Mrs. Kravitz and the Case of the (In) Disposed Mattress

Mom's been staying with me while Niece is visiting her parents for 10 days. Normally would not require Mom to stay with me full time but because my leg is so wonky lately, I have requested she spend more time with me. I know I'm on shaky ground here because so many boundaries will get blurred but me? I'm emotionally fragile right now. That little tumble in the tub upset more than just my physical equilibrium. Any little wobble on my walker has me freaked out. If I'm taking a shower (even though my shower is completely handicap accessible) I need to make sure someone is near enough to help me, in case I fall again. Hoping this phase will pass quickly.

I live in a cul-de-sac. From my front windows, you can see everything going on in the neighborhood. Mom, aka Mrs. Kravitz, enjoys this viewpoint. Most cars are scrutinized or I'm asked, "Who's that car belong to?" as if I know what my neighbors drive. If there's someone walking by the house, "Who are they? What are they doing?" You get the idea. Anyway, today, one of my neighbors put something of great interest outside their door.

Couldn't understand why Mom was hopping back and forth between the shutters on the front windows. She kept adjusting the width of the shutter openings for a better view of...something. I asked her, "Hey Gladys, what's caught your attention now?" Mom replied quite seriously, "The neighbors have put out a refrigerator on the front porch. Why do you suppose they've done that? Are they dusting it?"

Dusting a refrigerator? What the hell is that all about? "Maybe they're just cleaning it and then they'll bring it inside. Or maybe they're going to donate it - oh I know, today is the Veteran's Donation pick-up. I bet they're donating the fridge!!" Mom crowed triumphantly that she'd figured it out. She looked out the window one more time. "Huh. That doesn't look like a fridge. Huh. What is it? Oh, wait, I was wrong. It's a MATTRESS!!"

Mom has a habit of mis-identifying objects. Reminds me of the time we were on a cruise and Mom, in quite a state, kept saying loudly, "OH MY GOD!! IT'S A SURFER!! WHAT'S A SURFER DOING OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN!! OH MY GOD!!!! A SURFER!!! IN THE OCEAN!!!" Now, it was just a little bit past sunrise so Mom's vision was obscured. "OH MY GOD!!! THE SURFER!! IT'S A...WAIT...THAT'S NOT A SURFER!! WHAT IS IT?!!! IT'S, IT'S...OH, never mind. it's a piece of trash. go back to sleep."

Turns out, the neighbors were simply moving furniture around. Case solved.