Sunday, May 18, 2014 

The Duckster came for breakfast. We sat out on the back porch and ate and chatted up a storm. Donald is into everything and adored by all the women in his church. He does this, that, and the other thing related to amputees, being one himself. Good man. Went from dissolute to absolutely wonderful. But we joke that God had to take his legs to do it! After breakfast, he started his drive back to South Carolina with a bag of Nuts.com organic trail mix (hard to part with these treats) and some water. 

Rob and I then made our way to the farm. The boxes for the luminaries were still in my car. So we made our way down the lane to pick them up and load the boxes into the barn. We also wound up helping to put tables away and undo some of the lovely decorations. I sure hope someone sends me photos. The bride and groom were there, too. They will be off to Hawaii tomorrow. A most memorable wedding and a most beautiful couple. 

We spent about 2.5 hours at the farm, and left mom at the kitchen counter, where she was doing her word search puzzles. But they seem to be getting more difficult for her. Either that or she is getting bored with them or maybe just having a tough day. At night, she asked if she could sleep with me again. I was firm and said no. Then she asked if there were anybody who would sleep with her. We went through a list of neighbors, all of whom were married and lived at home with their spouses. My brother suggested we get her a stuffed animal. My friend Nancy suggested a baby doll for her to take care of. Actually breaks my heart to see mom go down this road. My mother is really gone in a very large sense. Oh sure, there are aspects of her here and there, but she has lost her independence and her strength—among other things. As I have loads of stuffed animals in the basement, I will bring up a suitable candidate for her. Perhaps it will help. “Big” Aunt Marge had a baby doll to care for at the end. I found that bizarre, but we are now in the same position: mother, a little girl and descending.