Tonight, via internet, I signed up for the required training to renew my carry permit that would expire in May if not renewed. The required training and range qual is the same as for a new issue. I selected this trainer because he offers training for vets for less than half of usual price, and he's 10 minutes away in Brooklyn Center. That is gonna be one long, boring Saturday, except for the gunsmoke part. Gunsmoke is always fun. They do the range qual at Bill's in Robbinsdale, where I fired and barely passed my first range qual about
5 years ago. I intend and expect to max it this time. I resolve to be shut-mouth tolerant of such contingent of macho jerks and redneck fools as I may find myself in company with for that little while. I appreciate the quiet respect the proprietor offers to vets.The date is 19 March, 2 weeks hence. I hesitated a bit not knowing what Mary's sched might be but we tawked about that a bit today in the car enroute to Mayo for chemo. That's a 90 minute ride both ways, time to be next to each other, hold hands and talk as we feel motivated to or not. Snoozing is permitted for the passenger if not the driver. The driver keeps serious coffee at hand.
Mar doubts that she'll be released from rehab any sooner than that and hopes that she won't be. That's a completely rational and very positive attitude. She continues to make progress, slowly but steadily, but she's got a ways to go before she'd be regarded as able to live without significant assistance. I am presently able to provide significant assistance but (moment of clarity) that isn't and shouldn't be the measure of her readiness. I'm older than she is.
If push came to shove and they did release Mary on that Saturday, I think Dave would be happy to transport her and her stuff from there to here on a Saturday. I think he's grateful as hell that I'm doing what I'm doing so he doesn't need to show up for a couple of hours every day, he being a workin' stiff and all. The facility can and does meet the needs of residents/inmates, but Mary clearly does prefer being cared for by me. Well duh, I guess.
We talked about that a little this evening, after the ride down to Mayo and back for chemo, which was my whole day since I was in the car after a wakeup, make coffee, climb into clothes and chogie. I noted that today went really well. She thought similarly. I observed that one reason it went really well for me was because I was able to leave there by about 1900. It's still a dark drive home and I'm still not home much before 2000 (8 pm) if I stop at Cub for vittles, and I don't get my supper until 21:00 since I need to prepare it, later if I take a break upon arrival home to have an iced tea and watch a TV program or read a few pages. I don't think she'd thought about how that works. I'm not complaining but I felt a need to put it out where we could look at it together.
I can't do my best at caring for her if I don't take care of myself too.
Comms happened, we're in accord. Nobody else in that facility has anything remotely resembling the daily hands-on care from family I provide to Mary. I know she appreciates it bigtime, she says so often.
I tonight discovered the difference between the baguettes at Cub that were $0.99 vs $1.99. The $1.99 jobs are take 'n bake. Toss them in a hot oven for 8 minutes, they are freakin' wonderful. I chopped the one I bought tonight into 4 chunks, put the other 3 in a ziplock and thence into the freezer.
I really like good French bread with hard crust and soft white interior. Yummy!