Sandwiched
It’s Wednesday as I write this, and I’m preparing to visit my mom in her apartment for the first time since early March. Her facility is allowing visits in resident’s rooms as of Oct. 1, and I know my mother wants me there ASAP!
I have to do a few things to get ready, as we are only allowed to stay for 30 minutes. While that’s a bit challenging, I understand this precaution – the less time there, the less chance of spreading COVID-19.
The first thing I’ll do is dress in layers – a tank top and shorts covered up with yoga pants and a T-shirt. According to my calculations, since it will be a high of 60 Thursday, Mom’s apartment will be 83 degrees. No, I’m not exaggerating. So this perimenopausal gal has to be ready or I’ll be melting in five minutes.
Next, time to make a list of to-dos:
- Turn on answering machine. It’s not intentional, but Mom somehow hits the button that switches off her machine every couple of weeks. This leaves her three offspring quite frustrated. And I’ve felt like such a pain asking the staff to go in and turn it on during this pandemic. They’ve got enough to do!
- Put away spring/summer decorations and get out autumn ones. This should have been #1, as autumn officially started Sept. 22 (not that a certain 88-year-old someone hasn’t reminded me or anything…) Mom’s always enjoyed decorating her home for each season. It’s now harder for her to do this, so the task now falls to me. Fortunately she doesn’t have a lot, since her apartment is small, but I still can’t dawdle.
- Look through her kitchen and bathroom to see what items need to go on the grocery/Amazon list. I’ve done fairly well throughout this pandemic by having to guess what Mom’s needed from week to week (why have I had to guess? See item #1) but being there in person is going to be extremely helpful.
- Find the cute masks that I bought her that she still hasn’t worn. I was so excited to buy Mom a variety of masks this summer. She’s hated the paper ones so I figured she’d enjoy some fun cloth masks. But at every sunshine visit she’s still worn the paper mask. “Mom, why aren’t you wearing the new masks I bought you?” I’ve asked. “I don’t know where I put them.” Sigh.
So with my layers, list, and phone timer, I hope to cross off all items while still conversing with Mom in under 30 minutes. It’s important as I prepare to walk a half-marathon in a week to cross train with other cardiovascular exercises. This should fit into that category! Wish me luck.