Mothers In Law

My mother-in-law is really something. She is in a nursing home now, having suffered a stroke and is now feeling the full force of her dementia kick in. I have campaigned mightily for years that something was going on up there in that head of hers that just wasn't completely right and now, confirmation. It's a relief, in a way, and she's gotten some good medication to help with it.

When Dwight, my brother-in-law, went out to Iowa last, he signed some papers giving him durable power of attorney for her. When they went to the attorney's office to sign, Betty (my MIL) told the attorney that it was really good that Dwight had this power, him being a certified electrician and all, because that way he would know just when to pull the plug.

Ah, the mind reels. I see her, in her mind's eye, picturing herself all hooked up to gadgets and machines and everything runs to one giant plug in the wall. She comforted herself believing that at just the proper moment, Dwight would sidle up to that wall and give that plug a yank, knowing as he would (he's an electrician after all) that he could stick a fork in her and turn her over: She's Done.

I once had a conversation with Betty about taking it easy in her later years (she's 85 now). She was working every day at David's Greenhouse, the business my other brother-in-law ran in Atlantic, Iowa for years. She changed the subject complaining about the high cost of gas. So I made the observation that if she quit working at the greenhouse every day she could save on the expense of gas. She said, "oh, it doesn't take any gas to get to the greenhouse! It's all downhill." I, (silly, silly me) pointed out that she still had to drive home. But she outfoxed me. She said, "Oh, no! Coming home, I go a different way!"