We're back home now and I just saw a beautiful red cardinal fly by. It's been a couple of weeks of emotion. Jerry has changed. Montana has changed. I am having to change. Jerry is definitely in a new stage and I think it's here to stay. At least until the next decline. He's down to 169 pounds, is wandering a lot inside the house, is mumbling sentences that I can barely hear and do not understand. I definitely need a new plan of action and need to find new ways to communicate.
Yesterday he did a something new. He had been with John, his companion friend, for a couple of hours and when I got back they were in the living room. Earlier when they were leaving, Jerry held my hands, as if saying goodbye. When I returned, he did not acknowledge me. This was a first! Usually, we have a huge hug, but this time, he sort of stood by, walked and looked out the window, and had his back to me.
Once, John left, I sat down with him and we watched the history channel for a few minutes. Then, I went down to our downstairs "veranda" and hung some outdoor curtains. This deck looks into my studio and Jerry likes to rock there with the dog, so THEY can see me in the window. I thought it would be cool to make it like and outdoor living room. Once I was finished, I brought Jerry down and sat him in the rocking chair. He was all smiles. Thought it was really nice. We rocked for a while. The three of us.
Today is a painting day for me. I got a really nice commission; a large 30x40 street scene of our local historic town. That will be a fun project and should get my brain cranking again. Jerry will probably be doing a lot of rocking on that porch today. Tomorrow I'm going to a fundraiser for a new Hospice Home and will be hearing Nicholas Sparks speak. I'm excited about that. Besides, I figured I better become familiar with these folks who run this home.
On a bright note.....thought I'd leave you with something funny. You know how Jerry can't live without his socks? Well, the other day we were at the mall and went into a Clarks store. He needed socks BADLY. So, I bought him a couple of "lifetime warranty" socks. Just think, we'll never have to buy socks again! And besides, when we walked the dog last night, I could see that they glow in the dark too! Oh brother!