Fresh air fill the car.

The birthday boy.

 His birthday was last week, but they decided to have the party today. It just gives me one more thing to do during these 24 hours. 

Our relationship is one of the many blessings that have come our of our marriage. We struggled to accept each other in the first years of our life together. He isn't like me in many ways and we have had our clashes. 

We have grown to become good friends and buddies. We have history together and that is the glue that is keeping us together as a friend and as a family. I am so grateful to have them in our lives. 

As I walk this path that is my life with Sweetie, I have learned to appreciate the small things that make up this life of mine. Sweetie and her Dementia, her son and his family, my daughters in another state and the daughters here. Whether I like it or not, they are family and we are family together. 

Saturday

This Saturday morning is a special morning for me. This is the time when I will be getting a call from my youngest daughter from out of state. We had a falling out some time past, and are now in the process of building bridges again. This will be our third call, for we call only once a month, and I'm eagerly anticipating my phone to ring soon. 

When she called, we had a good conversation about life itself, how we are doing, and job talk. She was surprised that I called her a "Young Lady." She told me that she isn't a young lady anymore, for she is now middle age. I told her that in my eyes, she will always be a young lady to me. For she is my Baby Girl, and there isn't anything she can do to change my mind. 

Today is one of my "Free" days. Sitter #1 is coming over soon. She asked if she could bring her daughter with her, and of course I said yes. Sweetie love kids, and this just might be good for her. 

Check Sweetie, and she is awake, so I get her up, and ready for the day. Breakfast is finishing up, and her company for the day shows up. I'm so comfortable with her showing up, that I text her to let her know the front door is open, so she can come right in. That way, I don't have to stop doing whatever I'm doing to let them in. Works for me.

With a brief conversation about what has happened, what needs to be done, I'm off. 

Into Tweety I go. Clubs in the trunk, garage door up, start the engine, put her in reverse, and the sunshine of the day fall so gently upon us. 

I'm solo this morning, and will see if I can find another single to play with. I'm not that fortunate this morning, so off I go. I don't play as well as a solo as with others. So, I didn't have a great round. It seemed more like batting practice. It was also a good time to take a few extra shots, and work on my putting. 

When I was finishing up, ran into a friend that wanted to see Tweety. He gave me a lift to the parking lot, and like a new papa, I showed my baby off. While we talked about the car, more people stopped by, and the show began. Tweety does draw a crowd. 

Time to go, and to get a couple of errands done. A trip to get a signature, to UPS store for a return, and to the ATM for some cash. 

When I got home, all was well. Sitter was finishing up the laundry, Sweetie was sitting on the couch with sitter's daughter watching TV. All was well. 

After we were alone, and Sweetie was comfortable with me being home, we headed out of some grocery shopping. Just a quick trip. This is where I get Sweetie to drink water. I keep a bottle of water in the car, and at stop lights, I take a drink, and pass it over to her. there are times when she won't take the bottle, and then most of the time, she will and takes a drink. It is a system that works to keep her hydrated, and until it doesn't work, I'll keep using it.

When we get home, and after putting the grocery away, it is potty time. It was a good 30 minutes of potty time, and it worked well. I feel foolish reporting Sweetie's potty success and at the same time, I know there are readers that have the same concerns with their love ones. We are working together, Sweetie and me, to get her in a habit, so she will relearn how to go potty. This is more about what I find that works and what doesn't. 

For the longest time, I would just put her on the potty, clean her up, and be done with it. With the simple fact that we have time to kill, why not just sit and relax as her body works. In the total of the day, what is 30 minutes? 

Done with the chores for the day, time to sit and do nothing. Sweetie heads for her nest, I search for something adult to watch. So tired of Disney, and Veggie Tales, I want to watch of action, war, combat, sit on the edge of the couch movies that I can't watch with Sweetie. 

That time was short lived when she came into the living room and we then searched for something more suitable for her. 

Soon it was dark, and I made us a small dinner, and again she ate all of hers and part of mine. Dessert, and off to bed. Knowing that in the morning we move to Standard time, and I have the task of resetting all the clock back one hour. 

Sweetie does her last move of the night. She is sweet as can be on the couch, and then, as she gets up, she is as combative as ever. It is a struggle to get her into bed. When we are in bed, she reaches out to me, we say our prayers, and off to sleep we go. 

Driver had the windows down, and the fresh air fill the car. It was a good day to be one the Road to Dementia Town. It seemed that there wasn't a care on the road anywhere. There were a few bumps, nothing tragic, so down the road we went, Keeping Our Shiny Side Up. C'ya, Luv Ya, and God Bless.   Arthur.