Updates

Bonnie and Deena arrived Wednesday evening. I introduced them as my sisters visiting from Ohio and Pennsylvania and Mom was very happy to meet them. She has been telling her stories and bringing out her stuff to show to them, giving away some of her junk jewelry and odds and ends of things she has kept - like a wooden token of Covered Bridge Pizza in Kingsville.

Yesterday, (Thursday), we three girls visited The Estates where Joe and I had previously toured. We spoke at length to the administrator there. We are expecting her here at the house on Monday to do an assessment to get the ball rolling. Mom's medical records are being requested from Dr. Birdwell and as soon as everything falls into place, we will move Mom to the Memory Unit at that facility. She is not going to go quietly even though she does not really grasp where she is or who is with her now; but she is at least in her routines and she has familiar stuff around her. Mom is still cognizant of a few things such as the chest that we brought with her to Texas. Since Christmas she has been trying to get me to put it in her bedroom because it is hers, her grandmother gave it to her and she does not want "the kids" getting into it. Even when Becky and I went to open it yesterday looking for something that has been misplaced, Mom got upset. So what I am saying (probably for my own hearing), this is not going to be a walk in the park. We (Bonnie, Deena, Joe and I) agree that we have to do this for many reasons despite her wishes. I don't know that it will be accomplished before B&D leave on the 24th, but I am thinking that it will happen. My biggest problem with this may actually be that Becky will be unemployed.

Now to tell you what we were looking for everywhere including the chest. "Dinky" is missing. Since his unfortunate demise, his remains have been in a Ziploc bag in a lovely little cedar box with his name engraved on a gold tag on top of the box. I was looking for something else on Wednesday morning and I found the empty box. When I mentioned it to Becky, she remembered Mom carrying around a Ziploc bag of dirt or something earlier in the week but when questioned, about what was in her bag, Mom did not know so Becky didn't pay it any attention. We are thinking that it was Dinky and now we have no idea where he is. He may be back in Mom's room in some other place or he might have left this world again - this time in the garbage. We just don't know. AND we anticipate the day that Mom has a moment of clarity and finds the empty box and wants to kick some body's ass for stealing Dinky and then she will add that she hopes they "burn in hell." Maybe she will never have that moment of clarity or maybe we will locate him and put him back or maybe we'll come up with a Ziploc bag of Texas dirt to put in that empty box.

So, that is a little bit of where we are today and where we are headed. We are having a good time visiting and the girls are meeting a different person than the one they knew and going with the flow.

Thank you all for your prayer and support. I'll keep you posted.