Written on 7-29-24.
It’s a Monday morning, and I am watering the Edgerton’s lawn and some trees. They hired me to do some of their irrigation, and I took the job since I have little to do before my work begins.
We got back from visiting Mom and Dad, the Gerbers, and all the Lamberts yesterday. It was a wonderful visit, but I have a dreadful feeling that I won’t see my father alive again. He is showing more symptoms, although they are few, of his kidney failure. He is more bloated around his midsection. He is sleeping more and more, and that is saying a lot for him. I just texted Guy and Bev to have one of our sib chats about this. I don’t think Guy knows the extent of it all.
Mom is not doing too well either. We had a few days where she wouldn’t get out of bed before our visit. Bev had a heart-to-heart with her, though, and it has been better since. Her knees, however, are much worse. She is getting OT and PT sessions, but when we were there, she never straightened her knees or stood on her own. She never walked on her own with her walker either, and she was able to do that at our last visit. We set up the little pedal thingy beneath her recliner, but she only did it for a couple of minutes before she complained of more pain. We spoke with Erin, the new Erica, and we are working on getting the pain medication right and more movement, but it looks grim.
We did, however, like I wrote above, have a fantastic visit. It wasn’t all bad. We took them up to the Country Kitchen and wheeled them out to the deck while we were there. They loved the sunshine and fresh air. Then we played one game of Sequence. It was Mom and I taking on Dad and B. Mom struggled at first, but then she rallied and made some really good moves. We won!
On Sunday, we took them out to the courtyard. Dad slept quite a bit out there, but Mom loved it. We wondered why we hadn’t done it before; it’s closer to their apartment. Emily and family came for lunch, and we ordered Jersey Mike’s. Before they came, Bev brought Mom communion, and I snapped a picture to share with the family. I think Bev really appreciated getting that.
Guy is in Costa Rica for ShyShay’s marine biology course and a vacation. She is taking a college course that is super hands-on. What a great way to start her college career! He sent pictures of her and her crew resting on a boat (sounds like they have long days), playing volleyball with some locals, and enjoying a stunning sunset on the beach. She will remember this time for the rest of her life.