News From The Neighbors etc.
In the last 10 days two of mom’s neighbors have shared the following with me: * While out walking with two neighbors mom said she and I were attending a wedding in Canada. The next day, the neighbor ladies wished her a good time at the wedding. She looked at them in alarm […]
Trip With Mom, Part 3
We met up with folks for a farmer’s breakfast before heading to the border. 4 minutes after ordering, mom said: I can’t imagine what’s taking so long.” Tim turned to her and said: It’s been no time at all.” And then turned back to the person on his other side, continuing his conversation. Mom didn’t […]
Trip With Mom, Part 2
The memorial was very pleasant with the only formality being two songs played on the bagpipes followed by a wonderful slide show narrated by the widow. There were 40ish people in attendance in the lovely wee condo of a friend where the couple had been married years before. A full circle sort of thing. Mom […]
Trip With Mom, Part 1
On the 28th Mom and I went to Canada to attend the memorial for our friend’s son. Overall the trip was ok. As usual, it’s in the details that I see mom’s stitching coming loose, particularly when she’s away from her Island home. In the week before the trip she asked me several times if […]
In a sentence…
By phone today, in kindness, one of my mom’s neighbors said, “Your dad must have been the nurturing parent.” That’s given me Great pause. Neither of my parents were the epitome of the gooy, sticky nurturing parent. I felt supported most of the time. Sometimes I felt both my parents overreacted, and recall examples of […]
E/L Ranch
After my mom’s sophomore, junior, and possibly senior years of college, she worked at the E/L Ranch in Montana (read: E Bar L). Every time we’re together she tells an E/L story. They’re good. She describes it as a culmination of her girlhood fantasy of being a cowboy. Not an easy desire to fulfill for […]
Quiet Time
Mom seems to be doing well. She seems content. This is huge as part of her personality trends toward being irascible, large & in charge and generally schoolmarm-ish . I hear from one of my deep sources that she’s helping another neighbor out who is unable to drive due to a medical situation. It’s SO […]
Passport
Our family friend, Tim, let me know that a memorial gathering for his son is tentatively happening in early March, in Canada. My first concern about attending was my mother’s passport. She and I talked about it two weeks ago, and she assured me her passport was up to date. I was dubious. My parents […]
A letter from the Editor
My mother wrote my husband a long letter in which she asserts my mother-in-law refuses to accept any help in caring for my father-in-law, suggests my father-in-law is at the brink of needing assisted living or nursing care and grossly mis-remembers, to my husband, where the last month of my father’s life was spent. It […]
Securities
We all have things that make us feel secure. Funny things that make little or no sense when spied through the glass of logic. My husband needs a box of Kleenex in every room of the house to feel secure. Some rooms are complicated or really big, requiring two boxes. Including the garage and bathrooms, […]
Dementia Dance - Travels with Mom 