10/31 Halloween

I went to Rainbow Grocery yesterday.  Just wanted to compare some prices, but they beat everything so ended up shopping.  Got Richard a pumpkin cake cookie for Halloween.  You can no longer buy a raw almond in California.  WTF is that about?!  If you want to buy raw almonds you have to buy imported almonds....like from another country.  But in my search for the elusive I stumbled upon the coolest isle in the store - bulk herbs.  And these aren't just cooking herbs, they are medicinal plants as well used in homeopathic medicine...dandelion root, thistle, and a whole bunch that Ive never even heard of.  One side is medicinal stuff, the other is cooking herbs.  This was like the witches brew section of Hogwarts.  I ended up with a giant cart full of plastic bags full of bulk items...and some indian food for dinner.

Had to backtrack to dim sum and discovered a new variety of pork and peanut which was off the hook.  He looked like he was asleep when I got there, but when I said how are you he said not good I cant sleep.  I said its 3 in the afternoon you shouldn't be sleeping anyway, and he said oh well then cancel the call.  Didn't realize what that meant until a CNA came in later because he had pushed the call button to get sleep medicine.

Took him a while to get his bed situated correctly but he did.  He pretty much devoured everything.  His Physical Therapist came in right when I got there and I asked her to give us 30 minutes which she graciously did.  Ended up being perfect amount of time for him to eat.

He said his occupational therapist was on his ass about celebrating in his victories more.   His accomplishments for the day were that he had gotten to the commode independently 3 times, and dressed himself.  I said well that is awesome and worth celebrating, that's moving towards independence right?  Sort of blank stare and an mmmmm....Celebrating is not really in his personality...LOL. On a relative scale to September 1st this IS a huge success.  He still flops a little bit so Arlene had requested the work with him on getting up and sitting on the commode with purpose and not aim and flop.  Same for getting into bed...sitting in a chair - all of it.  He needs to strengthen those thigh muscles to hold him all the way down to a seated position.  Right now its about 1/2 the way...longer if you remind him to go slowly.  He needs his own brain to remind him rather than outside ques, so practicing will hopefully give muscle memory.

I went to bed early and got up to watch the sunrise today.

Nicky is picking me up in a few hours to take me to that awesome Dim Sum place this afternoon.  For clarification, I go to a little walk in and order from the counter place for Richard daily...not this nicer sit down place.  This is the same place that Carolyn and I went to, and I later went back with Steffi and Michi Naess.

Besides the fact that she is good company, Nicky is a master mushroom hunter, so I'm hoping to learn a little bit more about that and give my forest walks with Buck a little purpose.

I still haven't actually BOOKED a cabin rental!  I am down to about 6, but need my darn paychecks to get here to be able to pull the trigger.

I told him we'd come after and asked if he wanted us to bring him a whole order of anything and he said yes.  I said which he retorted which do you think.  Calamari?  Yes.

PT came back and it was my exit.  They were going to work on stairs.  Thigh strength is good.  Not sure where Roel went.  He said to expect him Monday but he wasn't there. This is a pregnant woman that he had in the  very beginning.