Enough about me.  You really opened this to read about Mom!  She's doing wonderful.  She gets in & out of her wheelchair, almost entirely by herself, and is becoming more adept at it each time.  There are always obstacles in the way ... the wheel of the chair she has to go over, cushions on the side of the bed, the bed (or car) is never convienently at the right height ... all challenges she just maneuvers.

    She works with three therapists 5 days a week, & practices what she learns in those sessions always.  Her vocal cords are still limited, but her voice is stronger.  Her spirits remain high most of the time.  But even when she hurts for Dad, she remains positive for her future.  It is just something we must all accept.  But we all feel he is never very far away. 

 

Mom is very enjoyable company.

    The visitors that stop to see Mom each help her to improve.  She even improved a tiny bit when she happened to see Herbert out her bedroom window!  I know it is strange ... but ... Herbert is my school bus, LCSD#2, Bus #47.  I always say he's a lemon, but he's my lemon, & I resist having him taken away for any reason!  I don't know where the name came from, but from the day he became mine & I first stepped aboard, he has been Herbert.  And it was always my privilege to say that my parents were my subs, if I ever needed to be gone from my route.  My kids (the Herbertonians) knew my folks as Grandma & Grandpa.  And Mom at least, felt the same way about Herbert that I do (Dad probably knew Herbert was a lemon!)  I walked into Mom's room recently & she asked, what's Herbert doing going by my window?  He'd been in town for a field trip.  But it was if even Herbert was doing his part to bring Mom's world back to her.

    Mom did receive a special treat when Chuck & Betty, along with their daughter, Diane, stopped by last week on their way through Wyoming.  Chuck was a Small Arms Instructor like Dad, & these were the first people we met when we came to Wyoming in 1972.  We shared many activities with the Jewell family.  They wrote of some of those in Mom's journal, which she keeps by her bed.  (I keep trying to remind her that she needs to ask her visitors to write in that book!) 

    

Mom has attended Mass at St Mary's in Cheyenne three weeks in a row.  What a healing power that has been for her.  We found that the 5:15 Mass on Sundays is the Youth Ministry Mass, which has a small band set up at the front of the church.  While I enjoyed the music they provided, it was a longer Mass , & we didn't want to make Mom uncomfortable.  We have been attending Saturday evening Mass since then.  Yesterday we celebrated Palm Sunday Mass, & it was difficult to keep tears from our eyes.  Dad frequently attended Mass with Mom.  He did it because he loved her, & he knew she appreciated the gesture.  (Dad was not raised a Catholic.  He married one.)  On Palm Sunday, he would braid our Palms and make a Cross.  The Cross would hang in the same place in our house, all year.  I believe he enjoyed Palm Sunday.  As I sat, stood, & kneeled trhough Mass, I thought of all the years of watching Dad braid Palms; my fingers ran along the Palm in my hand, with my thumb nail caressing the line where I felt Dad would have split the Palm to form the one into three.  I realized I did not know how he had braided them.  I did not know if it would be right to try to follow in his footsteps.  I did not know if I could.  Morgan, Kaleb, & Tyler sat between us, but when I looked at Tom, he was looking at the three Palms in his hands.  I am at a loss over what to do with Palms, without Dad. 

 

We figured out how much she improves, the first time we took Mom from Mountain Towers.  And yesterday was a tremendous day for our family, as we took Mom not only to Mass, but to dinner!  I know I haven't written in quite awhile, but Mom began gaining her appetite & the ability to eat shortly after I last wrote.  She is maintaining her weight now.  But she still finds that most food provided in a nursing home is short of appealing.  (Friday I had lunch with Mom.  We shared her fish & scalloped potatoes & my cream of broccoli soup.  It wasn't too bad, and we ate in a private dining room.)  Before leaving her room last night, Heath asked which of the two dinner choices (3-cheese pizza or cold cut sandwich) she wanted to order.  Mom said she'd take her chances on getting dinner from the outside world!

    We ended up going to the Albany (in Historic Downtown Cheyenne.  Yes, life is coming back to me also, & I am ready to begin thinking of my summer job.  If I could just get past my year-long, never-ending, tax ordeal!  I'm ready to see if I can manage the role I love & shared with Dad, the best teacher for an Historic Tour Guide.)  The Albany is a very nice restaurant, & usually quite busy; we were able to get a table in the bar.  As it was still early in the evening, we had the room pretty much to ourselves.  Mom ordered, & ATE, Chili Rellenos.  She said her dinner was hot & it was good.  She's still not back to her peak dining performance ... she only had one glass of ice tea!  Through the evening, Mom never complained of being uncomfortable in her chair.  Her feet didn't seem to bother her.  She didn't even get cold.  We asked several times.  We were all eating in our coats!  We had such an enjoyable evening. 

    Arriving back at Mountain Towers, Mom stopped at the nurse's station for her evening pills.  Darcy didn't believe us at first, when we joked that since we'd just brought her back from the bar, Mom probably didn't need any pills!  Mom told Darcy she'd only had one drink!

    After 6 hours straight in her wheelchair, Mom went to bed smiling & alert.

 

And lastly, GOOD news!  Through hoops, hurdles, and flames, we've finally gotten Mom back online!  I think.  She is currently working on getting her books back into order, in preparation for doing her taxes.  Amazing.  We never dreamed she'd be doing her own taxes this year! 

    One of her first tasks online will be to solicit donations for the Relay for Life!  We hope to be able to have her attend the event with us.  But we're not sure how the logistics will play out.  We can't expect her to be out all night yet.  But we will all be participating ourselves, and wouldn't be able to leave to transport Mom.  Tom is the captain of the school board team, I am the chaperone of Morgan's team.  Somehow, we will work it out. 

    Mom's email folder is pretty full, but she is working her way through it.  Her address is rockingbt@aol.com.  (Rocking BT is the brand that Mom & Dad registered in Laramie County a few decades ago.    ) 

    If you write, expect it will take awhile for her to be able to get to your email.  It has been 4 months since Mom has been online.  She has a lot of catching up to do on the lives of her family & friends.  And if you're not sure she will know who you are, give her a hint!  This email still goes to a hundred people I've never met personally.  I know that it has helped me enormously to have an idea of how people have met Mom & Dad (& usually TJ!)  Now we face the daunting task of transferring all the email addresses I have acquired in my account into her account!

 

So for now, I'll sign off.  Thank you for following along as Mom recovers.  ~ Val & Tom