Mom & Me Four Archive

    Miracle of miracles, my mother was up at 0854 this morning. The "wiggling" she saw was me, just rousing, late, for me, with no excuse. I went to bed the same time she did. I guess I was just really tired.
    If you've read this journal for any length of time, you know that the last thing I want to happen is for Mom to arise at the same time I do in the morning. Didn't bother me today, though, for a couple of reasons:

•     On Saturday I re-upped my Black Cohosh supplement, doubling the skimpy amount I've been taking for several months, now, under the observation that my hormones were settling down. They are, but they are still having their moments. Aside from having PMS symptoms over the past few days, I also noticed that tears were coming so easily to me it was ridiculous. I cried at the end of one of Mom's Walker, Texas Ranger episodes Friday night! At that point my mother stared at me and said, "Is it time for your period?"
      "I'm not supposed to be having any more, Mom."
      "I've heard that one, before."
•     I realized that this would be the perfect morning to usher her to the lab for her "monthly" blood draw. Results will be up tomorrow. Just the CBC this month.

    At any rate, I'm getting in some quiet time (I think that's what I'll call it, from now on, versus alone time, which I don't actually get, anymore), now, while she sleeps off the Extreme Slam breakfast she had at Denny's this morning. That was her blood draw day compromise; she'd agree to go if I'd take her out to breakfast. She ordered the Slam without pancakes, which surprised and pleased me, then proceeded to eat the whole thing, including a small glass of orange juice and two pieces of toast. I'm surprised she didn't pick up her plate and lick it clean. She's sleeping off 'the damage', now. She mentioned, though, that she really enjoyed herself this morning and would like to "do that again soon". I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but she was in such a good mood (through about 1400, when she went in for a nap) that I'm thinking, hmmm...maybe she just needed to adjust to all these volatile monsoon days.
    I spent the entire business part of the day yesterday looking for someone to design us a new Arcadia screen door for the dinette. Despite purchasing yet another child-guard and stacking them across the screen door, Mr. Man has figured out that he can jump on top of the second one and drop down between the screen and the guard, which automatically pops the screening out of the door, and enjoy a little wild time. There is not, unfortunately, enough room for a third child-guard. Finally, around 1630, I found a door place just down the street that thinks they can modify the existing door to keep the spline from popping out. I'll be taking it in tomorrow. At the same time, I'm going to have them screen the door with super-strong screening material. I mentioned having a door made with metal screening.
    "If your cats aren't declawed, they'll be able to rip the metal screening faster than some of the newer fabric screening on the market."
    The funny thing is, even when I was considering metal screening, I had a flash of memory (which I wasn't sure I could trust) from a time when I hosted a magnificent cat (I used to call him my "dog/cat" because he embodied the best qualities of both) named Ricki, who much preferred the outdoors (which I allowed him; he had been raised as an outdoor cat before he was passed to me). Once, when I lived up in Pinetop, AZ, with him, I wasn't quick enough when he wanted to go out and chase some small animal he'd spotted, so he ripped through the metal screening in the window of my front door. I guess that was a trustworthy memory!
    Otherwise, we've been doing fine. I may be a bit scarce and breezy for a few days, here. I've got a few yard things I want to do and, if Mom is truly in the mood for movement, I'm going to take advantage of this and try to get her out, a little.
    Oops...The Mom's up.
    Later.