I Baked a Cake

Today, my husband went by to visit my grandmother after he delivered Meals on Wheels.  They talked about her getting them and how it was unsafe for her to cook.  She told him, "I baked a cake this morning, but that girl was here."  We assume she meant her home health aide.  Anyway, my husband shared their conversation over lunch ... how they discussed her not having any more vegetable gardens, and no peanut brittle making ... and no cooking unless someone was there.  He forgot to mention the cake to me.

So when my mother e-mailed and said Mam-ma had made a cake, I told him, and he said, "Oh, yeah... she mentioned that and said 'that girl' was here."  I called my mom to tell her it was okay - the aide was there.  Mom said, "NO!  She told me that the girl had left!"  She also told my husband that all she had left to do was ice the cake. I'm thinking buttercream frosting - Mom says she makes a "boiled" icing on the stove.  Yikes!

So much for being scared by burning the dried peaches in the crock pot - much less listening to anything we told her about not cooking unattended!  Thankfully, Mam-ma's deacon visited her last night and took her a supper of black-eyed peas and turnip greens - and he took home his peanuts and corn syrup, along with the recipe for making peanut brittle.  He spoke by phone with my mom today, and when she told him about the cake, he said, "You are kidding!"  He was planning to return her recipe book later today and have another talk with her about not cooking any more! 

Meanwhile, I've spoken with cousins who sometimes take her out to dinner and bring her peanuts and sugar to make peanut brittle.  At first my cousin thought I was asking him NOT to take her anywhere, but I explained that no... out to eat, or giving her a ride to Ruby's house was fine.  But taking her to the grocery store or helping her "make a garden" was out of the question.  I hope he understood.

I know it's hard for people who don't know the whole situation to grasp this.  For one thing, my grandmother seems so able bodied and "talks a great game."  And she has no problem telling people, "I'm just a poor old widder woman who can't drive any more."  She also has told me directly that she tells others that "... my kids don't care anything about me.  They've got better things to do than see after me."

So another day brings more "fun."  I have my doubts that this is going to work for long, but the Meals on Wheels may begin as early as tomorrow.  I'm planning a family dinner for next week - and I plan to use some food from her "deep freeze."  I'm also going to call the assisted living facility administrator and tell her that - for now - we do not want the room she has available."  Something tells me this may be a very temporary fix.