Soup & Dinner With Friends

A sunny day and sunny disposition to match. Our girl is improving. I'd have to say the gall bladder issue probably set her back a good week, what with missed therapy, pain, and generally not doing well. Judging by today, I'd say she's back on track.

She'd better be, because a goal posted by the staff on the wall of her room shows a projected "Go Home" date of July 22. I don't know if we'll make that, but it is getting close.

Each meal she is enjoying treats that I bring her, to supplement her mostly liquid diet. Today I brought a couple of "super food" type drinks made by Odwella. She drank half of an 8-ounce bottle with breakfast and the other half split between lunch and dinner. With Bettie in her wheelchair I took her along for a little stroll in the sunshine after breakfast and then promised to return at lunch, when our daughter Kim would be coming. I did, and Kim arrived just after lunch at 1 p.m. and had a nice visit all afternoon.

When I returned just before dinner, I found Bettie in the lounge area, earnestly looking at a recipe in a Woman's Day magazine. She was probably thinking, "There must be something in here I could make that would beat the tomato soup I've had to eat for my last three lunch and dinners." When I finally tore her away to go to dinner, she had...yep, another bowl of mmmm mmmm good, tomato soup.

Speaking of dinner time, since I'm there for two and sometimes all three meals, I've gotten to know the cast of characters, both staff and patients. It is a fun group. Today we had a birthday cake at lunch for Katie, Bettie's roommate. To give you an idea of the dinner repartee: one of the patients said, "Ya know, with all the fun we have here, I'm really going to hate leaving this place." Kattie chimed in with something like: "If you really mean that, you're the sickest one here."