I think you are right, it is both polluted and heavy with silt. But a powerful, impressive, beautiful river anyway...I had made a little trip on boat over it, at some places it was like a lake, you cannot see both side at the same time.

--
Life... is like a grapefruit. It's orange and squishy, and has a few pips in it, and some folks have half a one for breakfast.
Douglas Adams
English humorist & science fiction novelist (1952 - 2001)

I didn't know that.

I like rivers, well any water. I'm frightened too.

We have been to Bâle several times but we needed a map. There are so many streets to get back to the station. We almost got lost.

It was nice to be just alone with my daughter. She got the meals and I felt calm with her. I think she liked being just with me too.

I think her father might go to see her to fix her some bookshelves. He actually agreed. I didn't think he would leave his mother, but he is really tired of being here all the time.

Good night.

--
Member of *FracMan.
~MyFractalStock

Of course it's good for you both to see your daughter. You have to have someone come and take care of the old lady for a few days. She even may appreciate ( after refusing it ) to see a new ang younger face, hear another voice. Even and more when the body is weak, the brain need to be used. If is like opening the windows to let sun and fresh air in. May be it is possible to have some public insureance help for that.

--
Life... is like a grapefruit. It's orange and squishy, and has a few pips in it, and some folks have half a one for breakfast.
Douglas Adams
English humorist & science fiction novelist (1952 - 2001)

I don't know if she would. I rather think not as she has a decent half pension from her husband.

You know, she is just carrying on as usual, thinking she will die soon. She has said that for a long time. She has been more resilient than she imagined. She recovered from major surgery at 89.
She doesn't want any changes, really not. Perhaps she thinks she will die in her sleep. She is frightened of the idea of going to hospital. That's why she won't have a scan of her abdomen to investigate what sort of things are going on there. She has a large cyst.
When Bernard talks about coming here she says, "Yes, but I shall just have a tiny room." She seems to have lost her imagination except for unpleasant things. She doesn't see the advantage of living in a house with a garden and greenery all around. She says, "I shan't be able to see anybody from your windows." instead of thinking that she will have two people for company all day.

Of course she likes visitors but in very small quantities.
She really doesn't like the idea of someone else doing the housework. It's her" raison de vivre", her duty, as it always was. I can't help much except when she really can't do her washing for example.

I think often that apart from being married to a soldier all those years, and being subject to a sort of military discipline herself, (like ironing shirts and folding them the proper way, with the two creases down the back), she is also the daughter of a Protestant who worked very hard. She definitely has the work ethic and would go crazy to see how little I do.
If she comes I shall have to wake myself up and do more housework. It wouldn't do me any harm!

My husband says he will go to my daughter's for one or perhaps two nights. He wants to show her how to use a "perceuse" to fix things to the wall.

I didn't really answer your suggestion about home helps. She could pay someone, but doesn't want someone in the house. She's frightened the person would bother her and perhaps carry gossip to other people. She is shy.

OK Enough talk.

--
Member of *FracMan.
~MyFractalStock

Old people are very reluctant to change, that's a fact. Dont let her eat your own life, that's unfair. You may need a help in your house someday, for yourself, to get enjoyed your garden may be. And the bit about helpers going gossiping is ridiculous. First, they are supposed to have a work ethic, too. And then, what is it with her ? Does she have several lovers at the same time, deals cocaïne or just has the habit of picking her nose ? Of course a helpers can go to the grocery and say hey, you know the old lady there, she is 89 and wear men underpants secrety. That would ruin her reputation for sure . My own mother was afraid that an helper would change the places of objects. That was not very important, but at last as some kind of possibility : she was in the habit to keep about everything that was not rotting. Plastic bags folded in a drawer, empty boxes full of smaller empty boxes, "vintage" pills that were no good at all, bottle caps...But growing old doesnt really change people : they just become "more so".

--
Life... is like a grapefruit. It's orange and squishy, and has a few pips in it, and some folks have half a one for breakfast.
Douglas Adams
English humorist & science fiction novelist (1952 - 2001)

Amazing place, wonderful shot!

Great shot. Looks like a great place to visit.

--
If you like cats, then you can't be ALL bad.
Please view my galleries [link]
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Yes, I can imagine your mother.
I already keep boxes!
My MIL likes us to give her all our plastic bags, folded up... She uses them for the kitchen dustbin. She puts wet stuff into a bag, ties it up, then puts it into the bag which is in the dustbin, "so that it won't run". Sometimes there is a second lining bag. She cuts up cardboard wrappings into small pieces so they won't make a hole in the bag and so they take less space.
Bernard threw out the old pills!
As for gossip. Lol! I laughed at your imagination. The only shameful thing she does is to eat noisily with her mouth open. She doesn't realise it and I don't think she did it a few years ago.
No, she's worried that someone would tell what was going on in the house, anything.

The problem is that she lived under occupation during the war. They had German soldiers living in the house, up in the Vosges. An officer.
She was alone there with her mother.
One of her friends in the village talked too much and her husband was deported. Others got resistants killed by chattering too much.
Then she lived the Indochina war, and lastly the Moroccan one, followed by OAS activity in France in the 60's.
So she doesn't chatter outside the family, and is wary of strangers. Anyway she is shy.
Usually people in the NE are known to be less friendly that the Alsaciens for example or people from the Midi. It's because of the repeated invasions over the centuries, and they are poorer than along the Rhine. (That's mixed up. )

Then that isn't the real reason. She doesn't want the bother of handling someone, at what time of day, how many times, to do what. She thinks she would have to tell the person where all the things are to do the work with. THEN there is another problem... Unending problems I assure you.
She knows the person from the organisation who comes along to evaluate what needs you have. She doesn't like her and doesn't want to feel humiliated.
When my FIL was alive they thought about employing someone privately, but they couldn't face the administrative side, the legal things, and if they didn't like the person, they couldn't face having to tell her and give her notice.

Believe me we have thought of all the possibilities. Nothing is suitable. So Bernard prefers to avoid complications and go along every day. She prefers to continue doing her housework and sleeping the rest of the time.
I expect that when she has to stop she will go quickly. She will feel useless and the change will be too much.

Yes I agree, growing old makes people "more so".

My own father was a little more adaptable. It was easier for him.

Thanks for reading all this chatter.
I appreciate your friendship.

--
Member of *FracMan.
~MyFractalStock

I understand that. But if she is despite her age responsible for her own life, she is not about your"s, and dont have the right to deprive you going out a little bit, seing your daughter or your son, or going to the sea again.
I dont know about people in the NE. In the NO there have the best reputation may be in France. And in the south...Well, in Provence people speaks easily, a lot, but are not that friendly. If you are not from the place from generation, you will stay a stranger forever, never put a feet inside a house. Gossiping is a problem in small villages, I know that i live in the countryside. When I was living alone, my neighbours were gossipers : every time I was going in or out, the curtain was moving to see what I was doing. My neighbour -he was probably a bit drunk- said in the café that there were orgies at my home, a friend that happened to be there reported that to me. Well, I laughted a good deal, and said too bad that I wasnt there when it happened, it must have been fun ! This clever comment probably came from the huge amount of old cider bottles I found in the house, and put outside to clean. But as I say, professionnal helpers have obligations, and are usually good people, too.

--
Life... is like a grapefruit. It's orange and squishy, and has a few pips in it, and some folks have half a one for breakfast.
Douglas Adams
English humorist & science fiction novelist (1952 - 2001)