Daily Update, April 21, 2024

    On Sunday, I got up normally late for me. I contacted Uber after breakfast. They were fast; my driver was just a minute away. So, I did get there slightly before the service, which was wonderful. I touched bases with Auntie Barbara. then enjoyed the service. After that, we had lunch. I enjoyed listening to and talking with the folks around me, and the lunch, of course. {Smile}

   After that, I went home with Auntie Barbara. We sang around ten songs with Mom. Since we're only sure of six or seven she knows, this involved singing some of them twice. {Smile}

   Later I called my Aunt Valerie. We had a nice talk. I tried to let her talk to Mom, too, but there was no reception in in Mom's room by her bed. I had trouble by my computer, too, so we talked elsewhere in the house, primarily in the living room, where I could sit on one of the couches. {Smile}

   I ate dinner with Mom and read to her before that. I got there late, and she was resting, but she roused some when said I'd read with her. She did need prompting to look at some of the pictures, but she did look with reminders. She also responded more than I expected. I began my reading with scripture and thoughts about it first. After that, I continued reading her niece's long family Christmas letter from 2021. Next, I read her the last several pages of _Memories 1950's_. Then I skipped over "The Flying Trunk" because she's didn't like the Merchant's Son and the Princess never seeing each other after their wedding. Instead, I read "Tom Thumb," which was next in _Five Minute Fairy Tales_. It has a happier ending that Mom likes. My last reading was the 21st of April's story from _366 Stories for Bedtime_, "The Reward." {Smile}

   I did my arm resistance exercises between reading to Mom and dinner. Then I did my walking exercises, including two new ones that took me down the hallway and back as much of the hallway as similar ones, and two which only went the few feet I can go while hanging onto a railing on each side of me. Those last two were walking backwards in challenging ways with my eyes closed, and we only have a couple of feet where railings are on both sides at once. The walking exercises wore me out. I think that was primarily walking backwards while raising my knees high in the air, both the length of the longest railing with my eyes open, and that short stretch with my eyes closed. I think that uses more muscles that don't get used much than anything else. After I was done with teaming for the evening and had done my main paperwork and soloing, I did my salsa dancing warmup set. After a break, I did my leg exercises and my arm swinging exercises. After another break, I did my less structured salsa dancing. I didn't get any arm weight training exercises done, sitting or standing, but I hope I'll keep working on that. {smile}

   I read articles and played Cross Stitch World between Auntie Barbara leaving and calling Aunt Valerie. After the phone call, I cleaned myself up, then hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming late. Pierogies was struggling to respond because he was in the later long, large-group event already. I joined them, and joined him in doing that tricky move, trying to learn it by helping him. After the later long, large-group event, we switched to our little characters, and ran a few short missions, since they're so little most missions are short. That took me to high time to read to Mom. {Smile}

   After dinner and my walking exercises, I began writing this up and making notes to write from later. Then I hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming. I looked around and checked who was on but didn't see anyone. So, I got caught up in research elsewhere. Then I got back into City of Heroes: Homecoming and looked around again. Still not seeing anyone, I left a note for Dr. Faustus on the chat server and started soloing some low-level characters who had talks and hunts. Then Dr. Faustus came on, and we started to team up. While we were doing our first mission, Dennis, one of the mutual friends Kitten and I share, came on and said hi. Turns out he knows Dr. Faustus pretty well, too. I said goodnight to Nox on the chat server, having missed chatting with them again. Dr. Faustus and Dennis left at the same time. After that, I did a little paperwork, then started my exercises, with articles, research, and Cross Stitch World between and after that, as well as writing this up, mostly making notes to write from the next day. {Smile}