Lunch at Maungaturoto

Yesterday I decided to take my mother, who is 86 and has the onset of dementia, out to lunch. It was a little treat for her. This is what we said to each other.
She asked, “Where is this place?”
“Maungaturoto.”
“Oh, that’s where your father was born.”
“I know. Well done for remembering that.”
“How long ago would that have been?”
“Eighty-six years ago, Mum.”
There were a few moments’ silence, and then she asked, “Where are we?”
“Maungaturoto.”
“Oh, that’s where your father was born.”
“I know.”
There was a few moment’s silence, and then she asked, “Is this place called Maungaturoto?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, isn’t that where your father was born?”
“Yes.”
“How long ago would that have been?”
“Eighty-six years.”
“That doesn’t seem right. I’m 86.”
“That’s right Mum. He was born in the same year as you.”
“No. He can’t have been.”
“Why not?”
“Because if he was my father, how could he have been born in the same year?”
“No. He was my father, Mum. Not yours.”
“Who was?”
“Tom.”
“Tom? Was I married to Tom?”
“Yes.”
There were a few moments’ silence, and she looked up from her food, and asked, “What’s this place called?”
“Maungaturoto.”
“Isn’t that where your father was born?”
“Yes, it was. Eighty-six years ago.”
“Was he the same age as me?”
“Yes.”
“Well, if your father was born here, where was my father born?”
“Cornwall, England, about 1890.”
“Really? I thought he was born here.”
“No. That was Tom. My father.”
“Your father? Was I married to your father?”
“Yes, Mum, unless you were kidding us all these years.”
There was a few moments’ silence, while she studied the restaurant with a slightly bemused look, and then she said, I’m a bit confused. Did you say your father or my father was born here?”
“My father.”
“And your father was Tom, is that right?”
“Well done, Mum, that’s right.”
I could see the relief on her face, and I asked her, “Now are you able to remember him?”
“I don’t think so,” she said. “I don’t remember living here anyway.”
“No, you didn’t live here. Tom was born here. You always lived in Auckland.”
“Well, if I was married to Tom, what was my father’s name?”
“George.”
“George? George is my brother’s name.”
“That’s right. Your father was also called George. George Prinn.”
“George Prinn? That’s my brother’s name.”
“That’s right. Your brother was named after your father.”
“That’s funny them both having the same name. Quite a coincidence.”
She sipped her cup of tea, and then she said, “Now, let me get all this straight in my mind. What was my father’s name?”
“George.”
“And what was your father’s name?”
“Tom.”
“And did we have children?”
"Yes. You had Ernie, Noeline and me
She looked at me in utter surprise, and said, “Did I? I can’t remember that.”
“Well, you did. Ernie died many years ago, Noeline is nearly 60 and I’m 57.”
“I feel awful,” she said. “It’s like a story you are telling me about somebody else. I just can’t remember all that. Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure, Mum. But don’t let it worry you. It was all a long time ago and it doesn’t matter.
“But I should be able to remember. It’s strange,” she said, “not being able to remember.”
All the time this conversation was taking place, I was trying to keep my voice from showing anger and frustration. Now I looked at my mother properly. I felt pity for her. It must be dreadful not to remember people who once meant all the world to you. I chastised myself for not having more patience at times like this and resolved to show her more love and understanding in the future.
Mum put down her cup, and asked, “What’s this place called?”
“Timbukbloodytoo,” I said. “Come on, Mum we’re going home.
Raewyn MacDonald

More New Automobiles !!

Nana's got TWO new cars !! Sorta...Kinda...Well really, Nana has

gone green with two electric automobiles. Cutting edge...save

the planet...low carbon footprint...loving and caring for

"mother earth"...etc. blah blah blah.

P.S. If you read the police reports and happen upon a report

about a grandma driving a small pink electric vehicle without

current registration and licenses....remember...you read about

it here first.

Nissan Altima

Poppa's got a brand new car. WooHooo!!

BATHROOM PHOTOS etc,

By popular demand, here are photos of our recently almost completed guest bath remodel. It's hard to get a sense of the whole remodel in a few photos. I purposely have not shared any images of the DualMax Toto Supreme since it will soon be gone and replaced by a more conventional Toto.
I have been struggling with managing the photos located on two cameras, two PCs and three different photo software packages...trying to get all of the photos downloaded to one of the three software options. I believe that I have just succeeded. Therefore, sooner or later, I will now be able to edit our NZ photos, upload them (to Picassa) and invite y'all to view them....soon or maybe later.

REMODELING REDUX

I've been taking a lot of flak from my blog fans about lack of new material, blah, blah, blah. Since everyone is probably on the edge of their seats, waiting for news about THE remodel, I will fill you in....with the rest of the story. The new cabinets, the granite counter and the new tub were all installed by the end of the first week. The past three weeks have centered around the need to get the tile set (tub surround and floor) so that the plumber could return to install the hardware (shower, sink & toilet). I remind you that our deadline was May 30 due to the arrival of friends from NZ. There was the delay in the arrival of some of the tile, broken trucks, bad backs, short work days and long lunch breaks. However, the last of the tile was installed on the 29th, the plumber returned to install the fixtures...but... All went well until the installation of "The Toilet" began. Not any old toilet but a water saving, two-volume flushing, sleek and beautiful Toto Supreme. They are used all over Asia and New Zealand. The installation took three hours and the plumber said that if we installed another, there would be additional charges for time and aggravation. Toto...this isn't Kansas anymore and I will never hear Dorothy call her dog and have quite the same pictures dancing through my head. The installation was further extended by attempts to adjust the Toto in order to successfully flush one very small toilet paper section using the "#1 flush". Needless to say, there is a larger flush whose name shall I shall leave to your imagination. We had seen a demonstration of a similarly engineered toilet, flush 12 tennis balls and a small stuffed bear in less than a second. Ours was struggling with a much smaller challenge.
The morning of the 30th saw yours truly, installing the new shower doors until about noon. Drilling through tile (six holes) is not for the faint hearted or weak. Every muscle in my body came into play, leaning on the drill and trying to will the drill bit through the tiles. The last step was calking around the doors and then having to wait 24 hours to let it properly cure. So Sunday morning our guests could finally use the shower, the Toto seems to be functioning and behaving properly and all is well. Well, almost. In a week, we begin work on the other bath. A new adventure to look forward to, but as they say, "no pain, no gain". Films at eleven.

Remodeling

How do these things begin? How do they obtain a life of their own? It usually starts with just some new paint...or a new floor. The new floor is then leads one to look more closely at the adjoining tub. Maybe we should find out what it would cost for a new tub...and maybe a new tub enclosure. Well, since we're going to have a new tub then we certainly need new shower doors and rather than plastic shower enclosure, wouldn't tile look better?...something to compliment the new floor? And since we're ripping up the floor, it's a good time to replace and upgrade the toilet to match the tub. Wait!!! If we are replacing the floor, the tub, the tub surround and the toilet, can we possibly leave the counter and sink in its old and ugly state? Noooooooo ! So now we have moved on to a granite counter..beeeaauuutuiful...with an appropriately new sink and faucet...priced a "moderately" price faucet lately? Ok...where were we? We've replaced almost everything in the bathroom and placed a beautiful new granite counter top on a 20 year old cabinet. Oh the inhumanity!! How can we possibly been so thoughtless? We can't leave that cheap and well worn cabinet to sully the brand spanking and new everything else? Let's review. We've replaced everything in the the guest bath. And it feels so good and looks so good. We've upgraded. Guests can use the bathroom once again without signing a waiver of liability. Now the difficult and challenging part...we have to move beyond the "plan" and begin and acutally begin the remodel. (Donations are gladly received but are not tax deductable). Oh yes, it's May 2 and we have guests coming from New Zealand on May 29th....can anyone recommend a good Port-a-Potty rental service?

Golden Years

One of the constants in this life is change. The only things that don’t change are God and His Word. But in the here and now, we can pretty much rely on another change or changes coming around the very next corner. We feel that some changes are good and perhaps a few are even great, but when the change shakes our comfort zone, the adjustment period is often filled the five stages of grieving because it involves the loss of what was and an adjustment to what is not yet fully known. What was may have been lousy but we had managed to move it into our comfort zone. During the Golden Years (which is somewhere near the end of the rainbow), and event called retirement usually comes along (at least in our society) and with retirement, comes change. Change that requires adjustments, some considered good or maybe even great, along with others that wobble our comfort zone and for a time, create uneasiness. When one half of a couple enters retirement, the relationship takes on a different flavor and for a time, adjustments are made as a somewhat different relationship begins to grow and take shape. We are in the process of making such an adjustment…as Marie transitions from hardworking, loyal, professional, underpaid and underappreciated employee to hardworking, loyal, underpaid and appreciated wife, grandmother, interior designer, house-painting, power-washing, lawn-mowing retiree. Ahh….the Golden Years.