I made it to the Sunshine State, via a sunny layover in Atlanta (above). I flew on Delta this time, despite my loyalty to British Airways, because it was easier to get to Jacksonville with Delta -- and it turned out to be a very pleasant flight.
The only slight disappointment came early on, when an attendant came down the aisle with a drinks cart and asked if we wanted "cookies or cheeses" to go with our beverage. I thought, "Fab! I can get a cheese assortment!" I was picturing a little packet with some sliced gruyere, maybe some cheddar, maybe even a blue, with accompanying crackers. So of course I said cheeses -- except they turned out not to be cheeses, but Cheez-Its. Which is not at all the same thing.
At least it gave me an opportunity to laugh with my seatmate, a lanky German kid who looked very tan and seemed like he might be heading somewhere to play tennis, or possibly golf. I never like talking to strangers who sit next to me, but I try to say something, just to break that wall of silence and not seem totally cold and rigid. So we broke it and then ignored each other the rest of the trip. Perfect!
I was pretty exhausted by the time I reached Jacksonville, having traveled something like 17 hours including tube, airport waiting time, and two flights. (Fortunately I had Tim Winton's excellent book "Dirt Music" to accompany me -- I read the whole thing, and also watched perennial crowd-pleaser "Breakfast at Tiffany's" on my transatlantic flight.) My brother picked me up at the airport, and I'm now a guest lodger at his house.
I'll see my mom today, to help prepare for her move to another unit in her retirement center tomorrow. She's not going to like this at all, I predict, but unfortunately it's a necessary step.
I'm pretty sure these next few days aren't going to be pleasant. I hope I'm wrong.
"Hey, Uncka Steve's here! Yaay!"
ReplyDelete"Hi Honey!"
"Y'all got a present fer me Unka Steve?"
"Sorry, not this time dearheart!"
"Boo-hoo! Boo-hoo! Go away Unka Steve! Don't like you any more!"
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Best of luck moving mama!
Exactly the perfect seat ate interaction for me, too.
ReplyDeleteI've been watching the Florida weather since we're heading to Venice for the month of October. All 90's! That must be an adjustment for anyone coming from the UK
I love Cheez-Its!
ReplyDeleteBut they're not cheeses.
Which I also love.
I hope this week isn't as difficult as you think it might be. Of course it's going to be a change for your mother but hopefully, since it's in the same over-all facility, maybe it won't be so hard.
I wish you smooth sailing though it is hard to watch parents age and decline, your mother is fortunate in her sons. Hopefully, this change will make her life easier.
ReplyDeletechees-es, cheez-its...I don't understand how you could have misunderstood Steve.
ReplyDeletehasn't it only been a couple of years since you moved your mom into that facility? is she declining rapidly or am I mistaken. I do hope she accepts the necessary move and it's not so bad as you fear. I hope if/when it comes that time for me I accept the inevitable. though I'd much rather age and die in place.
Good luck with the mom move. It gets harder for the elderly to make those big changes. It's good for you to be there to help get adjusted to it.
ReplyDeleteI've learned that change is the most difficult of all experiences I've encountered as a incarnation on the planet earth. Doesn't matter if it is for the better or not, just having to quit what I have become accustomed to and do something different, especially when it comes to nesting, has always proved very difficult.
ReplyDeleteLots of hugs and reassurances and pointing out the good parts will help.
It's a difficult task and you need to be commended for doing that.
Tom
Your mom will be happy to have you there to help with the move, you are a good son. I think I missed why the move is necessary, was it the recent storm or does she need a new level of care? These years of parenting our parents are emotionally so hard, but it perhaps it helps to know how much of a comfort you will be.
ReplyDeleteCheez-Its! Hilarious. Best of luck helping your mom move and initially acclimate into her new place. It's so hard.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the move.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the move. It's hard, and exhausting.
ReplyDelete"The Fromage Deception" - lol - sounds like a Pink Panther movie :)
ReplyDeleteAh, I don't envy you the conversations you'll be having. I hope it exceeds your hopes and expectations. My mom is getting to the stage where she will need to make a change soon; her cognition is declining quite a bit. She is very independent-minded and it will not be an easy transition for her when it happens.
Good luck. And if you discover some good strategies, I would be all ears.
I would have totally thought the same thing about the cheese - but it wouldn't have mattered because I would have of course gone with the cookies :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your mom. We're entering the decision making phase with Mike's dad. It's never easy!
Good luck with your mother. I hope it works out better than you expect. The cheese story was funny. You are so right, not at all the same thing.
ReplyDeleteWell, I think you might need hearing aid! People's diction is not always the best.
ReplyDeleteGreat photo. Wavy patterns in the carpet, shadow lines, arm rest angles and the solitary watcher at the window.
ReplyDeletePleased you liked "Dirt Music" - it is my favourite Tim Winton book and captures the people and place of the red north so well.
About your mother's move - there may be bumps along the way but you will all get there eventually.
Alphie
A definite deception! Best of luck with your mum's move
ReplyDeleteYP: The last time I was here I brought my niece a gift card for her birthday (in June). This time, she was like, "Do you have another gift card?"
ReplyDeleteMarty: It feels much better than it did in July, I'll tell you that!
Ms Moon: Yeah, I'm sure being in a familiar place overall will help. She'll still have her beauty shop, her doctors, her cafeteria, that kind of thing.
E: I hope so!
Ellen: She seemed more or less OK when she first moved here in 2015. But it's hard to say -- I suspect she felt changes in herself even before then (which is probably why she decided to make that move). Since then she's just been becoming more and more forgetful and unable to manage.
Robin: Well, and I'm hoping -- as Ms Moon said -- that because the overall community is the same, she won't feel too out of it.
Tom: Thanks so much for your kind words. You're right -- change is hard for everybody, and my parents both tended to resist change their whole lives. (Just their personalities, I guess.)
37P: I talk a little more about this in the subsequent post. It's not the storms, although in bad weather we'll have the assurance of knowing she's being cared for in her new accommodations.
Colette: Fingers crossed!
Catalyst: Thanks!
Allison: Especially with jet-lag thrown in!
Jenny-O: It's no fun being in this position, is it? Good luck with your mom too.
Bug: It's hard when you know they can't fully participate in the decision-making. We've got to do all the heavy lifting in terms of weighing pros and cons, you know?
Sharon: I hope so too! Stay tuned!
Red: Ha! My hearing could well be part of the problem, though I suspect it had more to do with the roaring of the plane engines. That's what I'm telling myself, anyway.
Alphie: Thank you re. the photo! "Dirt Music" was terrific. I read one other Tim Winton I liked, too -- something about a surfer who carries on with an older woman. I've never been to Australia but I love how descriptive his novels are of the place. I really feel like I've visited after I read them!
GZ: Thanks!
Sounds like your flight was a good one. Long, but good. Wishing you much luck with moving your Mom. Have a great day, hugs, Edna B.
ReplyDelete