![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
My mom; my car
Mar. 5th, 2010 10:21 pmMy sister called when I was eating lunch and getting ready to run an errand to campus. She said my mom has been declining very rapidly. Two weeks ago she could still initiate and carry on normal conversations, but yesterday she didn't talk at all and didn't seem as though she still knew how. She also didn't really seem to recognize people any more. My sister had even expected to find her in a coma when she arrived there today, but actually my mom was a bit perkier than yesterday. So she called to let me know about all of this, so that I could visit while my mom is still conscious. And I did.
It's pretty shocking. Suddenly she looks 96 instead of 76. She's all slack-jawed and staring. Apparently she eats and drinks perfectly well, at least. She'd said "yes" to a caregiver today, and "bye" with a wave to her neighbor. When I left, she said "bye bye" and also made a little wave. So I guess it was a four-syllable day. My sister and I collected daffodils from the upper garden, which she arranged in a vase, and I got the CD player to work, so they could have music.
Meanwhile, when I got home from campus, a non-trivial amount of smoke was rising from my engine. I'm hoping it was just that the oil from my current oil leak was burning off as the engine got hot. The other two times I drove this afternoon were shorter distances, and the smoke did not recur. My mechanic always keeps the car for several days, so it's not at all convenient to get service or even regular maintenance. I need a better spare car than the Volvo, which does start, but needs a tune-up or something so badly that I wouldn't trust it as far as the one garage that will service it.
We watched Congo on TV this evening. A perfect distraction from the day. R. made the great observation that the "Fourth Ghostbuster" actor spoke like Buttercup's Westley.
It's pretty shocking. Suddenly she looks 96 instead of 76. She's all slack-jawed and staring. Apparently she eats and drinks perfectly well, at least. She'd said "yes" to a caregiver today, and "bye" with a wave to her neighbor. When I left, she said "bye bye" and also made a little wave. So I guess it was a four-syllable day. My sister and I collected daffodils from the upper garden, which she arranged in a vase, and I got the CD player to work, so they could have music.
Meanwhile, when I got home from campus, a non-trivial amount of smoke was rising from my engine. I'm hoping it was just that the oil from my current oil leak was burning off as the engine got hot. The other two times I drove this afternoon were shorter distances, and the smoke did not recur. My mechanic always keeps the car for several days, so it's not at all convenient to get service or even regular maintenance. I need a better spare car than the Volvo, which does start, but needs a tune-up or something so badly that I wouldn't trust it as far as the one garage that will service it.
We watched Congo on TV this evening. A perfect distraction from the day. R. made the great observation that the "Fourth Ghostbuster" actor spoke like Buttercup's Westley.