Angie

Angie was here yesterday. Mary and I went to get her so she could watch a Jeannette MacDonald (Love Me Tonight, 1932) movie with us. Then we made chicken pot pie. It was funny how much things have changed since a year ago. I generally feel so much more relaxed, don't lose my cool as quickly. Ange wanted to stay out of the cooking (I know, I've made it quite clear before that her way is not my way), and I wanted her to tell me what to do. I've never made chicken pot pie, but I admit that I have my ideas about how it should turn out based on my mom's. Well, I knew Angie's would be different, but I really wanted to do it her way. I told her that I knew I'd had a different attitude in the past but that I was trying not to be so close-minded and maybe I might learn something.

After dinner I asked Angie to let us know when she wanted to go home, and she said anytime but to go ahead and give Mary her cup of coffee (which she always has after dinner). I made Mary's coffee and offered her a cinnamon treat (you know, made with pie dough). Then I turned to offer Angie one and she was sitting with her head slumped. At first, I thought she'd gone to sleep but then I saw her eyes were still open and I thought she was dead. I kept asking her, "Angie, Angie, are you alright? What's wrong?" Her head rolled a bit, so I knew she was still alive. She tried to speak but couldn't and her eyes were all glazed over looking. I was freaking out, as you can imagine. I guess I should have just called 911 right then. But you always wonder if it's enough of an emergency. How stupid! Next time I'll just call. Anyway, I thought she must have had a stroke or heat attack and got a baby aspirin. She was trying to talk but couldn't move her lips. I tried to get the pill in her mought but couldn't. I kept trying to get her to talk to me--to keep her conscious. She seemed to get better and managed to swallow the pill--quite surprising since she swears she can't take pills. She got better and better in a matter of seconds. She was really hot and was sweating profusely. I couldn't find the phone. I told her I'd call her daughter Patty. I called Mom instead. She didn't know what to do either and said to call Pat, which I did. She said she'd be over. It seemed to take forever for her to get there. By that time, Angie seemed fine but she said she was very weak, especially on the left side. I could tell that Pat wasn't taking it seriously. She tried to blame everything going dark on Angie's macular degeneration--give me a break! She said she'd had a lot of spells lately. But Ange said she'd never experienced this. Pat left it up to Angie whether she should go to the hospital. Ange had thought Pat would have called her doctor at home, but Pat had no intention of doing such a thing. Angie said she wanted to go to the hospital--because if it was a strok or heart attack they always say you can help the person a lot by treating them within 3 hours. Pat agreed to but I just wonder whether she and her husband Bud didn't talk Angie out of it when they got her in the car. We called Angie's house last night but no one answered. We'll see today what happened. Angie said that things had been getting dark since she'd come into the living room and started eating her dinner. She never said a word and laughed at the program and talked with us. Maybe it was just her blood pressure. Mom joked that it was the shock of my wanting her advice on cooking that did it to her.