Wednesday, August 20, 2008

mom and rick's excellent adventure

this is mostly for my sister since i'm so bad about calling with updates.


is that really a kangaroo she's touching? oh yeah. but first lemme tell you about the eye exam trip...

we rode in this big ole bus, just the 2 of us. dwayne, the driver, is this remarkably gentle and kind man. mom entered and exited on this lift at the rear of the bus and we sat in the back.

i asked him if he ever worked at the fair and mom giggled like a schoolgirl when i explained i felt like he was helping her on and off of an amusement park ride. he laughed, too.

each time we exited she got up and headed toward the front. very alzheimer's-ish. since she couldn't see her walker she forgot she had one. and she couldn't see the lift so she assumed she should go to the doors she could see. such extreme memory loss like that still amazes me.



she had a great time people watching and street watching while we waited in the dr.'s office. she laughed out loud, and talked a little too loudly, about this father and son who she said looked exactly alike.

she asked a lot of questions about where we were and had she ever been there before. yes to the shopping center. (it was one of her old haunts.) yes to the streets she had traveled dozens of times a week for years and years and years. no to the dr.'s office.

when the dr. asked if she'd ever been there, she said yes. after looking for her records for at least 10 minutes they finally came out and asked me when she'd been there...

the results of the exam were so close to what they read off of her glasses we decided not to get new ones. that's pretty surprising considering it's been 4-5? years since she got this prescription. i learned she'd had cataract surgery (mom's got implants! hahahahaha.) and that she can't see very well out of her left eye because of cataract growth. the dr. agreed that surgery at this time wasn't such a good idea. we talked about how content she seems and quality of life, etc. pretty interesting doctor if you ask me.

then we went next door and they fixed the loose lens and cleaned her glasses. no charge. mom said she could see better and laughed when the technician told her they were covered in hair spray.

while waiting for the bus we went into stein mart. the last time she was there my daughter took her. mom came out of the dressing room without her shirt on and my daughter was mortified. i didn't remind mom of that incident.

waiting outside was so nice. the weather was perfect. in the 70s with a breeze. mom was delighted to be out. it was a good trip.

her triumphant return...(please click and enlarge)


when we got back someone told me they were bringing a kangaroo in about an hour. i wasn't quite sure whether to believe this or not, but i stayed anyway. i'm glad i did.

it's an 8 month old female red kangaroo. about 10 lbs. cute as can be and soft as a llama. and that tail! solid muscle. it will eventually grow to be about 5'2" and 100 lbs. (the kangaroo, not the tail.)


the lady asked if mom wanted to hold it. noooooo. no way.

lots of the old folks did, though. they loved it.



if you put a blanket over her she somersaults into it like she's in her mother's pouch.


if she's not ready for a nap, she pokes her head out. she sat like this, very contentedly for 10-15 minutes. very sweet little critter.







eye exam: $45.45
glasses repair and kangaroo visit: free
total experience: priceless

party on, dudes...

8 comments:

rilera said...

I want a kangaroo!

Thanks for sharing details of your adventure.

Annie said...

Your mom's smile on the return photo is priceless. She looks like she had a grand time.

I want a kangaroo to come visit us too! Soft as a llama, huh? Shoot, all I got is a new chick. And at least one on the way.

I want a bus like that too, with a lift.

I want a lot of things.

cornbread hell said...

rilera - my pleasure. i like sharing the good stuff.

(i think you should get a kangaroo. and take it over to annie's for a visit.)

annie - she really did have a grand time. i think i'm gonna look for excuses to get her out more. walks have become too arduous, but a bus ride seems to still be good.

~Betsy said...

Glad you all had a good day. Sign me up for a kangaroo, too. What's one more critter? :)

Anonymous said...

awww...the double-click pic of your mom with her big pretty smile generates a mirror response from this viewer.

another awwww...for the cuddly baby kangaroo. what a wonderful treat! be glad i was not there because you would have had to drag me away from joey a.k.a. skippy.

amazing how we all forget to clean our glasses when things become a little unclear.

KUDOS for your successful outting and for the found inspiration to plan more.

hugs to you and mom,
tl

josephine terese said...

this is the best post ever i believe.
hair spray! oh hahahaha old ladies.
kangaroo? whoa!
stein mart: shudder... just kidding. at least it wasn't dillard's.
what a good day

rainbowheart said...

Rick,
Thank you so much for sharing the good stuff with us. I have tears in my eyes.

I hope that you and your mother have more outing like this..The only time that Momma gets out these days is to go to the doctor and I try to make the best of it.

A kangaroo..that would be so cool to see. I have heard that a llama will spit at you so I don't want to be around one.

Take care!!

Anonymous said...

just now caught your "party on" side, you so cleverly vent from time to time. suddenly i feel motivated for a brisk bike ride.
tl