home

Arrived Wed. and was mildly alarmed at how thin and drawn mom looked. I did a gut check..(hopefully not as accurate as the ones GW Bush is noted for) because, of course, I'm in hyper-vigilant mode, trying to read the future in chicken entrails, tea leaves and whatever other useless omens, symbols and mundane objects that catch my eyes for signs of mom's timeline on this reality plane.

As combat vets will tell you, hyper-vigilant mode leads quickly to burn out, hallucinating and the shooting of innocent creatures. I stopped the fast-forward and settled into trying to determine what she has been eating and drinking without sounding too much like E grilling a hapless mortgage broker on the witness stand.

I said, all that's good, but we have to at least double it. Mom, being the dutiful, passive...huh? Wait, stop.

Uh, let's just say we spent my first day home chatting, laughing, reading and dozing--with occasional interludes of me setting down various liquids and solids next to her and trying not to obsessively watch her consume them.