I just returned from a week in Oklahoma. My mother had improved enough to come home again from the nursing facility, and she was all packed and ready when I got there. She had spent a lot of time thinking about what she wanted to do when we got home. She had some trouble balancing her energy, and has had a little set-back, so she was in bed resting most of the last two days I was there. I was sorry to see that, but hoping that she is recovering nicely under the care of my brother who is there now.
It is hard to be 96. She has all her marbles and then some. And she wants what she wants when she wants it...like most of the rest of us. She drives herself, and strives to have things done right.
I had a good time. I enjoyed going out to Cherokee Trading Post and getting a pair of beautiful silver earrings. I enjoyed going to Braums for a delicious frozen cone, and I enjoyed going to Hobby Lobby for more beads and jewelry wire. The weather is beautiful, warm and sunny. I even enjoyed watching a thunderstorm roll in on Saturday after noon that included a tornado "watch". Oklahoma weathermen really know what they are doing. They had pictures of the clouds from helicopters and tornado watchers in vans. They could tell you within a mile exactly where the wall cloud was. It was exciting to watch. No tornadic activity they said, and they were right, until it got to Tennessee where lots of people died from that same storm. The weather was just right over Oklahoma that day to form a big storm, and the rain and hail came down in buckets for about two hours on Saturday. We were never in danger and Oklahoma sure needs the rain.
The downside of the trip was when I put a shrink wrapped baked potato into the microwave for too long (don't ask). I heard my mom say in her sweet voice, "Honey, is the potato done yet?" Oh Panic! The house was filled with black smoke. I hustled mom to the front porch and ran back to throw the smoking potato outside. I ran to check on her and when I went back to the kitchen, I noticed the little grass fire that had started outside from the charred and smoking potato. So I ran back for a couple pitchers of water and put the fire out. The microwave was ruined. I tried to clean the black insides, and that wasn't going so well. Then I plugged it in and restarted it several times and the thing just sat like a paperweight. I called the Sharp Company. They said it was probably a goner. I went to Wal-Mart and bought another Sharp microwave for $54. I was happy I hadn't burned the house down!
That was the excitement of the week. I'm home, at work, and glad of it.
Have a great day!
