It has been about two and a half weeks since I posted last from a RV park in Tucson and a lot has gone on since then. We dropped the little guy (Howie) off in Willcox and picked up the 5th wheel that was being stored at my brother’s house. We moved that to the RV lot in Tucson and quickly set up a home base. The RV park was one block from St. Mary’s hospital where my mom was recovering from her fall and surgeries. I was able to go there every day and assist with her meals, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and other things. She was a trooper with the amazing team there at St. Mary’s and was released to head home on April 7th. She is still recovering and requires some assistance at home while she continues to heal.
My dad is in Tucson at a place called Handmaker’s where he was receiving some Physical Therapy. He entered there in January when the local (Willcox) PT refused to work with him because he felt it was too dangerous for him to get in and out of the car to go to PT. He did well for a while, but has regressed a bit and my brother and mom had arranged for him to come home. But that date was 4 days before mom fell and so there was no way they could get him home without assistant care after that happened. I have been visiting him every day or two while in Tucson and it has been nice to see him. Some days he is very present and active and others he is describing the Narnia that goes on in and around the characters that reside there. It is a bit concerning at times, but I think it is due to his low blood pressure and low activity at the place. At some point I am going to gather the stories he has told and maybe make a post about these changes we are going through with aging parents.
Mom’s recovery and therapy and visiting dad has placed a bit of a toll on me as I am exhausted every day going back and forth. The days usually go on for 10-12 hours. The hospital room is pretty small and more than one visitor is difficult due to all of the equipment that has to be in the room. Kathy has been a trooper through it all and helped with the home life and with the parents where she can. She was able to go up and visit her parents in Prescott Valley for a few days as well, and had a rather nice visit.
We set up camp in the 5th wheel and we feel like we have a palace. It is only a 28 foot, 2009 model that I have been working on the past several years, but we have a couch, chairs, and a nice awning to hang out under to escape from the sun here in the Sonoran Desert. I picked up my bike and got it running and have used that several times to and from the hospital, getting the truck serviced, and other errands. Getting back on it brings the longing of riding trails, but with the current situation, that will have to wait. I do a lot of walking and have been averaging 20K steps per day since back in the US. Most of it is to and from the hospital and up and down the long mouse-maze of a 100+ year old medical complex.
On April 7th my mom was released and my brother and his wife were there to drive her home. They stopped by my dad’s place on the way and my mom and dad got to be together again after more than a month since her last visit with him. Tears were flowing from my dad’s eyes when he saw my mom again. Unfortunately we had to miss it as Kathy and I were breaking camp and getting Big-Howie back to Willcox so we could set up and help mom. Of course, after packing, the first thing I had to do was change out a flat tire. I have been avoiding putting new tires on this thing since it would mostly sit out in the sun and bake, but these ones are over 10 years old and need to be replaced. I did replace the one, but will hold off for a few weeks for the other 3 to be easy on the budget. The trip to Willcox was easy with the RAM and we got set up quickly before mom got back home.
Kathy had a birthday right after we got to Willcox and we were happy to take her to Isabelle’s South of the Border restaurant in Willcox. (If you are in the area, we highly recommend this place for great food in a small town atmosphere). We all had a great time celebrating my wonderful bride, singing “Happy Birthday”, sharing a fried ice cream dessert while posing with the traditional sombrero. I hope her next year is filled with more adventures and bucket list items for her.
One of the biggest things from mom’s PT and OT was for her to have a safe, clean place to continue on. Both her and dad want to avoid a nursing home, but their home is not in a state that is healthy and safe for them and their care. Mom will probably recover most of the way, but dad, in his current state, cannot walk and had trouble standing for any length of time. Getting in and out of bed, on to the pot, or any other activity is not easy and usually requires some help. They had arranged for some home care but had to put a halt to that when mom fell. We had lengthy discussions with the OT staff and with mom and some of the things that will have to be done to their home upon return. She realizes the need after her fall, and has been very open to the changes that have to be done. She is terrified to have dad come home, mainly because she cannot take care of him. Willcox is horrible for senior care and most rely on neighbors and family in situations like this. But as we will find out, mom and change and her stuff has not been an easy path; but more on that later.
Mom and dad’s house will need to be packed up, cleaned, and refurbished to accommodate the wheel-chairs, walkers, nurses, and other things that will now be more permanent in their lives. We are settling in for a long stay here in Willcox as it will take several months to get this work done, which has created some additional life choices that Kathy and I are having to make. We are still working on that and deciding the best path forward, but for now, we will be camped next to my childhood home, assisting my mom while we do the renovations. Howie is sitting in the backyard, keeping watch and maintaining power with afternoon solar. Big-Howie is connected to water (making it nice for showers) and power and makes a cozy little home. Kathy refers Big-Howie as “the cabin”.