I seem to have inherited a grown up sister.

Well, she's actually been my sister all along, but it's just been of late that I've come to see that she's somehow not my little sister anymore.  I blame my mother.

You see, my mother is now 89, and disappearing. 

Disappearing in the way that most old folks do, in the sense of being less ‘there' mentally -prone to asking you how the family is, minutes after asking you how the family is.  And she needs way more care than she did just a few years ago.  This is what changed my sister.

When my mom's health started to deteriorate a few years back, it was my sister, who was the only one of four kids that lived near enough (a few blocks away in her case) to do much good on a day-to-day basis.  And as a result my sister had to do everything.

At first my sister objected - she couldn't travel when she wanted to, she had to make twice a day visits, act as taxi driver, get pills, find gardeners, talk to doctors and physical therapists, and plead with her brothers for help.
But somewhere along the line she changed.  I don't know whether it was her Buddhist nature, her supportive husband, or what, but she turned the whole experience around into what she now calls a ‘wonderful time'.   She now sends all three brothers a weekly update, and it's this that made me realize she's changed.

So, with apologies to her for sharing, I give you the email she sent to the brothers on mother's day.  Note: my mother (‘Ellie'), to add to her difficulties, recently fell and broke her hip; she can now only get around with a walker.

Happy mothers day everyone,
 
I hope you are well complete with a robust spirit.
 
This week held more new territory for Ellie as we explored the events held on our mother earth. We checked up on the baby geese and heard quite a conversation between the breeze and the leaves on the trees, of course then the geese had their say. We purchased seeds as well as a few plants for her planter boxes. Ellie was timid about getting in the dirt, so I fearlessly lead the way by playing with it, then there was no stopping her and we planted everything in those two boxes...tomatos, strawberries, lettuce, beets, carrots, chives, nasturtiums, zinnias, oh, many more. Intensive gardening...all will be a surprise. We tried out a watercolor class held at the senior center on Friday mornings. Saturday was a trip to the coop for sparkling cider and Swiss cheese, and today we went to the arboretum and soaked in the pastoral scene complete with families having picnics on the grass. Later on it was exercise time and another walk, followed by green tea ice tea mixed with a soda called squirt. What a name.
 
Hope you enjoyed the full moon on Saturday.