Trying to make a difference

I awoke before 6:30. It was light out. I heard my parents alarm go off. My Dad got up to prepare Mom's breakfast, and pills. I went in to get her up, take her to the bathroom and give her a sponge bath. Then I dressed her and put on her grab belt. It is how Dad keeps her from falling down. I took her out to the kitchen, but he wasn't ready yet. So I started fixing my own breakfast and offered her some as I added each ingredient. She accepted the oatmeal, raisins, etc, but not the chlorella. Then Dad gave her apple juice to take her pills. It was a long drawn out process. After that she seemed to want to take a nap, but then changed her mind. She is not very communicative or responsive. I opened some windows and put a fan in one to pull out the bad air. My Dad had a kit to fix the drain stop in the hall sink, and I tried to use it but the rod was too long and the old one wouldn't work with the new ball. The bathtub faucet was leaking badly so we put a bucket under it to catch the water. I noticed that it was warm. Great, that means if we let it drip, by evening someone will have enough warm water to take a bath. I used some of the water to water the plants outside. Chris and Michele came over before lunch. We tried to clear some space in the living room by taking apart the standing quilt frame. I talked to my Mom at length about her childhood to see her respond and smile. My Dad took the opportunity to go get his car at the garage and drop off another one. When he came back, he started lunch: another long drawn out process. He made Mom a sandwich and carefully cut it into small pieces. I had to reassure him that the rest of us would find something to eat. I cut up tomatoes and a cucumber, and washed some lettuce. Chris ran to Best Buy and bought something that would allow Dad's laptop to connect to the wireless internet. Still he was back before lunch was ready. I ate kimchi and got my mom to eat one piece too. When I thought we had all eaten, Dad kept bringing out more food for Mom. Then he topped off his meal with a can of diced tomatoes. Then Dad took off her bib and sat her in the den. I took her outside for some fresh air. She sat for a little while, but then wanted to go back inside. I asked Chris to watch her while I went outside for a barefoot break. I did a Sudoku puzzle sitting on the lowest step. When I came in, Dad still hadn't called a plumber so I nagged him. He keeps getting distracted by other little things, like the ants all over the countertops, putting dishes in the dishwasher in just the right way, fiddling with papers and stuff. But finally he did call, and that person was out of town intending to come back this weekend. Back to square one. At 5:30 Chris started supper and I started laundry. It was 7pm until we sat down to eat. We ate some of the casserole that Kevin made, and some leftovers. After supper I called Faye. Dad was able to fix the drain stop after he cut the rod with a hack saw that William brought over. My mother wanted to see a picture of the quilt block for Annual Conference, so I used Dad's laptop to call up my blog for the day I made it. She enjoyed looking at it, and reading th eposting that went with it. It was good to see her engaged in an activity. When she tired of that, she wanted to go to bed. So I brushed her teeth and put her to bed. She wanted the radio on, so I did it, but the way things are 'wired' together, the closet light comes on at the same time, and the doors won't close due to the 'stuff' in front of them. She pulled the sheet over her face said it didn't matter. I went to the livingroom to tell Michele that she could sleep in the den now, but she and Chris were already asleep in the livingroom. Maybe I will sleep in William's room, as it has a perfectly good bed. Someone might as well sleep in it.