Are we there yet?

Questions, questions, questions...

I took Okaasan to a hair salon appointment today - just near my morning class, so convenient for her and for me.
As we arrived downtown in the car, to slightly familiar places, she was constantly asking me:
Is THAT the salon? Is this XXX station? Is this XX shopping mall? Is this near XX?
Constantly.

It seems to be a desperate need to confirm knowledge, to make sure that YES, I do still recognise places.
We used a parking area behind the hair salon building and went in thru the back door, so it was all unfamiliar. I took her to the front door and showed her the sign and the main entrance. I asked the staff to take her to the building front door after the cut and perm, and point her along the block to the central subway station.
I wonder how much she is recognising downtown now on her trips there?
We know from the GPS that she goes to the same places every visit, and I suppose that is really hanging on to familiar.

Late afternoon she got home (in a taxi from the subway station - the instructions about NOT walking on the icy roads has sunk in) - all very stylish with the new hair-do.
Couldn't remember if she'd eaten lunch or not...and opened up her shopping bag with things inside...foodstuffs from a department store...as if seeing them for the first time: "What is this?"
"I bought these red bean jelly sweets for my friend in the  coffee shop, she loaned me a neck scarf!"

2 minutes later Okaasan came into the kitchen....with the open sweets box in her hand and started eating them, offering them to me etc.

"Aren't they for your coffee shop friend?"

"Are they? Did I buy them?"

Literally, her memory of the sweets shifted 3 times in 2 minutes...

And so, and so...the world according to Okaasan trips merrily along.

:-)