Back From the Wilderness

Here's a snapshot (post-packup) of where our tent was located for nearly a week in the wilderness east of Sweet Home. I didn't get a lot of pictures, but they would be useless in conveying the beauty of the surroundings anyway, so suffice to say that the time spent away was a much-needed restful respite.

Upon our return, my first day back was spent in an all-day offsite meeting, so the first chance I had to check in with Mom and Dad was yesterday evening. Happily, I found both in fine spirits; Mom was watching TV with Gary when I showed up, coffee in hand, and she was happy and talkative about her renewed physical therapy sessions. Apparently they were having her do an exercise with picking up clothespins and putting them in a jar (with her weaker hand), which was frustrating but successful nonetheless.

We visited for a while and I told them about camping, then I checked in with Dad, who was recovering from his amped-up level of physical activity throughout the week. As he describes it, his stay at Maryville used to be composed of about 45-90 minutes of physical activity, and now that's about how much rest he's getting throughout the day, as he's busying himself with arranging things throughout the house and trimming ramp material to smooth the thresholds between rooms so that wheelchairs can more easily move throughout the house.

His legs had been aching for a few days and were just getting better yesterday, but his new walker had arrived the day before and it was really helping him get around. He has been out and about to visit Mom pretty much every day (thanks to Bill and Grace), and he has partaken of coffee directly from New Seasons, so before we know it he'll be running errands and back to his routine. He's also been receiving delicious homecooked food (thanks Kathy and Chris!) so he has not been for want of nourishment.

This weekend (Sunday) I'm planning to continue work on the ramp, and I could sure use a hand. If you're free, give me a call or drop me an email and let me know.