the NEW me

Went to Durham after work last night to my daughter's salon. She was going to put this treatment on it called a "Brazilian Blow Out" but it turns out it has just been banned in Canada because of a dangerously high formaldehyde content. So, she opted instead for the "Keratin Express" or something like that. Anyhow, the result is supposed to be the same--straight non-frizzy hair, it just doesn't last quite as long (1 month as opposed to 3). I'm satisfied. The Only Burger truck was parked on the corner, so we wandered down there. Her boyfriend was working, so he hooked us up with some free grub. I had the veggie burger, which is excellent, by the way. I love Only Burger food...but they're kind of hard to find since they move around all the time. They are supposed to be opening a regular eatery soon. That's cool, but there's something kinda fun about standing around a parking lot eating out of a food truck. Today is my day off...I'm doing a lot of nothing. It's a nice break.

Saturdays with the little Nana

Picked up mom at the nursing home again Saturday morning and got her ready for the outing. She seemed to understand what was going on because she was anxious to get in the car and she was smiling when I told her we were going to go see James. It's a little over an hour drive from the nursing home to Dad's house and she was reading road signs all the way. We were over halfway there when I noticed her squirming around in the seat. Usually this means she needs to get to a bathroom. She can't really communicate anymore, so she isn't able to verbalize her needs ahead of time. Unfortunately, I have the nose of a bloodhound, so the drive was becoming increasingly unpleasant for both of us. I think I set the land speed record for the Goldston to Carbonton trip. And that's with my head hanging out of the window. But, not to worry, we got to Dad's house--and everything was well contained. I can deal with the diapers-I'm used to it, but it's NO fun when everything is just running all over the place...if you get my drift. Dad's next door neighbors came by. They haven't seen mom in over 2 years, not since she was going over to their house at all hours of the day and night searching for lost people and items. They were very patient with her. Mom seemed pleased to see the kids and was especially happy when the little boy bowed and said "sayonara" when they left. It was a sweet moment.

The "old" me

This is the current hair style. Something weird happened to my hair the past year and now I can't do a thing with it. My daughter, the professional hair person, says there is a treatment she can put on it to make it look decent, or at least less ridiculous. So hopefully (fingers crossed!) by this time next week, I will be able to post a picture of the wonderful new me...or at least the old me with a better hair style.

Field Trip

It's FALL. The weather is excellent. We even got some rain, which was badly needed. I was feeling brave, so I decided to pack Mom into the car and take her for a drive to see Dad at the homeplace. I got to the nursing home right after breakfast and gave her a shower. It was as much for my benefit as for hers. I can't stand that nursing home smell. We borrowed a wheelchair and then I released her on her own recognisance. She seemed to enjoy the ride. She read road signs all the way and then started counting 1 to 10 in Japanese. She sometimes gets stuck on a thought and it stays with her a while. We had some lunch with Dad. He mangled his hand in the mailbox...that's another story...you can see the bandage. And we had an uneventful drive back to the nursing home. I did have to deal with a couple of poopy diapers, but it was all well contained, so not a major problem. It was good for Mom to get out of the home. And I know it was good for Dad to visit with her on his own turf. We had a good time and will probably do it again next Saturday, weather permitting.