Sunday mornings I treat myself to grapefruit juice mimosas as I read the Miami Herald after my walk. This morning’s walk was cut short because I pulled something in my back yesterday – probably while tossing a week’s worth of laundry into the wash and yanking it out of the drier. Or, I’m just old. The short walk happened because the recycling wasn’t getting to the bins if I didn’t take it.
Quite the contrast from last Sunday when we were in northern Indiana / southern Michigan to check in with the parental units… Just for fun, my husband suggested we stay at Potawatomi Inn at Pokagon State Park instead of the Holiday Inn Express near the toll road. It would be a bit of a longer drive, but it might be pretty. And, come to find out, the inn puts on quite the Mother’s Day brunch, so we planned on that for his parents. Around 1 am on Sunday, we realize there’s no water pressure. At 6 am, the situation hasn’t changed and, realizing that all I’m going to think about is not being able to flush the toilet, I throw on some sweats and haul my behind to the front desk. Water main break and possibly no water until Tuesday. Great. Nothing like packing up all your stuff to find another place to stay for three more days with someone who is rarely coherent before 11 am.
Morning hike in the woods ruined. Mother’s Day brunch ruined. Trying to call Mom and Dad at 6:30 am before they go to breakfast so they can tell them they’ll be eating lunch there amounts to the usual confusion whenever I call versus their son. (He’s still trying to connect to wifi at that moment.) Moving to the Holiday Inn Express in motion. Positive – I run into a former East Allen County Schools colleague in the lobby as we finish with our “eviction.”
Not unexpectedly, we have to wait on a room. At one point, I think a kid in the parking lot thought we were dead in our car. I did shut my eyes for a moment and Glenn was snoring asleep on the passenger side. Stupid kid was shaking the small blooming trees to make it “snow.” I don’t care if he was traumatized.
Hours later, showered and feeling human, we regroup to try to save Mother’s Day. Maybe, if we go early enough, we can get into Bill’s Steak House in Bronson. Miracles happen. We get a table right away and have some great food. I’m enjoying the start of my second mimosa (made with prosecco because they didn’t have champagne – not bad), paying the bill, when Mom says she doesn’t feel well. Like, I’ve got to go to the restroom, get some air, what kind of not well? She’s scooting out of the booth and almost falls over. Dad has a hard enough time standing and walking and he’s trying to hold her up. Between all of us and the amazing restaurant staff, we get her into the outer waiting area. She’s out of it, barely able to sit up, and mumbling about trying to stay alive until we visited. Someone who has announced herself as a nurse asks to pray over her as we ask for a call to 911 which Dad is protesting.
So, Mom goes off to Parkview LaGrange via ambulance and we follow (and beat them) with Dad crying in the back seat. About six hours later, we’re taking a rehydrated Mom and Dad to their place. Positive – (besides Mom being OK) I ran into a few people I now from LaGrange in the ER.
Luckily, the rest of the trip was a little less weird. Checked in with my mother who I’m pretty sure doesn’t know who I am. They love her at Life Care even though she does things like stealing knives and cutting up her clothes. At least she’s not stabbing staff or her roommate, I guess.
It’s good to be back home.
Recharting at a new latitude 