Helping.

Okaasan helps me.
She tries. She understands that I am on my own at the moment - and she tries.
That's good - isn't it? That she can understand and empathize with another's situation.

Amazing really. Because she lives pretty much in her own bubble.

So she comes into the kitchen when I am cooking...hovers and washes up a knife or a plate. I make sure to thank her. And twice she has washed up all the plates after dinner. Wonderful.

It is surprising though - that she remembers that Yujiro is away and I am doing it all.

I took her out on Saturday. In the car to the subway station and she went downtown alone for about 3 hours. Came back exhausted.
A few hours later at dinner: NO idea she had been downtown at all.
"Really? Me? Today? I went out?"
That must be so strange - to have  someone tell you that you did a whole lot of things today - subway, coffee shop etc...and to have NO picture of any of that. Even as we stood there in the kitchen talking about it - just no memory.

Life ongoing.
One cat has terrible ear injuries from a fight and I am trying to nurse him back to health, keeping him home and being kept awake at night by yowling. This morning I cleaned his gungy ear before I applied the medicine cream - and while I was in the kitchen getting my coffee...he shook his head and spattered blood all over the wall.
Kind of like a CSI episode - blood spatter crime scene.
Gawd. Pet owning is fun.....
Gives me and Okaasan something to talk about at meal times - the cat and his injury and the huge plastic collar he had to wear.

Because really, her conversations are getting smaller and smaller.
I talked about Korean food yesterday - some Tv program - tried Korean food/New York/Great food etc etc...her old memories of that have vanished.
Tried talking about her husband and golf...she looked blank. More and more recently she has no memories of married life - everything is "wartime/we had nothing"...even if you try to say that marriage and husband was after the war - she insists that it wasn't - he didn't play golf, it was wartime....

So, ANY mealtime conversation points - the cat and his ear or the flower on the table - anything is useful.

OH!

And I escaped.
Went with two friends to Sendai in north Japan and went to an Adam Lambert concert. 4th time Adam.
Really small venue, we had great seats - but we didn't sit down at all. Non-stop dancing. 

AND!!!! he shook my hand!!!!! I rushed to the front and he came along at the end of the show...and SHOOK MY HAND!

God. He is sexy. And funny. And an amazing singer. Maybe I will never be that close to a singer of that level again. Amazing.

Me and two crazy friends.

Oh sad. I am sitting here writing this while listening to Bowie music. Heard a few hours ago. Just so sad. Loved Bowie. Part of the music of growing up in the 70s and 80s UK. So many memories.

Can't believe it.