Done it.
A bath!
Lunch at home.
Subway to the concert hall.
Glenn Miller Orchestra - including a Christmas Medley and a clap along to all those great old hits.
Subway home.
Dinner a deux in a ramen restaurant.
Walked home together in the dusk.
Sleep for her - sleep...sleep...
A large glass of Chardonnay and a Johnny Depp movie for me.
Done it.
Okaasan was flagging towards the end, I think just being at the concert made her tired. And I offered her a taxi ride for the last section to the house. But she declined and walked it.
I bet she'll sleep all night now.
Bath: "do I have to?" she asked me....."err...yes...you haven't had a bath for a while, wouldn't it be nice before you go to the concert hall to have a bath?"..."I suppose so".....I started the bath running...then lots of chat about her bathtowels and the cute little logo on the towel...finally I encouraged her into the bathroom....and left her to take her own clothes off and go into it alone. She was in the bath for almost an hour...washing some underclothes too. But she wasn't keen to take a bath. I wonder if we'll have to start helping her bath sometime soon.???
Lunch: chilli tofu, miso soup, rice, tomatoes...."I'm sorry I'm not going to eat the miso soup, it makes your body smell so it isn't nice in a public place...."....chat chat chat...and she ate the miso soup without realizing.
Let's leave at 12.30 pm : all sorts of stuff about the handbag, the coat...the gloves...oh and the SHOES! and must change out of socks into stockings...but OH! maybe can't walk in these nice shoes...so had better take my comfy shoes too in a bag...half way to the subway station she changed shoes...then at the concert hall entrance she changed shoes again....
Toilet: ???? "no I don't need the toilet...." She refused every suggestion of a toilet.... for 6 hours. I hate to think what I'll find in her room tomorrow.
Concert: loved it. she clapped along and laughed at the American band leader's Japanese, and the songs and the jokes. Loved it. Very good concert. I remembered my Dad and my Grandad...they loved these songs. Little Brown Jug. Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree. American Patrol.
Home to our local station: "I didn't eat any lunch, so I'm hungry"??????????????......I took her to the noodle place and we sat in relaxed silence slurping noodles.
And home.
Done.
Pretty exhausting for me. I was On Duty since 9 am when I started running the bath for her. And Clocked Off at 5 pm when I got her home.
Success.
I think I'll go back to English teaching work tomorrow for a nice rest.:-)
Brava! Sounds like it was a good day all round.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how you do it. I witnessed my grandfather having to take care of my not-the-grandma-but-still-like-my-grandma and it was so similar to what you have to deal with daily, the coaxing, and so on, and wow, you sure are a great daughter in law, and maybe you enjoy it, it was written in your destiny, but girl, you have taken on so much, you are a full time carer, do you get help from other relatives? You must like what you are doing, you must be a most wonderful, patient person. 222
ReplyDeleteOh no - I am absolutely not. No patience at all...when I am working as a teacher yes...but in private now. I regard Okaasan as one more job in the day usually...
ReplyDeleteAlso a bit - guilt here, I was abroad here In Japan when my parents got old and sick and needing caring and they all strongly told me to get on with my life and NOT go back to care for them...so I feel this is my turn in life to do it....but she is 81 now...I'm hoping a few more years...hope she doesn't live to be 90!