Parrange.

Flowers from the past.

How things have changed. The irises and roses are not there anymore, even the wooden fence is gone. This is a great picture of how our backyard once was. Nothing is the same, including the grass. I've gotten rid of most of the crabgrass and it is lush and green. The only thing same about this picture is the person who took the picture, me. Then again, I'm not the man I used to be. 

This was taken in '15, 6 years ago, and things were different then. Sweetie's Dementia was just starting to show up. She was have memory problems, word finding evaded her, not to the point of alarm, just the thought that old age was setting in. 

She had been retired for 5 years and was beginning to build her new social life. She had some friends that were attending bible studies, and that was right up her alley. I could see that she was happy, and she would be so excited to tell me what she had learned, and the group of women that had taken her in. 

I had been worried about her, after she retired. Work, me, and the kids and our one grandson, was her world. After she retired, I was so happy that she found someway to fill in her time when I was away. Then her Dementia started to show up. First it was her inability to take notes, to understand the teaching, and then the difficulty to read. 

I knew then, there was something seriously amiss. Reading was one of her passions. She is the one that got me to read again. We would lay in bed and read. Me, and my one book, to her and her 3 books. She was a veracious reader. Devouring books was her delight. That is another thing on the list of things about her that I miss. 

Wednesday

When we went to bed last night, I found her top sheet crumpled up between us. I thought, thank goodness, I have the other pee sheets between the fitted sheet and the mattress. I thought how funny it is getting to be. Layers of protection is the wet night answer. It would be worthless for me to get her to move and replace the sheet. So, close my eyes and to sleep I went. 

She slept good, again. As I monitored her through out the morning, she didn't move. No tossing and turning, just sleep. 

I've learned that when I go to wake her, I don't just come in the room and pull her out of bed. I come in, cheery and pleasant. Greeting her with soft words, watching her see me, and then smile. That, my friends, is the best part of the morning. 

Go and sit next to the bed, we talk about who I am, what we are going to do, and what the plans of the day are. There are times when she doesn't want to get out of bed, so I have to be persistent, getting the blanket off of her, and helping her sit up. Then out of bed and standing. Helping her stand until she gets her balance, and walking her into the bathroom. 

Here, I put her on the potty, and undress her. Trying to give her time to let her bowels work, sometimes it works, most of the time it doesn't. 

Then it is into the shower where we have our washing time. It is here, I usually find some product of elimination clinging to her butt. When I first started washing her, I was somewhat grossed out. Now, I know I'm doing us both a good thing. I can see she is still working, and she will have a clean butt to start the day. Making her more comfortable, and less chance of getting a UTI. So, it doesn't bother me anymore, I just toss it in the toilet, and carry on. 

There has been a change when we go into the living room after I get her dressed. I put her at the table, where she can watch TV, and I can just bring her her breakfast. 

After breakfast, I leave her at the table. She doesn't mind, and for me it is one less thing I have to do, move her back to the couch. I can get up, do dishes, get myself ready for the day, make the bed, or change it if necessary.

To summarize the rest of the day, it went well. My day on the course was outstanding. Four pars in a row, some really good shots, and of course it was my putting that was the weakest part of my game. Coined a new term for me. Parrange: Meaning, that the ball in on the green and close enough to the hole that a par is almost certain. Therefore, you are in "parrange" on that hole. 

The afternoon could not have been better. We did our normal routine. We finished the day watching TV, sharing a desert, and then to be. No miss, no fuss, and to sleep we went. 

It seems that Driver has found a nice smooth stretch of the Road to Dementia Town for us that day. If we were on a sailboat, it would have been smooth sailing. Unlike a sailboat, we are in the car, with Driver at the wheel, moving a the right speed, as always, Keeping Our Shiny Side Up. C'ya, Luv Ya, and God Bless.