Becoming the norm.

The Beach.

This picture is a representation of how I feel about my life with Sweetie. She, like the sun, is fading. We are in somewhat the twilight of your years. With both age and Dementia, the curtain is coming down. 

It is the lighting of this picture that draws me to it. It seems like twilight, just enough light to see images of the waves, and at the same time, the picture is in only two colors of gray. Ansal Adams would be proud of this picture. 

For the bright colors of youth are gone, and the shadows of age are arriving. The muted tones of what was, and is becoming the norm for the rest of our lives. 

There is still beauty in those pictures, just a different beauty. Simpler to look at and see the beauty of the gray and yet not missing the colors of youth. 

Wednesday

Went in to get Sweetie up, opened the curtains to let in some light. Woke her up with a smile and a kiss. She seemed happy to see me which is always welcomed. 

Told her what our plans for the day are, and left her to wake up some more. When I came back, she was up and making the bed. What a surprise to see. 

We went into bathroom to get going. Potty, showered, dressed, we headed out for breakfast. She is in such a good mood this morning. It is her old self, and what an enjoyment she is. It looks like we're going to have a good day. 

What comes to mind is her hemorrhoid. This is day 2 of my applying the hemorrhoid cream on it. The pain must have been terrible for her and now she has achieved some relief, she can now be happy.      

I've been so worried about her constipation lately. She just doesn't go. I was wondering about the CBD that I've been giving her. Does it constipate? Looking up on line, the answer is no. As a matter, most of the information I found, says that it helps with constipation. That was a relief. 

Back to the day. Off to the course we go. Meet up with 3 other players that I've played with before. We all had a good time, playing, talking, and laughing. It is the laughter that I miss. 

Today is grocery shopping day. I've volunteered to bring yams to our Thanksgiving Dinner. I've never made that dish before, so I'm going to give it a try. 

Going to drain the yams, mix cranberry sauce with the juice, sprinkle pecans on the yams, and pour the cranberry mixture over the yams, bake for about 30 minutes, then put marshmallows on the yams, bake until the marshmallows are brown. Wrap and head over to the son's house. It sounds good to me, just hope it comes out as well as it sounds. 

When we get home, Sweetie is acting like she needs to go to the bathroom. Into the room we head. Turns out to be a false alarm, but, as for potty training goes, it was good. 

We spent the rest of the day home. Did our usual, watched TV, had a salad for dinner, cholate moose for dessert, and ended our evening uneventful, which is good. 

Driver never had it so easy this day. We are on some smooth asphalt as we head down the Road to Dementia Town, with our Shiny Side Up. C'ya, Luv Ya, and God Bless.   Arthur.  

 

Faded memories.

Miss these days.

So much has happened since this picture. These times are now all but faded memories. Our years are speeding up, and at the same time slowing down. 

As we move through each day, I try to catch a memory for the future. The times when we're walking in the mall and she will look at me, eye's beaming, smiling as she tries to sing with me. 

Now that we have Christmas music on the radio, watching her sing the Christmas songs. Sometimes just mouthing the words, and then she is singing along with the tune. To hear her sweet voice once again brings tears to my eyes. 

Her ability to know the correct feelings is amazing. She just doesn't sit and watch, she still knows what is going on and will react accordingly. 

Soon, I'll be getting our Christmas decoration out and bring Christmas into our living room. Bring the Nativity blowup Scene down from the garage and set it up. 

As Sweetie slowly fades, so does my eagerness to get Christmas out. Dementia is stealing the joy that was once the highlight of the year. 

Tuesday

Sweetie is having a rough time getting up. So, with kind words and gentle tones, she is up. 

She is seeming willing enough to get her into the shower. I keep forgetting about her hemorrhoid. I don't know why, maybe I'm thinking that it will go away by itself. 

It hasn't, and has gotten worse. So, I've begun using hemorrhoid cream on it. Because it is so hard and painful, it may take a couple of days to go down. In the meantime, I'll do what I can to keep her comfortable. 

I realize that she is in pain, and wants to do nothing but lay down. Knowing that she will be in bed most of the day, I make my plans for the day without her being by my side. 

A day to drive Tweety and walk the golf course. That is my solution for the day. 

Home, and she is doesn't want to move. But I do get her up and get her to sit on the potty. Where we do get some success, and I get to put cream on her sore spot. 

I do get her to come out for dinner. This is where we end our day. 

Had a few twists this day as we motored down the Road to Dementia Town. Nothing too spectacular, just a few lane corrections. Still we were able to Keep Our Shiny Side Up again. C'ya, Luv Ya, and God Bless.   

 

Car wash, fill up and Elvis.

A day in the life of Tweety.

Some of the strangest things happen when we take Tweety out for a spin. It is time for a her to get washed. Looking for a non-brush car was isn't an easy thing to find. What I'm looking for a is a full-service non-brush car wash.

I found out that Chevrolet does not recommend running a Corvette through a brushed car wash. Hand washing is encouraged. The car washing devices can harm the paint and other parts of the car. So, either I get out the hose and bucket, or find an alternative. If it is warm enough this week, I will do the wash myself. 

A car wash, it seems so simple. I used to wash my cars all the time. It was fun when our grandson was younger and he wanted to help. Which turned out to be an excuse to have a water fight, which I would let him win. 

Memories, they seem to come out of nowhere, to remind me that life hasn't always been that hard, that there were good times, and that when I think about them, they will pop up like a cork on the water. They are always there; I just have to look for them as they float by. 

Monday

Time to get Sweetie up and start the day. We're off to a good start. Sweetie is willing to get up and get going. 

I'm beginning to worry about her BMs. She hasn't had a good one in a couple of days which mean prune juice time. For the next couple of days, a lot of prune juice. Going to try mixing it in her morning coffee. I know that she doesn't taste food, so it just might work. If not, straight juice it is with brain cereal. Should get something moving with that combination. 

As we get ready to head out to the golf course, she is more than willing to come with me. I love these mornings when she is so willing. Stress of convincing her that we going is gone. 

I wish I could say the same thing about my round of golf. It wasn't what I would call a good round, it was a round. Some good shots, and more bad ones. In other words, its golf. 

Home, lunch, TV, and rest. Wanting to get the Corvette washed, and it needs to be fueled. I get Sweetie up and into the car. Drive around looking for the right car wash, and finding none, we head for the mall and our walk about.

Getting that done, and Costco is just around the block from the mall, head over there for the fill up. 

While waiting in line, another sports car pulls in behind us. I can see that the driver is looking Tweety over, and soon he gets out of his car and comes over to talk with us. 

He is quite the character. He is wearing a thick black and brown leather jacket, with all the fringes and braded leather about. He wants to tell me how blessed I am driving Tweety. He has been trying to order a new Z06 Corvette and no one will take his deposit. The dealers are full of their allocations and are not accepting any orders.

He was telling us how he used to race Corvettes, talked about the Corvette experience, and then he showed me his TCB neckless. He got it from Elvis Presley himself and he was his martial arts instructor for seven years. There was something about him that made his claims seeming real. I was impressed. That was the highlight of my day. 

Home, dinner, meeting, and home again. Got all tucked into bed, turn out the lights, said thank you for our day, and sleep washed over us. 

What a day on the Road to Dementia Town. It was when Driver pulled into a rest area, and brought over a friend to share with us some good stories of life. I know that our meeting wasn't an accident. Just a reminder on how well we are being cared for on this adventure of life. So, with a joyful heart, we are back on the road again, keeping our Shiny Side Up. C'ya, Luv Ya, and God Bless.