"What's a fire, and why does it - what's the word? - burn? ..."

Thanks AJ, for the brain worm. I'll be singing it all day.

-----

Rough day yesterday. I was at the nursing home for almost 5 hours, getting Grandma F moved from one room to another. The move itself didn't take but about an hour, but then I waited around while she did all her therapy, and ate lunch so that I could stay with her in her new room for awhile before I left.

Her new roommate can't walk or get around on her own, so Grandma won't have to worry about this woman turning her lamp off or grabbing her call button away from her. Grandma seemed much happier with this deal. The room is brighter and neater, and feels better to me emotionally. If that makes any sense at all.

I spent some time with Grandma in the therapy room. She made me smile ... every time the therapist would give her instructions like, "Lift this one-pound bar over your head and then lower it again ... and do that 10 times, then rest" ... Grandma would do it ten times, then look over at me with a sly grin, and do it one or two more times. She'd say, "I'll give her some extra." Of course, that may backfire on her ... when the therapist got wind of it, she'd say, "Now Mrs. F, do 12 more!"

Good news from yesterday ... Grandma asked to use the bathroom twice. Before, she was just not saying anything, and letting herself be cleaned up after the fact. She seemed happy to know that she would have exclusive use of the bathroom in her room, since the roommate is incontinent. Mrs. L is her roommate, and it looks like her Alzheimer's is so progressed that she can only babble incoherantly. Grandma said that wouldn't bother her, she was so glad to get away from her former bossy roommate. Mrs. L's daughter comes in every day to feed lunch to her Mom, and she said her Mom had been at Dogwood Acres for 4 years.

-----

Late afternoon, I went shopping with Emilie ... we found a TV stand at Big Lots for her new apartment. (Moving day is Saturday.) :-(

Then, home to collapse. I will soon lose my title of "Laziest Woman In The South" if this keeps up.

-----

Today I need to do a load of Grandma's laundry, then I'll head over there in the afternoon ... hopefully she'll be all done with therapy and I can visit with her in her room, or maybe the sunroom right down the hall.

-----

Patti, thank you for your phone call last night. I love you.