I don’t know how it was that we ended up at Cracker Barrell in 2011. They have nice gifts and marvelous food, not that we could afford it. I think we were looking for something unique to send to Roland’s family – particularly his mother. I ended up finding something for my mother instead.
Mom had a habit of falling asleep on the couch. The entire time I had lived with her, she was always hot, but after her encounter with dementia, she would always seem to be cold. I saw the cape as something she could use as a wrap. It was a red check pattern. Her favorite color has always been red. I thought it would be perfect. Kind of pricey, though.
Kayla said she had purchased a puzzle book for her but had been searching for something to go with it. We went halves on each gift. We made the cape from Bill, Kayla, Roland and myself and the puzzle book from Jenna and Anna. Kayla was quite pregnant with Gary.
We had gone to my brother, Patrick’s, to open gifts. Mom put on the coat after she opened it. I never saw her wear it after that. She said she had worn it to Church a couple of times. But I don’t know . . .
After we had her in assisted living, and were cleaning out her house, I had removed it from her bedroom closet at the house and put it in her closet at Alta Ridge, hoping she might wear it instead of her heavy coat while inside (She had kept her coat on in hopes that she would make her escape from the assisted living facility) I had written her name and room number on the tag.
After she passed, I retrieved it. I haven’t worn it a lot, but have won it on occasion. I had it on Sunday. It is warm. Warmer than the white coat I left behind - hoping that perhaps one of my daughters-in-law might get some use out of it. Doesn’t appear to be the case. But I do know my first daughter-in-law wears the coat that mom was wearing when she was at Alta Ridge.
In my next post I will share a letter I wrote the year that she passed away.
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