When I saw Grandma yesterday she said her right leg has been bothering her a lot, and when she got up to walk I could see it was painful. So today we went down to the drugstore and bought the shortest cane they had, and then went to the doctor's office for a look-see. Grandma had a stroke when she was in her fifties and periodically since then her right leg and arm have felt weak or achy, so I figured this was probably related.

The doctor pronounced that using a cane is the best thing to do, wrote her a prescription for pain, and sent us on our merry way. When we pulled up to the lodge where Grandma lives, she said, "What are we doing here?"

"This is where you live," I said.

"Hmph. I've never been here before."

"Grandma, you've lived here for more than two years."

We went in the same door we always do and walked down the hall. She veered off to the left toward her room and remarked, "I think this is the way we go."

I hung her coat up and she laid down on her bed for a little leg and foot massage. When I had to leave to make it to the drugstore before closing, she accompanied me a-ways down the hall, as usual. When she saw Esther, who is wheelchair-bound, Grandma showed her the cane and said, "I have to use a cane now."

"Best thing!" Esther replied.

Now Grandma just has to remember that she has a new toy.