The new haircut looks great and will be so easy for mom to manage.
Last night I had my first night back at the house in four days and it was a sweet relief to be able to leave mom alone for the night. She managed fine and tonight we are going to hopefully start another roll as she rises once again from the ashes. I’m sure no one enjoys reading the drama of the bad days but I can’t ignore them —in reality it has to finally come out in writing. A lot of the time I just dive into denial and listen to “Make the world go away” in my head. Mom’s memory collapse seems to have been built back up pretty well. She had a very productive session with her Speech Therapist on Friday and that’s a good sign. The therapists all love her and that gives her a lot more attention plus it helps assure they will continue providing the service. It’s kind of like she’s the teacher’s pet and the interaction is very good for her.
This is a record Snow on the Patio
The final number for snowfall is 12″ for Overland Park and some areas got as much as 17″. This creates a lot of Kansas adventure for me because even if I could have gotten the car out of the garage it’s unlikely I would drive on the icy roads. The snow fell mostly in on Wednesday afternoon and the highest the temperature has gotten since then is 21° which means none of the snow has melted yet. I do a lot of walking between the house and Garden Villas. Normally it’s only a 10 minute walk but with the snow on the ground I can’t take any of my short cuts so it takes a lot longer and sometimes I am literally knee deep in the snow. Fortunately it’s all still fun and good exercise. The temperature is mostly between 5° to 12° which I can manage when (always) I’m dressed properly.
I realize this is a lot of snow talk but this storm has broken all sorts of records. On Tuesday the Kansas City Airport broke a snowfall record going back to 1924. That was one day before I had originally scheduled my departure. That Wednesday departure was a long shot and I had already cancelled my reservation but I’m happy I wasn’t traveling on that day because a Southwest plane got stuck in the show at the airport. I didn’t bother to check if that was the flight I would have been on.
The Driveway Project. I found the snow shovel in the basement and took two scoops before quitting. The snow is only about 8″ deep in the driveway.
Surprise! This is what the driveway looked like after Good Neighbor, Paul came along and cleared the way for my afternoon exit.
So I’m cozy and warm and back at the house for the second night — hoping mom will really get her feet back on the ground long enough for me to feel like I can leave sometime soon and not have to return a week later.
I’m still reeling in gratitude for the neighborly support surrounding me while I’m here. Mom established such beautiful friendships with the people living around her and they all extend the love they have for her to me. It was really a big deal for me to be able to drive to the grocery store this afternoon and also do some quick errands. There is more snow in the forecast for tomorrow but it will be lite compared to what we experienced last week.