All Hallows Eve, 2011
One of the last few things I saw before leaving for Coffee Hour the Sunday of the snowstorm were people busily filling out a list of dead loved ones they wished memorialized on All Souls Day which I'm pretty sure fell later during the week, but, in true Anglican fashion is not celebrated until the following Sunday. But, the dedication to remembering the departed always reminds me of that last scene from "The Addams Family" with the longshot of the family house and Pugsley (?) digging merrily in the front yard, shouting, "Wake up, Grandma! It's Halloween!"
The first inkling I had that Monday was Halloween was when my boss brought in a bag full of Kit-Kats, Hershey's Kisses, mini-Baby Ruths and assorted other "good candy" as Mom would put it. They were the only things she would give us money for when it came time to buy candy -- which was rare,
Much later, I spotted a ninja warrior and what looked like a pair of prostitutes strolling down Bayside Avenue as the bus to the nursing home hurdled past.
The neighborhood around the facility was in a state of high camp as giant pumpkns were pumped full of hot air and competed with styrofoam headstones for pride of place on several front lawns. Inside, I was greeted with the usual orange and yellow decorations. I have been getting my dreds caught in the artificial Autumn leaves that have been hanging from the dropped ceiling for weeks now. A gallery of patient photos was on display on the plasma television opposite the elevator bank. I half expected to see Mom wearing a Phantom of the Opera Mask.
Mom seemed well. She said, "I'm not okay, but, I guess I'm alright.", in one of her many droll replies. we watched an episode of "Ozzie and Harriet", an especially rare one that didn't involve either Ricky or David, their two sons. It was just Ozzie and his best friend, Joe Randolph (played by actor, Lyle Talbot http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyle_Talbot), playing a trick on their wives: they hitch a ride with a pilot acquaintance (typically, met in the country club locker room) to Mexico City where they are supposed to phone Harriet and Mrs. Randolph that they're having Mexican food for lunch. A simple premise that, of course, backfires on "the boys" as they are perenially referred to.
Mom seemed to be aware that something familiar was playing in the background, and "comical", judging from the gentle laughtrack. But, it didn't stop her from grinding her teeth soon after we settled in. It's still a mystery why she does it even after we physically try to coax her from doing it. Maybe because it's one of the few thingfs she can still do on her own?
The first inkling I had that Monday was Halloween was when my boss brought in a bag full of Kit-Kats, Hershey's Kisses, mini-Baby Ruths and assorted other "good candy" as Mom would put it. They were the only things she would give us money for when it came time to buy candy -- which was rare,
Much later, I spotted a ninja warrior and what looked like a pair of prostitutes strolling down Bayside Avenue as the bus to the nursing home hurdled past.
The neighborhood around the facility was in a state of high camp as giant pumpkns were pumped full of hot air and competed with styrofoam headstones for pride of place on several front lawns. Inside, I was greeted with the usual orange and yellow decorations. I have been getting my dreds caught in the artificial Autumn leaves that have been hanging from the dropped ceiling for weeks now. A gallery of patient photos was on display on the plasma television opposite the elevator bank. I half expected to see Mom wearing a Phantom of the Opera Mask.
Mom seemed well. She said, "I'm not okay, but, I guess I'm alright.", in one of her many droll replies. we watched an episode of "Ozzie and Harriet", an especially rare one that didn't involve either Ricky or David, their two sons. It was just Ozzie and his best friend, Joe Randolph (played by actor, Lyle Talbot http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyle_Talbot), playing a trick on their wives: they hitch a ride with a pilot acquaintance (typically, met in the country club locker room) to Mexico City where they are supposed to phone Harriet and Mrs. Randolph that they're having Mexican food for lunch. A simple premise that, of course, backfires on "the boys" as they are perenially referred to.
Mom seemed to be aware that something familiar was playing in the background, and "comical", judging from the gentle laughtrack. But, it didn't stop her from grinding her teeth soon after we settled in. It's still a mystery why she does it even after we physically try to coax her from doing it. Maybe because it's one of the few thingfs she can still do on her own?