2 kids, but they were so strange looking, that they looked old. Many people stopped to admire the couch, one took a measuring tape out and measured it, and another asked me if it was comfortable. People were swarming in through every door - it was very unsettling. I felt like I was in a movie and instead of aliens creeping in, they were all old people of every make and style. Most of whom spoke with New York accents at stellar volumes. "Hey Harry, look what I found over here! OK Sylvia, I'm right behind ya!" I was glad when my mom was finally done visiting with all her friends. We took the food out and ran for our lives. Of course we didn't really run. I waddled with my cane to the car and she slowly walked with her walker far behind me. And I walk slow. No matter how fast I try to get her to walk, a turtle would pass her up. She is exactly like the old man Tim Conway used to play on the Carol Burnett Show. She even mutters to herself like Tim did.
I really shouldn't talk - I mutter to myself all the time. Since I get tired of saying everything twice around here, I will sometimes talk to myself in a low mutter; however, I don't answer myself. Yet. I learned the other day that my great grandmother had dementia before she died, and my grandmother had it (her daughter) and now of course my mom has it, and I naturally will be next in line. What a dismal thing to look forward to. I just hope I don't end up like one of those little old ladies who drool, swear and talk crazy to everyone. I hope I am more like someone who is living in bliss, happy and singing in the hallway somewhere. Oh well, let's change the subject. I will fight becoming like that anyway, and since I am a born fighter, I may just win.
Yesterday, my mom and I went to the dog shelter in a nearby city, because we all talked about getting a dog. My mom wants a small one, however, I want a Mastiff, but since this is their house, I will humour her with trying to find a small dog. We didn't see anything appropriate at the shelter. We were going to see a dog this morning, but I didn't have a good feeling about it and then my mom surprised me by telling me that she wasn't ready for a dog now anyway. I just thought it would be good for both of them, because Kita brought so much life in here and they both fell in love with her. Maybe when I come back from Madison, I will start the search again for a small dog if I can talk my mom into it.
I'm going to Madison so soon because my granddaughter Jade will be "dedicated" in the church service on March 4, and so I scrambled to get an airline ticket today. I also will be meeting with a state retirement counselor, as I am planning on officially retiring and will be pulling my pension as soon as I am able. I can't believe that I am actually retiring. After all these years, and now it is really going to happen. When did I get this old? Good grief, it seems like I was young just a short time ago. It's bizarre how fast life goes the older you get, but when you're young, it seems like it takes forever. I wonder if we are ever really content with who we are, with what we have, and when we have it. I can honestly say that since last June, I've never been more content in my life. Maybe that just happens as you age. Or maybe it's because I trust God more now than I've ever before. Whatever the reason, it's finally good to know.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Life's Twists and Turns
It's been almost a month since I last wrote, partly because I don't have my laptop with me and mostly because so much has happened during this time. Where do I begin?
Well, I moved all my stuff back to Madison and I was living with my daughter and her family. I thought that was the right thing to do at the time, even though my dad was upset when I left - he wanted me to stay longer. He feels more comfortable when I'm with them, as my mom's memory is going and there are times when she simply doesn't make sense. My dad doesn't know how to handle this and I think he looked to me as the buffer between him and my mom.
I lived with Leah a few weeks and then I got a phone call from my little brother that his wife had died. He was totally distraught and I wished I could have been down there (he lives in Florida too) to help him. My kids and I all decided to go down to Florida for the funeral. Jason flew and so did Micah and Jasmin. Leah, Parris, Ashanti and I all drove down to my mom's in their van. It was quite an experience and one that I won't forget. We had a lot of laughs going down there.
Finally we all got to my mom's and relaxed for a few days before the funeral. Danny had asked Micah to speak during the service and so they both said something and it was a short, simple and peaceful service. Afterward, we all went out to eat but Danny wanted to just take his daughter home and sleep. They both had a grueling and emotional week and I'm sure they were exhausted.
The rest of the week, we all just hung out and talked and I realized that I had left Florida too soon. I decided to just stay here for an indefinite amount of time, as long as my parents need me, and now Danny needing me. I didn't think it all the way through when I moved back to Madison, and the timing wasn't right. I will miss my grandchildren as well as my children and friends, but I have to do what I feel is the right thing to do. Besides, I will still come home every three months for my doctor appointments, so I will see everyone then. There's no greater place to be than to be in the will of God. There can be a whirlwind of storms all around you, but if you're in the center of His will, then you're in the safe palm of His hands.
So I guess my blog won't end here after all, since I'm still living with old people. Oh, and I should mention that I was approved for Social Security disability, so I will be retiring officially within the next few months and pulling my pension. Life is interesting and always full of twists and turns. And it's even more exciting when being led by that unseen hand...
Well, I moved all my stuff back to Madison and I was living with my daughter and her family. I thought that was the right thing to do at the time, even though my dad was upset when I left - he wanted me to stay longer. He feels more comfortable when I'm with them, as my mom's memory is going and there are times when she simply doesn't make sense. My dad doesn't know how to handle this and I think he looked to me as the buffer between him and my mom.
I lived with Leah a few weeks and then I got a phone call from my little brother that his wife had died. He was totally distraught and I wished I could have been down there (he lives in Florida too) to help him. My kids and I all decided to go down to Florida for the funeral. Jason flew and so did Micah and Jasmin. Leah, Parris, Ashanti and I all drove down to my mom's in their van. It was quite an experience and one that I won't forget. We had a lot of laughs going down there.
Finally we all got to my mom's and relaxed for a few days before the funeral. Danny had asked Micah to speak during the service and so they both said something and it was a short, simple and peaceful service. Afterward, we all went out to eat but Danny wanted to just take his daughter home and sleep. They both had a grueling and emotional week and I'm sure they were exhausted.
The rest of the week, we all just hung out and talked and I realized that I had left Florida too soon. I decided to just stay here for an indefinite amount of time, as long as my parents need me, and now Danny needing me. I didn't think it all the way through when I moved back to Madison, and the timing wasn't right. I will miss my grandchildren as well as my children and friends, but I have to do what I feel is the right thing to do. Besides, I will still come home every three months for my doctor appointments, so I will see everyone then. There's no greater place to be than to be in the will of God. There can be a whirlwind of storms all around you, but if you're in the center of His will, then you're in the safe palm of His hands.
So I guess my blog won't end here after all, since I'm still living with old people. Oh, and I should mention that I was approved for Social Security disability, so I will be retiring officially within the next few months and pulling my pension. Life is interesting and always full of twists and turns. And it's even more exciting when being led by that unseen hand...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)