"One Christmas was so much like another..."; A Visit; One Big Store

"One Christmas was so much like another,
in those years around the sea-town corner now
and out of all sound except the distant speaking
of the voices I sometimes hear a moment before sleep,
that I can never remember whether it snowed
for six days and six nights when I was twelve
or whether it snowed for twelve days and
twelve nights when I was six."

"A Child's Christmas in Wales"
Dylan Thomas

I made one trip out on Saturday to visit mother at the convalescent home. We sat in the meeting room on the second floor and watched the rain drops splash in large puddles across the driveway. I've learned to keep my visits short, after a certain point it is obvious that she becomes uncomfortable. So I left after about 20 minutes.

Plus I really needed to pick up my prescrptions for Clonopin, Xanax and Wellbutrin XL at the pharamacy. As I've mentioned before the awareness of not having anything to take for a panic attack can trigger one.

Last night I took my first Clonopin. I think I was supposed to take 1/2 of a tablet, but I made such a mess of trying to split it that I went ahead and took the crumbs also. Later when I read the instructions on the bottle it said to take 1/2 - 1 twice a day.

Today at lunch I made another trip to visit mother carrying along the two nonsensical gifts I'd gotten at WalMart. I figured at the least she would enjoy opening the bags. Her immediate words when I got there were that she didn't think she'd be able to ever go home again. She's had a urinary tract infection that has bothered her for several days, and she didn't feel it was getting any better. And they couldn't contact the doctor until Monday. After I went through my explanation that antibiotics sometimes take longer to work, she appeared to be more upbeat. In this case, there was a delay of four or five days after she reported the symptoms before the antibiotics were started. Which means the bug has had that much longer to be in the system.

We did decide to wait to the end of the week to make a decision about when to come home. I have no idea who will or will not be at work tomorrow. And I think whe will benefit from some more physical therapy. And if she gets a refresher dose of antibiotics tomorrow, she may feel better by the end of the week.

The side that faces the Interestate is fairly bland. But the entrance on the other side is much more intriguing. The front and roof are constructed of corrugated tin panels. Some are bright, some are rusty-looking, some are splotched and some are almost black. A great representation of industrial art.

The pedestrian lanes across the streets instead of being painted or comprised of viny stripes are metal images embeded into the pavement. The one I noticed was a path of matching six-inch silver-colored fish placed several inches apart. I can't think that I've ever seen this done before.

The interior is one enormous atrium-like space that extends from the floor to the ceiling. On either side are mezzanine areas filled with sale items. I also noticed a large aquarium filled with local fish. Some of the enhibitants did not look too friendly, especially the gar and the buffalo fish. Mean-looking critters.

This is a reaction to the aesthetics of the building and not a reflection on the hunting business. Personally, I think if you're going to go into the woods seeking Bambi's mother, it should be more of an even match. Maybe she should have body armor, night goggles and an AK47 and a backup team of pissed off werewolves. I've this really bizarre image of Mrs. Bambi showing her friends photos of fat, middle-aged, white guys running through brambles and briars. PAX!