2006-09-15

After our Morning Offering, Jim and Gary headed off to do their Super-Friday’s work. Many of Jim’s customers want their lawns cut near the weekend, so Friday is always a large day for Jim’s Lawn Service. I came upstairs and tried to work on the Choice project but for the most part was stuck in the bathroom all morning. I did read over and work with what I had done yesterday but did not make further progress.

At 11:30 I heard the doorbell ring and it was my friend, Dianne S, whom I had agreed to meet for lunch. We went to the Captain’s Quarters restaurant, on the Ohio River, and sat outside to watch the barges go by. There was a wonderful breeze on-shore and that half-mile-wide view of water and the distant shore to seduce and pleasure the eye as well as good food and excellent company.

Dianne has some tough challenges right now, as her husband, who has epilepsy, has a gradually worsening condition. His seizures are more frequent as time goes on and his mind is deteriorating to the point where he acts inappropriately, usually quite unexpectedly and sometimes violently. This is the normal progression of his type of illness, and it is not a worry from Milt’s standpoint, as his episodes do not constitute a danger to him, but they do put Dianne at risk.

She will sit down with his doctor soon, for unless the situation can be controlled via medication, she will not be able to care for him in the home. We stayed on that topic for most of our time together, as she has no support or open communication going with Milt’s mother, though not for lack of trying on Dianne’s part. On the contrary, the mother is actively attempting to clear Milt and Dianne’s things out of the home Dianne always thought was theirs, a wedding gift from Milt’s wealthy parents. It turns out that the deed was never put in Milt’s name. Now the mother wants to install a cousin in that house. She would like, I think, not to have to think about her son. Milt and Dianne built a county cabin near Avalon and have spent lots of time there lately. Milt’s mom wants them to stay there permanently and have no pied a terre in the city. To me, it seems a cruel and petty thing to do to her son.

I had really good luck in daring to leave the bathroom for a time out with Dianne! My body cooperated and I had such a good visit with her. There is nothing in this world like girlfriend time to make one feel supported, encouraged and cherished. I felt most blessed, watching the sun slanting through the sweet, heavy harvest of ripening leaves from the surrounding old trees onto our little table and seeing the sparkling water flow by in the near distance.

The heavy exhaustion of yesterday was still with me today, and although I firmly intended to work in the afternoon after I said farewell to Dianne, when I sat down to work I dozed off. Jim’s call to bath time awoke me. I drowsed again through Amy Goodman’s news show and an episode of CSI and Mick had to awaken me for supper at 8 PM.

Gary and Ed were cooking when we came downstairs, getting the food for next week prepared. Ed was kind enough to do Jim’s part of the cooking, which frees Jim up for a really good day of watching football on the tube tomorrow. They joined Jim and me for the Gaia Meditation, with Gary offering the ending prayer.

We watched the new Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis – or rather Jim watched while I again dozed! I cannot imagine why I am sleeping so much! Perhaps my body is adjusting to two new medications for the interstitial cystitis I just started taking. Hopefully the adjustment will balance out soon, if so! Before, I was calling this odd condition I am experiencing the “stupid flu”, because I feel less swift of brain than usual. If the dozing factor keeps up, I shall change its name to the “sleepy and stupid flu”!

I got the sleepy, stupid flu,
But my heart is true!
Oh yeah!

It is so good when Friday rolls around! Jim’s joy at completing another week of his mowing season without incident is always wonderful to behold and share, and the weekend looms, full of different things to do. I doubt I shall be able to do the more active things I usually reserve for Saturdays, but nevertheless the change in the routine is refreshing. And we will see Jim’s Nebraska friend, Steve H, whom we affectionately call Smut, an old childhood nickname, for the Nebraska game tomorrow night. That is always a treat! And no, as far as I know, Mick never picked up a childhood nickname, except for the usual “Jimmy”, which went away naturally as he matured.