Cords

  There are umbilical cords, musical chords, and even Cordon Blue, but the cords that are bothering mom tonight belong to the television. She has this whole new neurotic riff on the vulnerability of her dogs' lives and cords.

It started with the windows.  She has had a beach house for quite some time, and until recently, she wanted to put more windows in and widen the view.  Then this new riff started.  She has to make sure every cord of every blind is knotted at the top of the window, and she prefers each blind closed tight and dark like a fist.   before leaving, she checks every window, every cord, knotts and lift anything that might dangle near the throat of her elderly dogs.

She enters the bathroom and closes the door tight, making sure the dogs cannot enter and become trapped.

She goes to each electrical outlet and unplugs appliances.  She unplugs the large TV and hides the cords. She unplugs the small tv and hides the cords. If I leave something like a computer cord out, she will hide it and it will be very hard to find.  Her rituals are predictable and time consuming.  Upon return, she doesn't remember why things are unplugged. It is always a mystery.

Often, when she is here, nothing works when she wants it.  The television, the computer, the other television; things are silent.

Everything is unplugged or the extension cords area hidden somewhere.  The dogs sleep or scratch their fleas.  They are fat, old, lazy, and used to sitting with her in her three dog chair.  One is an ugly, yoda-like mutt the size of a small chihuahua.  The other is a fat, fluffy cockapoo who could impersonate a white Raggedy-Anne.   These are not bouncy dogs.  They bark and bark, but they are not very active, except for the respectable dog behavior of scratching of fleas.

I wonder what will happen at my house.  I wonder what thing she will leave done or undone, hidden or  sabotaged.  So far, I have lost my glasses for 4 days, then found them in her purse.  I have found Brian's glasses in her purse too.  She has taken hats and blankets too.  Recently, she left the hose on for hours, flooding water into the street, and has let the dogs in when the rabbit was in the house, even though her dogs could kill her.  She also rarely showers. It takes about 4 days for her to get the idea of showering.  It's truly odd to watch her go from being herself, to being an angry car passenger, to being talkative to strangers, then to not remembering where she is, and back again.

There are heart cords and the cords that bind.  Sometimes the cords unwind.