Saturday was spent in my car. We probably put in at least five hours worth of travel, but they were good miles. I had a mix of podcasts on my iPod (catching up with Bandana Blues, All Songs Considered, and The Lost Podcast with Jay and Jack). Erin was plugged into her iPod Touch she got at Christmas and watched Pirates of the Caribbean or listened to Linkin Park (she’s not a typical 13 year old girl when it comes to her music).
I decided to head out to Glenwood since I had not seen my Grandfather since early December. Original plans were to get back together around Christmas, but the weather chose not to cooperate and I never made the trip. Since then, the struggles of being a single dad, a homeowner, and assorted responsibilities never provided an open day to hit the road. Fortunately, Saturday was available and we headed out.
I have a feeling that every picture of Erin for the next five years will look exactly like this
The plan was to show up in town right around lunchtime. Grandpa Gene has been struggling with a few ailments as of late, so he wasn’t too thrilled in heading out for a meal at a local restaurant. Instead, I stopped by Tom’s Food Pride and bought some assortments from the grocery store – including fried chicken, potato salad, mixed fruit, and chips. It was all good comfort food and fitting of the overcast day and cold temperatures in the area.
For 90+ years old, my grandpa is doing OK. He is definitely a “glass half empty” guy and paints a picture that is full of misery and struggle. But he still lives alone, has his wits about him, and does a nice job of taking care of himself.
Shortly after lunch, Grandpa stated he received something in the mail that he needed to fill-out. I looked through his stack of papers and found a survey from the state that was intended to review the various forms of assisted care he receives. He has weekly house cleaning, weekly nursing, and additional contact with the state agency. I convinced Erin to help him with this and chuckled as she read each question multiple times (usually followed by my Grandpa pausing for a second and then asking “What??”) while I did a little deep-cleaning within his apartment.
The state-provided cleaning service is OK for the superficial basics, but doesn’t take the time to go beyond the heavily-used surfaces and get into areas that are a little more out-of-the-way. The top of the refrigerator had a thick coating of dust and grime. The inside of his toaster oven needed a good scrubbing and removal of crumbs. The walls around the sink were splattered and in need of a wipe-down. The type of cleaning that had been done regularly was similar to telling a teenager to wipe a counter top. They will strategically wipe around anything placed on the counter, without lifting something up to get underneath it.
I dug through his refrigerator to see if anything needed to be replaced. He gets most of his meals delivered from the local Senior Citizens Center, but he also has a few basics for breakfast or other snacks. I found some old heavy cream (expired in Dec 2009) and some bacon that showed an expiration date of May 2008. This stuff immediately went into the garbage and I added it to a list things to replace by running to a few stores before leaving. I also noticed his kitchen rug was slippery with no rubber backing – so that also went to the garbage and a stable replacement was purchased.
At over 90 years of age, Gene does okay for himself
He had received his tabs for his truck (yeah – it’s a little scary that he still drives his own vehicle), so I went outside to get them adhered to his license plate and make him “legal” on the road. His truck recently gave him some problems due to the cold temperatures and very minimal, in-town driving (his fuel filter froze), so I decided to fire it up and take it down the road for a little test drive. It seemed to run OK (it reminds me of my old truck – as it shares the same under carriage and interior) and I stopped at a gas station to fill it up for him. As much as I worry about his ability behind the wheel due to his age – I still think any accident he would get into would probably be the fault of the other driver.
Erin and I headed back mid-afternoon and decided to detour slightly to Hutchinson to pay a visit to my brother’s family and his five boys. In typical fashion, they were all going different directions, but seemed happy to have someone over to break up the monotony of playing with their brothers. They are all great kids and each one proudly displayed some of the things that have been capturing their attention lately – various books, toys, or games. Their household is a radical departure from mine, as my daughter has always been quiet and usually finds things to occupy herself. A house with five boys is always in-motion and nary a minute goes by when someone doesn’t ask for their mother’s or father’s attention.
Although a good trip, it led me to contemplate what will happen when I get old. I hope to live a long, healthy life of activity that keeps both my mind and body in steady engagement. I also hope I don’t outlive so many of those around me that I have little left but to sit around, waiting to die. There is something to be said for going out of this life in a “blaze of glory” versus a slow fade … I can only hope I strike the right balance.
