In April Karl and I drove up to Idaho Falls to see my mother. It was the best of trips. It was the worst of trips. Best because I got to spend time with mom. And we had a great time.
The worst of trips because I was pretty sure this would be the last time I would spend time with my mother in this life. Also her quality of life was so sad. It was not what I had wanted for my beautiful mother. But we had no control over that and it made my heart ache.
But mom was still mom. Very positive, happy and her sense of humor was still very much intact.
By some miracle Karl and I were able to get mom out of the house for a little while every day...something she hadn't done for months. She wasn't even getting out of her bedroom much anymore. But while we were there she was chipper and ready for an adventure.
The first day we took her for a walk by the river. And it was beautiful.
Karl, bless his heart, kept Richard busy and chatting. So I could just push mom by myself and visit with her.
The next day we opted to just to drive around the river and to Walmart. Richard and Karl went in to pick up a few things. Karl brought us out bottles of flavored water. Mom just loved it and drank it right down. So that night we went back and bought more for her.
Then next we ask mom where she wanted to go. After a little thought she decided she wanted to go out to the project. The "project" was the farm country west of Shelley where they had lived when she was a child. It was amazing what she could remember as we talked about the people and the places of many years ago.
We drove through Woodville where she and dad had bought their first home. A tiny un-insulated shack with no plumbing except for faucet (not a sink) in one corner. There were many stories about remodeling, building on and raising children in this little house.
When we lived there there was a big birch tree right side of the sidewalk and a big weeping willow left of the front sidewalk. A flower garden that whole area between the house and the sidewalk. I remember lots of tall orange tiger lilies.
Dad built this shop on the lot next to the house for his radiator repair business.
Then we drove to Goshen to the farm where they moved when I was 6 years old.
(40 more years of remodeling and 40 years of stories of kids, animals and life on the farm)
Then we drove over to Gary's place where Gary and kids came out to the car to say hi and chat a bit before we drove back to Idaho Falls. For the whole drive mom was so cognizant but by this time mom was tired and before we got back to Idaho Falls she became confused and disoriented. She would ask "where are we?" Even when she saw the Idaho Falls temple where she was a temple worker for twenty-six year, she couldn't where we were. But even confused she was so appreciative and gracious.
It had been such a good day and a fun drive.
That was the last Mom left her home except for the ambulance ride when they took her to a care facility a few weeks later. Where she passed away on June 5th.
Chad and Janet gave this little Riveter Rosie to Gramma because it reminded them of her and her "can do" attitude.
She was an inspirational lady
The Matriarch of the Palmer family.
http://tobcrew.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-reunion-with-mom.html
