Alzheimer's
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YOU GO GIRL!!
It started harmlessly enough. I was trudging in to Target when suddenly I heard the thump-thump beat of some pounding rap music. Approaching slowly, was a well-used, Chevy with two teenage girls in front. (It’s a good thing they had the windows rolled down or they might have gone deaf). By the time we were… Read more
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CARRY ON
She looks absolutely pitiful; a shadow of the fluffy pup who only yesterday sprung up to her window seat to watch the cars go by. The vet sent Skylar home today after double knee surgery. A stiff, plastic Edwardian collar keeps her from licking the long, red-stitched wounds open. Her tail no longer arches up… Read more
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in
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TIME CHANGES EVERYTHING
Everywhere you go nowadays you see ‘kids’ taking care of their elderly parents. That wasn’t the case when I wrote, “Kissing Tomatoes,” 10 years ago. At the time, publishers said, “Love the writing but no one will buy it. Who cares about Alzheimer’s?” Well, time changes everything. Just today, the woman in front of me… Read more
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by
in
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DO WHAT YOU CAN—-WHILE YOU CAN
Granny impressed upon me early on to, *“Always DO what you can do when you can DO it.” While that advice has definitely gained me some friendships, it has also put me in some pretty awkward positions. Take today for example: There she was, a 40-something, dyed-blonde with a spectacular figure squeezed into watertight-jeans, a… Read more
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THE TOP TEN REASONS MOTHERS NEED DOGS BEFORE KIDS
Only one person wished me Happy Mother’s Day this morning: the dog. (Granted, no one else was up yet, but isn’t that how it is?) Actually, she greets me EVERY day as if I am the most wonderful creature on the planet. My kids used to be like that. They’re teenagers now. So on this… Read more
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by
in
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WALK LIKE A MAN!
My husband ruptured a disc in his back several weeks ago. Despite the many pain medications his doctor has proffered, he is still in agony and barely able to navigate from bedroom to kitchen. So, on the eve of our 31st anniversary, I drove to purchase him a cane. As I parked at Walgreens,… Read more
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by
in
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ONE IN TEN
How dare TIME magazine announce: “Alzheimer’s: At last, some progress against the most stubborn disease.” Imagine my disappointment to read merely the same old stuff: It’s hereditary. No drug cures it. Some have side effects worse than the disease itself. We still spend 5 billion a year on cancer research and only 500 million a… Read more
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BE MY VALENTINE!!!
I love the company of men. Just came off the tennis court with three of them after winning the tiebreaker. The two who lost weren’t thrilled but they were gracious losers and even complimented me on being, “one helluva retriever.” Men play at sports and life, with an enthusiastic, ‘come what may’ attitude that I… Read more
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ALZHEIMER’S? HMMM. . .
Picture this: me backstroking in the middle of my half mile swim. Have the lane all to myself and starting to pick up speed, which at my age is relative. Thinking how I can’t wait until it’s over. Then. . .smash. Suddenly, I collide with my friend, Forest, who in his Alzheimer’s state of bliss… Read more
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NEVER SAY NEVER
‘We’ just got a puppy for Christmas. In the last two days I have bent over with a paper towel and wiped or picked up at least 12 different ‘gifts.’ According to my research, I will be doing this for the next 3 months—if I’m lucky. Now I am not particularly wild about dogs, never… Read more
AGEFULLY AGING 