Tour de Force: a French expression meaning an exceptional creative achievement, a particularly adroit manoeuvre, or a difficult feat
June 30, 2012
Shannon and her 5-year-old son Mateo picked up Erin this morning and they went to Davis to see Paco’s All-Star game at noon. Steve said that Paco’s team won today …they had lost the first game last Wed. evening.
Steve said Erin held up through the game. Afterwards, they went back to the house, and he said he had no trouble getting her up the new ramp. She took a nap this afternoon and plans to stay there tonight, and Steve will bring her back here tomorrow afternoon.
Barbara
June 29, 2012
Today was busy with Abby the bath giver, Marilou the Social Worker, and Barbara the Hospice Volunteer. Erin fell again in the bathroom, sort of slipping down along the transfer pole, so she didn’t hurt herself.
When we got home from bridge tonight, Barbara said that Erin had had pizza for dinner, watched a little TV, and went to bed about 9 pm. Barbara had transferred towels and sheets to the dryer, folded them, and helped Erin do a load of laundry.
Colleen stopped by in the afternoon and stayed for about 45 min chatting with Erin.
Barbara
June 28, 2012
Today Erin’s friend, Aletha, who works downtown, came to visit Erin on her lunch hour. Aletha is one of the 6 chicks who have gotten together for dinner for the past 10 years or so. The visit gave Erin a boost, and she seems quite cheerful tonight.
Erin fell the night before last when she came to the kitchen a little after midnight. I guess she was sitting in the wheelchair reaching to the floor to pick up something that she dropped, when she fell out of the chair. She crawled to the living room and called for us. But, she didn’t want to try to get back in the chair and just crawled all the way back to her room. We have been told not to try to lift her when she falls, but just keep her calm, and hold the chair steady if she wants to get back in it, which sometimes she does quite easily.
Barbara
June 27, 2012
Shannon took Erin out at 11 for Trader Joe’s shopping where they ran into Barbara, the hospice volunteer. So, she and Shannon got to meet each other. Then Erin and Shannon went to lunch at Les Baux on Folsom Blvd in the old location of Cassidy’s. Shannon agreed with me that they didn’t need to go back. There are only about 5 items on the menu, you order at the counter, and the sandwiches aren’t that big. I tried to look up the meaning of bau in my French dictionary with no luck. Lililane, is it a made up word? The owner is Vietnamese – he has the La Bou restaurants here, which started out as La Boulangerie, but got shortened.
Erin came home exhausted and in pain from head-to-toe. We were supposed to take her down to Davis for Paco’s All-Star game at 6, but she cancelled. She cried quite a bit, then decided maybe she should not have reduced her prozac. So, after taking one of those, she almost instantly felt better, had a good dinner, and went to bed early.
Barbara
June 26, 2012
Denise, the RN, was here today, and Erin wept a little, but then perked up and has been fine since. Steve had to come to town to pick up his laptop which was being repaired and he returned Erin’s MacBook Air which he had borrowed while his Mac was in the shop.
They went out to dinner at Roxy where Erin ordered tilapia and brought her leftovers home for me. Clark and I went to Ettore’s where I ordered grilled salmon on a bed of couscous. I brought my leftovers home for Erin!
Erun says she is in no pain.
Barbara
June 25, 2012
Erin slept most of the day. She is feeling very blue. Tonight she did eat a mushroom-cheese omelet which Clark had cooked for her.
Geraldine called from England and Colleen stopped by to visit her tonight.
Barbara
June 24, 2012
Steve sent the following photo and message last Friday. Erin
hasn’t used the ramps yet. Clark was going to take her to Davis
this afternoon, but she was too tired and Steve and the boys
had errands to do. So, they came over late this afternoon
bringing In and Out Burgers.
I asked Paco about camp. They had 4 counselors to 6 boys
his age who all shared a cabin. There was spaghetti, hamburgers,
hot dogs, chicken nuggets, smores for food. There was a
swimming pool, archery, and canoeing. There was “cabin chat”
at night with the lights out just before they went to sleep which was
when they discussed their situations of parents with cancer.
I thought that he was fairly enthusiastic about it, though Steve
says he doesn’t want to go back.
Barbara
Here is the message from Steve:
Sent: Friday, June 22, 2012 5:08 PM
Subject: Ramps
I couldn’t find ramps long enough anywhere so I made them. These are 10 feet
long but fold into 5 foot lengths. I also added aluminum ramps at the end so
they can fit over the doorsill.
The boys were very excited to help me make them, though Paco was sad
that I wouldn’t let him use the power drill.
Steve
June 23, 2012
Erin couldn’t sleep last night and said she didn’t get to sleep until 7 this morning. So, she elected not to go out with the chicks tonight. They were going to a movie in Roseville and then to dinner.
She transferred to a couch in the living room this evening and we watched some of the Olympic trials taking place in Eugene. Now, she and “Spencer Tracy” (a la Anne Smith’s comment) are watching a Harrison Ford movie.
Barbara
