Argh memory loss

They always say that it's wonderful to experience things again through someone else's eyes.

That first time you take your daughter to the movies. You're standing there annoyed by the line at the snack counter. Then you look down at the wonder on her face as she takes in the smells the sights, the sounds and yes even the interested pattern on the carpet. To her everything is exciting and enjoyable.

There is a flip side though. Spending time with someone with memory loss means every time they see something, it's the first time they've seen it. This can be cute when they rediscover the stray cat on the back porch or the neighbor's flowers. But when every commercial is the first time it came be tiring.

Sure, that baby is cute the first 12 times you see it, but then it's just "that baby" again. To L every time is the first time and she expects me to match her enthusiasm. Why aren't I saying "AWWW" along with her? Because I've seen that same child make that same peanut butter sandwich and then wave as he gets on the bus approximately four thousand, two hundred, fifty million times!

Waking up in the Morning

The cats know what my alarm clock means. lately they've slept (or at least lain quietly) until it goes off. Even this morning when I woke up before it rang and went where everyone goes when they first wake up, they stayed still.

Once it rings, though they're right there butting me with their heads, helping me get dressed by grabbing the ends of my socks, sitting on the pants i want to wear, and pawing at the bedroom door.

As soon as I open our door Bella is off like a rocket to Bam's door. The cats are slightly irritated that she has started sleeping on the top bunk and they can't reach her.

Maybe I'll build them a ladder.

Kids and Cats

When Bam was very small I could never go to the bathroom alone. She would always follow me. Now when i shut the bathroom door, it's a little white paw that comes under.

Lucky for me Frisky isn't tall enough to reach the doorknob.

Shifts in Perspective (and a small vent)

A lot has happened in my life over the last year. Some good some Bad. Some starting out as one and ending as the other. Even though it's cliche I have found myself stronger on the other side.

Another thing that has changed is my perspective. When John's sight started to go things had to change. I never noticed how many step ups from parking lot to curb there were until i was pointing each one out.

I never noticed how many signs there were, how many little bits of information need to be read until I was helping him read them.

Now that he's had surgeries and the vision has improved in his left eye it's nice that he doesn't need as much help. I know he feels better being more self sufficient but I have to admit to missing laying in bed at night reading aloud for both of us to enjoy.

There is a commercial running right now for Aleve. in it a woman in a drug store decides to buy Aleve instead of several boxes of Tylenol. When she makes this decision she drops her shopping basket in the middle of the aisle and walks away. That irritates me, perhaps irrationally. After all it's just a commercial, but I can't help thinking of the visually challenged person coming down that aisle and falling because some careless sighted person left her crap there.

Power Outage

We lost power for awhile recently. Luckily we had the grill for cooking and the fireplace for warmth.

John grilled some steak and peppers for dinner the first night. We ate dinner and played Uno and Scrabble by flash light. We dragged out mattress into the living room and set Sam up to sleep on the couch and we were ready to camp out.

John roasted marshmallows in the fireplace while I read aloud to us all. That night everyone snuzzled down under quilts John's grandmother made while we listened to the fire crackle.

Later, with the cats fast asleep in their basket and John and Sam sleeping soundly on either side of me I couldn't help but think of our situation. We don't have a lot of luxuries, things are super tight and we didn't have power, but we have each other.

Really, deeply, I am content.