Tango in New York

I think this photo right here sums up why I’d like to learn how to Tango.

Mom with her Christmas Snuggie

with Kevin, the monkey

The monkey is from one of our last day trips out. Last July 4th, I took mom to the zoo. When we were in the gift shop, she seemed to like the orange monkey, so I got it for her. Recently the monkey has made a bit of a come back and has been sharing her chair in the TV room.

When we got the monkey, the home care aide who was with us said that mom should name the monkey. I jokingly said, “Name it anything but Kevin.”

The aide asked mom what she wanted to name it, she said, “Kevin.” Then she giggled. Thanks, mom.

Auto exposure

The best shots I got were using the automatic settings, but the exposure was quite long. It makes the shot a little blurry since it was hand held. I wish I had a tripod handy, but maybe I’ll try again next month.

Sunrise just outside my front door

Half way there.

All week it's been freezing rain

If you enjoy living in the northern part of the country where winters are long and cold, I do not suggest spending a winter in Arizona like I did. After a year in Arizona, I’ve been ruined for winter. This will be my second winter back in Illinois and I really hate it.

Part of me thinks it would be nice to live in Chicago again. It has a great theatre scene, but I’m not sure how I could stand the winters. Perhaps I need to be a snowbird, spending my winters in Arizona or Southern California and the rest of the year in a city like Chicago or New York.

Mom and Cindy watch the soaps as the rollers come out

It used to be that Sundays were the day. She would go see Cindy, then have lunch at her favorite restaurant, Panache, which is in the same mall. Last fall it became Fridays, since my sister had that day off and could take her. Then sometime after I moved home, it became Mondays. Mondays are a particularly quiet day at Cindy’s, so it’s a good day to go. We often have the place to ourselves.

Being beautiful is tough work

Mom, like a lot of older ladies has a pretty high maintenance hairdo. It’s permed and colored and must be curled and set at least once a week to keep looking good. It’s a multi-step process each week which begins with a shampoo. Then the hair is conditioned and rolled. She sits under the dryer for 20 minutes or so. Finally her hair is brushed and teased and sprayed into place.

The last final touches

My new godson, Brady

Yes, he’s a cute one, but it wasn’t his baptism.

Gracie, Brady's sister, ready for trouble

Again, not the one getting baptized.

Katie, another friend's baby

Now the one below is getting closer.

Lindsey, the sister

The little one getting baptized.

Erik and the newest Catholic, Easton

And finally, a couple of shots from the party after at Erik’s:

Dave, a friend from high school

Erik and his dog Rudy

Richard

He comes by for a visit every week or two. He usually brings photographs, or books or other things that my Mom might find stimulating. He used to work in China and has visited it many times since he retired. So often he brings pictures of people he met or places he visited.

Mom and her brother Richard

In the back, you can see a walker. We never did use that walker much. About a year ago, my mother’s gait began to disintegrate. In the beginning, her walk would sometimes become a stuttering step where she would end up kind of marching in place. It was as if her brain had forgotten some key step in the complicated process which is walking.

The neurologist explained that sometimes patients with dementia will have symptoms that resemble Parkinson’s. Within a couple of months, her walking had deteriorated to the point where most of the time she traveled from room to room with the blue transfer chair that Richard sits in above. It is sometimes possible to get her to walk short distances. You must stand in front of her, holding her with a gait belt and encouraging her to take every step.

All of her muscles seem to be there and she can control her legs in other situations. It’s as if the software, the instruction set which govern walking have disappeared, or rather just a few key instructions.

A year ago at Thanksgiving, we went out to eat with the whole family. Mom could walk, although the stutter stepping sometimes affected her. She could speak, although her speech was often labored. Now she cannot walk and her she is essentially mute. She can communicate via gestures, signs, etc. but actual words from her lips are very rare.

Dad, peeling potatoes, Thanksgiving 2008

My nieces were home from college and I managed to get a couple shots of them as well.

Shannon

Caitlin

Galen explaining her hobbie

She came to an event for a Peoria singles club that I run.