Words popped out.

Wearing our twinsies hats. 

Hello again, from somewhere where we are this morning, from where we were yesterday. 

We seem to have found a pleasant harbor to be in. Thou the seas maybe choppy and white caps all around us, the gentleness of this harbor time is well welcomed. 

Not sure if it is giving Sweetie her happy medicine directly, instead of on her food, or the blinds, that are allowing her get more sleep, or the showering in the morning. Or the combination of all of it. Or is it just where she is, at this point of time on this journey of ours. Any or all, it doesn't matter, what matters is we are having good days. Even if the cycle changes, I will continue this regimentation, for it seems to work best. 

Sweetie is attempting to talk to me more and more, opening up with sounds, little words, and a lot of expression. She still gets the phrase of "I love you." out, and just by the expression on her face I can tell she knows what it means. 

I just realized something, a fact that is helping me do what I'm doing. Without the help from any of the kids here, without any training, not only am I doing a good job in taking care of Sweetie, I'm loving taking care of her. 

I came to that conclusion yesterday. As I was talking to my Driver, those words popped out. My heart confirmed them at the same time. I love taking care of my Sweetie. 

Wednesday 

Sweetie had another "wet" wake up. After watching her, I made up my mind to get her and change her. It was the right thing to do. When I did, I put on her pullups, and then back to bed she went and to sleep again. 

When it was time to get her going, I went in and she had a smile on her face as big and the Sandia's. Warm and welcoming she was and seemed happy to see me.  

Now that I only give her cereal and insure for breakfast, she seems to be eating more. Could it be that too much food to choose from could be too much for her. Whatever the reason, she is eating more and that is the good thing. I have learned that I can leave her at the table to finish, and do some chores. Dishes, making the bed, and brushing my teeth, without her being on my hip. 

After the morning duties are completed and we are off to the course again. 

A beautiful day, some wispy clouds, a slight breeze, and warm temperatures made for a day outdoors. We started out as a single, but by the time we got to the 4th hole, caught up with a couple of young bloods. Asked if we could join them, and our invitation was accepted.  

These guys could hit the ball like only young men can. I was able to keep up with them, and at one point out hit them. I was already having a good day, and with their competition, I had even a better day. Finished 4 over, two bogies, and one double bogie. That's 6 pars! The best round ever, and it seems I'm getting into a "zone" on my game. At this rate, I know I can shot even par someday. 

The rest of the day went the way of my round on the course. It went without a hitch. 

Oh, one more thing, her right hand is atrophying. She has almost a constant twitching of her thumb. I've started to apply Stress Relief lotion to her hand hoping she will relax just a little. Even if it doesn't help with the twitching, I know it helps her to relax, and the twitching slows down, and even goes away for a few minutes. 

"Keep doing what doing what you're doing, and I'll take care of the rest." That is the message I get from my Driver. I know He is the one that put the message in my head and heart about lovingly taking care of Sweetie. What a joy it was to hear me say that "I love taking care of her." One oversize Easter Egg was found that day. As we travel down the Road to Dementia Town, Keeping Our Shiny Side Up. C'ya, Luv ya, and God Bless. 

Check the "Good Day" box.

My caddie and me.

What do you think, is she a keeper? 

Kinda of a rhetorical question, don't you think? Of course it is, and yes, she is a keeper, and she is my keeper. Through it all, I've learned to take care of her, to charm her, and to make her feel important. 

Like a child, she needs positive reinforcement. Anything to make her feel she is adding to the enjoyment of the day. Simple things, like giving her the task of putting away the two forks after washing them. Or opening the refrigerator door when I could do the it without her. If I didn't ask her for help, she wouldn't have anything to do. Give her a non-stressful chore, help her to get it done, and she is happy to be doing something that helps me. I feel that this is a huge part of the care and nurturing of Sweetie and her own battle with Dementia. 

I feel that I am blessed to be caring for her these days. For the things that I've learned, the system of doing things for and with her. To spend the quality time with her, and most important ingredient in the mix, the ability to shortcut those emotional upheavals. The daily use of Hemp Oil and the Stress Relief Lotion. 

Monday 

I won't say the blinds are working, and I won't say they aren't. She still wakes up too early, but at the same time, she is staying in bed, trying to go back to sleep. Somewhat of a win. If it wasn't for the Nanny Cam, I would never know what is going on while she is out of sight. 

Put another check in the "Good Day" box. 

She was cheerful when I got her up, willing to get into the shower, and even helpful when I was drying her off and getting her dressed. We even had a couple of good conversation, two or three words that made sense. 

She has been wetting through her night pads, and I wonder if that is the reason she is waking up early. She is cold and wet. Now comes the question, do I cut back on her liquid intake so she won't get wet, because she seems to be getting enough liquids, or keep giving her what she is now getting? Or is this just another phase of Dementia? Time will be the judge. 

Yesterday was one of those days that I had to ask myself, is she getting better, or is this the high point just before she does another dive down to a new level of the disease. Whatever, I'm going to enjoy it while it last. 

Driver lets me know that each and everyday is special. He has hidden Easter Eggs along the road, at the rest areas for me to find. As we travel down the Road to Dementia Town, with  our eyes open watching for Easter Eggs along the way and at the same time, Keeping our Shiny Side Up. C'ya, Luv ya, and God Bless. 

Pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

Just us.

Had one of those days that was very enjoyable, and now that it is over, would like to repeat it. I felt more connected to Sweetie as not in a long time. She was a joy to be with. 

It was a day when all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. It seems like an eternity ago, when I would put a puzzle on the table, and spend a week or so putting it together. There were days when only one or two pieces would reveal themselves to the right place. Then there were days when a whole section would come together. Yesterday was that type of day. 

Monday 

It started with Sweetie waking up earlier then expected but later then where she has been waking up. On that bases, it was a win/loss, break even morning. Took two tries to get her up, the first she had gone back to sleep, the second time, she resisted and didn't want to get up and after insisting, got her up. 

Once she was up, things went better. Because  she get off track during breakfast, too many dishes in front of her, I stopped giving her toast. It was a good move, for she ate all the fruit and cereal in front of her. 

Breakfast done, it was off to the golf course. It was the best day ever. My partner didn't show, so we ended up playing with a friend and his party. 

They had a young man with them, and he was just learning the game. As it turns out, he is slow in retention, and the couple are coaching him in preparation for Special Olympics. Also, the other couple were a tag team. He was on oxygen, and she would putt for him, while he stayed in the cart. 

When introductions were done, the lady greeted Sweetie warmly, and Sweetie just beamed, said "Hello" and with a huge smile, they were instant friends. Hadn't seen that in a long, long time. 

As for the game, I had the best round ever. Four pars, and a birdy. The birdy came on the last hole, sunk about a 8 foot putt (and the crowd went wild.). After words, we exchanges pleasantries, and hopefully we will get out together again. 

Have to mention this. We had thunderstorms in the afternoon, and after Sweetie's nap, it was time for our mall crawl. Into the car and off we went. The closer to the mall, the more evidence of the passing storm was seen. Then, when we were almost there, there was white covering the ground. It was hail, and not just the kind that hit a melted, it cover the ground, if you didn't know better, you would of thought it was snow. The closer to the mall, the more hail there was. At one point it seemed like 6 to 8 inches deep. In my whole life, I've never seen anything like it. 

It is here, that Driver just loves to smile. As if to say, "If you think that this is a wonder to behold, you ain't seen nothing yet!" And I believe him. Life, like the Road to Dementia Town, still have wonders to behold, and that is why we can travel with our Shiny Side Up. C'ya, Luv ya, and God Bless.