Thanksgiving

We had 11 people here for Thanksgiving, counting the two little ones. We ate a great meal and then everyone dispersed to their various rooms to talk. I stayed at the table with Esther and my friend, Nancy. Esther said, "I won't be using the new washing machine, it's too complicated." (In the little laundry room for all the tenants at the duplexes where she lives.) "Besides, Ida says you have to put a coin in for every little thing." I said, "Didn't it used to be free?" Esther said, "Yes. Everyone was using it all the time, I could hear it going all the time. I brought some bedding to be washed, but you don't have to hurry. I won't need it for a month, I have some on my bed already. I only need to wash about 2 or 3 times a year on the bedding. Oh, I wash something every day. I have a bucket of water. Then I put it (the washed item) on the heater." Nancy says, "You be careful with that heater." "Oh, I'm always careful. I never leave anything on. When I get home it will be cold, but after a few minutes I'll be toasty and warm. " I glanced over at Nancy halfway through this conversation and she kicked me under the table. She does not control her laughter very well.

On a sadder note, Esther said to Jerry before coming over and to me while she was here, "I'm not very interested in anything anymore. I'm tired."
I explained to her that she is still fighting a Urinary Tract infection and she fell a month ago and fractured her forearm. Her body will naturally be tired until they get better. She never wants to go do a doctor or pay for it and so she doctors herself with beer and keeps these things a secret until they bother her so much she has to do something. We ask her all the time, how are you doing, is everything ok? Yep, just fine. She had fallen and fractured her forearm 3 weeks before she told us about it. She had the UT infection for 2 or 3 months before she told us about it. We will do our best to find this stuff out and help her take care of it right, whether she wants to or not. Because we love her.

"I don't want it, I don't need it."

Esther just had her 87th birthday. She celebrated it exactly the way she wanted to. She did her usual routine of telephoning days before to let us know that she did not want anything for her birthday and she did not want to come to dinner. She didn't even want a phone call. She got exactly what she wanted. She did call up the night before and say that what she wanted was for Jerry to come over and help her fill out her ballot for the election. He did that. I used to think that she didn't mean it, that she secretly wanted us to pay her some attention. After many unsuccessful attempts over the years, I finally realized that she really didn't want to celebrate it. "I don't want it, I don't need it."