The Curative Properties of Barbecued Ribs

Monday being Labor Day, we had a "picnic" of sorts. We ate it inside, at the dining room table, but we had corn on the cob, barbecued ribs, beans, etc. The ribs took about five hours to cook and were falling-off-the-bone tender. Mom had a great time. She remarked on the food throughout the entire meal and it was fun to see a 91 year old woman wrist deep in barbecue sauce. We were done about 4:30.

Whereupon Mom went to bed.

Actually it was about 5 when she turned in, without announcing the decision to us. She simply went to her room and didn't come back out. For twelve hours.

Now 5 o'clock is about four or five hours earlier than usual and when she does go to bed at nine or ten she's usually up again an hour or two later saying "Good morning!" and toddling all over the house until we chase her back only to repeat the drill every hour until 3 a.m. She'll then wake up anywhere between 7 a.m. and noon. So twelve hours straight was something to remark upon.

Part of the reason, I think, is that we had a doctor's appointment Tuesday. Mom always gets a little nervous about missing appointments and being presentable and so forth and is frequently less random the day before. Tuesday morning she was up early, dressed to go out, bright, alert, sense of humor working. It was a fun day in spite of the thundering cloudbursts and the doctor freezing two patches (one on her forehead) and biopsying two others (on her nose and neck).

Tuesday's dinner was pasta with sweet sausage and onions in a marinara sauce. Tuesday night was the typical yoyoing between bed and the living room all night long.

Last night I served the leftovers from the picnic. In spite of falling asleep in the middle of dinner with a rib bone clenched in her fist, Mom enjoyed it immensely, and said so. When she couldn't stay awake on the couch and I suggested she retire for the night, we had an extended conversation regarding how to stay in bed and what she should do if she felt like getting up. She agreed to give it her best shot and, in spite of turning in at 8:30, didn't come out once until 3 a.m. (When we chased her back in again.) She was up early this morning, fixed her own breakfast, was sitting up straight and communicating in full sentences.

I reckon thar's somethin' in them ribs a'right.