We spent a lovely 3-day weekend camping at a beachside state park. The campground was in a beautiful wooded area. The temperatures were cool and comfortable which kept the bugs to a minimum. Peanut loved the campground’s playground. Even a big face-plant onto the playground mulch, which resulted in several scratches, didn’t keep him down for long. He loved digging in the beach sand and looking for stars at night. We met several other folks with campers similar to ours and had fun hanging out with them.

Peanut also informed us of a new term: fire bees. Fire bees are the glowing things (sparks) that fly up out of a campfire. Too cute.

We managed a quick trip to visit Mom (only an hour from the park). We picked up some pajamas for her on our way (because the 2 sets she went to the hospital with are long gone). Then we took her into town for a pair of flip flops. She has a nasty infection between two toes and doesn’t think it’s getting any better. She’s on antibiotics and an ointment. I spoke with the doctor and ward nurse who think it’s slowly healing.

I’m really pissed about her clothes disappearing. Apparently she didn’t receive all the stuff we brought a couple weeks ago for her birthday, so I wrote up a list describing in detail everything we brought. I understand that other patients steal and that things get lost in the laundry, but we’ve sent her somewhere around 20 pairs of socks and underwear and multiple outfits. The nurses hold any candy we send and she either doesn’t get any or the bags are mysteriously half-empty when she does get some. I've mentioned the lost items a few times to the social worker and a nurse and always get the same answer: it happens, label everything. I know, and I do. The problem, though, is that for a patient who has mental issues (which sometimes express as paranoia) not feeling secure about your things makes your frame of mind even worse. Mom's stuff disappearing stresses her out - a lot. She has little control over her days and she clings to what little control and privacy she does have. I may try to address this with the hospital administration once she's released, but I really don't want to go there while she's still in. I doubt it will matter anyway, but at least I'll feel like I've done something. I also want to make them aware that some of the staff are rough with patients, especially the older, less mobile ones. Again, it's something I'd prefer to do once she's out.