Yep, I was right (you know I love those words!). The Christmas decorations are down and put away. The dust is gone from every surface, nook and cranny. Our home is back to normal...actually, it's better than normal - it's really clean! And the lack of decorations have put mom at ease.
Winter is weird for my mom - the early sunsets make her antsy early in the evening and freaked out about when we eat dinner before the kids are barely started on their homework. But at least in November and December there were signs that it was Autumn and the Christmas - through decorations. So, even though it took her time to connect the dots (and sometimes a little nudge from me), she knew it was winter.
Now, in January, post-decorations, winter is a mystery. It's cold outside, so the heat is running. I don't think it makes much of a noise, but mom comments on it all the time. The fireplace is frequently in use and mom either loves to look at it or loves to complain about it. Today the sun is shining and to mom, now that the winter "clues" are gone - means it must be warm. Those are the dots she has to connect. Sunshine = summer.
She has wandered to the back door 3 or 4 times every day to mutter aloud about going outside to sit on the patio. The other night Patrick grilled burgers - Texas is great like that - year round grilling! - and that further confirmed mom's suspicion that it was summertime. I tell her a variety of details in hopes of saying something that will help her know that it is cold outside. Yesterday and today were the coldest days so far. I think even colder than the ice storm days. None of that matters. Mom thinks it's warm outside, so it must be warm outside. Funny how she chooses to argue about something so trivial. I am guessing it is an effort to prove that the things she still KNOWS are true. It can be a heartbreaker or a fist clencher.
The early sunsets are still a challenge, but as long as I time dinner correctly - absolutely NO LATER than 6:15, it's not so bad. She still gets the dinnertime routine...although the revolving guest list at our dinner table is a bit much for mom...but it has a pattern. A routine. There are steps leading up to dinner that we follow and steps during dinner and steps after dinner. I believe she finds comfort in the sameness.
We sat at TV trays the other day to watch the Bengals - that was bad. She did not want to eat at trays - she "was taught that you were to sit at the dinner table to eat dinner"...which is hysterical to me - I ate dinner on the couch or standing up behind the check-in desk most of my life! Anyway, I sat her up at the table and then we ate at trays. She mumbled at the top of her mumble for the entire meal and she was exhausted by the time she was done. She actually took a nap in her room. (yes, we thought maybe that would be a good plan for future Sundays, but that's just mean!)
Rumor has it, it may rain tomorrow. That will be a blessing - and a break for me. Rain = wintertime, so she will understand the heat and the fireplace better. She won't ask about going outside. We will probably still talk about what month it is and what day it is, but it should take away some of the anxiety from the other things.
I adore winter, I adore being cool instead of hot, I love the holidays, warm comfort food, early nightfall so I can put on my jammies as early as I want. And sometimes I feel guilty loving it - because I know it's so hard on mom.
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