Empty nest? What empty nest?

or Life is Always Changing

Okay, so our actual "nest" isn't filling back up (at least, not at the moment), but we've apparently rather abruptly moved into a new stage of life--the caring-for-an-aging-parent stage. The OC's mother (our sole surviving parent) has just recently moved from out of state into a lovely assisted living center in our town. It was originally supposed to be only short-term but now this is starting to look more like a long-term arrangement. This, of course, means we (and especially "me") are suddenly much more involved in her care--furnishing and decorating her small apartment, going to visit nearly daily, observing what she needs (which includes lots and lots of cueing) and communicating her needs to the staff.