I realized this morning just how long it’s been since I’ve updated. Lots has happened.

Jim has settled in to his new surroundings. He mostly understands we live here now, even though he still asks if there is a bathroom in this place. Luckily, his muscle memory takes over at night and he has no trouble finding the bathroom in the middle of the night without waking me.

He’s begun to enjoy the antics of the wildlife around us. He laughs at the squirrels trying to steal birdseed and gets a kick out of the birds flying to and from the feeders. He’ll stand for hours and watch me work in the garden. Although, he does this because he’s worried thugs might come and steal me away. Nevertheless, he’s standing which helps maintain his balance.

The playlist I created on Spotify and play through Alexa is priceless. It settles him more that anything else. He can only concentrate on one thing at a time, and the music takes him back to when he was a young adult and the time of very good memories.

I’ve had home-care come in twice so far, to give me a few hours respite.

Oh My God!! I hadn’t realized how immersed in Jim’s care I’d become. How drained.

I cried the as I drove out of our yard that first day. It was the first time since we moved that I was truly alone, and the first time in months that I didn’t need to rush and worry about Jim being alone. It. Was. Bliss.

The second day the care worker was with Jim, I was able to see a friend I hadn’t seen in person in over 4 years. It filled my depleted spirit.

I’d forgotten to look after myself too, this was a reminder of how important it was.

Today was a bit challenging. First thing this morning, Jim tried to sit on our bed to get dressed but he didn’t get his butt far enough back onto the mattress. He slide to the floor. It took almost 30 minutes to get him up. Lessons learned: put his sneakers on so he has traction on the wood floor.  Jim does not remember how to move his body to get on his hands and knees. Jim still has strength in his legs and body to push/pull himself up when he has direction on how to move his limbs. All those years of me doing heavy deadlifts was a wise time-effort investment.

Our cross-country move is complete. It was exhausting but it was also the smartest thing I could have done for both myself and Jim. I can’t tellyou how thankful I am that it worked out.