Report on Dad 9-19-10

Hi, Everyone!

My sister Christie phoned Dad last week and told me about it when we talked earlier in the week, and tonight I spoke briefly with my sister Martha about Dad and also was able to speak to Dad myself.

When I visited Christie in Pittsburgh over the Labor Day weekend, I gave her the phone number of the care facility, and we agreed that we'd call and talk to Dad every other week.

Last week was Christie's week. Christie said that although it was good to be able to talk to Dad, he seemed confused by her stories about family members. That was disappointing to her. I told her that I tried to think of just a couple of stories to tell and kept them very brief. (But Dad may also have been more confused last week than usual.)

When I spoke to Martha tonight, she said Dad has "settled down" again--he's no longer agitated or hyper, and he's sleeping well again. She said that on Monday night, she and her husband, Dave, went to visit Dad and found that Lucy, my sister who lives in Payson, was there with her husband, Bob. So Dave and Bob visited with each other and Martha and Lucy visited, sitting by Dad and "directing" their conversation to him. It sounds like it was a nice visit for everyone.

I was pleased that I got to speak to Dad tonight, and his voice sounded strong. He laughed heartily when I told him that my grandson Jeffrey's favorite part of potty training was flushing the toilet and that he did it often! He was also responsive to my story about Jeffrey climbing out of his crib--which happened for the first time last night.

Since he was being so responsive, I went beyond my two stories and told him that one of Jeffrey's favorite songs right now is "The Boll Weevil" that Dad used to sing to us when we were kids. I went over the start of the verses with him--probably too quickly, but then he asked me to repeat one, and I slowed down and said the whole verse:

"Now, the merchant took half the cotton,
And the boll weevil got the rest.
Didn't leave that farmer's wife..."

Dad filled in the next line, "But one old cotton dress," and I ended it--"And it's full of holes, and it's full of holes."

I also told Dad about seeing "Much Ado" with Christie in Pittsburgh, and he said, "Oh, was it a good production?" I briefly told him that it was done in modern dress, very simply, but that we thought the actors spoke the lines very well.

Dad told me several times how good my voice sounded, and I returned the compliment. We told each other how much we love each other, and we said goodbye. It was a great conversation!

Good night, all, and thanks for reading!