You should've seen the other guy!

I got up early Thursday morning and spent the day at school. When I got home Thursday afternoon, Graham Cracker had a boo boo on her forehead. I asked her what happened and she didn't know. Friday Shem saw her for the first time and it had spread to her right eye. He asked her what happened and she said she ran into the doorway. Today is Sunday and this is how far it has spread as of today. What/where/how she did this remains a mystery. Shem felt horrible about it and was trying to explain it to Mark. I said, "Shem, you don't understand. This is Ann Cannon, my mom. I'm pretty much used to her running into things and hurting herself. I remember when she broke her toe in the kitchen and, a week later, breaking the exact same toe in the exact same way in the exact same spot in the kitchen." I was explaining all this while we were out for Valentine's Day lunch. When we got home, we found she had managed to mangle her forearm which has a fairly deep laceration in it. I asked her how she did that and she doesn't know. I covered it with antibiotic ointment, gauze, and tape so she won't tear it further and to keep bacteria out. We gave her the rest of our Chinese dinner and she loved it. Gosh, I think about her living by herself for so long and wonder what she ate a year ago. What wounds did she suffer a year ago? Mark and Mary were so great to her, but they couldn't be with her daily to feed her, give her meds, and take care of her wounds. It's a miracle that she's doing as well as she is...

Thank you, Mark and Mary!

I also found she had filled the dogs' dishes with water (I have begged...BEGGED...her not to take the cover off the outside faucet...I wrote in HUGE letters on the cover: ANN!!! DO NOT TAKE THIS COVER OFF!!!...the faucet will freeze inside the wall and $$$$plit. $$$$ Sorry, but I was pretty angry and let her know. "I'll never do that again!" I've heard those very words burst forth from those very lips regarding the very same subject several times....

Finally, we looked and looked and looked and looked for her glasses in every nook and cranny we could think of and couldn't find them anywhere. She told Shem he needs to take her to the eye doctor so she can get glasses. "I did take you to the doctor. He said you need to have cataract surgery before he can prescribe glasses." This is where she became completely out of line and started acting like a five year old, giving Shem a very, very hard time, ending with, "I'm gonna go home! I love to read and you're not getting me glasses." Shem responded, "I didn't lose your glasses," then went off to his room and busied himself. This is where Bev stepped in and chewed her out. She repented with crocodile tears in her eyes. "Shem, I love you and I'm so sorry!"

We found her glasses a couple of hours later, much to all our relief. She says she doesn't want to be a problem to us and, for the most part, she really isn't at all. We have times like today (which are by far few, compared to what they could be), but, most of the time she's pretty easy to be around.

Yesterday we, as a family, took Caleb out for Mexican food for his birthday. Shem and Caleb ordered Tecate. When she set her eyes on those huge frosty mugs she asked, "What are those?" They told her it was Mexican beer and she announced to the waiter, "I want one of those!" As we were driving home, she said, "Thank you so much for including me."

You can't help but feel an endearing spirit toward that...