Thursday, September 09, 2010

I DID IT!

Today is my dad's 84th birthday.

I used this as an excuse to take him out to lunch without the noise that is my mother.  She was a bit miffed, but that's to be expected as she does not like to be left out of anything.

My dad got all dressed up.  He had on his best old man Norm Thompson sweater (which unless i miss my guess was a present from my mother), powder blue pants (covered with cat hair) to match his sweater and shiny brown loafers with black socks.

It was so cute i almost cried.

I sometimes think my dad is not really doing very well mentally, but most of it is because he is damned near deaf, and despite wearing two hearing aids, has trouble following a conversation, especially in a crowd.

But one on one, he's doing fine.  That makes me happy.

We had a lovely time.  I need to figure out how to get him out alone again.  And don't suggest that i alternate taking my mother out alone, that's a price i'm not willing to pay.

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Two unrelated things:
  • I am wearing a pair of Carhartt  overalls.  That makes me feel good.
  • I just put Bag Balm on my new boob scar.  It says it's for chapped teats.......

18 comments:

Cagey (Kelli Oliver George) said...

I shared this on my reader with the following note:

Shared for the very.last.line. Totally and utterly Meno.

mischief said...

I love time alone with my Dad too and never can get enough of it. Aren't parents supposed to want their spouses and children to bond without them sometimes? Sheesh.

nick said...

I guess if he was wearing what he felt comfortable in and he enjoyed the lunch and the conversation (as much as he could follow), that's all that matters. My 88 year old mum has got to the stage where the biggest enjoyment is always the food. Nothing else matters very much.

Anonymous said...

Does he handle last minute plans well? If so, then just show up and grab him. Or maybe herself has a standing date somewhere (cards, hairdresser?) that leaves him alone.

Gina said...

My gram is 91 and she is recently starting to slip a little, memory-wise. But for year, doctors, nurse,s etc have been insisting on senility where there is non (and I assure you it's not wishful thinking on our part). Basically, it was a combo of not being able to hear and not really giving a shit what most people have to say.

Magpie said...

Bag Balm for the win!

It's nice that you took him out to lunch.

cat hair matches everything said...

Bag balm has much better packaging than udder butter, not to mention it's good for chapped hands.

Coordinate a weekly date with your Dad and disguise it with an elaborate kidnapping hoax involving the staff at the ASL facility. It will be fun. He can tell your mother that he is a secret government agent and requires regular briefing, and it is her patriotic duty yo eff off and leave him alone.

nick said...

Gina: Not being able to hear and not giving a shit - that sounds like a good plan for when I'm 91.

meno said...

cagey, ha ha! Shouldn't that have been 'udderly'? :)

mischief, i WISH my kid and my husband would go out to lunch without me and leave me alone sometimes!

nick, he really looked cute, in an old man way. It was sweet. And he enjoyed the food too.

de, they do damn near everything together. I'm going to have to get creative.

gina, at 91, she's entitled to slip a little, and most especially to not give a shit.

magpie, Bag Balm is the best stuff!

cat hair, yes, yes it does. I know that from my own life.

nick, i too plan to follow that advice!

mischief said...

Exactly. When my husband takes my niece to the movies, which he does nearly every weekend, sweet thang, I am blissfully thrilled to be free of *both of them* for an afternoon. Much as I adore them, a Saturday afternoon alone is a beautiful, beautiful thing.

SUEB0B said...

Time with my dad away from my mom was the best, because my mom never. shuts.up.ever. She insisted on being a constant fact-checker and inserted reality into all his fish stories, which irritated both him and me.

I am so glad you got to celebrate with him.

Taradharma said...

very sweet story. Lucky dad. Lucky you. With me, I'd like to get my MOM alone since my dad is a marathon monologist. You can see the relief in her face when he leaves the house for awhile.

Aren't we a strange bunch?

heartinsanfrancisco said...

How lovely for both of you! I'm sure he enjoyed having you all to himself at least as much as you did.

I have no doubt your scar is perfectly stunning.

Student_Nurse_Ninja said...

You could always stop by, drug mom's tea/Sanka/hash pipe, exclaim, "Isn't mom cute when she's sleeping! Let's go get something to eat!" and head out for vittles. She'll never know the difference.

For you, Bag Balm magically transforms into Bodacious Tata Balm the moment it's applied.

Oh, and you did not get advice to drug someone from me, right?

sari said...

I'm glad you had a good time with your dad. Sometimes you've gotta do what you've gotta do, while you can.

Clowncar said...

sweet. I cannot wait to be old enough to dress like your Dad dresses.

Wanderlust Scarlett said...

Sneak him out. Plan it one day in advance and sneak. Covert is more fun. Tell your mom it was spur of the moment.


Scarlett & Viaggiatore

Mrs4444 said...

OMG-You're killing me, here, Meno.

You could tell your dad you need to take him Christmas shopping for his wife. There's her birthday, too...