Golden Girls

Tuesday afternoons are one of my favorite visiting times

at my dad's Alzheimer unit.

That is the day that a sweet gal named, Ellen

comes to play music and sing.

The residents love it

but not nearly as much as me.

She plays all my old childhood classics

like Deep in the Heart of Texas

and 

I've Been Working on the Railroad.

We clap and 
I do my Edith Bunker impersonation.

Dad was even trying to snap his fingers last week. 
He is settled in and doing well.
He is content.
Mom has settled in to her new normal also.
When I go to visit,
I could look at Dad and get emotional
for all the things we have lost.
I miss him.
But, rather I choose to embrace the good.
He holds my hand sometimes. 
He talks about the cars he can see from the window.
I have also fallen in love with some of the other residents.
The staff is fantastic.
I never leave that I haven't chuckled or cackled
 at something that has been said.
I will share a sprinkling of the hilarity.
One day Mom was feeding Dad some peaches.
He looked at her holding the bowl and said
"well don't eat them all!" 
Linda and I died laughing.
There is a pair of sisters in the unit.
They crack me up.
Sometimes they are thrilled to see each other
and sometimes they are not at all.
One day they brought in the younger one
and sat her next to her older sister who cannot hear.
The older sister, I will call Maude.
The younger, I will call Hazel.
Maude says "How are you today Hazel?"
Hazel rubs her forehead like she is just not well,
like she is in pain and cannot stand it.
Maude says "Are you saluting me?
Well, I salute you too!" 
She salutes her and laughs.
I cracked up.
Another day I am sitting beside Hazel at a table
Maude is across the room in a muumuu covered in large flowers.
Hazel says to her "that's a pretty flower you have on your neck
and she touches her neck as she says it.
Maude say "is something wrong with  your neck?"
Hazel repeats " that's a real pretty flower on your neck"
again while touching her neck.
Maude says "does your neck hurt honey?"
Hazel repeats the same thing and again touches her neck.
Maude says " Well, I have a real good doctor at the hospital 
who can fix your neck."
I am chuckling the whole time.
I love them.
Another day a woman with a real Southern accent
(I adore listening to her talk)
says to the room of residents while waving her arm all around the room...
"Hey! Are all of you alright? Because I.am.not!" 
Cracked me flat up.
Another day she looked at me
 then moved her hand all around the table and said 
" Are all these chairs....er...um... electrocuted?"
I said "No, I don't believe they are." 
Try not to laugh when she asks you that!
There is a sweet lady who sings.
She talks mostly gibberish but is almost always pleasant.
She will say nonsense and laugh.
She is a sweet soul.
She was singing and talking one day
then stopped, looked at me and sang
"Did you know that you sucky sucky suck?"
My sisters and I busted out laughing.
I said "well, I do now."
Another day she was at a table in the lunch room 
when I arrived . 
She was napping but woke when I walked in.
 I greeted her and said
"Hi there. How are you today? You look worn out."
She replied "what?" in a gruff tone.
I repeated "you look worn out"
 and she snarled
"what's that supposed to mean?"
Ha!
 I just patted her arm.
Truly...I love these people.
I know my dad is in a great facility.
I feel blessed that he is able to live 
where they care about him 
and take such good care him.
Life may be different now 
but it is still good.
Silver Linings, baby...silver linings.