No Simple Conundrum
I read recently, with fascination, that people who are empathetic can suffer severe social anxiety. This explains volumes about me, to me. Certain gatherings have always caused me such tremendous amounts of anxiety that I have felt paralyzed in the anticipation of the event. The event always ends up going far better than my fertile imagination […]
Jam Management
Mom and I both love to make jam. I think we have dominant pioneer genes. We also enjoy putting ‘food by’ in general. Eating jam, however, has gone by the wayside for me. It slipped away when the doctor told me gluten and I we’re no longer friends. No PB&Js? Why bother? I still make […]
Fixing Leaks on the Roof!
Mom has had a small leak around the kitchen oven vent for some time. When I called last night she told me, in detail, how she was going to get up on the, flat, roof today and caulk this transgression into submission. My instant reaction was alarm. This was quickly replaced by resignation. There’s no […]
Money Market
Mom has written eight checks against one of her money market accounts. This is three more than is allowed by the feds. When I called her just now to gently remind her of this, she actually remembered the five check limit! I’ve told her about the limit three times. She apologized. I, in a light […]
Leasing the Mainland House
Mom is sure in her decision to remain on the Island. To the point that she wants to bring back furniture that she and my father moved to their mainland house. I’m totally suuportive of this. Her Island home shows years of fire place smoke damage. I’ve suggested, now that the chimney is fixed (at […]
Department of Licensing ~ Countdown
Recall the letter from the Department of Licensing my mother received in late April. The letter giving her 60 days to have a doctor sign on the bottom line that mom is OK to drive. When she received the letter, she and I had a couple of conversations where I encouraged her to simply make […]
Letters
I’m supposed to be making myself some dinner, rehearsing, and perhaps most importantly, enjoying the feeling of a Friday evening after a full and busy work week. I’ve dealt with the cat hair crisis behind the stereo cabinet, and arranged said cabinet so our 16 year old dander and fur cloud kitty can’t nest behind […]
Poetry
I rarely write poetry. During unusual, trying, and intense circumstances I sometimes find myself spontaneously writing a poem. The following came tumbling out all at once at the end of my father’s hospital stay in March of 2013: The cool air of the ICU.The warmth of my father’s skin.The sound of my father’s breath.The sun […]
Bits & Pieces…
The subject line Bits & Pieces surely is the most often used header in blogs like this one. There are so many small observations, none of them earth shattering in and of themselves, yet significant in the moment they were happening. When mom was here toward the end of last month, repeated stories aside, she […]
Dementia Dance - Travels with Mom 