So not too bad, I actually got back to the blogosphere a little quicker this time.

Today being Saturday was clean up mom day and laundry day at the house.  The unholy triumvirate



Look up Etrigan...  From Jack Kirby's seminal series after moving from Marvel to DC



 

of Quinn, Scott and this author performed our usual ritual of breakfast, cleaning, linen changing, laundry and dinner prep with a quick trip to Trader Joes for some groceries.. Mom has been eating better the past couple of weeks, and she was in pretty good spirits today. Seemed to have a fair amount of energy as we were able to get her to do a full lap of the 2nd floor on the walker and then headed straight to the showers after that.

I cancelled my usual trip to the mountains today so I could take the once a month tour of Laguna Honda (plan B) which is only offered on the third Saturday each month.
It's a nice facility, the primary housing having been built just 5 years ago. It's basically a nice rehab facility on 60 acres with a real nice grounds, farm, gardens, gym, pool, orchard.
The volunteer coordinator met us and the tour of the new and the old facility took about an hour and a half.
They seriously have Farm Animals, Chickens, Goats, Ducks, Geese, Pigs and apparently some of the better behaved ones get to go up to see the patients at least once a month!



Other than the room size (think basic hospital room, communal bathroom with a big TV and closet, bookcase, dresser) it's not too bad. Each floor divided into "communities" with a small "galley" and a larger family room as well as a community dining room.
The place is super clean, and well laid out. Light years away from the old part which is being turned into administrative offices for SF General across town.

There is a book about the transition from old to new that is supposed to be interesting. "God's Hotel"

http://tinyurl.com/ld8qqtj

I found this fascinating... 

San Francisco’s Laguna Honda Hospital is the last almshouse in the country, a descendant of the Hôtel-Dieu (God’s hotel) that cared for the sick in the Middle Ages. 

 It's staffed and supplemented with a large contingent of volunteers. (Think HUGE)

So we left mom today watching the golf tournament and hanging out with Olive the cat from next door. Olive REALLY REALLY likes moms place.

That's Olive checking herself out in the mirror!  Hmmmmm YOU look familiar!  Just a funny cat.

                   

Other than all that I just planted my first batch of tomatoes with more to come. This year they have a new variant of "grafted" plants with Heirlooms grafted on to a more robust root stock to make for a healthier, more disease resistant and higher yielding plant. We'll give some a try.

Also last week I took a ride out to the Golden Gate National Cemetery while the "Wall that Heals" was visiting. It's a half scale replica of the Vietnam Memorial in DC. Travels the country. Amazing, moving, disquieting, sobering.

Another great group of volunteers there to help folks find their loved ones on the wall. Was only here Thursday through Sunday. For so many reasons I believe it's a MUST SEE.

 From the current events section I ran across this post and picture. Interesting that some folks are renaming Chicago...Chi-raq..... WOW.

 


 Just making a statement here. But has to have you questioning the status quo.  Just sayin!

Check that blog out here.

 http://chitowncecilia.blogspot.com/2012/09/chi-raq.html

This is who I want to be when I don't grow up!






Rocking the steely eyed look, and way cool hat!

See, time just flies and flies and flies and all of a sudden it's nearly a month since my last post.

Not to say that I've had nuttin to say. Cause, well, I always do.

Just taking the time to sit down and rehash the ongoing struggle to keep ahead of moms health issues is pretty draining and so it gets put off and put off and yep, a month is almost gone.
 

Moms arm has completely healed, stitches out and it healed nicely. Disaster averted. Must be the clean living. Hard to argue with that when you have Marge at 91, Mom at 90, and Herb at 89! Little brother Paul at 75!  OMG. Speaks volumes when you realize that they all smoked heavily but all quit 25 to 30 years ago. Speaks volumes when you realize that they all smoked heavily but all quit 25 to 30 years ago.

That being said I do have two physical therapists coming over to work with her. Josh comes on Mondays and Fridays and spends an hour each time going through the same basic set of exercises that she was doing while at the Coventry. Emphasis on fall prevention and balance/mobility.
Enrico comes once a week and works on walking with her and basic fall prevention/safety protocols.

We have been having regular visits from Olive the cat from next door. Great cat. LOVES moms place. The neighbors leave their door open for Olive to roam and moms door is open often so Olive invites herself in.

So we had a nice small family gathering at Marge's house for Easter, just 8 of us. That was pretty much the right amount of folks excepting missing Brian who was home recovering/recuperating from some on the job physical stress. 

Quinn and I had taken mom for a test drive up and down the stairs at her apartment on Saturday and while successful, it was an ordeal.
Basically we told mom, either you make it up the stairs at Marge's OR you stay home and we bring you a plate of food and some dessert. Motivated, she made the journey. Enjoyed herself a bunch.

Quinn and Scott set a mean table of ham and asparagus with crack infused scalloped/cheesey potatoes. OMG GOOD!!  We had hot cross buns from Schuberts Bakery (Cause, duh! It's Easter!)

And a cute lil Easter Egg/Carrot Cake from Sweet Things with ice cream for dessert.

More pics later.