As predicted, Colin was his usual happy self and mum thoroughly enjoyed having him around.
We had lunch at the "Cheescake Factory " at the Walden Galleria and the only way to describe this place is a gastronomic orgy ! We had to have the "world famous" cheesecake of course and it lived up to expectations . Mum's throat is still very sore but she was very easily tempted by a huge slice of caramel cheescake and whipped cream !
It's part of North American culture to go and wander around a mall for an afternoon with no specific agenda. It's climate controlled, sanitized and cheerful and is visually appealing. There's no traffic to navigate around, no trees , no litter and no "undesirables" as presumably they are all moved out by mall security .
I have to admit, I have always been slightly "snobbish" about the whole concept as I am one of those individuals that enjoys the diversity of urban life and prefer to frequent small stores as opposed to the huge "big box" monoliths. However, we have both been pleasantly surprised by our little outings to the mall. There are some unique stores , the people are incredibly friendly and the whole experience just "works" . It is a stress free outing that gives us a much needed diversion from the hospital .
Colin and I are leaving tomorrow. Mum needs a couple of days to herself to read, rest and relax. The orthopedic oncologist has not decided about the surgery yet and we have to wait now until Monday . His assistant just stressed again that mum needs to be extremely careful not to put strain on her hip. She feels that mum needs to have a walker but recognized after only meeting mum once, that she would NEVER agree to that ! Colin and I managed to persuade mum to get into a wheelchair to go around the mall . She is not too happy about the idea but is actually surprisingly compliant . Colin loves to push Grandma around and is becoming the expert navigator.
