The Good, The Bad, And The Relapse (Part 1)

While he was laid up convalescing after his surgery, Farmer H was a pretty good patient. He still went to town, but didn't do anything that was forbidden. He kept his pee bag below his waist. He took his meds. He drank lots of fluid. He rested. 

I tried to help out. I watered the dogs, but Farmer H insisted on feeding them himself. I carried in his six-packs of Diet Mountain Dew, and kept them stocked in FRIG II. I made sure he always had three bottles of cold water available, and that one was on the nightstand when he went to bed. I put his meals on the plate and carried it to him sitting in my OPC (Old People Chair) so he didn't have to get up, and carry his pee bag with one hand.

Tuesday was trash day. So as I left for town on Monday afternoon, I mentioned that I was taking the trash up to the dumpster.

"You don't have to do that, HM. I can do that. I don't think it weighs over 10 pounds. I can take it in the morning when I leave."

"No. There's a rum bottle in there from when The Pony was here yesterday. And there's a big pickle jar. I think it weighs more than you should carry."

When I picked up groceries in town, Farmer H said that he could carry some of them in.

"No. Some of the stuff is heavy. There's no need for you to come out and try to carry a couple bags with only using one hand. I can do it. I'll leave part of it until the next day or two, and only bring the cold stuff and the bananas and bread."

Farmer H had said that it hurt him when bending over to put on his shoes and socks. Of course I offered to do that for him, but he said no. That he slept in his socks so as to only change them every other day. And he could step into his shoes. But by day 5, he was letting me put those shoes and socks on him.

He was actually a low-maintenance patient. And even seemed like he cared about my life being temporarily harder because of his predicament. He cautioned me to be careful while walking the trash a few steps across the yard between the T-Hoe's hood, where I was transporting it, and the dumpster.

But then...