Subes for life!

As loyal readers of this blog will know, I’ve been parked in SC for several weeks to attend to some family matters. One benefit is that I get to see mom/G-ma every day for an hour or two, and man do we have some laughs. So much so (mirth), in fact, that she may or may not (allegedly) have pulled a back muscle the other day. That was not so funny in its own right, but man it’s good to see her smile and to see her silly side.

One drawback to the visits is that her television is always on. I mean, always. From wake-up-O’clock until bedtime. WTF? But, I suppose if it works as a babysitter for kids, why not use it for dementia patients as well?* And so, we end up watching the same programs over and over, for hours at a time. It’s an afternoon of Bob Ross teaching painting. It’s the puppies and kittens channel**. It’s the Carol Burnett variety show. And sometimes, it’s the Jack Hanna wildlife show.

He’s a bit of a buffoon — the kind of simpleton who would go to San Diego for an onion bagel, mayhap? — but the places they go and the wildlife they film around the world is actually magnificent. Fascinating. Enthralling. Engaging. All of that, until he starts talking and doing his stupid American antics. Mom loves the video, and can’t hear the audio, so she’s immune to the stupididities. However, one of his catch-phrases I found intriguing is, “Golly day!” He says it when they finally find the elusive baboon, or after he frees a croc, or lets a tarantula climb through his hair, or when they’re walking through a pride of lions***

And so, this morning I caught myself with a, “Golly day!” on my lips as I watched the sun defeat the rain clouds in their daily (it seems, around here any way) battle for weather domination. It looked something like this:

I left on my usual walk a few minutes later and it poured rain the entire time, but no complaints. No foul medicine, was that. It’s all part of the outdoorsy life, and of livin’ the Subes4Life dream.

Get out there and look around.

Sometimes you’ll get a Golly Day of your own!

*They do this at assisted living facilities as well. Sigh.

**Yes, there is such a thing.

***He asked the guide if they’d attack, and the guide replied with a deadpan, “Probably not.” Cringey, maybe, but, hey, it makes for great TV.