SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

Grandpa is in a stubborn mood today. I ask what everyone wants for breakfast and despite the fact that I've been making breakfast for the last week, he tells me he always makes breakfast and he'll do it when he's ready. I start pulling stuff out telling him I'll just get things started. To this he get's up and starts to work but sits back down, lights a cigarette and promptly forgets. I go to tend to the bacon and he remembers and shoos me out of the way. Puts some eggs on and goes to sit down, lights and cigarette and forgets. I go to make sure the bacon isn't burning and he remembers he wanted to be in charge of breakfast so he gets up and shoos me away (and so this dance continues). By the time breakfast is actually on the table, grandpa has three half smoked, lit cigarettes near his chair and one in his mouth.
Breakfast is over and everyone has taken their medicine when grandpa takes out his case of cigarette and decides he needs more. This starts a stressful chain of events where he finds he has enough money to get new packs but can't find his drivers license. Did Carol take it? No, she has hers but can't find her credit card (presumedly lost next her keys in this house). She starts doing the shallow breathing that I know means she's about to cry. I show grandpa where he left the packs of cigarettes he bought yesterday, ask him to go check his car and dresser table for his license before he starts accusing us of anything and I calm Carol down by telling her we will go to the bank tomorrow.
Grandpa goes to the pier while we go to get groceries (despite telling us it's too hot to go out earlier). He's too sullen to get groceries with us license theifs, but comes out when we get home to sit in his chair and have us bring him treats while we put away the groceries. "You could help us put away groceries, Grandpa." "I'm fine here. Are those coke's cold? Hand me one will you..."
A nice relaxing Sunday afternoon consists of relaxing in the sun and having tearful conversations with Carol that start out with "he keeps yelling at me about his license and I just can't take it." and "so James really did pass?" After Grandpa started in on me and Carol for about the tenth time today, we decided we might be grumpy because we needed to eat dinner. We heated up lo mein leftovers had some ice cream for dessert.
I've been hiding in my room ever since.

To sum up--

Daily sanity level of house: 5 (out of 10)

Erika's daily activity away from house: Hiding out on the dock

Daily lesson: When in doubt, ice cream out