Last week I shared a photo of a ridiculous, human-looking saguaro cactus and mentioned being stuck in Tucson, but didn't go into much detail because a tale like that requires a sense of humor and I had mislaid mine. This week I want to share more photos of the lovely landscape near my mother's neighborhood, and tell an abbreviated version of the story.

As many of you know I spend a long weekend per month with Mom, who is by her own choice alone in her home. Her dwindling family does its best to see that she can remain at home--we'd be crazy to move her to a facility at this point--but the task really boils down to me and my niece. I live three hours away; my niece and her husband moved to Tucson three years ago to be close at hand. It hasn't been easy for them.

Mom also has a companion/caregiver from a home health agency that visits her twice a week, and though she fought it initially she now looks forward to the visits. Typically, Mom is much kinder to her companion than to her family members! My last trip to Tucson coincided with Mom's first appointment with her massage therapist in many months due to COVID-19, so I took her to it. Of course I couldn't enter the building, and it was 110 degrees. I whiled away the hour in a shady cemetery.

My mother had vaguely mentioned that her caregiver had only made one visit earlier in the week because she was "having some problems." When pressed she revealed that the girl hadn't been feeling well during her last visit and had been tested for the coronavirus! We all know that cases in AZ have gone off the charts since their re-opening. Imagine my displeasure when we learned the next day that the caregiver had in fact tested positive, and Mom had to home quarantine for two weeks from their last time together--which meant I did too. In my mother's home. My niece couldn't even come over, though she did drop off groceries, a good thing because my mother evidently forgets that I need to eat and keeps no extra food in the house because she's never hungry.

Those eight days were challenging beyond description, Old Testament-style. Pretty much everything that could go wrong did: the DISH receiver croaked, cutting us off from the one activity we really enjoy together; the kitchen faucet broke and caused a small flood; the urgent care clinic which offered the rapid test for the coronavirus neglected to mention until after Mom's test that they were out of the rapid test and she might have to wait 10 days for results due to high volume; a box of framed photos that had been taken down from her walls for a move that didn't happen three years ago was found to be soaked from unopened water bottles that had unwisely been set on top of it and thus everything inside was ruined. My business partner was upset over having to work alone for a week just as we were getting caught up. And my mother, though supposedly happy to have me there for a protracted stay, was difficult to be around, complaining about everything and doing way less for herself than when she's on her own and therefore barely moving.

I found a place that did have the rapid test kits so, much to her annoyance, I dragged her out again. I think she was more worried about a negative test than a positive one because that would mean her quarantine was lifted and I wouldn't need to stay so long, which is exactly what happened. Still, I stayed another four days, and things continued to fall apart and not go as planned, but I DID finally get some hiking in.

The final blow--and I am leaving a lot out--came last Saturday when I tried to make my escape, staying a couple hours longer than I wanted so it wouldn't seem like I was fleeing (which I was) and was held up for four hours getting new tires after I discovered a nail, and a slow leak, in one of the old ones. This time also had to be spent outside, me perched on various boulders in the light shade of palo verde trees. When I was finally asked to back my car out of the bay, it wouldn't start. Well it would start but then die, over and over. The mechanics had to push me out into a parking space where I sat for another half hour before the car started as if nothing had happened, and started right up. Not knowing what had caused the lapse I drove home like a bat out of hell, not listening to the radio, not using the A/C, hot wind whipping around me. The three-hour trip took seven, but I made it home.

And here are some of the photos I got.

Nice pics .., a wonderful story of love .. devotion.., caring .. guilt .., giving .., sorrow and pain ...wait a minute ..sounds like I’m talking about the car .., I’m talking about your mom,,. I hung on each word as it was just like my mom ..when we finally got her into a mobile home park and a few days a week care giver ..which she wanted nothing to do with .., but finally looked forward to her 2 days a week .., then the visits and the trying to leave .., it was murder ..

Out of the mobile home after a few years and into my brothers house for 4 years .. after that to a care home day facility ..drop her off kicking and resisting and pick her up in the afternoon .., until finally .., she so looked forward to going to the day care facility and seeing her new found friends , that she wanted to go 7 days a week .., couldn’t afford that ..so settled on 5 day a week ..

She has passed now ,, the last time I stopped by my brothers to check up on her .., she asked my brother “who is that guy” ...

As in your story .., I left out 99% ..., I miss her and treasured the time I spent with her ..

Thnx for sharing your story and pics ..., it made my day ...

SWFeral...your ‘desert photo’ are very nice. And they seemed to be a great distraction for you. I understand and feel my empathy for you. In an effort to make you feel better about your car problems...I will share MINE, with you.
Today I found out my constant and sudden overheating problem is a freeze plug that has rusted thru. Luckily they only cost $1.15
However, it is an additional amount of money to pull the engine out of the car, in order to access it! $2,200.
Parts & Labor seem to be a little out of wack.
ANYWAYS...,that’s ‘MY’ news today.
Hope YOU can feel better about YOURS now.