She got sideswiped.

Purple variegated Iris. 

If I could only capture it and put it in a bottle to save it and give it to her at the right time, I would. Oh for those days, hours or even minutes of the gentleness of being with her. 

Sometimes she is like a glass of water, just sitting and still, seemingly pleasant, and then she will get up, or I'll attempt to do something with her, and off she goes, spilling water all over the place. 

It is usually in the afternoon, as it is the time that Sundowner's syndrome happens. Maybe because it is summer and days are longer, especially the evenings, and she is having a hard time dealing with the longer evenings. 

We are past the summer solstice and heading to the shorter end of the evenings. If there was someway, somehow, to intervene and head off that behavior would be nice. 

Tuesday 

She seems to be sleeping well, again, I hate to wake her. When I came into to get her, she was awake and turned to greet me. It was another morning of "Do you know me?" and then the introduction. Letting her know who I am, and what we are about to do helps her to know that she is safe and we are friends, if nothing else. 

She seems to be in good spirits this morning and is helpful in getting the bathroom duties done. She is back to having small BMs, and I have come to that understanding that some elimination is better than none. 

Getting her bowel schedule isn't easy. For it is the norm that when I check her, she usually has a small movement that has dirtied her liner. When I first started, what seems like a life time ago, it bothered me. Why doesn't she have one big movement and be done with it. I've since learned that is not how she functions, and that is that.  

Anyway, the morning went especially well. She is in good spirits. So, off we go. 

She was happy, talkative, and active. Walking with me to the tees and greens. We made it through the 9 holes without me worrying about her getting tired or wanting to wander. That alone was well worth the round of golf. 

Home, lunch, and then to the mall for our walk about. She was well on the happy side of the emotional seesaw. It was when we got home, that Dementia was able to break through and she got sideswiped. 

Down the Dementia rabbit hole she went. Not to panic, with a little feel good medicine, and lotion, we were able to keep the ruckus at a minimum.

She napped, and then was up and down, and she repeated that for quite awhile. There was only one time that I worried about her. It was when I gave her a dose of Oil, and she bit down on the glass tube. Fearful that she would break the tube, I let her take it. Once out of her mouth, the battle to get it from her was on. Knowing that loosing my temper was not the answer, I had to find away to let her give it back to me. By telling her that the tube had to go back in the bottle worked. 

For the rest of the evening, it was batten down the hatches, and ride this sundowner's storm  through. It wasn't until it started to get dark is when she started to return to being herself again. 

Things went well, watching "The Polar Express", she sat and held my hand, and all was good until bedtime. It is turning into such a fuss. There is always something new that she will do. Now, it seems that she doesn't like sleeping on her pee sheet. I'll find it just about anywhere except under her. Glad I have them under the fitted sheet. 

Driver is watching the road for any potholes that maybe in our path. Sometimes they are unavoidable. I know that, He knows that, and here we are. Dodging and sometimes hitting potholes on the Road to Dementia Town. Hard as it is, we still are Keeping Our Shiny Side Up. C'ya, Luv Ya, and God Bless.