On vacation with our grandson 

at Huntington Beach, Ca.

 

Sweetie was born in Pensacola, Fl. and spent many years in Hawaii during her youth. He dad was a Chief in the Navy and she has had a high respect for those that serve. Grandson here was in JROTC when this picture was taken, 2011, I think. He is now in the Navy fulfilling his dreams. 

 

The sad part of this memory is that Sweetie barely remembers him. He comes home maybe once a year, and even with pictures around the house, and I show her some, he is a fast fading memory. 

 

Yesterday, I spoke about using a firm voice with Sweetie as a tool to help her make it more acceptable for me to be away from her. When we first started going to daycare, I would give her a note, with the face of a clock on it showing 1pm. Telling her that I'd be back to get her at that time. I think I'm going to go back to giving her a note again. 

 

Yesterday, was another good day, for most of the time. When Sweetie woke up, she wondered into my office and I could tell by the look on her face she didn't know where she was. When she saw me, it was a slow recognition that I belonged her and was a friendly face. 

 

After breakfast, we got ready for the day. She still knows how to brush her teeth, but I have to remind her what she is doing. She will have the brush in her mouth and start looking for her jewelry, and stop brushing. Or when she is done, won't rinse out her mouth. Oh well, some is better than none. She still has to wear 3 tops before she is comfortable feeling dressed. Oh well, I've just come to the fact that being dressed is being dressed. As long as it doesn't make her overheat, OK.  She still watches me dress and then tries to wear what I put on. If I wear my tennies, she will put on her's. If I wear a sweat shirt, the same. I can get her dressed for whatever we are going to do, just by the way I dress.

 

Last evening, Sweetie started down her sundowners path. I quickly gave her some of her "Happy Medicine" and lotion. I've found that rubbing her it on her neck seems to work better and faster than on her hands. Yes, I do put some on her hands, the majority is on her neck. With in about 15 minutes she was calming down and before I knew it, she was smiling and breathing normally. Life is so much better since we discovered these products. 

 

Today is my "Preaching Sunday". So, I'll be getting her up and dressed so we can go to the Rehab Center. She will be asking the same 3 questions one hundred times as we travel there. Maybe because we are never in the car more then half an hour, I don't get tired of the questions. Sometime there are contrails in the sky and she will get just fascinated with them, or a hot air balloon or two in the air, and will grab her attention for awhile. On that plane, life can be fun. 

 

Superbowl Sunday, and I don't really have a dog in this hunt, so I'll enjoy the parts that I'll get to watch. I hope your day will go well for you, as for me, I'm on a Easter Egg hunt, driving down the road to Dementia Town, keeping my Shinny Side Up. Drive Carefully, God Bless.