I'm getting old.

I cut myself on a broken vase unpacking W.'s stuff from her return from Rehab. Two thoughts ran through my head as I looked at the blood. "Boy, it looks like my blood is iron rich today" and "Gee, that's a great opportunity to check my blood sugar - too bad I don't have my monitor with me".

Next I had the problem of needing a band aid. I know where they are in her house because we surreptiously took the opportunity to do a little digging to get rid of stuff that should never have made the move with her. I need a band aid but will she remember where they are (stuffed in the top drawer of her dresser with glasses that don't belong to her, little folding scissors that couldn't cut anything, a weird tube like thing with numbers from her husband's old work, bits of paper, manuals, letters and important stuff, empty containers, and stuff). If I go get the band aid then she will know that I know. Luckily she remembered where they were.

Which reminds me of the nightgowns. Up on the top shelf there were these two white nightgowns with Care Bears on them. They were stained and worn out. Taking the opportunity to at least get rid of some of her excess of clothes I chucked them. I had no idea that they are actually the nightgowns she uses all the time. How could I have guessed? Luckily there was one that escaped my pillaging. W. is annoyed and can't understand why I threw out perfectly good clothing. I pointed out that if someone came to the Salvation Army with that nightgown that they would throw it out and give something better out of their stockpile; surely she should have clothing at least as good as that.

To prove my point I pulled out a white t-shirt which is stained all down the front. With dozens of shirts why keep this? She insists that the washing machine at the building is very bad and everyone knows it. This is a typical response which I can't win since the logic just isn't there - I really don't care why its so stained, I really want to know why it can't be thrown out.

C. and I were laughing on the way home because he brought up that she is embarassed to wear her Lifecall button around her neck but has no problem with the stains!

Anyhow, I do feel bad that she feels her rights are violated but its a difficult thing - she has the money to have nicer things but she won't throw anything out and I'm not sure she sees well enough to know how bad some of the stuff is. If she was in a nursing home dressed like that I would be upset that no one could find something better. I'm off to buy nightgowns at some point during my visit today!