Overheard

I love afternoons at Rock Ridge. A group of residents (lovingly referred to as The Peanut Gallery—what else?) assembles outside my office for some conversation and fellowship. I try hard to stay focused on my work…really I do…but sometimes the conversation is simply too much to ignore. Take today for instance. Lois (of the mismatched socks) was doing a little griping about the fact there aren’t enough “good” people living here. Gladys jumped right in and corrected her. “Oh no, we have plenty of good people here. Everyone has mostly good in them! It’s just that sometimes things in life happen and they don’t want to push that part out.” Gladys has such a great life philosophy, even if her wording is a little questionable.

From there, the conversation turned to wine.( Lois thinks that we should serve wine with dinner). She told Gladys how much she would enjoy drinking a glass of wine from time to time if only someone would join her. Gladys said she never much of a wine drinker, but she did like “a little taste of other things from time to time.” (Of course by now, I’ve given up all attempts of work and am straining to hear better.) Lois said “I never like to drink that hard stuff unless I’m home and have a man with me who likes the same thing.” HAHAHAHAHA!!! Gladys immediately starts laughing. Lois is flustered and protests “that didn’t really come out right,” to which Gladys quickly replied “No, it never does in those situations!” I’m convinced she is the quickest witted Alzheimer’s patient who ever existed.

The topic changed again--which it does quite often when you have two people with Alzheimer’s chatting--and Lois proclaimed the best thing about being her age is “knowing Jesus better.” Apparently still not forgetting the earlier part of the conversation, Gladys piped right in with a hearty laugh and “I’m guessing Jesus doesn’t know you nearly as well as we do!”

It is baffling that Gladys could spout her wit like that, but just prior to that she told the exact same story four times…and Lois listened to it four times… as though it were the only time she’d ever heard it. They were both so fully present in that conversation at that instant… I almost forgot they have Alzheimer’s.

During a moment like that, the work can certainly wait.

Is it really December already?

I wish I had more time to share the daily goodies that come my way, but man this place is nuts. I'm also providing administrative support to a sister property who lost their director, so all my little post-it notes of things I want to remember to write about will have to continue to wait for another day. Until then, though, here's a little piece of hilarious conversation that took place outside my office door on Tuesday of last week.

Lois (of the mismatched socks): "Gladys, is Thanksgiving tomorrow?"

Gladys: "Well, I don't know. Is it this week?"

Lois: "Joseph, do you know if Thanksgiving is tomorrow?"

Joseph: laughs "Huh. Well. I guess I don't know."

Lois: to Little Miss Chatterbox "How about you? Do you know if Thanksgiving is tomorrow?"

LMCB: "You know, that's a funny thing, Thanksgiving. I said to my daughter on the phone this morning that Thanksgiving should be coming up, and then she told me when it was. I wonder if we'll have turkey here? Everyone always thinks you have to have turkey on Thanksgiving, but I think why should it always be turkey? We could have something besides turkey. And stuffing! All that bread? Why should people serve that every Thanksgiving. Really. But anyway she told me when Thanksgiving was, but I don't think I can remember."

Lois: still not giving up "Maude? Do you know if Thanksgiving is tomorrow?"

Maude, who is 99 and performing true to her usual form, put an end to the entire conversation by replying "How in the hell should I know?"

I love old people.

Mid Week Treat

I caught this group of happy people yukking it up yesterday afternoon outside my office. They were laughing so much I had to go see what all the commotion was about. Can you tell what was so funny by looking at the picture?

Joseph and Gladys were laughing at Lois (far right) because she was wearing one knee high panty hose and one black sock with her sandals. On accident, of course. Lois laughed right along with them. It was hilarious. Assistant then told them how I showed up to work one day wearing two different shoes (true story). They thought that was even funnier. I thought Gladys was going to pass out she was laughing so hard. Listening to three people with dementia laugh like there's no tomorrow is very high on the list of reasons I love this job.

As we were laughing, Little Miss Chatterbox wandered upon the scene interested in what the commotion was all about. She was, of course, wearing her lab coat (see, I don't make this stuff up!) , though I think it has been hemmed...which makes me wonder....who in the world would have hemmed a lab coat for an 89-year-old assisted living resident to gad about in?!?

Happy Hump Day. It's been a fun week at the Ridge!

p.s. Speaking of Hump Day... when Assistant woke Joseph up the other morning he groggily looked at her and asked "Can you have kids?" She told him that no, she already had kids. "Then can I stick it in?" he very politely asked. HAHAHAHA!

That Damn Naomi

Gladys just came to the office to report that Naomi had stolen her roll of toilet paper. "Isn't that just terrible?" she asked. "Stealing toilet paper! I declare, that's about as low as a person can get."

"Yes, stealing toilet paper is terrible, " I concurred, "but how do you know Naomi did it?"

Gladys didn't even hesitate before replying: "Well, maybe she didn't! I think you need to make a list of everyone with diarrhea and then you'll know who took it!"

Sounds like a good job for Assistant.

Nuggets from the Ridge

Joseph told Assistant that she could "hold it for a minute" when she assisted him to the bathroom. Very thoughtful, no?
~~
Gladys fell. She didn't break any bones, but she is very sore. She doesn't remember falling, doesn't remember getting x-rays, and she doesn't remember that she hurts until she tries to move. It's awful. Every time she tries to get up or move we have to remind her what happened, which usually causes her to be very upset that she doesn't remember something as serious as a fall. It's a vicious circle. But, true to her personality, she still has a great attitude. She was lamenting about what was going to happen to her and that she was "no good to anyone," when I told her she didn't need to worry about any of that and to just sit there and look pretty. Without hesitation she looks at me so seriously and says, "Well, you'll have to find me a fake face if you expect me to do that!" Have I ever mentioned that I love her?
~~
Because she is so sore, the staff have been helping Gladys get ready for bed at night. One evening as Gladys sat on the toilet, Assistant was gathering her night clothes. "Do you need clean underwear?" Assistant asked.
"I don't know. I'll have to check," Gladys replied as she bent over and took a deep sniff at the crotch of her pulled down panties*. "Nope. Guess not!"
~~
I was helping take orders during lunch. A fairly new resident, who is not only confused but also grumpy (and ready to die, as he repeatedly reminds us) was being somewhat cantankerous. He is also hard of hearing. Because I was speaking to him in a calming voice, I had to lean in close to his face so he could hear me. He looked me in the eye and said very loudly, "I don't know what you're saying to me, but if you get any closer I'm going to kiss you."
~~

Ya can't beat old people for a smile!
Happy Weekending!

*Gladys doesn't wear underwear. She wears panties...usually pink silk. She rocks.

TGIF Photo Friday

Much has been going on administrative-wise, which basically means I've had a really boring office job lately. Luckily I have Gladys to break up the monotony. She had a dream the other night that one of the Workerbees told her she stunk. When she woke up, she thought it had really happened and was she ever upset. I consoled her and assured her it was a dream. Before she left the office, she got up close and whispered "Could you smell me, just to make sure?"

Running. I've run twice this week and plan to go 7 tomorrow. I'm finally back on the wagon.

Photo Friday. Today is the 15th anniversary of the closing of our house. We moved in the very next day...and have been working on it ever since! We've re-wired, re-plumbed, remodeled, knocked out walls, built a deck, put on new siding, fixed the roof, replaced every window, and have loved every minute. The photo is a picture of a painting of our happy house. I had a local artist paint it for Hubby as a Christmas gift a few years ago. The landscape has changed since then (it's much better), but I still love the painting.

And the house.

Wednesday Nuggets

One little guy with dementia (who is so sweet he gives me a tooth-ache) woke up really disoriented this morning. When WorkerBee suggested he get up and go to the bathroom, he sighed and said: "All right. If you want to hold it, you can."
~~~
I hate wearing shoes, and usually kick them off under my desk. Yesterday, as I flounced through the lobby in my bare feet, Garnet remarked that I was "Better Foot." "Do you mean barefoot," I asked? "Nope. I mean Better Foot. My kids used to call it that...and if you think about it, it really is better." Agreed! I love it.
~~~
Gladys thinks that Naomi* has stolen her vacuum (every single day) and she keeps coming to my office to "report" it. She gets really upset...which is one of the reasons her quick wit always catches me off guard. The last time she came to tell me about it I promised her I would contact Naomi's family and get the vacuum back for her. Gladys responded with "That's so very nice of you, but I think the whole situation sucks." I laughed all afternoon.
~~~
*still dead

TGIF

I'm really not too superstitious or into astrology...but I do have to admit that there is something to that full moon stuff. We've had a special kind of crazy going on the past few days. Like residents asking us to help them "get their bowels out," or confused residents talking about how confused other residents are, or the guy who showed up to supper soaking wet and acted like he didn't even notice. Oh, and how can I forget the potential resident whom I met for the first time this week? I knew her for five whole minutes when she proceeded to tell me all about the man she was married to for 20 years before he decided "he liked the boys," and continued to refer to him as "the queer" for the rest of the conversation. Oy.

Then we have Little Miss Chatterbox, who has taken to wearing the lab coat daily. I heard someone ask her if she was a pharmacist. (They were serious.) Gladys thinks Naomi has been taking her teabags while she's out of the apartment. 98-year-old Maude tripped and fell. Before I could even ask if she was alright she threw her cane and purse and yelled "Damn it all to hell." Apparently she was still mad later. She dumped her salad on the table at lunch because the man she was sitting with didn't want one. I guess she doesn't like eating alone? There's more, but I need to cut it short because I can hear Joseph coming (his walker wheel has a distinct squeak) and he's going to want to know about mass. Again.

Here's my Friday Photo! I'm eight years old, and on the left (as you look at the screen, Big Bro. Or the right, if you turn your back to it. Geez.)

I ran twice this week. Next week will be even better. Happy weekending!

Tuesday

Gladys told me that she thinks Joseph is "failing."

"Why do you think that, Gladys?"

"Because he is really confused today. Do you think he could have Alzheimer's* or something?" she asked. Gladys is so damn cute it hurts. I hope someday, if the plaques and tangles attack my brain, that I am just like her.

*Gladys has a confirmed diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease. She is the one and only reason I might wish to be 18 again...simply because this time around I wouldn't mess with the Journalism, er, I mean English, oh wait, I mean Speech Communication majors. Instead, I would study brain science. Alzheimer's is equally fascinating and frightening...and it is incredible to witness how the disease manifests in people with different personality types.


~~~~~~~~AND~~~~~~~~

I finally ran.

It hurt.

How can someone who just ran a marathon six weeks ago already be so out of shape?

TGIF Photo Friday & Ethnic Slurs

Gladys remarked (yet again) about how tan my arms are. Today, however, she added "You look like a little dago." HAHAHA!

Photo Friday isn't very exciting, but this is what I need to put out there this week. Maybe it will help me break out of some bad habits I've developed over the past few weeks.

Is that me? What? I'm a runner?? Interesting. Perhaps then maybe I should...oh, I don't know....run?

Friendly reminder to Self: This is what you look like when you eat whatever you want whenever you want (who eats a lobster roll at Fenway? Seriously?) and don't move much. Stop eating crappy food and start running. Chubbiness lurks...but it is 100% preventable.

Happy Weekending. Maybe I'll try to fit in a run....if I can remember how.

From one circus to another...

The thought has occurred to me before that being at Rock Ridge has great similarities to the circus, so I'm not feeling sad about Circus Week ending. For me it seems to have continued right on into this week, which has been insanely busy. Or just insane. That would be an apt description as well.

I have spent most days this week avoiding Little Miss Chatterbox, whose daughter apparently told her she had dementia. So now LMC wants to remove said daughter as her POA and also wants to talk and talk and talk and talk some more about it. (Random question: Does anyone think it’s a good idea to tell someone with dementia that they have dementia? In case you aren’t sure…the answer is no. As in NO WAY.) I’ve never bitch-slapped anyone, well I don’t even really know what a bitch-slap is, but if I did and I was going to….I would bitch-slap Little Miss Chatterbox’s daughter.

I've also spent a good amount of time reassuring Gladys that I'm going to kick some Naomi ass because that dead bag keeps stealing her stuff. It makes Gladys giggle when I tell her I’m going to beat up Naomi, and she giggles even harder when I show her my guns. Even when she has told me a million times in one day that Naomi stole all of her makeup, I love her like crazy.

Tomorrow I’m going to Boston, for what I'm guessing will be another circus-similar experience. I have a family reunion this weekend. I’m sure I’ll have a story. Or four.

Happy Weekending!

She keeps talking and talking and talking...

Little Miss Chatterbox, all 4’6” of her, is walking around wearing a long white lab coat. By long I mean it touches her ankles. She looks ridiculous…and where on earth she came up with a lab coat to wear, I’ll never know! (All I could do was shake my head and wonder for about the millionth time already this week "what the hell?" It's unbelievable how many times that phrase echoes through my mind on any given day at Rock Ridge!)

Anyway, nothing gets by Gladys. She made some comment to Little Miss Chatterbox, and although I couldn't hear what she said, apparently it referenced the lab coat. So now, all I can hear is the low whine of Little Miss Chatterbox’s grating voice buzzing outside my office. “Well, sure it’s bright and white. Anything can be if you wash it right. No one does laundry right anymore, that’s the trouble. People just buy new clothes because they don’t know how to do the washing, well I say that’s a shame. I only have what I have and nothing more, and I don’t need anymore because I know how to do the washing. My daughter says I need some new clothes but I say what’s the use in that as long as I can take care of what I have and taking care of it means knowing how to do the wash. I’ve had this blouse since 1979 and it still looks brand new and that’s because I take care of what I have.” I've said it before, but this woman’s oratory capability is absolutely astounding. All that in about five seconds and without taking a breath…and she’s still droning on.

How I wish Gladys could remember my advice to never, ever, ever initiate a conversation with LMC! Damn Alzheimer's.

TGIF Photo Friday

It's hot. I don't know if the weather is keeping everyone quiet around the Ridge or not, but there hasn't been too much going on this week. Gladys did tell me this morning that she liked my tan (which I can thank Grandma's for), and when I put my arm up against her lily-white one, she mock-gasped and said "Good grief, I'm dead and don't even know it!" She makes me belly laugh every single day.

I don't have much time (why do I schedule meetings for Fridays?) so here's all I have today, a pic of Hubby and I getting ready for some seriously good food after the marathon last weekend. Just thinking about my steaming plate of wild mushroom risotto with crab sauce and buttered asparagus makes my mouth water. If I ever decide to write another blog I think it will be about food. And eating food. And maybe wine. Mmmmm.....

Oh, and if you want to see what Nic calls the Grandma Death March face, click here. Oy. On the running front: I haven't ran this week. My feet still don't look so great--I actually have one toe that is entirely purple. It is so weird! There is a Firecracker 5K here next weekend...so hopefully the fat toes will fit into a pair of running shoes by then.

Happy Weekending!

Good Gad

I showed Gladys my medal from Grandma's and told her I got it for running a marathon this weekend. "Good grief, I'll bet you were tired!" she exclaimed. She's so dang cute I want to put her in my pocket and keep her forever. "Yeah, I was pretty tired," I agreed.

"You know I used to love to run," she began. "You did?!" I quickly prompted, automatically chalking up just one more reason why I love this woman. "Oh, yes. My sister, she would stay in the house and read a book, but I would always want to go outside and run. Not for any reason, just to run. I think I thought it felt good."

"I think it feels good, too." I smiled.

"Just moving feels good," she continued. "I played basketball in school, too. Boy, I loved that." Gladys is positively tiny, and not just little old lady tiny. You can tell she's been a little person her whole life. Basketball?! I can't imagine this, and tell her so. "Oh, honey, I played all through school. I was the center." I asked her if she was taller than the other kids in her class...I just can't visualize this little wisp of a thing as the center on a basketball team (nor did I have any idea that girls even had a basketball team 75 years ago!) "No, I wasn't really taller than anyone, but I sure could jump...thanks to Mama!" Gladys says this with that ever-present twinkle in her eye.

"Your Mama taught you how to jump?" I asked.

"Oh yeah, with the gad," she laughs as she swooshes her hand back in forth in front of her. Of course I had to ask what on earth a gad was. She explained, "Mama must have called it a gad since she was Irish, but really it was just a piece of a shrub or tree and she'd swat our legs with it to teach us a lesson. I'd always start crying before she ever even swatted me, but that didn't help any. So I learned to jump, which made me a pretty good basketball player!"

I tell Gladys that it sounds as though she's been turning lemons into lemonade her entire life. "You know, I don't see much use in not being happy," she says. "Like some people around here, they sit around all day and say I wish I would die or why don't I die, well all I have to say about that is that I wish they would die already and leave the rest of us happy people alone!"

Well said, Gladys. Well said.

Gladys Goodie

Gladys is outside my office door, sitting in her normal chair. As I walked by to drop something in the mailbox she remarked that I always "look so perky."

"I think you're always pretty perky yourself, Gladys. That must be what keeps you so young," I reply.

"Oh, I wish I were young," she sighs.

"What would you do?" I ask, not really knowing what else to say. She hesitates for only a fraction of a second and comes up with this gem: "Much of the same things I've already done."

I love this woman! Her comment, though said casually, is certainly profound. At 92, she could be outside my office door sitting in a chair thinking about all the parts of her life she wished she could do over. Everyone has things they wish they could do over, Gladys included. What I think we forget sometimes is that those regrets are actually very few in number in the big picture, and while some regrets stick around longer than others, the most important thing is to LET IT GO at some point. If we spend a lifetime giving energy to regrets they will ultimately hold us captive....and someday we'll turn out to be the grumpy asshole at the Assisted Living that no one wants to sit with at lunch.

Instead of dwelling on her "do-overs," Gladys is sitting out there in that chair remembering everything else that has been good about her life. I think she is living proof that a positive attitude and sunny outlook will cultivate a happy life. She has Alzheimer's. She does not know what year it is. She cannot remember her roommate died.

But she is happy.

She makes me happy. Have I mentioned I love her?

Day in the (Alfer) Life

5:30am Alarm sounds. Roll over and go back to sleep.

5:39am Alarm sounds. Hubby says "It's 5:39, Runner Girl." I consider flipping him the bird but realize it's too dark for him to see it. Ruminate on how much DST sucks because it's still dark at 5:39am.

5:41am Groan and drag my dead butt out of bed and wonder why I run.

6:00am Meet Running Partner at the trail. Remember why I run. Smile.

8:00am Arrive at Rock Ridge. Blink headlights at apartment window of bedridden resident. Wait for him to blink his flashlight in reply. Smile.

8:15am Sing good morning to the residents eating breakfast. Consider the fact they would probably like to flip me the bird. Smile.

8:30am Worker Bee wants to "let me know" that a resident smells like poop. ???

10:00am Gladys comes the office to report her coat has been stolen. Smile.

10:47am Joseph comes to the office to find out how he can get to mass. Smile.

10:55am Gladys comes to the office to report her coat has been stolen. Smile.

11:15am WorkerBee comes to office to lodge complaint against her supervisor.

11:27am Gladys comes to the office to report her coat has been stolen. Smile.

12:00pm Mr. Lights-Are-On-But-No-One-Is-Home comes to lunch wearing his pajamas over the top of his clothes. Smile. (he's adorable)

12:01pm Mrs. Sunbather tells me in a (very loud) stage whisper that Mr. Lights-Are-On-But-No-One-Is-Home is wearing pajamas. Smile at her attempt at discretion.

12:05pm Gladys reports her coat has been stolen. Smile.

12:06pm Mr. Lights-Are-On-But-No-One-Is-Home gets up from the dining room table.

12:07pm Mrs. Sunbather tells me that Mr. Lights-Are-On-But-No-One-Is-Home has not eaten yet.

12:08pm Joseph asks how he can get to mass. TRY to smile.

12:09pm Amidst chaos (and in the dining room...ew!) another resident reports their toilet needs plunged.

12:10pm Decide I need to leave for lunch. Consider drinking my lunch. Thought makes me smile. Have a sandwich in the peace and quiet of my own home instead.

12:45pm Reluctantly leave my nice spot on the deck and drive back to Rock Ridge. Blink lights. Smile at flashlight.

1:15pm Gladys reports her coat has been stolen. Smile.

1:30pm Get stopped by Little Miss Chatterbox. Talks and talks and talks and talks. The chatter is so nonsensical I can't help but smile.

1:38pm Gladys saves me by asking where I was headed. "To get a drink," I replied. "It sounds like she's already had one," Gladys retorts, nodding her head at Little Miss Chatterbox. Smile and laugh my head off.

2:00pm Joseph comes to the office to find out about mass. Again. Smile. Again.

2:05pm Resident reminds me toilet need plunged.

2:54pm Gladys reports her coat has been stolen. Smile.

3:20pm Mrs. Torrance (I decided to call her this because her eyes looked exactly like Jack Nicholson's in The Shining!!!) comes to the office to tell me there is a conspiracy against her and that if anything happens to her that I should insist on an autopsy. She goes into great detail.

3:40pm Frantically IM Assistant to come save me.

3:43pm IM Assistant that she's fired.

3:48pm Assistant finally comes to my aid. Declares an emergency to get me out of the office and away from the crazy lady. As I walk away Mrs. Torrance shouts "dont' trust anyone!"

4:00pm Worker Bee, oh never mind.

4:30pm Resident reminds me toilet needs plunged. Consider flipping the bird...but smile instead.

5:00pm Realize that I have not accomplished one single task on to-do list, but have smiled more than most people do in a week. Consider myself lucky.

Foto Friday

A little late for Cinco de Mayo, but how ironic that this picture would be the 8th one in the 5th folder. This is my little bro and I celebrating some past Cinco de Mayo, although by my apparel one might surmise I thought it was Aloha de Mayo... or something. At least I was being festive with the uber-cool lid, but I think really I was just pissed that P.J.'s is bigger. (He has *always* been mom's favorite!!)

The folks at the Ridge have been unusually quiet this week, unless you count the lady who insists rainwater is getting underneath her house...which is causing high humidity on the inside...which is making her nose "run like a faucet," and no matter how long I talked to her she still can't seem to understand her home is built on a SLAB and there is no freaking basement, and even if there were why doesn't she just buy a dehumidifier already?

***

Gladys is having trouble with that pesky Naomi again (reminder: Naomi and Gladys were roomies, until Naomi died last year...which Gladys can't seem to remember). Gladys was in the lobby, overwrought and upset, telling Assistant and I that Naomi has been sneaking into her room while she's at lunch, laying down in Gladys' bed and having the nerve to leave withouth re-making the bed!! She is seriously worked up about this... so upset I think she might make herself stroke out, or at least vomit.

Well, this same day I had a procedure on my eye that left it really swollen and red, so Assistant teasingly tells Gladys that she'll take care of Naomi, makes a fist and punches it into her other hand. "Just look what I did to Carrie when she made me mad," Assistant said to Gladys as she pointed at my puffy eye. Instantly, Gladys goes from totally upset and wringing her hands in despair to the quick-witted little love with Alzheimer's that makes me want to take her home, and says "Hon, you better stay away from her. She beat me three times just today."

I'm continually amazed how sharp and witty Gladys can be when she can't remember Naomi is dead, has no idea what year it is, and thinks she is on vacation at a resort rather than living at an Assisted Living. She's the best.

Two Quickies

I spent a good part of last weekend outside gardening and my arms got a little sun. Monday morning as I walked by Gladys she commented on my "beautiful tan." I'm really not very tan...however Gladys is reallllllly white (well, unless you count the pancake make-up), so I guess to her I must look pretty brown. I thanked her for the compliment, explained I had been outside all weekend and that I'm lucky that I tan easily. "I'd say you're lucky," Gladys exclaims. "You could get yourself hired as a minority."


****


This day is insanely busy, hence the quickies. I've been through the lobby at least a hundred billion times. Gladys has been sitting out there, watching me go back and forth. "You sure have a lot cookin' today," she exclaimed. "I sure do, Gladys! I can't believe how busy this place is today. I wish I could sneak out. " Gladys says I SHOULD sneak out. "Ok, then when someone comes looking for me you just tell them you haven't seen me, ok?"

"Nope. I'll tell them you're out laying in the bars."



She slays me.

Top O' the Day

Gladys is celebrating her Irish roots today by wearing one of these around her neck:





Apparently she couldn't find anything else green.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Updates

Last week Rock Ridge hosted our company's regional training, so we had ten people from all over the US hanging out with us and enjoying all that our small town has to offer, which isn't a whole lot. Hosting is exhausting, and mega time consuming, but the upside was the valuable training and the reaffirmation that I work for an incredible company. It's awesome to spend time with such positive, uplifting, and creative people....all of whom really love old people.

Everyone also claims this industry has been (and will remain) unaffected by the state of our economy. I have to wonder how that is possible, but that's what the experts are saying...so I'm going with it.

In Resident news: My little 102 year old had a heart attack. She wouldn't get out of bed and told the WorkerBee to "go away and leave me alone so I can die today." Well, she didn't die...quite the contrary. She's recovering quite nicely and should be home soon. Incredible.

Gladys claims some shyster came to Rock Ridge and took her picture, charged her $75 for the photo, and never delivered it. I'm guessing something like this actually happened to her at some point in her life, but it totally cracks me up to hear that little sweetie use the word shyster like it's the queen mother of all dirty words.

Maude threw a WorkerBee out of her apartment over the weekend. Maude's family has asked that we give her assistance with bathing, but apparently Maude disagrees that she needs help. She told WorkerBee "I'm getting ready to turn 98 years old! Don't you think I know how to have a bath!?" She has a point.

In Running News: Even with all the company we had last week, I still managed to have a 24-mile week, with half of that mileage coming from a 12-miler on Saturday. The weather looks as though it will be cooperative for some nice runs this week, too. I spontaneously registered for a half marathon on the 28th (Hubby always runs it as a Boston trainer), it's a tiny little race...but should be a great training opportunity. I'm excited about the possibility of this race helping my performance at the Mini on May 2. I've never run a half before the Mini, so I'm hoping it speeds me up a bit. I'd sure love a PR....

That's all!