Willow Tree Chicken Salad

Where the magic happens - Mom's travel cosmetics.

Well her chicken salad is all gone and even though I just spent a good half hour shucking (is that the right word?) the two lobsters in the fridge and carefully cutting up and placing the meat for lobster salad in a container -- she cannot be distracted from Willow Tree. She'll need a sandwich on the plane Wednesday afterall.

So far during Mom's visit, we've found the sink running full-on in the middle of the night, the oven blaring away and have had to put up with the blatantly rude comments like "Those mussels didn't come from near a sewage outfall or anything" (addressed to the chef) when we took her out to dinner.

Yes she's getting old and more and more like her true self I guess. She's even a little fuzzy. "What are those round white things?" she asked referring to the green olives on a tray. "Why are you putting butter in with the olives?" she asked as I cut up cheese to place on the same tray. And while talking to me she said "I'll ask Gay to take me to CVS later." Hmmm. Not sure who she thought I was. And she didn't like my joke when I asked (in regard to the olives) if she was losing her mind.

What can I say? I would love to be that loving, all-patient daughter but I'm not and am reserved to the fact that she will need care someday from a non-family member who can love her like she deserves to be loved. I find myself getting defensive at the regular, negative comments and at the PASSIVE requests to take her on errands for the many things she forgot to bring. I was going to take a photo of the table that she has taken over with her cosmetics to give you an idea but cannot find the camera. No one could keep track of that many things.

Danimal update

• At the beach a few weeks ago - the last time the sun shone for any length of time by the way - Daniel asked a group of brothers three times if they needed help digging their hole. First they said no. Then they said not yet. And on his third try they relented. Another friendship was born and his brother Matthew joined in with the pals, who all played for a good hour or more.
• Outside the library: When he saw a woman smoking Daniel said, "That lady has only 20 more years to live. Besides it's not cool and it smells. I'm glad you don't smoke." Not sure where he picked up these messages but he's right on.

• We've met more and more people on our graveyard walks and the more people i.e. DOGS we meet, Daniel will say something like "Wasn't that the greatest walk ever!?"

Toto update

• On a weekend graveyard walk with the two dogs I literally turned around and Toto was gone. After circling, searching and calling for a good half hour (my throat was hoarse), Tia looked exhausted and I thought I better take her home. As I walked home and thought the kids will kill me, no one will believe me, that's our last dog for a while, and what will Toto's foster mom say, I finally arrived home literally dragging Tia along. And who did I find inside but Toto who had been home a good half hour. Our dog of two weeks has some kind of nose or brain and I am truly surprised this scardy cat didn't get hit by a car. Now I keep a much closer eye on him and him on me.

• One graveyard walk there were two very curly dogs and I was surprised to find out they were Portuguese Water Dogs. They looked too small to me. The owner explained that was because we've seen one dragging the First Lady around. Oh.