Two-Twenty-two

My mother is 90 years old today. She lives in a nursing home in Dallas, Penn and has dementia.  I last saw her in 2003 when Mary and I traveled there when we also went to NYC and Atlantic City. That was quite a trip.  My mother left in 1952 and us four kids were raised by my dad --with his father and siblings helping along the way.  I visited my mother in 1977 when my dad and Marcella were planning a trip to the east coast.  We toured Washington DC and then they headed to Maine to visit my brother and his wife. Dana was stationed there in the coast guard.  I took a side trip over to Pennsylvania as I was very curious to see what my mother was like after 25 years.

It wasn't the greatest reunion.  She was very off ease and so was I. It was October and I stayed five days.  Two or three would have been plenty but it was an eye opening for me, and another 26 years would pass before we'd meet up again.  It was an easier reunion this time because I had Mary along. I also got the chance to visit with my half sisters this time and they shared a lot of memories of what their life was like growing up.  I was 60 years old and I finally learned that being raised without a mother ended up being a blessing.  Sad to say but it is what it is.  My mother just never had good parenting skills.  But that's water under the bridge.  We're both old ladies now.

I was late getting a birthday card off to her.  I haven't really stayed in contact much since dementia set in as I wasn't sure what and who she actually remembered.  One of her granddaughters (who was caring for her before she went into the nursing home) told me that she doesn't remember a lot of things regarding her Penn. life and people but she does bring up memories of her childhood in Chimacum and the four kids she left in Port Townsend.  Odd how the brain works with that disease.

Her biological father lived to be 95 but her mother died at 35 of TB. Both her adoptive parents died in their 60's when she was a teenager.  Ironically, her birth mother and adopted mother died within a few months of each other in 1942.  Here she is in the 1950's  and a more recent picture taken a couple years back. In the group picture she's wearing white right in the middle. My aunt Lillian is on the left wearing white and my cousin, Marlyn, is between them. Joan Arey's husband, Dub, is standing on the far right. I don't know who the rest of the people are but I wish I did.

Here's a picture of The Meadows where she's living now.

Tomorrow I'm riding to Seattle with Jen and Wayne as she sees her neurologist.  We're expecting the trip to take a while since they're doing construction on the road we'll be traveling and that road is always congested without construction.  Ugh!

I was under the weather all day and night yesterday. Went to bed at noon and stayed there until 6:30 this  morning.  I had an audio book by Carol Burnett called 'This Time Together' so I listened to that off and on.  Very entertaining.

I'm still feeling kind of tired and run down.  Can't get in the mood to do any sewing so I'll let it go until Wednesday.  I did manage to finish the laundry and dishes so I guess that's something. I also got a wall collage picture hung that Catie had given me for Christmas. Although I did that a couple days ago.

I think I'll head into the kitchen and prepare a pan of enchilladas for tonight's supper.  Then I won't have to cook for two or three days.  Looking pretty nice outside today. Maybe I'll go for a walk.  Or...maybe I'll just think about it.  ha ha