Life with mum
Lesley's mum now is settling in with us. She is accepting her new life here in TN, a big change from 94 years of living in New Zealand. We can detect some homesickness, but she knows that moving here was her only alternative other than a NZ nursing home. She is very bright, mentally amazingly sharp, no memory issues, and still able to get around with a cane and walker. A few naps during the day and she is refreshed and active all day. Amazing.
We just completed a month long trip in our motorhome with mum. When she got here I put a chair lift in the motorhome for her use. Amazingly she seldom needs it. Lesley and I get on each end of the stairs into the motorhome and she gets up or down the stairs with one of us pushing and one gently pulling.
our trip was up to Wisconsin for a week with friends, then on to Iowa for some work on the RV at the factory. We then went to the wonderful town of Amana. Lots of things to see no do. A planned day stop turned nto several days. We then went thru Illinois to Shipshewanna, Indiana. A planned three day stop became almost two weeks. I grew up nearby in the Elkhart, IN area and was able to show mum where I lived, worked and played. We stopped by the grade school I went to for four years and asked if they had anything on classes in the early 1950's. The lady said no, but after thinking about it she came up with some PTA meeting minutes. My mother was mentioned in them a few times. What a neat trip down memory lane!
I was also able to show mum where I lived as a five year old in a house trailer and walked 10 blocks alone everyday to and from kindergarten. The school and trailer park are still there. I felt pretty good about my memory still being able to find these places considering I was five and that was 67 years ago!
we then drove back home over two days, stopping in Kentucky for the night. Lesley drove about 1/2 the time and did her share of dumping the tanks, and hooking up the water and electric. All in all, an really memorable trip. That is the essence of traveling in an RV, creating memories. It is not going from point A to point B via the fastest route. We avoid interstates when we can, seldom go thru any large cities, and stick to US and State highways. So much more to see and do. Lesley has learned to navigate well and between us we get it done. Often times we have no plan as to where we will stay that night, but we always find somewhere!
Mum is always agreeable to whatever we do. Our last day in Shipshewanna, Indiana, Lesley asked me if she should wake mum up from her nap and take her to town again, I told her I thought mum just needed a day of rest. So Lesley went on her own, I think she also needed a day alone. When mum awoke she and I had some good mother-in-law/son-in-law time. Another irreplaceable memory created.
we expect to be home now until November when we are planning a week in Branson,Mo which is veterans week. Then back home and not sure after that. We had planned three weeks in Corpus Christi, TX over Christmas but the hurricane hitting there a few weeks ago may change that. We will find somewhere.
well, my coffee cup is empty so time to go.
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