Back from visiting Mom

 

I just got back from helping to get Mom from the rehab facility back to her assisted living home. She was NOT happy about having to do her rehab exercises, above, and kept trying to get out of them.

She was in a little better mood after she got back to her own place. My brother in law Dennis showed her how to use her wheelchair. She's not supposed to put any weight on her broken hip side for at least a month, although she was caught a couple of times at the rehab center out of bed on her own and walking. Because of that we had to hire round-the-clock caregivers to make sure she doesn't pull that trick now that she's home. Her dementia makes it hard for her to understand why she shouldn't stand.

She's smiling here, but mostly she was not a happy camper. I can't blame her. She's sure not laughing and joking anymore like she was in the hospital.

I brought some stitching to keep me busy in the evenings at the hotel, but I don't think I spent more than 15 minutes on it. I was always so tired from dealing with insurance, hospital forms, the caregiver agency, transport drivers, trying to find clothes that went missing at the rehab center and trying to convince her that she couldn't stand that I mostly just collapsed back at the hotel. I'm really glad my brother in law flew out from Louisville to help with the financial side of things while I handled medical. And I was so glad he drove the rental car because the traffic in San Diego is too hectic for me.

Meanwhile, here's little Juniper smelling the roses in the same garden where her parents were married two years ago!

Have a colorful day

Desert flowers

Orange flowers and yellow fruit of the barrel cactus

Instead of colorful fall foliage, the desert has colorful flowers this time of year. Here are some from my walks in the desert and in my yard.

The hiking trail this morning was sprinkled with purple wildflowers ... 

... and these pretty yellow ones.

My Texas ranger burst into bloom again this week! It has soft fuzzy purple flowers and sage green leaves. Here's a closeup:

My orange and purple lantana bushes are also flourishing. They thrive on poor soil, sun and drought, so everyone has them here.

Below is the flashy Mexican bird of paradise, also a favorite here.

And Mom has flowers too -- my sisters and I sent her a bouquet this week. My brother, who lives nearby, keeps her supplied with roses. She's doing well at the rehab center, but no one knows where her outfit came from! It's not hers, but she looks good in it.

Have a colorful day

Collages, cacti and Mom

I'm continuing to stitch my little quote collages and to hike. Besides binding some of the quotes into little books, I might mat and frame some or maybe use them on cards. Working with the colors just makes me happy ...

... and so does hiking in the sunny desert.

This  collage is pinned and ready for stitching when the sun goes down.

An ocotillo glows in the morning sun at Catalina State Park.

This quote, "And suddenly you know. It's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings," helped get me through the decision to leave the Northwest five years ago and move to Tucson, not knowing a single soul here.

Glowing leaves of the ocotillo pictured above.

I've separated the quotes into three categories: Hope and Strength, Creativity, and Kindness. I'll do a separate book for each group.

This little guy joined me for coffee the other morning before I went on my hike. 

This Ram Dass quote really touches me. "We're all just walking each other home," like the nurses, doctors and other specialists who are taking good care of my mom so she can go home. (She used to be a nurse herself.) 

Here she is smiling at the rehab center, which she moved to a few days ago. There's a silver lining to all of this in that she seems to have come alive cognitively and socially with all the interactions she's had at the hospital and now in rehab! She could be sent home at the end of next week if the surgeon gives the okay after X-raying the cracked bone to see how it's healing. I'm going out to visit her next week.

 Have a colorful day

My first hike of the season!

It's finally cooled off enough for me to go on my first hike of the season! At 8 this morning it was only in the 60s, which was wonderful after months of 100s.

Can you tell I'm happy to be back on the trail?

It was my first time at Catalina State Park since probably May, and it was soooo nice to see the familiar saguaros and mountain vistas.

These magnificent old plants never cease to inspire awe when I stand under them. I wish they could talk to me; I'll bet they'd have stories to tell.

I only passed one other party on the trail, and the parking lot was mostly empty despite the perfect weather. I didn't see any out-of-state license plates yet. Those will come in another month or so when the Snowbirds start arriving.

I thought I knew all the desert wildflowers, but I had to look up these, which lined the trail. They're called Ipomoea plummerae and are named after botanist Sara Plummer Lemmon, who is also the namesake for our Mt. Lemmon. I thought it was a morning glory except it wasn't on a vine, but they're from the same family. After my hike I relaxed in the picnic area, which I had all to myself, looking out at the mountains.

Mom update: She's still in the hospital healing from her broken hip, but the doctor says she's doing great and is "a delight" to work with. She'll be transferred later today to a rehab center, probably for a few weeks.

Have a colorful day

 

Mom broke her hip

 

My mom had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance a few days ago after falling and breaking her hip, but she was still smiling (above) even while waiting hours in the E.R. to be diagnosed. This was her first surgery in 50 years!

Finally, late the next evening (above and still smiling), she was ready to be wheeled into the operating room. She had cracked the top of her femur, but it wasn't broken clear through so the surgeon just had to reinforce that area.

Here she is the next morning with my brother, the only one of us who lives near her. He said the nurses and doctors all love her because she's always laughing and joking with them. She was a nurse herself when she was young.

Here she is happily assessing her lunch, which she ordered from an extensive menu. She chowed down on a cheeseburger, macaroni and cheese, ice cream and, since the nurse insisted, some fruit. She's expected to be in the hospital a few more days while they do a little physical therapy, and then she'll most likely spend a few weeks in a rehab center. I think she's enjoying the attention!

Meanwhile, I continue to stitch my little quote collages. 

Have a colorful day

Working on the quote collages

I'm back to working on little my quote collages, which I'll make into a book for a show in February in Louisville. The theme of the show is "Homegrown Stories," so each artist is making a book to go along with the stories theme. Plus we'll have our regular art.

 

Here are some of the completed ones, although I keep going back to add more to them so maybe they're not really completed.

I really look forward every day to working with the bright colors! And since it's handwork, I can take them anywhere. And since they're small, it's so satisfying to complete them quickly. This happy pile is on the ottoman in front of my TV chair, so I stitch them in the evenings.

I've been collecting the quotes for years and they've gotten me through hard times, given me a kick when needed, and made me smile.

Here's the latest one all pinned and ready to embroider:

They've taken over my cutting and painting table and I love it! This is the first thing you see when you enter my front door, so there's no doubt that a creative lives here.

 

Update on my mom: She's doing great in her new home, playing bingo, making friends, enjoying not having to do anything. They started giving her in-house physical therapy for a hip that's been bothering her for years and she's walking much better now. My brother took this picture of her a few days ago.

Have a colorful day