Cathy in the Wright

Visitor or Resident?

I don't know if I've ever confessed this before, but I'm not a morning person. I rise early, but only because The Governor does. Social Services agencies tend to frown on throwing a box of cereal and a Tippee cup of milk over the crib rail and going back to bed.

So I'm not overly cheerful in the a.m., especially Tuesday mornings after a late soccer game and getting up extra early so Hoocher can have a bath before our nursing home visit. By the time we hit the Manor, however, I've recovered enough to pass as civilized. Usually.

Today Hoocher and I were sitting in Mary's room. Mary was formerly in the Alzheimer's Unit. I'm not sure why she moved out to the regular ward, but it happens from time to time. So I'm holding Mary's hand and trying to respond to her fairly incoherent sentences when one of the housekeeping ladies stops in with clean laundry. Mary said, "Oh how beautiful." I wasn't sure if she was talking about the woman, who did look rather fetching in an XXL purple uniform, or the laundry, but hey...ask too many questions - get too many unexplicable answers.

The housekeeping gal must have skipped her rotation in the Alzheimer's wing. She wanted to know what was beautiful. Mary starts laughing. Housekeeping Gal (HG) somehow takes the laughing personally. "What's so funny? What are you laughing at?" HG turns to me, "What's she laughing at?"

I wanted to borrow Mother Superior's ruler and rap this woman across the skull. How long have you worked here? What percentage of people here ever know why they're laughing? I answered, "She thinks you're a day lilly."

HG looks confused and leaves abruptly.

When in la-la land...

Posted by Cathy at April 13, 2004 12:48 PM