Surgical Miracle

Mother is recovering nicely from eye surgery. She and the rest of the family are resting while I am still wired from a mega-dose of espresso consumed early this morning to prepare for my role as the driver.

My sister arrived in town just a few hours before dawn and has a bit of odor de old man about her. After spending two months in California with her friend and his 90 year old grandfather what can she expect? The old man smoked cigarettes around his house while followed by his trusty Chihuahua. Grandfather and grandson told her she was using too much water and too many rolls of toilet paper. Those are her two signature consumer habits. Sounds like a camping expedition to me.

When we arrived at the hospital, the scent of cilantro trailed around us. I'd like to think it was the spirit of my Nana. Maybe my mother anointed herself with the only herbs she could find in the house.

Dad was confused but was enjoying the action! We looked at fashion magazines together and I asked him to pick out his favorite pair of shoes and lipstick from a six-page spread. Turns out we have the same taste. Remarkable.

Before the sedatives even hit the IV, Mom demonstrated her inability to give a close-ended response to a close-ended question. Asked about her allergy to latex she managed to go in depth about her entire history of reactions to latex. My sister claims mom likes to answer questions in narrative form.

Whenever my mother undergoes surgery, she is convinced that because of a heart problem she will die under anesthesia . She put this morbid idea in my head at a very young age. I'm happy to say she came out of it fine, though she looks like someone punched her in the face and she can't feel her jaw. I happen to love her new sunglasses. They are the same pair that elderly couple was wearing when they plowed across traffic and slammed into me (they got the citation for reckless driving), back in Wisconsin.