Home sweet home

It's been such a wonderful week with Mom at home. I can tell that Mom's cats are glad she's home, too. Lucy, at left, is 100 percent Mom's cat. She's been quite the moody kitty in the past month and has been pouting without her. What a beautiful sound to hear Mom's laughter and her voice in her home again.

Mom uses a walker to get around upstairs but is gaining mobility each day. On Thursday, she had visits from physical and occupational therapists, who evaluated her and gave her "homework" to keep her limber and to help her grow stronger. Janice and our family friend Faith, who both work for school districts and are off this summer, have been keeping Mom company during the days while the rest of us are at work. That's been a blessing. Mom should get a wheelchair today, which we'll use (soon, hopefully) when she's feeling up to getting out of the house to see a movie, shop, etc.

Jen & I have been spending much of our evenings at Mom & Dad's and keeping Mom company. For now, Mom is still on a soft food diet but has been able to eat more of her favorite foods and drinks, including tuna and chicken salad sandwiches, Little Debbie Oatmeal Cookies, puffed rice cereal, coffee and another Fruitista. (My Aunt Ruthie, who lives in Texas, had seen my previous post about Mom's first "taste of the outside" while she was in the MICU and mailed Mom a coupon for a free Fruitista. Mom made sure I got it for her.)

Mom's brothers Eric & Joey are in town for a visit from Missouri, and Dad grilled brats for dinner. Earlier this week, I cooked Dad dinner. He gave me two thumbs up on a couple of my favorite recipes, Parmesan Pork Cutlets and

Avocado-Corn Salsa
1 cup salsa
1 medium avocado, pitted, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 (11-oz.) can Mexicorn, drained
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
***
In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients; mix well. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until serving time.
Makes 3 cups.
Source: Pillsbury