Last Saturday we enjoyed a meal of Chinese food at the Club Cafe with Clare, Jody and Abbey. As usual, the waitress brought a plate of fortune cookies as we were finishing up our meal. Abbey handed them out and they seemed to end up being appropriate for each person.
Howard's read "Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst". Good advice, especially for our present situation. As we prepare to go back to the farm after spending three months in the city, we're not sure how it will go. But the past months have been helpful in "preparing for the worst". Every Tuesday Howard has attended a Respite Day at the Weyburn Special Care Home. I drop him off at 9:30 and pick him up at 4:00. The staff are very supportive, friendly and caring and he has enjoyed those days. He has met new people and gotten used to the routine there. Coffee breaks in the morning and afternoon are popular with him! He has been assessed and qualifies for long term care. He has been doing well the last while so this isn't something that he will need anytime soon, but waiting lists are long and health issues can change quickly. We had a family meeting earlier and discussed this possibility. I can handle being a care giver for him now, with support from family and health care.
With diagnosis of dementia and his bi-polar background, we need to "prepare for the worst". His dementia is mostly related to time and space. Something that happened last week might be referred to as "yesterday". Getting ready to go back to the farm might mean going today! He has no recollection of this past Christmas or of the Ledene wedding that we attended last summer. Yet he has amazing recall for things that happened years ago! Following directions is also difficult. This morning I asked him to get a kettle of soup that I had set in the unheated front porch to keep cold. He couldn't find it. When I opened the porch door to show him where it was, he didn't seem to realize that there was a porch on the other side of the living-room door. We haven't been in that part of the house much and I forget that I need to be more specific about directions, not assume that he knows what I mean. It is a learning experience for me too.
He has been in a very positive mood lately. We have enjoyed going to morning worship at Zion, to Lenten services, visits with friends and family. He has even gone grocery shopping on his own a couple times and came home with the right items, plus a few extras like he is used to doing. It has been too icy to walk and he doesn't drive in the city. We have enjoyed watching the curling games from Scotland and now from Denmark. We may have to get up and watch the 3:00 a.m. game tomorrow to see if Amber Holland can win another one. It was great to see her make the playoffs this morning. For you non curling fans, she and her team from small town Saskatchewan (Kroneau is just east of Regina) are representing Canada at the Women's World Curling in Denmark. They played in a tie breaker this morning and defeated Switzerland. In the morning they will play Denmark.
My blog writing was just interrupted by a phone call from Kirk. He is back from his trip to rainy Monterey, California. They did get to golf at the famous Pebble Beach course but the weather wasn't the greatest. I expected him to be calling from Moosomin as Carter's team is playing there tonight in the start of a weekend tournament. However, he called from home and told us that their Yukon had gone for a roll on an icy stretch of road not far from Arcola. Shauna, Carter and Jamie are fine, thanks to seat belts, a snow filled ditch and guardian angels! Kirk was on his way from Regina airport to meet them and Lindsay had stayed behind for her dance lessons. We are very thankful that they were spared. They may go up tomorrow as Carter is looking forward to playing against his cousin Dawson at 12:30.
I have been clearing our supply of groceries out of the cupboards and packing our belongings. We plan to head to the farm on Sunday, weather and roads permitting. I am a fair weather driver so won't take chances. I guess we can hang out at our good neighbours to the south if need be! I'm hoping to get to the last day of quilting on Monday. Today is Vi Sabin's birthday so I must give her a call. We wouldn't be getting all those quilts made if it wasn't for her and Narrie Lowe's leadership. Thanks a bunch!
My next blog will likely be written from the SE of 16, 1 -12, west of the second. Have a great weekend.
We are so glad that Megan Fonstad was able to go home this week and we pray that her cancer will be beaten.
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