Mom and the Chief's Bag Week of 8/30/09

I have to put this in as a week's worth of information, because it went on all week.

About a month ago, I bought a bag at HyVee. It was a grocery bag that you reuse. The cost was a little more, but it was a burgundy red with white lettering, and says CHIEFS. Anyone who knows my mom knows she is an avid football fan, especially the Kansas City Chiefs. She loved it so much, she stopped using her bag with Donato's pictures on it, and started using this bag. When I say using it, I mean she attaches it to her walker with velcro, and carries her knitting looms, yarn, hats, a few pictures, assorted napkins and tissues, food that she confiscates from the dining room at Timberlake, and anything she picks up. I was at Timberlake with her on Friday, August 28, and she had several balls of yarn, all which were becoming tangled. I untangled all the yarn, worked with her on a hat, I worked on a sock (a separate blog to come later). When I left Friday evening, the bag and yarn were all fine.

Saturday Mom went to my brother's house, as usual. Craig and Teri took her to Mass, fed her, took her back to Timberlake after a few hours. Craig and Teri are always very careful to make sure she has her bag with her when they drop her off. Fast forward to Tuesday, September 1. I'm visiting Mom, and she has no idea where her Chief's bag and all the yarn and looms are. Her roommate, Doris says she has been beside herself for 2 days because she can't find the bag. I looked behind her recliner (this will be another blog, all about The Chair), under her bed, in the closet, in the bathroom. Not there. I checked the dining room, and we worked our way down to the lobby. I called Teri, asked her if Mom had left the bag at their house. She was pretty sure she hadn't, but said it might be in the trunk of the car. She would look later and call me if it was. On the way to the lobby I saw Pat, the Activities Director. Pat said she had been looking for the bag for Mom for 2 days also. Emily, the receptionist told us Mom had the bag on Sunday afternoon when she was there. I left Mom in the lobby, and checked the Sub-Acute dining hall, because Mom goes there sometimes for coffee and to look for deer. Nope, not there. One of the nurses offered to help search, we went to the great room, not there. By this time, Mom was convinced it was at Craig and Teri's. Every 15 minutes she asked if we could go to their house and look for the bag. I'd say no one is home, we will wait for them to call. Brian came to visit also, she asked him to take her to Craig and Teri's. We said again, no one is home, if it's there, they will call. Finally, it was time for dinner. We walked Mom to the dining room, and said hello to lots of the residents. I excused myself, and went to check her friend Charlotte's room for the Chief's bag. Charlotte is an avid knitter, and loves to untangle Mom's yarn messes. I walked into Charlotte's room, she was sitting in her wheelchair, and on the bed was THE BAG!!! Charlotte said she'd been waiting for 2 days for mom to come and get it, it's been in her way. CRAZY!!! I hugged her, took the bag to Mom in the dining room. I attached it to her walker, told everyone it was found, hugged Mom, and left.

So, this should be the end of it, right? What is the big deal about a missing bag? You found it. Wednesday, the nurse from Timberlake called me, and indicated Mom wasn't having a good day. So, I went over after work to check on her. I found her in the dining room, with Brian, visiting. She had her Donato bag attached to the walker, and her yarn and loom were in it. Mom asked me if I brought her bag from Craig and Teri's? I said no, Mom, we found your bag here yesterday, it was in Charlotte's room. So Mom said, where is it now? I said Mom, I don't know, you had it when I left last night. She kept asking again if we could take her to Craig and Teri's, she was sure the bag was there. Brian and I kept telling her that it wasn't at Craig and Teri's, that it had to be at Timberlake. We went down to her room, and searched again. This time I found the bag under her bed. I gave it to her, then attached it to her walker. We visited for a few minutes, and then she asked me again to take her to Craig and Teri's to look for the bag. I told her again, the bag was here, and showed it to her. As Brian and I were getting ready to leave, she asked what she was going to do about her missing bag. I asked her what bag? She said my Chief's bag! I said, you mean the one your hand is resting on? By now it is just funny and sad. Mom thinks I'm doing it on purpose, Brian and Doris were just enjoying the exchange. We walked up to the lobby, and all the way, I kept asking mom where her bag was.

So, again, you might think this is the end of the story, right? Nope. Saturday, I got a text from Craig. Do you know where Mom's Chief's bag is? I texted back: Look under the bed. A few minutes later, another text, yep, got it.

Sunday, I went to Timberlake to take Mom out for a while. I was delighted to see the Chiefs bag hanging on her walker when I got there.

I know this probably doesn't seem like much to most people, but I guarantee you, to the rest of the family, we all know just how amusing these exchanges are. And at some point, after she is gone, these will be the moments we cherish the most, when she drove us crazy.