Week included worry, party

Any week that starts off with the words “mom” and “ambulance” in the same sentence can only get better.
My brother called me Monday and said he was following the ambulance to the hospital. It seems Mom had fallen and couldn’t get up. I know it sounds like a line in a commercial but that is what happened. She had tripped over her walker when she was getting ready to sit down in her rocking chair. She couldn’t get up off the floor and therefore pushed her Lifeline button. While she was waiting for help, she managed to reach the phone and call my brother.
When he got to her house the ambulance people were standing outside contemplating breaking a window to get in. Except they were talking about breaking a garage window. That wouldn’t have done much good as she always keeps the door between the house and garage locked. Michael got there just in time to let them in and save the window and possibly a door.
After a trip to the hospital, several tests and whatnot, they said nothing was broken and sent her home. Michael stayed with her for a while to make sure she was really alright before he went on to work.
I had scheduled an overnight visit to her for the next day and was filled with guilt at not being there when she needed me.
After being reassured that she would survive until the morrow, I went to the local pharmacy to refill a prescription. There was a man and two little boys in line behind me. The smallest boy informed me proudly that he was “being naughty.” He seemed very happy with this and even repeated it. I know many mothers who would be more than pleased if their children were as naughty as that little boy since he was standing quietly in line and holding his big brother’s hand.
Tuesday morning on the way to Mom’s I stopped by Kohl’s in Richmond to pick up a Christmas present for our nephew. As luck would have it, the coveted item was on the end of a rack and was the perfect size. Plus it was on sale for considerably less than the price on its tag. Things were looking up.
I should have known that karma was out to get me. After arriving at Mom’s and chatting for a bit she said she wanted to get a permanent. So off we went to the Walmart in Eaton, Ohio. While there, we were treated to service from a very nice hairdresser. Unfortunately, she wasn’t the fastest in the world. More than three long hours later she was finally done. Neither Mom nor I liked the finished product but we didn’t want to spend another three hours waiting for her to get it right, either.
Then we did a bit of shopping. At this point I discovered what I want for Christmas. I want somebody to invent a reasonably priced something that goes on the back of a wheelchair that will carry my purse and anything we happen to want to purchase. This should be paired with a basket or something that fits on the front of the chair to carry even more stuff.
Picture, if you will, an older woman with a really bad perm being pushed in a wheelchair while her daughter is balancing purchases between her chin and a handle of said wheelchair. The daughter’s purse is making a festive scraping noise on one of the wheels. Now you understand why I was scowling. That, and the fact that the intended purchases went flying a couple of times.
The next day I took her to an appointment with her heart doctor. Both the nurse and the doctor were wonderful. They spoke directly to her and listened when she talked. I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciated that.
Afterwards we shopped for a little bit and this time I didn’t have to balance anything with my chin. After getting her settled safely at home I went on my way.
I ended the week by attending a Christmas party hosted by a lady in my carving club. We all laughed, ate too much and had a wonderful evening. A week that had started with a scare ended with a lot of good food, laughter and friends. All things considered, it was a wonderful week.[[In-content Ad]]