while I was at home

Mom went to the hospital without me today: Dad drove her. As before, she was in and out in a flash. Because we're still at the beginning of the radiotherapy calendar, Mom hasn't shown any ill effects from treatment. We've been told to expect such effects (fatigue, hair loss, etc.) around Week 3, i.e., about two weeks from now.

Mom's appetite seems to vary from day to day. Yesterday, she was voracious, eating both a large lunch and two substantial dinners (she often wakes up too late to eat breakfast). Today, she hasn't eaten much lunch at all, and I suspect she won't be wanting much for dinner, either.

Meal prep remains an interesting part of my day. My role as the house cook is well described by the Marine Corps mantra I heard in Clint Eastwood's "Heartbreak Ridge": improvise, adapt, and overcome. I follow the vagaries of Mom's appetite, suss out what she's in the mood for, and adjust her menu accordingly. The same goes for Dad, who seems happy to eat a steady diet of bland cold-cut sandwiches. Were Dad left to his own devices, his menu would never change, and he'd be fine with that. I try to change things up as much as I can, but Dad's and Mom's tastes rarely coincide when it comes to food, often resulting in the need for two completely different menus.

Such is life. Improvise, adapt, and overcome.


_