Pinecone Therapy

While out grocery shopping I added a little bouquet of flowers to the cart. At home, I put them in a canning jar & placed them on the counter right above the kitchen sink. How nice to have a cheery touch to look at as I wash my dishes & prepare meals.

~click to enlarge ~

It has become a bit harder to visit my mom in the last week or two. I think the Alzheimer's is progressing to a new level. I have been to visit a few times where she is totally out of it. The first few times I saw this I was concerned that maybe she had suffered another stroke. In talking to the nurses I have learned that she is becoming agitated more often and has even on occasion tried to walk out of the facility. They are very concerned that she may fall as her balance was greatly affected with the last stroke. In order to help calm her down when she is like this the nurses have to give her medication to calm her. Unfortunately when this happens she is sleeping a lot the next day. On a "good day" she will be awake but usually very confused. She is seeing things that aren't real, but to her they are. In other words, she is living in her own little world. It is so hard to see her this way. I still visit her every other day and will continue to do so even if she is asleep. I recently came across the poem in the photo above and feel it perfectly describes the point we have reached in this journey. I put it in a frame & placed it next to the flowers so that I can read it every day and remind myself that my visits matter even if sometimes they seem like they don't. She still remembers me & thanks me for visiting after we kiss and exchange "I love yous."

This afternoon I was working on a little project in the kitchen & got a waft of SPRING!! It smelled exactly like spring bulbs and flowers. On closer inspection, I discovered it was coming from my grocery store flowers. I didn't think they had a scent when I bought them ~ I just thought they were pretty. Wow, what a bonus. Also, it seems so appropriate as my mom always used to remind me to "take time to smell the flowers." Now every time I smell them I am reminded of the happier days we shared :-) Flower Power!!

Would you like to guess what my little project in the kitchen was?

Lesson #1 - unless you want blue sparkly fingers. . .

Wear a pair of these :-)

After a bit of spray painting, spray gluing & glittering you will wind up with some of these.

A new winter centerpiece.

I know it doesn't look too wintry out my window, but it's supposed to get colder again. Won't you join me for a cup of tea or coffee?

The sun is shining and the pine cones are a sparklin'.

Thanks for visiting with me today. Have an enjoyable weekend & remember to take some time to smell the flowers ~ even if they come from the grocery store.