Aug. 02, 2005 - 21:41 MDT

ALL ALONE

An early morning appointment with Heather's surgeon and then taking her to DIA to fly away early in the afternoon, thus ending a term of helping her do her range of motion exercises -- being chauffeur -- grocery cart driver and getting stuff off the shelf and that sort of thing, cooking to the limit of my capability -- and of course worrying about her progress of recovery from surgery.

Her physical therapist started her on doing exercises all on her own, and she is doing well.

Trying to get her all stoked up to doing her exercises while she is visiting daughter, got my fingers crossed there.

Her bags have been packed, unpacked and repacked a dozen times, all the last minute stuff taken care of -- at least as far as we know. I'll wing it with whatever comes up while she is gone.

Once in a while Heather goes to see daughter by herself. Usually there is a good reason. This time daughter's son and her husband will be fishing in Alaska, so there will just be Heather, our daughter and our daughter's daughter. What a shopping blast they'll have, for the most part just window shopping as Heather knows she isn't supposed to bring home more suitcases than she left with. A when she leaves the luggage is jam packed, as it will be when she returns. Of course the fudge she made for our grandson to eat when he returns won't be in the return luggage and other stuff like that, but it will be loaded with a few purchased items that will fit, for sure.

This a good attitude adjustment time for me. I will miss her, worry about her, knowing all the time that she is a big girl, and the woman who has been a mother to the whole shebang of this family.

Perhaps I will, for a short time, catch up on reading journals, answering e-mail, and learning more Dell lore and how to use my digital camera. And of course, learning how to store pictures in a sensible way.

As well as feeding myself and doing my thing there is little else in the way of tasks for me while she is gone.

Today we made up a big batch of potato salad, a Waldorf salad, stocked up on TV dinners and got a batch of Ramen on sale. Plenty of milk and the coffee can is full. Pepsi on the shelf of the fridge.

Our daughter here has let me know that I will be at her house at least once for dinner.

Just so the upper echelon can keep track of me, I am to call daughter at 6 PM every night and call Heather at 10 PM PST every night. This arrangement came about as I told the family that I will not sit at attention around the phone. Both ladies know that if they are not there I will check in on their answering machines.

For a week or so, I shall be on my own, ALL ALONE . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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