Caregiving
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ALL IN
“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more so that we may fear less.” Marie Curie (1867-1934) 10 years ago, I was so terrified of dogs that I rarely visited friends who had them. Then this little one came home. Skylar weighed less… Read more
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INSIDE OUT
Last week, the Inside Out art project came to my town. Their truck rolled up in front of the library and we, local residents let them take 4’ by 3’, black and white photos of us. These were then pasted on the walkways in front of the library. I was amazed at the diversity of… Read more
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GOING, GOING. . .
“Much ado has been made about Alzheimer’s…but the real problem facing us right now are our elderly.” Read more
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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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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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JUST DRIVE
I just handed my oldest the keys to the car and sent her out to the market. For a brief moment, she just stood there and looked at me as if uncertain what I meant. “Here’s the key,” I repeated. “Just drive.” I figure she’s had enough of me sitting in the passenger seat… Read more
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AARP (An Age Richly Producing)
I was mad. Fuming actually. Could not believe that the envelope I had just pulled from the mailbox was “an invitation to join AARP.” Certainly this was meant for someone else; someone really old. Not ME, the ponytailed girl who had just put in her ½ mile daily swim. But no, it really WAS me. … Read more
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A DAY FOR MOTHERS–A LIFETIME OF MOTHERING
“Many days have passed and those heads now tower over a space too small for their size. . .the nest has shifted several inches to the right and looks shabby. . .Displaced twigs and deebris have fallen to the ground underneath. Feathers and dung are splashed and stuck to the sides. There is nowhere for… Read more
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NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT
“We will likely not even be here when our girls reach the age we are now. I have done the math. So I have to hope that the world they are aging into will one day embrace the wrinkles, the mottled skin and the dementias. For it does not now, and the gap between our… Read more
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ALZHEIMER’S & THE GIFT OF FORGETTING
“Only ONCE did Granny say to me during her Alzheimer’s years, “I think I am losing my memory.” It was towards the end, in the middle of that period when she was wearing a diaper and I was re-instructing her on how to use a spoon. She didn’t even know my name and my first… Read more
AGEFULLY AGING 