Thanks...Giving

Back from a five day trip to Phoenix where we moved Ellen into an assisted living complex - "Merrill Gardens." Although, typically, there are no "gardens" per se. There is a courtyard with some desert landscaping. I guess that will suffice.

When we arrived, Ellen was glad to see us and not at all befuddled by our number (4). She happily related the "hat" story to us for the first time. It seems that a few years ago, Ellen performed a rather dramatic rescue of 14 people who were stranded on a mountain top. She received a rather jaunty "Nature Conservancy" hat as her reward. As it happens, we knew that the hat was sent to her in gratitude for a monetary donation to the Nature Conservancy cause. It was clear that someone (i.e. me) had to break the news. So I sat by her, held her hand and told her exactly why we were there. She seemed just fine with the notion of moving the next day.

The next day, however... she was upset. Of course. "I don't know why I have to leave," she wailed. Then she looked straight at Christine and said "I don't know why YOU'RE telling me what to do - you NEVER talk to me." I was relieved that she had assigned the blame squarely on the shoulders of someone else.

The young men we had hired to move Ellen's stuff seemed perplexed by the randomness of the move. "Take that, no, take this, no - oh, maybe this?" Until Erin advised them that "this is how Canadians move."

An hour later, we were escorting Ellen into her new home. We arranged furniture, hung pictures, and filled cupboards. The real victim of the move seemed to be Cotton, the cat. She hid under the bed as soon as it was put together.

On the first day when we left,after strict instructions to the contrary, Ellen let the cat out, prompting a search by staff. Cotton was found several hours later - under the bed.

By the last day we were there, Ellen had received a "gift" of some new clothes. We don't know where they came from, but suspect that Ellen may have visited someone else's room and availed herself of new duds. It's a whole new world of adventure in Merrill Gardens, that's for sure.