PAIN AND ROSES

     I know, I haven't been writing, I'm sorry! With Lera here, it's not easy to find time when either she is not on the computer, or doesn't want me to do something else. 
     Besides that, I've been a little bit down. Gout keeps flaring up. I finish the regiment of the prednisone, have a few good, pain free days when I try to do as much as possible; then I begin to feel the insistent burning and intense ache in my foot joints again. 

     Last time, four days ago, I couldn't take the thought of being useless, stuck sitting on the couch and having a hard time to even make it to the bathroom on time because I can't walk quickly anymore. I broke down crying, - me, who didn't cry for years! Taka came home right at that moment, so he found me sobbing. His response was quite predictable: "You don't do anything to get better, right? Did you do this? Did you do that?" The tone and volume of his voice were abrasive enough for me to stop crying and start getting upset. If I was well, I would've walked out of the house and gone for a drive with Lera. As it was, I gave him a scathing look and focused on Lera, and Roberta, who were also there and trying to comfort me. Soon, I was smiling and watching TV with them. My poor husband was, obviously, raised by the wolves or the bears, who didn't impart on him the basic humane attitudes toward people closest to him!
     Despite my infirmity, things still need to be done. We got rid of the old couch (although Lera talked me into keeping two sections of it, the least scratched by the cats, to put in other rooms). For two

days we combed our area for a new couch, me leaning heavily on the cane but forgetting pain in the heat of the hunt. 
     We found a large, greenish-brown couch in Big Lots. There was no doubt: it was the best buy for the best price. In a few days it was delivered to our house. Then I realized that, I should've measured it before buying! It's not too big, but - too big! I mean that, it'll take time for me to get used to this new addition to our decor!

   

     Today is Mother's Day. Even though we planned the trip to a restaurant in the evening, I haven't heard "Happy Mother's Day!" from either Taka, Sonny or Hanah. I am used to it, this is how they prefer things to be. I wonder, how would they (especially, the kids, who are used to being spoiled and pampered on their birthdays and Christmas) react, if I just ignore them on those special days?!
     Fortunately, Lera is here. In the middle of the day, she grabbed Sonny and dragged him out. I suspected, what they were about to do, but that was my one chance to get to the laptop and write a blog, so I didn't dwell much on them.
     An hour or so later, they showed up with three bouquets! Tulips - for me from Lera,

a dozen of red roses - for me from Sonny (and Taka, I guess),

and a dozen of yellow roses for Roberta from all of us.

I already gave her a Mother's Day card with a cute cat on it. 

Roberta is sporting a big green bow from a present
that her grand-daughter sent her.

     After all the aahs and oohs and hugs were dispensed, we put flowers around the house. It's nice to see God's beauty as my present. It would be even nicer if the thought of giving it to me came from my husband or Sonny. I'm not even talking about Hanah, who failed to do the simplest of gestures of niceness toward me again!





































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