ABC Wednesday - Z is for zebra stripes, over and again (and a Mama update, over and over again, too)

I took these two photos on Oct. 21, after work, as I wandered around downtown looking for ABC photo opportunities. I walked along beside a gallery window on the first floor of the building catty-cornered (sort of) from the Veritable Quandary, my ABC Wednesday V post. When I stopped to look at some pottery in one window, I thought to myself, "I suppose I'll go to the zoo to get a photo of a zebra for Z." Three steps to the left and there was my zebra! Ecstatic, I took several photos, trying to keep down the glare and/or reflection.

"Zebra," acrylic giclee by Norma Piper. Look, there in the lower right corner. "It's me, it's me, it's Ernest T," said Ernest T. Bass. Oops, I mean it's me and my camera!

Satisfied, I walked half a dozen more steps to the left, still enjoying the art in the windows. My mouth dropped wide open when I saw this second painting--more zebra stripes, of a sort.

"Inspired by Music II," oil by Joe Cotter.

And get this, upstairs in the same building is one of the county jails. They don't wear stripes these days, but isn't that a strange coincidence?

Now for Mama. We found out today that the doctors who would do either of the procedures--surgical bypass for the blocked right subclavian and/or the angiogram stent or cleaning out of one or both carotids--are not comfortable yet with her condition in relation to such procedures. So, they and her neurologist and the regular doctors have decided that she needs to go to a skilled nursing facility for a period of physical and occupational therapy. She's taking this very well, I must say. All of this news hit the rest of us sideways because we thought she'd be here at the hospital doing physical therapy the rest of the week. So, Lamont and Lindsay rode their bicycles over to check out a couple of them for me so that I wouldn't lose any time at work. Plus my sister-in-law in Mississippi checked out the same ones through her connections--she's the director of the Mississippi nursing home owners association and knows all the ropes for this sort of thing, hallelujah. Turns out the one the kids thought better, so did she. It's easy for them to get to and me, either in the car or on the bus. That means that barring any unforeseen surprises, Mama should go there on Thursday for an unspecified number of days. She says she really doesn't know exactly what to think about this but that she will try to do whatever they ask her to do, except if it's to eat a lot. "I haven't felt hungry," she says about her little appetite. My brother Howard is flying up here for a few days at the end of the week which will be a good thing for all of us.

Duncan and I are adjusting to being at the apartment by ourselves while Mama gets better. After his evening walk and meal, we settle down on the couch beneath an afghan and promptly doze off in front of the TV. Then right before we get up to go to bed for the night, we go outside for one more walk. We sleep well, through the night, then gett up to start it all over again. My being able to go to work has given this week a more normal feel, to be sure. Since we have some entirely sunny days forecast soon, I imagine I'll even ride the bus instead of driving the Buick.

Thank you to everyone for your continued thoughts and prayers. I wish I had time/energy to look at all of your blogs--when I can, rest assured that I shall do so and without doubt thoroughly enjoy myself.