the only utterance

The only distinct utterance I heard from Mom today was a whispered, "What time is it?" in response to a question about whether she wanted to watch TV. Mom often looks at the nearest clock to determine whether it's the proper time to do something. Whenever I ask her whether she's ready to eat dinner, for example, Mom will glance at the clock on the small table next to the couch, near the front door, before turning to stare at me (usually without answering "yes" or "no"). The same is true when I ask about lunch, or about whether she's ready to head off to bed for the night.

Mom was supposed to go walking today, but she's been in a bit of pain ever since her fall the other day. She's also been weaker and more off-balance than usual; with Dad away for an eye appointment, I decided that I didn't want to try walking with Mom alone. Were she to fall, there'd be only one person to stop her from hitting the hard ground outside.

So Mom's had an easy day, spent mostly on the couch. She spent a good part of the afternoon napping, making up for the sleep she missed this morning because of her 10:45AM appointment. She's watching the Korean news right now; Obama's done with China and has arrived in Korea, where he doesn't have to worry about courting controversy: President Lee Myeong-bak isn't expecting Obama to bow low to him, as happened when Obama met Emperor Akihito in Japan.

Here's hoping that we can get Mom out to the park tomorrow.


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