Yesterday when I looked at the calendar on getting up, I noticed it was Martin Luther King day in the United States. By a cruel twist of fate, the date happened to coincide with the day when Donald Trump is due to be inaugurated for the second time. Trump also promised to sign close to 100 executive orders on his first day in office and said he would ensure that 'the curtain closes on four long years of American decline' adding: 'We are going to give them the best first day, the biggest first week and the most extraordinary first 100 days of any presidency in American history.' It seems that the whole MAGA movement is now mainstream American and has lost the toxic feel which it used to have. I wondered why the date of January 20th had been chosen for Martin Luther King day and the explanation is that it is actually a movable feast and is celebrated in the third Monday in each January on the date which falls closest to his actual birthday. I wondered if the date had been chosen to celebrate his famous 'I have a Dream' speech but this was actually delivered on a day in April. I have awoken to a temperature of 0° Celsius but it is anticipated to rise to 5° later in the day. We had no real plans in prospect for today but as the temperature today was not too cold and there was no biting wind to speak of, we walked down the hill later in the morning to collect our newspaper. When we got back, we had just finished the cup of soup that we had to warm ourselves up when a nurse turned up from our local GP practice. She was here for the sole purpose of obtaining a blood sample from Meg which the doctor had ordered and what was on order was a full blood analysis in which, no doubt, they might be looking at liver and kidney function as well as checking that Meg's chest infection has been successfully treated. Yesterday, I received a telephone nurse from the District Nurse who had called around to make an assessment of the pressure sore that had been developing around Meg's heel. As she was in the house, she asked if she could assess the type of mattress that Meg has on her hospital bed which is now in our downstairs lounge. When she viewed this, she was of the view that Meg probably needed a more specialist mattress that would help prevent the build up of pressure sores and when she got back to her base, she was going to explore the options and make a recommendation for an enhanced mattress. The upshot of the telephone message that I received was that a new mattress would be delivered to us this Thursday and, once delivered, I then needed to phone the District Nursing team would then install it and commission it, no doubt. This was very good news for us indeed and I was very pleased that the District Nursing team had acted so promptly. Having said that, pressure sores can be so problematic if neglected so it is pleasing that this potential problem is being treated seriously and addressed by a new mattress. I think the new mattress will be an AirFlow mattress and will have a unit attached to it to keep air blowing through it. The care agency manager had put himself on duty this morning and, as they were short staffed, I was acting as his helper this morning (as I helped the care worker last night put Meg to bed) The manager informed me that the majority of his 'service users' had these mattresses deployed for them so he was not surprised that one was forthcoming. Just before lunch, the two care workers arrived to make Meg comfortable and one of them helped me to get some food inside Meg (which I finished off afterwards, complete with some mousse). To complete the round up of medical services, just as the care workers arrived I got a phone call from the SALT ('Speech and Language Therapist') professional who was collecting up-to-date details of Meg's condition. The phone call was quite long and detailed and it appears that I am already doing most of what the specialist is recommending. She indicated that one of her colleagues would try to get to see Meg either this week or next week so that they could make their own assessment of Meg's swallowing reflexes. As it stands, it seems that I can get soft liquid type foodstuffs into Meg (such as yogurts, mousses and ice-creams) but more normal liquids such as tea are a bit more problematic. But, again, I am relieved that this problem is being addressed and taken seriously.
The afternoon built up to the climax of the inauguration of Donald Trump (for the second time).To the actual ceremony itself, I can scarcely bring myself to watch the razzmatazz and it sometimes seems a little corny compared with British ceremonial. But no doubt attention till focus on two issues immediately after the swearing in. First there will be the inaugural address and Trump will probably make the most bloodcurdling threats which is his trademark. Then he has promised to sign 100 executive orders 'on his very first day in office' which could mean either today or tomorrow. These we will have to see but will probably involve trade sanctions against all and sundry plus the intention to deport millions of 'illegal' migrants. These number about 14 million at the moment and are they all to be deported practically overnight? In the next few days, we shall see how the rhetoric matches up with practical reality. Immigrant workers are a crucial part of the agricultural workforce, putting food on our tables and supporting our communities. Nationwide, 54.3% of graders and sorters of agricultural products are immigrants, as are 25.3% of workers in the agriculture industry overall. So one wonders what happens if the Trump regime fulfils its promises to deport these millions of essential workers.
Today I have continued to receive supportive emails from family and friends to whom I sent an email message last week detailing how I felt that Meg was slipping away from us. But for the last few days, Meg has seen a bit connected with the world and whilst still in a deep doze is not as fast asleep as was the pattern of a few days ago. These emails I have received are of an incredibly supportive nature and I am truly appreciative of them. In the meantime, I am quite relieved that various services seem to be falling into place.
© Mike Hart [2025]