Day 4.......All work, and Play!

Today was an exhausting day but I got a lot accomplished and had fun with Dad while doing it!  This will probably be a boring blog!

I was out of the house by just after 9:00 headed to Target to buy a mouse for Dad's small laptop computer.  I was carrying a hammer and picture hooks; wood glue and clamps to repair the entertainment center and a 2 page form that needed filling out for Dad's Veterans (VA) payments.

Dad was just completing therapy when I arrived so I quickly grabbed the head therapist and asked her to complete her portion of the VA form.  I also will need Dad's nurse to complete part of the form and his Doctor's signature too.  The Dr. is located in Manassas within 5 miles of Dad, but I need to drive there and hopefully arrive before they close for lunch at noon.  It's currently just after 10:00.  If you've never been to northern Virginia/Metro DC you have NO IDEA how much traffic and road construction is ongoing and how miserable it can be to do anything here!  I'm not looking forward to running around!

First things first....install the mouse and work with Dad using it.  Ahhhhhh, much easier with a mouse than with the touch pad.  Accomplishment number 1!

Now it's time to tackle the entertainment center.  Terry has given me two clamps and some glue and I proceed but doh, the glue has dried up.  End of that project until I go out to the doctor's office.

Now it's time to pick up the form from the therapist and get the nurse to sign off.  I sit and wait for the nurse....10.....15 minutes.  Finally decide to try later and head back up to Dad.  Meanwhile he has gotten completely lost on the computer so we try to figure that out again.  By now it's 11:20 and I want to leave by around 11:30 to go to the Dr's office before they close.  I went back out to find the nurse and by 11:45 I've entered GPS coordinates into my phone and I'm on my way to the Dr's office. 

I arrive at the Dr's office after noon (closing time for the entire afternoon) and plead with the man at the front office to please see if he can get the form signed.  Turns out most of his relatives live in the Bay Area and I think he kinda likes me.  I can be very nice.  50 minutes later I meet the Dr and get the form signed!  That was BIG accomplishment number 2.

Did I mention I hadn't eaten breakfast?

I leave and dash to Subway (eat fresh!) for a veggie delight, wolf it down, stop at a hardware store and buy glue and head back to Dad's.  By this time he's through with lunch and back in his room trying to use the computer.  He was used to a PC and the laptop is perplexing him and is difficult to use.  We try again.

Then the fun part begins!  By Dad's direction, I start hanging and re-arranging artwork.  Then we get into moving furniture around, oh, and I repair the entertainment center.  AND I unstuff the vacuum cleaner hose and vacuum the art and clean his room and organize all his papers and put away cards, etc.  We had fun!  I love doing that sort of thing - re-arranging furniture and hanging art.  Just ask Gordon!

So after leaving him at 4:00 I came home and took a shower and now Terry, Sandy and I are going out for a lovely dinner at this wonderful restaurant called Forlanos.  I've been there before with them and the food was fabulous and they have a very lively atmosphere.

Tomorrow I'm bringing more artwork to Dad and we'll do a little more decorating and cleaning and straightening up.




p.s.  just back from Forlano's....wow, wonderful food all local and handmade; calamari, bruschetti with cherry tomatoes and mozzarella; crab cakes; flank steak; lamb sausage over home made fettuccine; chocolate torte and poached pear; glasses of Sauvignon Blanc and red wine.  I can't remember what Sandy and Terry had!