A Stitch In Time

Last night was an OK night.  I slept through the night but my mom, she got dressed and sat in her room in the dark until I woke around 6am.  I think I heard her around 4:30 or 5 this morning, but she didn't squeak the floor.  I assumed she had gone back to sleep.

Our Internet went out last night around 9p, right after I posted my last post to my blog. 

I began missing the internet immediately, asking myself questions...  How did I ever work from home in the past with just a dial-up line?  How did I get along with out instant information at my finger tips or have the ability to communicate with anyone in the world, from the comfort of my chair?

This morning, anxious to get back to work, I began to try and solve my bad router issue.  I pulled out an old router and began to turn into the Geek I have been for so many years before becoming my mom's Care Giver.  It didn't work.  Oh well, I was ready to wait until tomorrow for the new router to arrive.

I began to work, analyzing code that I'm working on.  The computer was grinding and churning, doing it's work. I decided to dig out all of my old notes and files that I had from the days when I was a Systems Engineer. 

Upstairs, my mom greeted me in the kitchen.  She was becoming bored and agitated from having nothing to do.  My goal for months has been to get her interested in some activity that she can do by herself. 

Knitting?

Knitting was the first activity that I attempted to get her interested in.  She always loved to knit and would make us slipper boots from yarn when we were kids.  I loved those boot things, they made it so easy to slide across the living room floor.  No luck getting her to knit.  Her eyesight isn't very good and she can't maneuver the yarn like she once could.  Knitting frustrated her amd made things worse; she got to see what she couldn't do.

Painting?

Painting was next on the list.  My sister had her paint a few weekends ago.  She painted one painting and then that was the end of painting.  She wasn't interested in it.  Bummer.  The painting will be one we can treasure someday when she's gone.

This morning, while looking for reference materials that I can use for my new job, I noticed a pile of quilting fabric quarters and my sewing machine.  I love quilting during my "spare" time.  Of course I don't have any spare time. I haven't been using the fabric that I have to make all the quilts that I want to make.  That's when I thought, "Yes!  I'll get Ma to make the quilts!" 

Sewing?

I asked my mom, "Would you like to sew?  I have so many quilts to make, maybe you can help me?"

Oh, she loved the idea.  I let her pick out the fabric and began by giving her one simple repeatable task.  First, put all the pins in the pin cushion.  Next, pin the fabric together ... like this.... 

Happily my mom sat in the sunroom with the TV on as she pinned the fabric together.  I would check her work and help her to make it right.  She told me she was having fun, it helps to pass the time.  I'm hoping that she can operate the sewing machine.  It's a simple machine so I don't expect her to have trouble. 

My mom loved to sew.  So many times throughout my life she talked about the coat that she made my sister Ann when she was a toddler.  She had made it from scratch.  She made the pattern with a brown paper bag.  It was her favorite thing that she had ever made.  There's a picture somewhere with Ann wearing that coat.  I do need to find it and add it to this post someday.

Today, it appears that my mom is happy.  She feels that she's got a purpose, even if it is just sewing fabric together for lap quilts.  One day, those quilts will be beautiful reminders of the day my mom made her stitch in time.