Streetcars and Mint Juleps

The other night when Mary got up around 2 AM to go to the potty, she must have still been asleep because when I put her blue house slippers on, she said, “Aw! Am I gonna have to wear these home on the street car?” I just replied, “Yeah, I guess so.” When I told her about it the next day, she just laughed.

She’s been sleeping so much lately. I’ve been getting her to lie down after breakfast because I think it’s better for her to sleep in bed than in her chair. More comfortable. She’ll sleep for an hour or two. I figure if she’s sleeping so soundly, she must need it. I guess I’m keeping her up too late. I normally get her to bed around 11 PM. But she herself doesn’t want to go even then sometimes.

I’d started giving her mostly decaf coffee because I figured the caffeine wasn’t good for her. Since she’s not taking Plavix, her chances of having a stroke are higher. Now I have read that decaf coffee raises your cholesterol. What to do?!

I got one of those foot spa things because I thought it might help with my feet hurting. It splutters water everywhere and is supposed to keep it warm but doesn’t, but it’s still nice. Mary, however, didn’t like it and just kept asking where it came from and who it belonged to.

This is odd but during my last migraine attacks, my neck and shoulder and sort of upper back on my left side (where I get my migraines) started hurting. Even though the migraines have subsided, the pain in my neck, shoulder and back hasn’t. I’ve been taking ibuprofen, which makes it better, but I’d like to find out what’s up. The muscle on my upper arm, about three inches down from my shoulder, hurts like the dickens.

I’ve quit drinking soy milk and stopped taking my contraception pills (which are supposed to protect me from ovarian cancer) in the hopes that this will make my migraines go away. This is perhaps a little strange, but I think that another contributing factor with the pill was that it screwed up my natural rhythm and so my body was protesting. We shall see. I figure I’ll give it two months.

I went to Mom’s on Tuesday with the intention of helping her with her yard, but it was threatening to storm, and I got the distinct impression that she didn’t really want my help, so I gave her a bit of a reflexology treatment on her feet. Well, I only had time for one foot ( She said that she woke up in the middle of the night with a cramp in her foot. I hope I didn’t do anything wrong. Oh, she didn’t shut up for a minute all the while I was massaging her foot! Of course, she had had a beer, but I think she really gets lonely. Dad’s not very good company. Today I took her (had to fairly twist her arm) with me to the drug store, bank and grocery, since we both needed to go to these places. When she got in the car, I had an audiobook playing. She said, “Well if you’re going to have that on, we can’t talk.” So I turned it off and said, “OK, talk away,” which she did! She always tells me about her problems with Dad, and I always give her the same bits of advice. It’s really rather frustrating. By the time I’m finished with Mom, I am always in need of a massage!

She says I’m making her fat with all the baked goods I give them. But I can’t help it! I’ve really been into biscuits and pie lately. And there’s no one else to give it too, and Mary and I shouldn’t eat it all ourselves. I would give some to one of my brothers (Fred) or nephew (August), but they take so long to come get it, that it’s gone bad. Sometimes I seriously wonder … I guess they’re used to bought things with preservatives in them.

Anyway, on Derby Day I took a pecan pie over to Mom’s and she made a big deal about not taking any. Then she turned around and said she was actually hoping desperately that I’d give her some. Go figure! Oh, we had a very nice time on Derby Day—but we missed the race. I had changed the channel because the one that got the race doesn’t come in clearly on their TV. I thought they would show the race on the news on the other channel but they didn’t. It must be a legal rights thing. But we had our Mint Juleps (made with some unknown mint from Mom’s yard)—which Mom thought were too small, and we also got in three rounds of dominoes. Mary played worse than I’ve ever seen her play. She seemed to be warming up as we went along. Maybe it was the MJ. It seemed to almost put her to sleep. I made us some more the next day, but they didn’t taste nearly as good.

Uncle Tom should be coming this weekend. I hope that will be good for Aunt Angie. We haven’t been out to see her because either I don’t feel well or Mary doesn’t feel well or it’s raining. I know we should call but I’ve practically given up. She often doesn’t understand you or doesn’t seem to be listening. Or she is so down or in pain that she doesn’t feel like talking. The last time she gave me a detailed account of an attack of diarrhea she had had. What’s that saying—laugh and the world laughs with you? It’s hard to talk to someone who’s down in the dumps all the time. And it’s hard to talk to someone who only wants to talk about their pain when you’re in pain yourself. She also seems to have no patience to talk to Mary anymore.

Oh, did I tell you that Anna called the other day? It was a mistake. She’d meant to call the bank. She talked to Mary anyway, thank goodness.

Well, I’ve got to get to bed.