Story 29April2022: Glenda Leaves

Returning to a narrative, I started the morning by being woken by my iPhone at 7:00 after sleeping most of the night, getting up at 3ish to prove hydration. Glenda was up at the sunrise and noticed that I was up 30 minutes later. I made coffee and had the other half of the poppy muffin I ate the day before. It is a travel day for Glenda; Susie’s aunt is returning to North Carolina today via an all-night flight on Delta.

While I write the blog and take it slow, I am more tired than yesterday and might be overdoing it a bit. It takes me about 90 minutes to write the blog on Friday. I also look at my personal email and read enough news to know what is happening in the world while writing.

After that, I get dressed. I also load Air Volvo with three more boxes, primarily books, to give to GoodWill. Finally, I put the dead vacuum in Air Volvo. We decide to have lunch and then drop off the items before seeing Susie. Glenda continues to dust and vacuum with the new machine.

Lunch is leftovers, and soon we drop the dead, nearly Viking-funeral-ed vacuum at the SBS recycling near the house. There is no fee for vacuums. Next, we head in Air Volvo to the Forest Grove Rehab and Care Center at 3900 Pacific Highway, Room 44A. We forgot to stop off to give away the books and also failed to stop at The Pink Spoon for some frozen treats.

We arrive without incident and pass the manual entrance steps using the touch screen. We find Susie is up in her wheelchair at the tables near the nursing station. Susie is just finishing lunch when we get there. We hang out with her for a bit, and she finishes lunch. Then, we agree to return with a treat and head off to The Pink Spoon.

The place is not busy on a Friday afternoon, but we are the only folks with masks. Everyone keeps their distances still, which is a surprise to me. Soon we are the only ones at a table and having a little snack. I collect some chocolate and vanilla gelato for Susie and one for Terry, Susie’s roommate, and get them to go.

We return without incident, using the back way into the strip mall and the facility to avoid the Pacific Highway traffic. Soon Susie and Terry are having a bit of dessert, but both have it put in the frig and will eat it for dinner.

Glenda and I move to the quieter lobby and call Leta, Susie’s mother, on my iPhone, and they have a friendly chat on FaceTime. We take a few pics, and soon Susie is tired-out. She asks to return to her room, and we find a nursing aide to help. I watch, and Susie is just lifted into bed. She is still a sack of wet noodles and can’t walk or stand. While she has had some rehab on balance and standing, she still cannot stand.

With Susie in bed, we head out and return to the Volvo Cave. We remember to stop by GoodWill, and the books and other items, the last load with Glenda here, are handed over.

We get back, and I am tired, and Glenda needs to finish packing. Glenda does some laundry and tries out the vacuum on the carpet. It works well, and soon the canister is full. It seems about one room to a canister unload. Glenda packs two boxes of books to send to her in North Carolina; not all were given away. The complete set of Narnia and all the Brother Cadfael mysteries are among the books headed to North Carolina!

We reheat the Italian we brought back from Nona Emilia yesterday, plus a few other leftovers. I chop the veggies for a salad while Glenda cleans the lettuce. The food is good on the second day, if not better.

Glenda finishes up the packing and gets dressed to travel. We load up Air Volvo and make the drive to our award-winning airport simply called by its call letters: PDX. The Pacific Northwest says goodbye to Glenda by raining for most of the drive.

I dropped off Glenda at the Delta entrance without incident, and her last text said she was at the gate 90 minutes early. I head back, and Air Volvo seems on autopilot as I have driven this trek many times.

I return home and connect with David and Michelle Smith, and we use Disney+ group watch to enjoy the next Moon Knight episode together. Again, while I like this show, it is hard to predict, and the story is chaotic. Today’s show was, while well done, crazy. The blue giant Hippo goddess was a unique special effect! I liked it.

After that, we chatted for a bit, and then I headed to bed at 11:30ish and was asleep before midnight.