My new pet...

A friend of mine brought a new pet to the library for me. It's an axolotl...a type of salamander from Mexico. So far he's getting along nicely with my blue betta. He's still in an early stage of development...doesn't have his back legs yet. I'll try to keep you up on his progress here.

I spent Friday with Mom on my day off. She is about the same...she can't walk at all now and so moving her from bed to the wheelchair and the commode is a major undertaking. Especially when it's just me and Dad. It's a lot easier with John there because he's strong enough to support all her weight. She's lost the use of her left hand and the left side of her face isn't functioning right either. It's so sad to see how this disease has progressed. Her mind is still good and she has a good memory but some difficulty expressing herself. Eating is difficult because she gets choked easily. We keep a small wastebasket under the foot of her recliner so she won't try to get up alone. That's what happened the last time she fell. It frustrates her and makes her mad at times but it's the safest way to keep her from falling out of her recliner. Sherry came over Friday afternoon so Dad could get out of the house for a little while. He loves to hunt for Indian artifacts and so he had an hour or two of hunting to give him a little break. I know he's so exhausted mentally, physically and emotionally caring for Mom 24 hours a day. He still doesn't look like he's 80 but I think he's starting to feel like it. I'm going out there tomorrow morning so Sherry can have a break to go home and feed her animals. She has a bunch of horses, cattle, and 2 llamas plus assorted dogs and cats so feeding and watering them is a major job! I really admire all the time she's put into Mom's care...she's laid off from her job and hasn't really had time to look for another so this has been a big sacrifice for her. She and Ruth really have the biggest burden of Mom's care aside from Dad since they don't have jobs right now. It's been pretty tough on all of us, but I'm really glad we've had the chance to show Mom and Dad how much they mean to us.