It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood----

...except Pearl didn't have enough strength to even get out of bed on Saturday, Merle called the ambulance and they took her to the little hospital up the road from us.  Being a weekend, complicated getting tests done and the results back.  We found out Monday, she was dehydrated, plus her none-ability to walk, left her completely helpless.

Today, she is being transferred to a nursing home/rehab center and their prescription is for,"intensive/extensive physical therapy!!

Boy-Oh-Boy, she isn't going to like that!!!

Three years ago, I took her to physical therapy a couple of times.  I'd sit in the waiting area and watch her.  If they had her do 10 leg lifts, she'd do 3 and stop.  "That hurts too much."  If they had her on the bike for 10 minutes, she'd do maybe 3 minutes and refuse to do more.  It was like that with every exercise.  She'd do a couple of repetitions and stop.  Refuse to do more, because "it hurt".

I don't know if any of you have been to physical therapy, but it DOES hurt.  Week after week, it hurts and then...it starts to get better.  

I kept telling her that she had to "push yourself a bit".  Her answer was always, "Why?  It isn't going to cure me."

"Not cure you, but help you get stronger so you can at least walk, go shopping and out to eat!"

Oh she is a stubborn old Swede!!

I don't know how long she will be in rehab there, but I'll bet when they let her come home, she will have a couple more months of PT.

I'll go visit her.  She's in the newest place around here, just one mile from us, and a place I have always wanted to check-out.  An assisted living, nursing, rehab center.  I'll visit Pearl, and get a brochure and check-out the lay of the land--in case I ever need it.
=================

After I got done talking with Merle yesterday, I walked across the street to visit Dar.  I haven't seen her in over a month.

Her shoulder surgery was so extensive, that after two month of PT, she has to have another round of it.  Plus, her herpes has come back in her left eye.  Plus, her car insurance now wants her to have more MRI's, X-ray's and tests to make sure her problems stem from the car accident--that happened 2 years ago!!  They still haven't paid any of her medical bills, even though the accident wasn't her fault.


Plus, over the last month, she purchased all new beds, 3 recliners, a rocking chair and a love seat and....the bed bugs still aren't gone.  There was an exterminator truck there last Friday.  This makes the 4th time they have exterminated her house.

Her psychologist--yes, she is finally in treatment, told her that these last few weeks, she has regressed.  She was becoming relaxed and happy and now she's right back in her scattered thoughts, anxiety, fear mode.

Plus, her Dad fell and bruised 3 ribs so she has been having to take him to doctor's appointments.

Yesterday, she was speaking in broken sentences and couldn't remember words or keep thoughts going very well.
==============
So, after I left there, I walked across Dar's lawn to visit Jackie.  I have noticed she has had a lot of visitor's, but I haven't seen her leave to go to her swim aerobics or church.

Jackie was visiting her son a week ago, no hand rail on the front porch, she slipped, fell backwards onto the cement and has a concussion and broken left arm.

Her visitor's have been visiting nurses and physical therapists.

We chatted for almost an hour, then I got Jackie a cup of tea and walked out to get her mail to take back in to her.

Having been feeling a little dumpy and depressed last week and weekend, as I left Jackie's to walk home across the street, I realized how warm the sun was, how the trees are starting to bud out, my Crocus are blooming, and I scolded myself.  Compared to the neighbor's, I'm on top of the World!!!!!