Daily Update, July 30, 2023

   Today was Sunday, so I Contacted Uber while i was getting ready. They got here just about the time I got out. I was sure I'd be faster, unless they made up time. {Smile}

   Church went well. I got there in the middle of the announcements. Our deacon greeted me. We had Morning Prayer instead of communion, because you don't need a priest for Morning Prayer. Our deacon did just fine, and if our deacon is unavailable or we're between deacons, even layreaders can lead it. The deacon and I arranged for her to come visit Mom in a couple of days. {Smile}

    Auntie Barbara and I ate lunch together on the church lanai, like most of the congregation. We sat with someone Auntie Barbara particularly likes talking with, the mother of a long-time member. who I think joined much more recently. I'm still getting to know her, myself. {Smile}

   Our next stop was Safeway. Auntie Barbara needed to shop somewhere, and I had a prescription to pick up there. Auntie Barbara encouraged me to get a treat for Mom. I finally thought of pudding, which I figured would please the nurses and Mom, both. Turns out she's not on a restricted diet; I just checked with our nurse about that. Still pudding seems like a good choice. {Smile}

   Then we went home, and Auntie Barbara visited with Mom. I was there too, and we sang several songs together. As she usually does, Auntie Barbara encouraged me to call Mom's sister Valerie. This time, I actually did. Aunt Valerie and I had a nice talk, and Aunt Valerie talked to Mom, too. Mom even answered at first, but fell silent after a while, which Aunt Valerie always has trouble with.

   As I was getting into City of Heroes: Homecoming a little later, I got a call from a gal with Stanford Magazine. She asked for Mom, and I had to explain that mom's dementia is far enough along, that wouldn't work. She still wanted an update on Mom for their magazine and asked many questions about Mom's life. I tried my best to answer them. It took a while, but I enjoyed it. She said to look for it in the September issue. {Smile}

   I ate dinner with Mom and read to her before that. I read scripture and thoughts about it first. Then I broke to find a new book to read from between the picture book sand the last book. After I found one that I liked, I read more from her niece's long family Christmas letter from 2019. Then I read the next several pages of _Classic Fashion 40s 50s Memories_. After that, I read from _Mother Goose Treasury_. I started with the back of the book, then started showing her pictures from the beginning, even before the title page. I read the introduction and showed her each picture in the table of contents. Then I read her several poems. I think we were both enjoying it a fair bit. Then I finished out my reading with the July 30th story, "The Dragonfly," from _366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year_. A boy named Robin tried to find fairies every time his family left town. At a picnic at the lake, the thought he'd caught one with blue wings in a jar. However, his father said it was a dragonfly who'd die in the bottle if Robin didn't set it free. Robin was disappointed. {smile}

   I did my arm resistance exercises, leg exercises, arm swinging exercises, and walking exercises after getting home, and singing with Mom and Auntie Barbara. I did my standing arm exercises after dinner. Then I did my head exercises while waiting for my role-playing partner to get into City of Heroes: Homecoming. I did the 20 minutes of salsa dancing I need to do later. I almost teared up again realizing I was done in just two sets. Then I did my arm weight training afterwards, I guess as a cooldown or something. {Smile}

   After Auntie Barbara left, I read comics, and looked into them - I hoped one was dropping today, but no, it wasn't. I don't know when it will. The notifications seem to be messed up; it claimed the next release would be in 12 hours at bedtime; the next morning, it said 7 days. {resigned look}

   Then I played with the new numbers from both nursing and my financial advisers. I was just starting to get into City of Heroes: Homecoming a little later than usual when the call from Stanford Magazine came.  That delayed me by not quite an hour, but I was still particularly late getting in. When I did, bowlofdro seemed busy, so I tried to join the later long, large group event, but the group was full. I can and did fight alongside, but they didn't invite me until the last 5 minutes, when a space finally opened up. Yes, I was late, but... I made as much in those five minutes as all the time on my own. Well, that's just how it goes sometimes. Then I did some paperwork and left to read to Mom. {Smile}

   After dinner, I hopped back on City of Heroes: Homecoming, and started looking around.  Realizing I hadn't seen my RP partner yet today, I left a note in the chat server, and started on the paperwork. They answered to the chat server, then came into the game. We role-played while playing a few missions and went significantly later than last night. Then I did more paperwork and soloing to wind down, somehow not being in a mood to join a Pick Up Group. I started talking with Mysty shortly before I began exercising. I popped in and out to continue our conversation around the dancing and other exercise, then stayed in afterwards for a better talk. Then I made notes, because my daily update wasn't as much written as I like, even on note days. I still managed to get to bed entirely too late. I know I need to do better. {rueful smile}