Saturday after VBS finished

 Sleeping in! I slept in until 0550! The dogs started whining so I got up and let them out and began my day. After the doggy's go out, I go and release all the barnyard birds or make coffee. Whichever one I do first, the other follows almost immediately. This morning was ripe for a good solid breakfast I got started with hashbrowns and bacon, eggs and coffee.

Next make the meal plan for the week and a grocery list. I could be off to the stores in two hours or so. Heading out I, of course left an ID that I needed at home. That caused me to be able to go to only one place instead of the two I had planned to go to. I don't normally hit the regular grocery stores on Saturday and even less so if I forget my cooler. It was hot and although I had my cooler the items that I picked up at the first store left no room for a side trip anyway.

I planned to take SIL out for an ice cream or for dinner at a fast-food place, but after returning from the store there were other pressing items to resolve. The kids and I left about 4 or so to head over and take her out for an ice cream. Even though I had talked to her two hours before our arrival, she was still as surprised to see us as she would have been without the heads-up. Gotta love dementia! I started to tell her about the new baby ducks and then thought better of that. She has multiple doctor appointments on Monday, and we will most likely come out here for a bit I'll show her then.

After getting treats at DQ we headed to my daughter's home for the girls to play while I handed SIL off to my granddaughter at the care center. On the way back to the center I let SIL call her other SIL to talk. She mostly stared into the phone (we did a video call). It was clear that the other SIL was struggling with the one-sided conversation, and I thought maybe a walk in a store might suit this SIL and get her back to reality. We ended the phone call. When I stopped the car, it was clear that she was not going to return to this reality anytime soon. We continued on and drove through a few neighborhoods with older houses, she usually likes to look at the architecture but tonight she could not even see the houses. Too many people who have passed on before us were calling to her. She took on several personas and the storm that was starting was clearly affecting her in a negative way. She is terrified of lightning. Being in the foothills makes the storm bigger than life. We headed to the parking lot of the facility and waited for the storm to let up a bit before heading in.

 Lately taking her out of the facility affects her more drastically than not getting to go out. I sent the granddaughter a message that we were back and began to get SIL ready for bed, or at least attempt to do that. This task did not go at all like I had envisioned. The post-full moon night was going to be a challenge for the caregivers at the facility. For every resident they got into bed another one was getting out of bed and roaming room to room. I know this because 3 entered SIL's room within just a few minutes of each other in various stages of undress. Redirecting them elicited exclamations from frustrated caregivers about how they had just tucked them in.

Granddaughter had arrived and took over the dressing job, but SIL still kept resisting and wanted to just listen to the two of us talk. Talk we did, gossip more so than just conversation. In our defense we don't get to visit often, we work in the same industry, and we also have worked with many of the same people. There is a lot to gossip about. Finally, I texted while in the same room to go ahead and gather her things and mine and exit without speaking I would meet her at the front door. That is when SIL decided she was constipated and had to "poo". I offered to get her up and get her to the toilet. NO! She was not going in that room! The minions were in there. Finally, she gave in and went to the toilet with immediate results, thankfully into the appropriate receptacle.

She would not go back to bed so informed her I had to leave and go to work, and I walked out of her room leaving her with her walker standing near the door. As I walked to the exit, I noted many residents were in the same frame of mind. Thank you, full moon, for keeping caregivers on their toes. I got to the front door and realized I could not get out without the code, I frantically looked around for a worker! None! I started scrolling through old messages from the friend that had given me her code while I hid beside a fish tank. I heard a noise and I turned to the main door there was my granddaughter punching in the code to release me! I had given it to her a while back for this very reason.

We ran like kids to the cars laughing and joking that we got away! We chatted for a few minutes and exchanged ideas on how to handle this situation and whether or not SIL would be better off one facility or another. We will meet up again this week and see what can be done, perhaps nothing but it is nice to have an ally! 

This morning I went to do morning tasks and noted that the mama duck was short one duckling. I felt my heart drop as I told myself this happens, don't be upset. I still looked hard for duckling number five. While I did that mama duck took the babies out for a stroll. 

I quickly scanned the chicken pen on either side of the walkway and then I removed the baby gate that separated the walkway from the main duck area. Still, I did not see the baby, until I looked over at the other duck that was sitting her own nest. It was there that I spied the fifth little duckling sitting closely to this mama. Of course, I had set my phone down at the other end of the henhouse and when I returned to snap a pic' the little one had hidden herself under the gray duck.

My nest thought was to make them ducklings more secure and move everyone to a new pen. But I thought for a moment at the stress that might cause all 7 ducks and decided that they have been kept safe so far maybe just let God handle these babies. I interfere too much at times. Human nature. 

It is Sunday and it is time to get the kiddos ready and to head to church and see how well all the kiddos remember their VBS songs! Have a wonderful day!