Name That Soap Opera

So I ended up spending the day at home even though Janice was prepared to come here after her doctor appointment. I expected that Mom and I would get out early to run errands and be back by the time Janice was available around noon. I indicated to Mom last night and this morning what would be happening, advising her what time we should be ready to go, about 9:30. She went back to bed after breakfast at 8:30. I got ready to go. Mom got up and got dressed an hour later...and got back into the bed even though I was telling her that we could go so that we could be done by the time we had to pick Julie up. By noon I had spoken to Janice and made the decision to just take the day off and agreed to be in touch within the hour so that Mom and I could stop by her apartment to pay her. I prepared my lunch of a sandwich and banana; mom came to the table and sat down, watching me. Knowing that Mom had been preparing her own lunch during the week, I did not prepare anything for her. As I set my plate by the coffee pot, Mom advised me that I could take the banana off of the plate because she does not eat bananas anymore. I let her know that I intended to eat the banana and sat down with my lunch. I also let her know that I had left everything out for her to make a sandwich if she wanted to. I finished and left the room. When I returned, Mom was headed to her room without having lunch. I asked if she was feeling okay, noting that she had been in bed all day. Mom replied that she had nothing better to do and she didn't like any of my suggestions. I let her know again that I had to go someplace and said that I would call Janice - to which she yelled "no". Within 30 minutes Mom was in the kitchen preparing a sandwich. As I sat with her she deteriorated into anger, crying, mixed up memories - I took her away from her home; she can stay here by herself and does not need anyone with her; she just wants me to let her be herself; she wants to take some pills and die so that she can be with Dom; Dom was there in the house with her and only died last year; why she doesn't want Janice here; when she dies, her little dog is going to be right there on her shoulder; and LOTS of other stuff. And then she became distracted by Heidi in the other room and all was well. She went and got her shoes on and her purse and sat at the kitchen table. I was exhausted and took some time out until it was time to meet up with Julie in town and Mom was still there ready to go. So, we went and I made up an excuse to go to the Dollar store just to extend the outing for her. Mom purchased two small stick-in-the-ground fake flower arrangements that are typically put at grave sites. I did not address it except to agree that they were very pretty. As we checked out, Mom chatted with the lady behind her about them and stated that she had lost her husband. It surprised me that Mom may have connected to what those things are usually used for. Mom told her that she was going to put them outside the garage and added some other statements that made no sense as she stood in the way so that the people could not get out of the store until she had told them all about the butterfly rings, necklaces and bracelets she was wearing.

I don't know why I offered her a Gatorade instead of a Smirnoff! Yes I do! I was saving the hard stuff for me!

But you know what? It was actually a good way to have a four day weekend. Tomorrow is shower day, church day and IHOP day. We like Saturdays.

So what do you think? Days of our Lives? As the World Turns? The Old and the Beautiful? The Young and the Listless?