MOTHERS' DAY

     Leftover beans and peas have been coming home to my freezer for future soup. Friday, we froze the lunch corn, and today I returned three bags of peas and green beans for a pot of soup. So I had my hands full when I approached the back stairs, but not too full to grab a snap of Kevin's latest creations. He's added twigs to his collection:

     I am fascinated by the things that Kevin sees as treasures. Would that more people could take pleasure from such things.
     I found Doug hard at work on slapping together 50 PBJs. He's still croupy, and he was not wont to give me a smile. We sacked the PBJs, then I made 30 meat sandwiches and we sacked those. As time passed, he began to come around, and once or twice I caught him hinting at a happy dance.
     For lunch, Doug had already started the soup, so we added the vegetables I'd taken and several other canned items, finishing with two fistfuls of curly noodles. They said it was good, but I wasn't impressed. On the side, we served deep-fried chicken tenders and crackers.
     At some point, I mentioned Kevin's new treasure displays, and Doug said, "He's sleeping on the back porch, you know."
     I did not know. I went out to find Kevin. I looked and looked. Doug waved from the kitchen, "Miss Joy, he's down there…," and sure enough, when I looked at the floor of the lift (which hasn't been raised in years), there was Kevin, curled up in a space of his own creation, sleeping like a baby.
     I tossed two little beach rocks onto his blanket. He'll think the rock fairy came.

     There is very little change among the residents. My boy was there, and I gave him a toy. The autistic kid was there—as was his mom—and I couldn't help but notice her bright toothy smile! This is the woman I've always known as completely toothless. So I said to her, "Smile for me again!" And she did. "That's beautiful!" I said. "Obviously you got a very nice gift for Mothers' Day!"
     Later, I remarked to Doug how lovely the woman looked with her new teeth. "Oh, those aren't new," he said, "she just very seldom wears them."
     Really. It IS hard to understand some of their behaviors—especially those that keep them from better employment, better health, and a hut of their own.
     The kids from the hotel came for a meal. They were in good spirits.
     Buddy was keeping the gate, I presume, but we didn't see hide nor hair of him. Now that I think about it, the phone didn't ring all morning. Furthermore, Buddy's been officially called in on the carpet for missing a bunch of phone calls this week while wearing his headphones.
     For dinner, Doug made a huge pot of mashed potatoes and another of green beans. He baked those two missing Easter hams that were mysteriously found in the freezer. We filled 36 plates, wrapped them and put them in the warming oven. I brought home the ham bones and put them in my freezer for future pots of beans. Have you priced ham bones lately? We're just lucky they don't come from China!