A visit with Leo Utter

I took Lil to visit Leo on Friday as he is now enrolled in hospice with pancreatic cancer. He seemed especially glad to see her and she was equally delighted to see him. Leo was in good spirits—although it was clear he was weak and tired easily. His voice was so soft it was hard for Lil to hear him, yet she still seemed to enjoy the visit.

Leo had a book of collected poems by Helmi Kortilla (not sure I have the last name right) that he wanted Lil to see. Some were in English and others in Finnish. I read a Finnish one aloud and he translated line by line as Lil nodded. He gave Lil the book to take home so she could read more of them.

On the way back, Lil commented again how much she enjoys getting out of the house--going for a ride and just enjoying the scenery along the way. We had gone for a drive along Lake Washington a couple days before during my regular Tuesday afternoon visit.

Based on my weekly Tuesday afternoon visits, it appears that Lil is getting stronger and more talkative. This week the sun was out when I arrived. I barely sat down and commented on the gorgeous weather when she suggested that perhaps we could go out for a drive—and so we did. She was quick to be ready to go and off we went touring on Lake Washington Boulevard all the way to Seward Park--enjoying the beautiful glassy lake reflecting a bright blue sky sprinkled with a few white clouds. As we drove, she related stories about her sister Mable and Mable’s disappointment at not being able to have children. I learned more family history that was new to me. Did I mention that she’s become much more talkative again?

She’s also looking forward to the arrival of Tana’s baby—can’t wait to see pictures and hear all the details.

A couple weeks ago, she was ready and waiting for me to give her a hair cut when I arrived. Unfortunately, I had it on my calendar for the following week, so we went for a drive instead—a very popular activity! It was another beautiful day in Seattle and we started our travels going through Volunteer Park. As we approached the Conservatory, she was so interested in the flowers that could be seen through the window that I asked if she wanted to try a brief walk to get a closer look. Again, she was “ready to go” and off we went. We checked out the orchids, azaleas, and the special cactus room on the far right. She was walking easily with only a slight bit of support. We decided that those two rooms were enough and we would plan to go back another day to see the rest. Next, we headed out along Lake Union to Golden Gardens where we parked and enjoyed watching people and boats from the car.

Last week, I gave her a hair cut. We decided that her hair seems to grow so fast that I should just plan to cut it every four weeks instead of five. Perhaps next time I will remember to take a picture to post here...