We dropped over to the retirement ranch this afternoon to take some roses to Mom. Earlier, we went grocery shopping and bought flowers, as usual. Verna took a couple of the roses and some baby’s breath and put them in a little vase for Mom. See the vase image here.
When we got to the ranch, we found Mom and a half-dozen other seniors playing a game of crazy eights in the lobby of the care center. Verna took a photo of them engaged in the intense battle of cards. Click on the image to enlarge.
Since Sunday will be Easter, we bought this nice little planter with Easter lilies for Mom’s room at the ranch. We took them to her this afternoon and she was very glad to have them. Click on the image to enlarge.
We also will be getting her a new bed. The one in her room is too soft and gives her a backache. We’re going to try and get the local store to deliver the new bed before the weekend if possible.
The Daddy took a picture of me while we were out on the road going for a walk. I like sniffing the ground, chasing lizards, barking at traffic and all the other fun things that dogs like to do. When I want to go out, I run to the Daddy or the Mama and jump up and make noise so they will take me. Yes, I am a spoiled little dog. Click on the image to make me big.
I took Mom down to the Motor Vehicle Division office today to apply for her Arizona ID card. I supplied her California ID and her Social Security Card to identify her, but the combination of those two ID forms failed to absolutely prove her identification. What they needed was a passport or a birth certificate.
I took Mom back to her ranch and since it was almost time for lunch, I dropped her off at the dining room. I then returned home to see how I could get a copy of her birth certificate.
I did an internet search and found the Los Angeles County hall of records website. There were specific instructions for how I could get her birth certificate. I needed to fill out a form and then another form needed to be notarized. Luckily, our real estate agent (who sold us our lot where we built our house) had a notary on staff who was only happy to notarize our paperwork.
I enclosed the paperwork, a self addressed stamped envelope, the $23 ripoff for LA County and dropped it off at the USPS. Hopefully, I will have her birth certificate in a week or two, at which time, we can complete the ID application with the State of Arizona.
Mom checked into the retirement ranch last Thursday. At first, she had a lot of confusion, but after a few days of becoming acquainted with staff and other residents, she thinks it might just be a pretty good deal for her. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly, and they attend to most of Mom’s needs.
I visited this morning and had the robot camera take this photo of us. Click on the image to enlarge.
Over the last two days, I have made a marathon trip to California to fetch our Mom to her new accommodations here in beautiful Wickenburg, AZ. Overall, the traffic was not too terrible, but the usual watch your @$$ factor for the California Crazies on the road did apply. There were a couple of times where I got cut off by stupid lane changes where the other driver’s rear bumper was a mere four feet in front of my front bumper.
Image: Mom and me on the back patio – image courtesy Verna. Click to enlarge.
Luckily, the trip was without incident and Mom is safely spending the night here in beautiful Casa Casandro. As I write this, she is all settled in on the sofa in the great room with the TV and some of her favorite word puzzles. (Note to self – get more word puzzle books.)
Tomorrow, we will enroll her in the assisted living program at our local retirement ranch. She is sad about leaving her cats and daughter in California, but looks forward to meeting new friends and getting quality 24/7 care. She really likes our house, so we can look forward to having her over for visits and food from time to time.
