Magnus inquiry

A dedicated reader has inquired as to "Where is the Magnus Corner?" as I had mentioned that's where Mom walks. The Magnus Corner is named for a man, Magnus Barnett, who owned the property when Mom and Dad bought it. (I was a little girl at this time.) We would see Magnus at his house sometimes and I only recall him being a wizened old man who looked to be about 110 and he lived in a very tiny, dark house that had a funky smell to it. I think it's called "old people" smell. Dad says Magnus was so stingy he could squeeze a buffalo nickel until it...well....pottied. [paraphrased] I don't know about that.

Anyway, this property goes from Highway HH south to my parent's house and is 80 acres, I think. It consists of gently rolling giant hills and a bit of woods, both being quite beautiful. In years past, a house made of one of the old barracks from Camp Crowder sat on the corner where Quetzel (the dirt road) and Highway HH intersect. This was "The Magnus House," which we converted to a barn for many years before we had to tear it down for safety reasons. Since it is no longer standing, I refer to this location as the "Magnus Corner," being on the corner of the "Magnus Place"--the acreage. Chad, my husband, thinks it is about a quarter mile to the corner. Mom walks through the fields to this corner where there is a gate she exits through (often leaving open), then loops back towards the house via Quetzel Road. If allowed, she will do this several times/day. In good weather I enjoy walking with her, but right now--not so much. The big fear is that she will cross the highway when she reaches the corner rather than looping back towards the house.

"master of his domain"

I had the first argument I've ever had with my dad this week and it was a doozy. When I was a kid, he told me that if he ever got old and senile that I should tell him to take a hike (paraphrased). I told him this week, "You're there, Dad." It began with the fact that Mom snuck out of his sight while he was washing dishes this week and was up by the highway when it was 15 degrees outside. Also, she walked across the highway at another time. And that's just two of the times he told me about. No doubt there are others. I said, "The locks are going on the doors, right now." I've been hinting heavily for some time that the doors should have locks, but he was adamantly opposed saying, "I'll do better, it's too much trouble, I'll lock myself out, it's dangerous, it costs too much, I have too many keys already, we need to talk about this later, etc. etc." I said, "No, Dad, we're not waiting and we're not discussing. My handyman-guy is coming down ASAP." He was mad. I was mad, too. So, today the guy came down and put on the locks. They are like deadbolts, but they lock from the inside or outside with a key. One key works on both doors. We also got him big, bright keys---one has Sponge-Bob Squarepants on it, which he thought was funny. I even wrote arrows on the doors pointing the way to turn the key for "lock" and "unlock." I made him practice, practice, practice until he was comfortable. When he saw that he could do it and he wasn't going to lock himself out, he lit up like a Christmas tree and said, "I am master of my domain!" So, we waited to see what Mom would do. She tried the door, but when it wouldn't budge, she just walked away with a "whatever" look on her face. She did not stress, or act in any way frustrated. About every four minutes she'd try the door again and as before, gave it a 'whatever' look and moved on.

The rest of the night was completely at peace. Dad was relaxed and acting normal....no cussing in frustration and pulling Mom away from the door. The house stayed warm, too. He quickly called his neighbor to tell what wonderful locks he has on his doors!

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Also, when Ellie does something stupid, (like losing her balance and falling over), Mom laughs. Thankfully, Ellie does a lot of stupid things and Mom enjoys each one. Of course, hearing Mom laugh makes me laugh. It's great!

writing

Dad and I were trying to get Mom to write something yesterday. I said, "Write what you are thinking." And she did:
what you are thinking
what you are thinking
what you are thinking
and she handed the paper back to me.

So Dad gave it a try and told her to write something about me. She wrote three words again and again. It said, "I'm (a three syllable unintelligible word), butt"
We tried to decifer the middle word with no luck. It was spelled differently each time, but always had three syllables. She had "greet" in there and "fur" and "gat" and I couldn't make heads or tails of it. So I said, "Ok, let me watch you write....do it slowly." So she wrote carefully and slowly while I read aloud.

"I'm gettfull, ....t ....butt."

I turned ashen and said, "She's writing,'I'm forgetful, but." She nodded yes. I just smiled at her and said, "Yes, you're forgetful, but that's ok." and Dad said, "It sure is." The blood drained from my face and Dad was stunned. It would be better if we thought she had no clue what was going on, but now I think she does at least a very little bit and it makes me sad for her. But I don't know what to do.

checkup

Mom's blood pressure, pulse, and all that stuff are great. She lost 1.5 pounds since last visit, but she could probably drink that much weight in water.

"Ellie"

That's the name for Dad's new bundle of joy. Eric and I took her to Dad on Saturday in a pink bandana and matching collar and lead. He loves her. Christine said he was down on his knees in the living room playing with her today and said, "Everybody should have a puppy." When Mom saw Ellie she chuckled to herself. She's a nice quiet puppy--enjoys rolling around in the floor and taking long naps. She's soft and likes to snuggle and play. Dad likes to walk around behind when she goes through the house just to see what she will do next. Pictures will be forthcoming. My camera bit the dust, so I have to rely on Chris to take the photos and e-mail them to me when she has time. Since it's finals week, it's not really a priority.

Christine brought Mom up tonight to listen to Devri sing in a Christmas concert for the vocal studio. Dad stayed home. He needed a break and this was a good time for it. Again, Mom clapped appropriately and smiled a lot. She nodded that she enjoyed it and was very attentive. Christine had her all decked out with earrings, make-up, and the whole deal. She looked very pretty. She says Mom's losing a lot of hair lately. I don't know what that's about. Christine also reports that she has to all but get in the shower with Mom to get her to wash her hair. She doesn't like water on her ears, so Christine has to go after her with the hand-held. When Christine told me this, Mom chuckled.

Christine has finals tomorrow and then will be off for the holidays, basically. She looks forward to not having to drive to school every day and says she will enjoy her time at home. She enjoys the farm and likes to read in the stove room where it is always nice and toasty. Her presence will give Dad extra support, which is great. She has been a godsend for Allen and I to take on this responsibility---and she really wants to do it. I get off work on the 19th and will be able to stay with them after that, so Christine can have a break, too.

Oh, Eric turned 14 this week. Christine provided a cake for Grandma and Grandpa's house so we sang and ate cake there on Saturday. Mom was doing fine....nothing unusual....appears content and comfortable.

Thanksgiving

(Mom making a fruit salad.) For the last few years my Mom and Dad have had Thanksgiving together with Chad's parents. This year, Chad's dad (Wayne) and wife (Mary) were hosting the dinner, but I gave Dad my blessing to bow out. It stresses him so much to get Mom ready to go somewhere, that it's not worth it sometimes. After dinner, Mary and I packed up plates of food and cobbler and I took them down for Mom and Dad to eat. Then Sunday evening, Chad and my kids and I made dinner for Mom and Dad at their house. There were a couple of things Mom was not able to do when I asked her to. First, she could not "bring me seven plates." She brought five. And she could not, "Put a knife, fork, and spoon by each plate." Some plates had all spoons and some two forks and a knife, but she did have three utensils by each plate, so that's something. No big deal. We all just sat down and traded back and forth until we got what we needed:) I must say she did make a mean fruit salad. She followed the two step direction of "open the can and drain the juice" followed by "pour it in the bowl." She also "put 1/2 of the whipped topping in the bowl." I thought that was pretty good, really. I wondered if she'd catch the "1/2" part and she did. She also had to take all the stems off the marachino cherries, because I wasn't paying attention when I bought them and got the cherries with stems, rather than without. Everybody is alive and physically healthy, and able to get together for Thanksgiving for hugs, kisses, and two kinds of pie. That is something I really thank God for!! (Eric, Christine, Devri, and Mom enjoying dinner.)