A Week of Snow

What a week we've had - snow, ice, freezing rain and lots of cancelled appointments! I am not taking Mom and Dad out in this until the roads and sidewalks are all clear. Hopefully that will happen in the next day or two.

It has been an interesting week of being housebound and I see so clearly what lack of activity does to both of them. The commercial that says "a body in motion tends to stay in motion and a body in rest tends to stay in rest" comes to mind as I observe how hard it is to get them going. Even to walk around the house! One of the appointments we had to miss was with the social worker at Northshore Senior Center. We were going to check out their programs and specifically their Adult Day Care. Part of my commitment to health for all of us is finding a way for me to have a sabbath and this looks like one viable option. So as soon as possible we'll reschedule and try again.

We have had some really good conversations around ways to keep them engaged in life. Last week I looked up a pool in Lynnwood that has a warm therapy pool where Dad could get some exercise and relief for his feet. Since he hasn't gone swimming in years my first task was to get him a swimming suit which I found at Target last Saturday. When I brought it home to him, I handed it to him and said he'd need to make sure it fit. The next time I checked on them - he was lying on the couch in his new swim trunks (and a shirt). He looked so proud and excited and a bit like a little boy with his knobby knees. I can tell that he's excited so this will have to be a priority when this darn snow melts. It has been beautiful, restful and very constricting so we're all ready for it to be gone. Except for Mom - she prefers to be homebound and loves the excuse of the snow to stay at rest. That will have to change!