Who's to mow? That is the question.

Look out Sweetie, someone has his eye on you.

Let me tell you about the big Easter Egg that was found yesterday. We had a wonderful day. 

I was done with my morning solo time and I heard noise from upstairs. Knowing it was Sweetie, she was up and I went up to greet her. She was her normal disorientated self. I think she operates on habit, not thinking of where she is, she just is. As long as I am open and loving towards her, she feels safe and secure. 

The lawn is gowning and needed to be mowed. I've been thinking of how to get this chore done. Knowing that in the mornings, Sweetie is at her best, I decided to get it done early in the day. After breakfast I got the mower out, sharpened the blade, and got started. 

When the idea hit me, why not let Sweetie try it? She is always eager to help, so why not let her. With a little hesitant she gave it a try. With the minimal encouragement, she took the mower and off she went. Asking the direction of the cut, then down the lawn she pushed the mower. I was so elated that she wanted to do it and then she did. 

Sweetie has a prescription of aggression/anxiety and I was giving it to her when she was going to daycare to help her emotions while I was gone. I thought why not try it today. I gave her one in the morning, and then one around three in the afternoon. We had the best evening in a long time. She did get into a little sundowners and to short circuit it, I put Stress Relief lotion on her neck. Worked wonders. Even put some on before bed. She went to sleep quickly. 

Yesterday we received some new sweat pants I had ordered for her. Tried to get her to try them on, too snug for her, the next size up is too big, I'll try again this morning, she is more willing to try new stuff then. All her pants are falling off of her and I have to do something. This is just another step down the road of learning about how to accomplish that which has to be done with a Dementia person. A little trial and error, adjust and try again. Doesn't pay to get upset, so I just keep trying. 

Trying, that is what my Driver keeps telling me, Keep trying, its when you stop trying, that is when anger, disappointment, and fear take over. He tells me that I need to stay in the now, plan for the future, don't project it. I get a lot of advice when we are driving down the Road to Dementia Town. Enjoy the moments, adjust during the rough spots, keeping your eyes open to smoother ways of doing things. Trust your Driver to make it through the now, let later wait till later arrives. It will with its own set of joys and challenges. In the mean while, I'll just sit in the passenger's seat, wearing my cool sunglasses as Driver motors down the Road to Dementia Town, Keeping our Shiny Side Up. That goes for you too, remember later will soon become now. So enjoy now till later gets here. Keep your Shiny Side Up as you go down your Road to Dementia Town. Till tomorrow, Love Ya and God Bless. 

Sundowners and wandering.

At the Albuquerque Balloon Festival.

Where to start? What has changed? What is going on? And how am I handling it? In my attempt to keep some sanity in our lives, I have made the decision to maintain a strict regimentation of when to give Sweetie her CBD Oil. I am now giving her a dose every 2.5-3 hours. She sometimes wants to do it herself, and when I can't talk her out of it, I let her self medicate herself. She is always more willing in the morning, its the afternoons and evening we have our confrontation. 

The other is to walk more. Instead of watching movies or TV shows on a continual basis, we now get out and walk in between shows. I hoping that the exercise will help her work off energy and mellow out her sundowners. 

Yesterday was a surprise day. As normal, nothing planned, we had just finished our breakfast, and was out on a walk when my phone rang. It was our son and he wanted to know if we were up to a round of disk golf. He has a passion for disk golf, to the point that last year, he took us out to play with him and the boys. I enjoyed our time with them and so he got me a beginner set of disks for a Christmas present. We had a wonderful time, and the boys help grandma as we played. It was a good outing for all of us. 

On one of our walks, we met a family in the park with their two little ones, and one in the oven. She is a doctor, a speech therapist, who works with Dementia/Alzheimer's patients. We had a good conversation, and I got a lot of encouragement from her. Seems, my Driver is putting people in our path to bless me. 

We got out and walked around our little block 3 times, and all three times, I didn't have to shepherd her, to keep her away from neighbor's doors. In-between times and as the day grew long, she would get restless and walk around the house, and if she went outside, I was there with her. One of the new attitudes is she wants me to stay home so she can go out by herself. I can't let her, so I have to make up some story to go with her. 

We had a number of Easter Eggs yesterday. I am always amazed at the joy that happens after the daily drive with my Driver and we travel down the Road to Dementia Town. He is reminding me that everyday will have its challenges, its joys, and disappointments. The best part of all of that is they are just temporary, for they will pass into the pass and with Him at the wheel, and me riding shotgun, we will face it together, down the road we go, Keeping our Shiny Side Up. Hey, don't let yesterday color your today for you too can make it as you travel your road, Keeping your Shiny Side Up. See Ya, Love Ya, God Bless. 

   

Sundowners, This too will pass.

Awww.

Why dear Lord? The question I think every caregiver has said at some time or multiple times as we care of our Loved Ones with this terrible disease. Not knowing how, on a daily if not hourly basses, what works on one day, and then doesn't have to any effect the next. Its confusing, its baffling, its discouraging. 

Yesterday was one of those days. We had been having a good day. I was even able to get in a short couch nap as we were watching TV. She was bright, happy, even joking in her own way. I had kept up a good regimentation of her CBD, and she didn't fight it. Then she had a small change of attitude, a input that comes out of nowhere. She saw a little girl playing in front of our house. I followed her out, and she told me to shut up in her sundowners voice. I knew I was in trouble. When I got her back inside, gave her some more CBD,  hoping for the best, but it was too late. 

I blocked her from the front door, and when she went out into the back yard, I knew where she was going. Out the front to the backyard gate. Sure enough, when I got there she was just getting out the gate. I kept her there, wouldn't let her out into the neighborhood. As I was blocking her, she did something new this time. She called for her mom and dad to come and get me away. She pushed me to get me out of the way several times and at one time, I thought she was going to hit me. She finally went back into the back yard, and I locked it up so she could not get out that way again. 

For the next 2 hours, it was a continual battle, as she slowly came back, we were able to walk around the block and enough people were out in their yards, and we could approach them, I'd introduce her as my wife "Sweetie Dementia", they would catch it right off the bat. Worked well. 

I need to have a long talk with my Driver today. I'm sure He already knows what we need to talk about. I need to find some Easter Eggs today. I'm sure I will, for Driver knows where they are hidden. He's sneaky that way. And we're off, heading down the Road to Dementia Town, I'll keep my eyes peeled for storm clouds as we go, as always, Keeping our Shiny Side Up. You know, anything on this road is like the scenery, it all passes away and is soon behind you. That's life. If I just think of what we are driving through as temporary, it is easier to accept and move one. That is why Easter Eggs are so important, they help me hang onto the good stuff during the bad stuff. It seems that there are always more Easter Eggs after the bad. So, hang in there, for this too will pass as you drive yourself down the Road to Dementia Town, keeping your Shiny Side Up. Till tomorrow, take care. Remember I love ya all, God Bless.