Monkey Juice and Home Brew

Times of frustration and patience-stretching are balanced out by funny moments and remarks. 

Mom's favourite thing to drink is chocolate milk.  When she doesn't want anything else you offer, she will always take chocolate milk. 

Now Mom gets confused at times when her pain medication is wearing off, or she is tired, or she is in pain.  We just never know what she's going to say from one moment to the next. 

Last week I had just gotten her into bed for the afternoon. 

"Mom, do you want anything else?"

"Yes, I want some Monkey juice!"

"You want What?"  I ask with raised eyebrows, wondering from where that description came. 

"Monkey juice!  You know what I mean."

"Well, I guess I do."  I smile and head off to the kitchen to get her the chocolate milk.

First thing in the morning we often use a diet supplement drink, called Boost, to give Mom's medicine to her.  Because it is simpler, we tell her it is her chocolate milk.  It is not economically viable to give Mom a chocolate Boost drink everytime she wants chocolate milk.  So I've explained that she has special chocolate milk in a labeled bottle.  However, other times I have to fix chocolate milk by adding Ovaltine to regular milk. 

This became a problem because we were out of milk for a couple of days, as well as finishing off the can of Ovaltine.  I made it to the grocery store on Friday, and told her that we now had milk and chocolate milk mix. 

Yesterday, after a trip to the toilet, I was tucking her back into bed. 

"Do you want a drink?"  I ask.

"Yes, I want some HOME BREW!" 

I couldn't help myself--I just had to laugh.  "Okay," I said.  "I'll bring you some home brew." 

Somehow it seems appropriate, as I did have to make a glass of milk and Ovaltine--a type of home brew. 

I go home on 17th April.  I am going to miss these unexpected statements.