I was eager to return to New York and settle into our apartment on Sunday. The rest of my week in Edmonton was painful (watching my mother struggle with her memory and my father confined to his bed in isolation) and resulted in an unassailable lethargy. I could get nothing accomplished. I brought all my documents with me to complete my taxes and never opened my briefcase. I had courses to finish online and only just completed an exam ten minutes before the deadline. I did not bother to write the paper for philosophy or finish the exams (this is an online coursers course and auditing the lectures is just fine). I found myself taking care of my mother from the moment I woke up until the time she settled in front of the television to catch up on news or any program that was on. I would retreat to my bed to read a book of catch up with Downton Abbey or check the news and then sleep at least eight hours. My mother woke up after 9, so I sometimes had a couple hours in the morning to occupy myself much as I did the night before.
I left my parents alone for a few days (my sister arrives Thursday) and almost missed my flight to Minneapolis. I arrived a minute past the deadline, but was able to smile myself onto the flight and was bumped to first class so I could have cheerios and a muffin for breakfast. The best part of Edmonton was the incredibly bright sunshine that cheered me up every day. The mounds of snow shrunk from twenty feet high to only little bumps, and the roads were no longer icy when I left. When I arrived at the chaos that is LaGuardia, the sky was grey and heavy and uninviting. Eric and Maya were lost finding me at my arrival terminal, but we connected and were on the jam packed roads quite efficiently. How was it possible that so many people were driving around Easter Sunday afternoon?
The apartment was in less turmoil than when I left, and again it was bigger and smaller than I remembered. I spent the evening trying to plan and rearrange furniture to make it work for us. Maya and Eric had worked on organizing what they could, and it was homey and welcoming and wonderful. Maya entertained me with violin practice while Eric cooked Easter dinner. Maya and Eric had decorated 30 plus eggs and there was lots of lots of chocolate. Dinner was salmon with teryaki sauce and potatoes with rosemary and asparagus with lots of butter. Chocolate of course for dessert.
I was happy to be home again, albeit for short visit. We were on the road early Monday morning. Eric had booked movers to work with him on the garage and the storage unit. Maya and I bought new ballet pointe shoes for her audition in New York next week. The saleslady recognized me and was relieved that this time I was with my daughter and not asking the impossible of her, as when I bought ballet shoes for friends in Ecuador without quite knowing sizes or styles. Maya worked on her schoolwork the rest of the day while I started in my office. Maya and Eric returned to New York with the truck today and I stayed to see patients, plan a coup d'etat for my board meeting and finish my taxes. Again, I would much rather be nesting in our new apartment in New York, but that will have to wait another week. Moving to New York is not happening fast enough!
I left my parents alone for a few days (my sister arrives Thursday) and almost missed my flight to Minneapolis. I arrived a minute past the deadline, but was able to smile myself onto the flight and was bumped to first class so I could have cheerios and a muffin for breakfast. The best part of Edmonton was the incredibly bright sunshine that cheered me up every day. The mounds of snow shrunk from twenty feet high to only little bumps, and the roads were no longer icy when I left. When I arrived at the chaos that is LaGuardia, the sky was grey and heavy and uninviting. Eric and Maya were lost finding me at my arrival terminal, but we connected and were on the jam packed roads quite efficiently. How was it possible that so many people were driving around Easter Sunday afternoon?
The apartment was in less turmoil than when I left, and again it was bigger and smaller than I remembered. I spent the evening trying to plan and rearrange furniture to make it work for us. Maya and Eric had worked on organizing what they could, and it was homey and welcoming and wonderful. Maya entertained me with violin practice while Eric cooked Easter dinner. Maya and Eric had decorated 30 plus eggs and there was lots of lots of chocolate. Dinner was salmon with teryaki sauce and potatoes with rosemary and asparagus with lots of butter. Chocolate of course for dessert.
I was happy to be home again, albeit for short visit. We were on the road early Monday morning. Eric had booked movers to work with him on the garage and the storage unit. Maya and I bought new ballet pointe shoes for her audition in New York next week. The saleslady recognized me and was relieved that this time I was with my daughter and not asking the impossible of her, as when I bought ballet shoes for friends in Ecuador without quite knowing sizes or styles. Maya worked on her schoolwork the rest of the day while I started in my office. Maya and Eric returned to New York with the truck today and I stayed to see patients, plan a coup d'etat for my board meeting and finish my taxes. Again, I would much rather be nesting in our new apartment in New York, but that will have to wait another week. Moving to New York is not happening fast enough!
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