Up to now I’ve posted all sad, depressing material. With this post I’ve decided to add one of the more lighter moments that Mom experienced as part of Dad’s Alzheimer’s.
A couple of years ago, when Mom and Dad were still living in their home, Mom called me one evening and was laughing on the phone, saying “I’ve just got to tell someone what happened to us today.”
Apparently Mom and Dad’s phone died, so they went to Shopko to get a new one. After picking one out and returning home, Mom put it on the counter and got Dad his usual snack – a bowl of ice cream. With Dad satisfied for the time being, Mom went into the bathroom. When she came back out, the phone was nowhere to be found.
She looked high and low. All over the kitchen. In the bathroom. Back to look in the car. Again around the kitchen. She even looked to see if she already plugged it in but somehow forgot. But no luck. Frustrated, she put Dad back into the car (ice cream consumed) and went back to Shopko, where she purchased the phone again. This time she came home and before doing anything else, plugged it in.
That night they went about their business, ate supper, watched some TV, played a hand of double solitaire (Dad could still see well enough). When they were done, they decided to have another snack – a bowl of ice cream.
And when she opened the freezer, there was the phone sitting right next to the ice cream. Of course Dad, when asked, had no idea how it got there. Mom could only surmise that when Dad put away the ice cream from his afternoon snack, he probably thought the phone box was ice cream, too, and put that in the freezer as well. At least he was thorough.
So even through sad days we have to laugh at those little things.
By the way, Mom said the people at Shopko had quiet a laugh when she brought back the other, somewhat chilled, phone.
