Amazing!

My Dad is back at home after breaking a hip, followed by hip replacement surgery, and then a stroke. He has spent the last two and half months in the hospital and two different rehab facilities. He is an 88 year old fighter! Danielle has dubbed him "Sporty Pepere" because of his new wardrobe of track pants. My sister Anita will spend the weekend with him to help him settle back into his apartment. Visiting nurses will come for the next few weeks and time will tell if he can go it alone.

Thank you readers and friends who have sent good wishes, healing energy, and prayers for us!

A little time for me

 I took a much needed break from the rehab center this afternoon. Not only did I need a break, but my Dad was looking like he could use a nap. The good weather and the tourists have descended upon Wolfeboro for the 4th of July weekend. The only route between my sister's home and the rehab center is directly through Main Street. Traffic is bumper to bumper due to the multiple stops for pedestrians on the many crosswalks. I am sure the restaurants, shops, and galleries are very happy to see the multitudes.
                      
 My sister's home is like an oasis. She lives in what once was a vacation lodge that has been turned into four apartments. Right now all the residents are women, each with a variety of cats and dogs. Both the humans and the pets are very friendly.

The end of the driveway faces the big lake, Winnipesaukee. The side yard abuts Mirror Lake which is much smaller. Mitt Romney has a summer home on Winnipesaukee, my niece takes care of their horses during the summer. Jimmy Fallon and other celebrities are frequent visitors as well. Most of the small traditional cabins have been replaced with mansions that dot the shore line. 

Mirror Lake is nice and quiet, no big motor boats or jet skis stirring up a wake. Just a relaxing dock where you can dip your feet into the water, which was surprisingly warm considering it was 52 degrees when I arrived on Sunday.

I will head back the rehab center around 6pm. Hopefully the traffic will have eased, and five minute drive won't take twenty-five minutes. I can tuck Dad into bed and come back to this oasis and enjoy a glass of wine on the deck.

Dad

Dad is still in the hospital. The doctors would like to move him to Northeast Rehabilitation Hospital in Portsmouth, NH but he has been having small strokes everyday. Until he is stable for 24 hours he isn't going anywhere. Yesterday he was doing much better. My brother Paul sent a photo of Dad eating dinner. He was even feeding himself for the first time since the big stroke last Friday. Then an hour later he sent a text that he had another small stroke. When the strokes happen, he doesn't know his name, or where he is. His speech becomes "word salad", a term that the nursing staff uses. The little strokes aren't showing up on a CAT scan. His hip replacement is too new to do an MRI, which would give the doctors a lot more information.

It's hard for me to believe that this photo of Dad, taken five years ago when Jeff and I were moving to North Carolina, is the same man in the photo that my brother texted me last night. I bet those pants would fall off of him now! Five years ago he was still mowing that green grass and trimming bushes and hedges. My Mom's been gone a year now. Dad has been a trooper. He has managed living alone much better then any of us kids ever imagined. I am not sure he will be going back home.