I have rediscovered cooking! Yesterday it was sticky date pudding. I don’t like sweets myself but Anthony and Ming are ecstatic and I am thrilled about this new chapter in our lives.
Ants. Ming and I are sticky-date-pudding ourselves together again.
Ming’s shed
Ming and I don’t argue anymore now that he is living in the shed. This is good. If I irritate him, he can go to his shed; if he irritates me, I can send him to his shed.
The shed/home was Anthony’s conception over two years ago and he still gets a thrill out of seeing its very gradual progression from old shed to teenage abode. At the moment the floor is still concrete and there are no blinds to keep the sun out, but Ming has just ordered both and paid half (he is working full-time now).
He doesn’t have ablutions over there, or cooking facilities, so he still has to come home a lot (ha – I still have the power at a distance of 50 metres!)
Small joys
Tiny moccasins for my soon-to-be-born niece
Anthony kissing my hand today as if I were royalty
The new kitchen sink plug that makes it possible to wash the dishes in less of a rush
My new red boots
Getting the stupid lawn mower fixed finally
Choosing Lino and blinds for Ming’s shed
Watching Judge Judy with Ants (he loves her!)
The baby kookaburra I saw yesterday
Accepting what is
Nosey!
It’s all very odd to me, and possibly illusory, but for the last few days our visits to Anthony, little drives here and there and, today, Ming’s famous NOSEY with Anthony, have reproduced a longlost joy.
Sorry – that sentence was far too long. Oh, and what is a NOSEY? It’s when you ‘kiss’ someone with your nose. We three have now been doing this for nearly 20 years. It’s quite pleasant.
Ming has moved out!
Around three, maybe four, years ago, on one of Anthony’s good days, he and I shifted a heap of junk out of a back shed because Ants had an idea that we could make this shed into a place for Ming.
Over time, we have gradually had it renovated and Ming slept there last night for the first time. He’s still allowed to come for dinner but if he misbehaves I can just tell him to go home – haha!
An eventful year (1995)
In 1995, I got a part-time job at the local university lecturing in creative writing.
In 1995, Anthony was diagnosed with kidney cancer and had his left kidney removed
In 1995, Ming turned one, was baptised, went from crawling to running, learned how to clean his teeth, got into the vroom of things, slept peacefully, learned how to wash a car, yell HURRAY, climb mountains and open his own Christmas presents.
But, of the three of us, I am the only one who remembers any of this now because Ants is too old and Ming was too young.
All alone – ahhhhhhh!
Pure bliss!
Ming has gone to Perth to watch a football game so there is nobody here to say:
What’s for dinner?
Why are you flooding the pens and wasting water on those stupid birds?
I thought we were watching a movie together 20 minutes ago!
I don’t particularly like this dinner – what is it?
What the hell are you crying for – what did I do wrong now?
Don’t touch any of my stuff!
But why do you want me to move out?
You ruined my life yesterday when you said to move out.
No, I don’t want to ring Dad again!
On the other hand….
Mum, you are like my mate.
Do you need a hug?
I’m sorry I didn’t like the dinner – I tried to!
Are you okay?
Can we have a talk about life tonight?
I wish I knew Dad when he was young.
I love you, Mum.
He is my best friend – this Ming – but it’s still rather pleasant to be Mingless for 24 hours – haha!
Despair and toilet paper
I got home from my mother’s place this afternoon thinking I should have stayed another night despite the care package. Then I found that Ming hadn’t eaten much and was down in the dumps. Then I tried to ring Anthony (and am still trying), to tell him I’ll see him tomorrow. Then I discovered that there was no toilet paper.
Now I don’t think the lack of toilet paper usually sends people over the edge, but I experienced 15 minutes of crushing despair until I spotted a quirky gift on my bookcase – Novelty toilet paper!
I cried half of it away but the rest will be used for usual purposes! Now I just wish I could remember who gave this TP to me.
Fixing fences
This afternoon I finally got hold of Anthony on the phone. I had tried numerous times during the day because I was worried about yesterday as a nurse had rung me in the evening to report a fall just after he got back from here.
You see, yesterday I got Ants taxied home again but earlier than usual. I wanted to see if a whole day home would work because usually it’s just for a few hours and he gets upset to have to leave so soon.
So he arrived at 11am which coincided with one of his medication times. I gave him the pill, and Ming, Ants and I sat out on the front veranda making the kind of smalltalk you make when one person can’t participate.
At around noon the drug kicked in and Ants was able to walk, with our help, into the house. We then watched a comedy on TV, and they ate pancakes with maple syrup and cream for lunch (Ming’s idea – yuck!)
By 1.30pm Ants had again become wobbly so I slowly shuffled him to the bed and he slept until 3pm. I helped him up and outside again and then Ming and I got him into the wheelchair ready for the taxi.
This might not sound like a wonderful day but it was!
But this afternoon’s conversation was a bit of a blow. When I finally resorted to ringing the nurses to help Anthony answer the phone, this is what we said to each other:
Me: Ants, I’ve been ringing you all day. Why can’t you remember how to answer the phone? I’ve been so worried about your fall.
Anthony: Well, there’s a reason for that – we don’t get along anymore.
Me: What! What are you talking about?
Anthony: The fence.
Me: Which fence?
Anthony: On farms, you know – broken fences.
Me: No, all of the fences are fixed now, Ants.
Anthony: But us – the fence I mean – it’s broken.
Me: I don’t understand what you mean!
Anthony: I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it, I was just joking. Jules, don’t cry please.
….
Okay, I got over this ghastly phonecall and we both ended up saying áll the I-love-you stuff.
I don’t think this fence can be fixed, but I guess it can be mended whenever we fall on it.
jmgoyder 