Little Red and the Grays

I am at a loss for words today so I will tell you that Little Red is still standing guard in the weeping birch between the house and the driveway. I spotted him yesterday chasing a pair of gray squirrels who dared to think it permissible to trespass on his tree. Once they took off running across the yard he hurried back up the tree trunk and out onto the branch to watch their hasty retreat. He wasn't settled until they were both a satisfactory distance from the tree he calls his own. I'm sure they'll be back to find some more of the peanuts I leave out every so often. They somehow know when he's got his back turned.

 Days at the nursing home have been full of activity. I must say that caring for and observing strangers with dementia is much easier than watching your own parent slip away. It's still sad, but sad from a totally different perspective, and it's much easier to enter and live in their "moment" too. I even find myself able to smile instead of heave those great sighs that came with not knowing where my own mom was headed or what was in our future. I've been on the inside and I know what that is like. I know it's much harder to be the child watching his/her parent struggle and I pray that helps me to be compassionate to not only the residents, but those who love them as well.

The weather today was anything but cheery. Dark, dreary clouds hid the sunshine that warmed our little corner of the world a few days back. After my return home this afternoon the sky turned dark, dark and thunder shook the sky.  I decided to grab a ten minute nap while I put my tired feet up on the couch. The cup of coffee I grabbed on the way home slowly took over and a little while later I came back to life. I was awake when my friend Emma got off the bus and when Dave showed up with two giggling grandsons (Two and Three) I was coherent enough to enjoy their visit. Now if only I could manage to get myself into bed earlier...