Meanderings

Mother's Day has come and gone – and so, for the moment, has spring. Wow, after some high-80's days last week, today's overcast low 60's feels really chilly. Sounds like we'll stay in this territory most of the week.

Hubby had an encore performance at the VA clinic yesterday, so we were in Kansas City for awhile. We stopped at Walmart on our way out of town, and it started sprinkling on us as soon as we got in the car. We drove in really hard rain for awhile. I was glad to leave it behind shortly after going through Levasy. I don't mind driving in the rain – pouring rain is something else entirely. That front went through here an hour or so after we got home.

We were so busy the first of the month with the house closing and all that fun stuff – I was too caught up in that swirling vortex to share one of the fun aspects of living in a senior housing facility that happened. Local teachers frequently use the local senior population as a teaching tool. On May 1, that lesson was about May Day. The first graders used construction and tissue paper to make cone-shaped May Day baskets and flowers. They included a May Day poem and their names.

At each of the facilities, they went through and knocked on doors to present the May baskets. If the resident wasn't home (like us), they hung the basket on the door. The little guy who made ours made a puzzle out of his name as a decoration on the basket.

One of Mom's long-time friends lives at another senior apartment in town. There was a lovely photo of her being presented her May basket in the local paper. She got a bonus because May 1 was her 95^th birthday, and the first graders visiting her building sang “Happy Birthday” to her.

Over the years of Mom living here, I've heard of the different visits by the school kids. I know they come at Christmas time and sing Christmas carols. It seems like they have another visit or two during the school year. I think it's great that they are presenting that kind of lesson to the younger ones.

I'm somewhat amused that the two nursing homes in town also come to this building occasionally – one does Bingo, with prizes, and the other brings lunch a couple of times a year. It's a nice outreach for them, but I always wonder if they're trolling for prospects! Along the same line, before we had a local Ambulance District, the local funeral home doubled as an ambulance service. A friend of Mom's worked at the hospital, and whenever she would see the funeral home employees in the hospital halls she would ask them if they were “putting in or taking out”.

I realized just a bit ago that we've been here two months. Time flies, as we're all learning. As every day goes by we find ourselves settling in and loving it here more and more. We've both survived the change in location and the inevitable change in routine. I'm a rut person – I like my ruts deep and straight and unaltered. But I think I've adapted well to how things are now.

I haven't had to open multiple cabinet doors to find anything. Adapting to the electric cookstove after so many years of using gas went more smoothly than I expected. The adaptation overall has been a positive experience. Except parking. Last week we finally got to move from on-street parking to having our own spot in the lot. We're both still turning toward the street exit instead of the parking lot exit when we get off the elevator. I'm waiting for the day we get completely out the door and realize we're on the wrong side of the building – we'll get a good laugh out of that.