I agreed to drive to Florida with my mother. I know I'm gonna regret it. We leave on Friday.

She’s still here, but don’t ask me why - I don’t know. Sunday she was finally packed and the two of us loaded her car for the trip. It's not big, she has one of those Chevy HHRs that sort of remind you of some older car. She had packed more than a family of 8 would need for a year on a sailboat. There were 4 suitcases and three hanging bags to put in. I tried to remind her that she was only going for 6 weeks or so, this time but she "needs" all those clothes and craft supplies and wet clay and magazines and beads and fabric and paints and curios and books and so on. The hanging bags have all her dress outfits for church. 'Nuff said 'bout that. Then there’s the cat cage. It’s about 2 feet by 3 feet by 2 feet tall. He rides in it all the way and this time he’s going to have some kitty valium, so he doesn’t howl the entire time like he did on the trip up last spring.

I thought she’d leave Monday after she was up and about, so it was a surprise when she answered the phone at 3 pm. She said she was ready to leave and had just run back in to get the phone. Turned out that she had to finish loading the car because we hadn't saved enough room for her other two suitcases... Then she muttered under her breath that she had needed to repack everything in the car because it wasn't quite right.

I spent about 20 minutes in sheer panic after we hung up. I couldn't stop kicking myself (mentally) for not trying harder to keep her from going. I had a nightmare thinking about all that could happen to her on that 1400 mile trip. Finally, I was thinking about jumping in my car to see if I could catch up with her, when she called me back and said she wasn’t leaving until today. Phew!

Today, she asked me to come with her. (Do I know how to make a suggestion or what? I planted that idea in her mind several times over the last few weeks.) I know better than to travel with her. Two years ago, we traveled together on two consecutive weekends to family weddings and shared motel rooms for 5 nights and I promised myself that I wouldn't ever do it again. She likes to watch TV but is very hard of hearing. I HATE prime time TV, but it was so loud that I heard it even though I was wearing my earbuds and listening to my iPod.

I like the room to be cool, and a slight breeze is even better. Okay, I'll admit it - I sleep with the window cracked open all winter. She likes things warm, very warm. Her thermostat is set at 76 or higher, depending on how cold she is. I keep mine at 64, unless I forget to turn it up from the night before.

However, I said I would go with her and I will. I've got a plane ticket back here that leaves next week. Then, I fly back in March and drive her back up here. In all likelihood, this will be the last time she goes for any length of time. She began taking Aricept a week ago but I fear it may be too late already.

Last Thursday or Friday, my mom was talking to her friend B. and told her she had gone up to White Cloud and had lunch and drove around, etc. B. asked who she went with. "Oh, just some friends," my mom said. Those friends were B. and her husband.