Adventure 431: The Story of George, 8

January 27, 2018

Today, in real time, George had a small mishap. His watched fell off of his night stand. He couldn't find it, which caused him some consternation. He looked for an hour before Judy went back in to see what was the matter. He finally made it to breakfast, ate quite a good bit and drank plenty of water. Judy then walked home. I came back fro Tai Chi about ten-thirty. We went back over both to change his night table to a bigger one and to meet Annette, the home health nurse. We changed the table, but missed Annette. When we asked George what she said,he replied, "Not much of anything; she just pushed a few buttons on her machine." I guess if she found anything unusual, she'd contact us. We're going to try and stay away for the whole night and check on him in the morning. We've been there every day, twice, three times a day, so now when he sees us, he laughs a little and shrugs his shoulders as if to say, "You guys, again?" Hopefully, these home health nurses can provide a buffer for us, and hopefully, he continues to improve.

George had a fifth grade teacher named, Mrs. Maxwell. She had a cattle ranch in Grangeville, Idaho. For two straight summers, George worked up there caring for the horses, the cattle, the chickens, the cats, and whatever other critters she had running around the place. George was one of four ranch hands. Two were older boys, and one boy the same age as George. George was high spirited as a kid. He had lots of energy and was none too mischievous. He was a good worker, and he was fun to have around. Rosa and George. Sr. were only too glad to have him out from under foot in the summer, especially since he was working outside and working with his hands. It wasn't all work, and one of the fun things to do was ride the horses. George was eager, but green. The first time he got up on a horse, he must have kicked it the wrong way because it reared, tossing him off like cheap compliment. He landed right on his noggin. He still carries a white scar from landing on the saddle horn. Undeterred, George got back on the horse, and over time because quite a good rider. He has fond memories of his time at Mrs. Maxwell's ranch.

Hey George, "What did the nurse say?" "Not much of anything." (His short term memory at the moment is non-existent. The doctors say the infection messes with the brain. We're hoping he regains some of his operating memory.