Good Day

And Last Night was Bliss (Again)

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The ups and downs of this Parkinson thing do not seem to allow for planning, comfort and looking-forward-to-ishness. I imagine it is the biggest headache we care partners have to deal with day to day.

In addition to the fact that Cheryl can be great one moment and in the next she can be off in the weeds punding or hunting around for something that does not exist or merely worrying about something that is days into the future, she sleeps fine several days in a row and then one night is up. If one does not have Parkinson one can still have sleepless nights occasionally. Parkinson merely makes it more annoying. But, holy cow, it can be really annoying and not only for the Parkinson person.

The previous night was miserable. She did not sleep until about 3 am. Last night she laid down at 11 pm and did not move from that position until 7 am when the LOUD AND ANNOYING alarm clock went off to signal TIME FOR MEDICINE. That is what it displays in two inch high bright green letters after it raises its brightness level so that it is visible on the moon.

I got her the meds. She took them and laid back down for a bit to allow them to work. I put the Kleenex box in front of the message to the lunar astronauts. I felt rested.

I went to turn on the “news” and was shocked to learn that there were sexual hi-jinks going on within the Southern Baptist Convention. Hoping for more news about the Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp and getting instead the fact that Hunter Biden was, as a husband, a stinker as told in a new tell-all memoir by his ex-wife, I turned it off to do the Wordle. Ho hum.

She got up a little later and put the big new bed back together.

We are up at the regular time with no extra laundry today.

Life is good.

Carpe Diem.

Last Night was Peaceful

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Last night was the first dose of donepezil which may help with Cheryl’s confusion and dementia issues. It has two main side benefits (effects) in addition to the myriad of others that seem related to any drug regimen. The side effect I am most concerned with is insomnia. I will be watching for this closely over the next few nights as her body adapts to the medication. The drug literature suggests a two week or so adaptation period. I am hopeful today.

The dose in this series of pills is 5 mg. The intent is to discover the patient’s tolerance for it. The dose will be increased over time. If one eats a little bit of peanut butter each day when one is little, one will not develop an allergic reaction to peanuts. If you eat a little bit of dirt each day as a child you will develop a tolerance for a lot of things later in life but your parents will go through a really annoying diaper period.

Nevertheless last night was peaceful. One trip to the waterproof room and no extra laundry in the morning. Seven AM meds consumed on schedule. Breakfast of yogurt and Pillsbury refrigerator rolls rounded out the morning.

Exiting “news” today from the world’s largest advertising company Meta formerly know as Facebook, new tools are available for Instagram whatever that may be. (I am old.) All the major stock market indexes plunged (not fell) into bear market territory. The Fed is wondering out loud about where to set interest rates. Nervous investors are placing their bets. Bitcoin aficionados are moving their money so quickly the major exchange called a halt. (Think of all those computers mining bitcoin settling into stasis.) Ho hum. And it is going to be hot today on the east coast where all the news comes from. Stay hydrated!

Another day begins. Cheryl seems to be moving well. She can try out our new grab bar that was installed yesterday on the wall near the shower to help with getting in and out of the shower. I have no control over the things that CBS has decided is news today, so, although I am mildly interested, I do not spend much time on it. Cheryl is quietly watching the news after eating her Pillsbury refrigerator rolls and yogurt with OJ.

The Wordle today was easy. I got it on the first guess. Today life is good.

Carpe Diem.

Morning “News” Programs

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Yesterday we picked up one sister of Cheryl’s and went to visit another sister of Cheryl who lives about forty miles down the road. It was a very pleasant visit sitting on their great front porch perched up a hillside with a nice view of the Ohio river to the north. We had a great conversation while some extra kids and grandkids showed up to drive go-karts and minny bikes over the hills and around the property. Sometimes it seemed like having a conversation on the berm of a nearby highway. Nevertheless it was a good day and this morning Cheryl is sleeping in for a bit.

Which leaves me with my morning coffee and watching the morning news shows. It also leads me to think about what is news to me. The morning news shows, as they always seem, are interspersed with the latest political dilemma, complicated financial maneuvering that makes money less valuable but no less important, some actor/celebrity fall-out from marriage or their manager, the best guacamole recipe or another use for hot dogs, the expected weather for the next week (it is remarkable how this is always bad news), the latest book usually a tell-all memoir – today about growing up as a child of abusive news reporters in California, and other useless, to me, drivel. I suppose a breakthrough therapy for Parkinson would be of much more interest. Sometimes news is merely superfluous information and blather.

I turned it off because I noticed I was using it as background noise for working today’s Wordle and a couple other puzzles I have become fond of working.

I like crosswords. I suppose that is my father in me. He liked crosswords also. It probably sounds odd that I care little for Scrabble since it looks much like a crossword when completed. I think that has mostly to do with competition which I also care little for. I am not competitive except with myself. Crosswords and stroke-play golf fit into those self competition categories and maybe bowling.

Journaling and writing and blogging is also an interest. Today is also wash-the-sheets day and I am starting later because she is sleeping in.

Carpe Diem.

God Makes a Way Out of No Way

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Sen. Warnock from Georgia and pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta says this often when he preaches. He found inspiration from his father who told him every day, get your clothes on, put on your shoes! His dad’s point was only you can do it. No one can do it for you. It is up to you and your attitude.

He is a pastor of southern Baptist convention. I am not a Baptist but the lesson is not lost no matter your faith or lack there of. It is up to you to make a difference in your own life and the lives of those around you. No one can do it for you nor should expect for someone else to do it.

We have to start with ourselves. Let God in. He will make a way if you let Him.

Today is a good day to start.

Carpe Diem

Past Few Days

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The past few days have been sleepless and disturbing. Cheryl has one of her meds that she has been taking for a long time seems to be bothering her at night and not allowing her to sleep. As we sleep in the same bed on the same mattress I do not get much rest either.

Two nights ago I gave into the thought that it was her Sinemet CR tabs that were both helpful overnight and disturbing her sleep. I discussed it with her and she wanted to try taking only one tab for overnight. She slept until about one o’clock and got up to go to the toilet. She came back to bed and slept until the seven o’clock alarm for morning meds.

Wow! Could it be that easy?

Last night we did the same thing. She did not get up at all. I had a little extra laundry to do in the morning but I did it with a full night of rest.

Now it is the weekend which should be a time to relax and rest but we have little to do on the weekend calendar. I lean on my kids. Cheryl has been talking about the kids all week. If I can I take her to visit.

My first thought is my son David. He has a wonderful backyard to sit and visit. My plan was to visit on Sunday but as we drove to our favorite place for a walk Cheryl said she would like to visit David. I had told her as we were driving along about visiting David tomorrow afternoon. Somehow that translated into today in the afternoon. I called David and he said sure.

We took our walk and sat on David’s back patio the rest of the afternoon.

Maybe tomorrow afternoon we can find Max’s ballgame and visit Anna’s family.

Carpe Diem.

Another Lunch with Friends

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A good friend of Cheryl’s from church organized another luncheon with her and another mutual friend today.

Back in the bygone days of younger kiddos and the everyday working world, Cheryl was part of the group of women (mostly) who decorated the church for various holy days or other events in the church calendar. Often Cheryl’s job was to clean and press and arrange the alter cloths just so. The group would spend an evening or Saturday decorating the church for the occasion.

These days are gone for her and the decorating committee and St. Ann’s sodality has thinned over the years. Today however Cheryl and Barb are hooking up with Diana, the team leader, who has moved to a retirement community with her husband on the other side of town.

It gave me time to experiment with banana bread and fool around with other things. Maybe even blog a little.

Carpe Diem.

Friday the Thirteenth

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Friday the 13th comes on Friday this month. It is a little joke I have. An old boss of mine during my working career who is also a good friend used to make that comment when it was appropriate. It seemed to him that mystery problems would appear on Friday the 13th. Engineers love and hate mysteries.

A friend of Cheryl’s came to take her to lunch today.

I am waiting to see how it turns out. Barb is aware of Cheryl’s issues but we often only see her at church. Cheryl will have a chance to practice her “showtime” persona.

The lunch was great. Cheryl had a great time with a good friend and she brought home leftovers that she may or may not want to eat. The went to a Asian restaurant called the Blue Gibbon. Typically when we go to a Chinese or Asian restaurant she will order egg rolls. Nothing else for her, she only wants egg rolls which the restaurant people want to bring as an appetizer. No amount of english, american english, spoken to a person whose first language is not English can convey the meaning of “bring as her meal”.

The last time we went out to dinner at a Chinese restaurant (Uncle Yip’s) I ordered her egg rolls, some spring rolls for me and another dish that I like and I thought she would like. We had tea. The waiter brought the the egg rolls,spring rolls and asked if we needed more tea. Later he brought our shared dish. It worked out just fine. She was not embarrassed to eat ahead of me and she did eat a little of what I had ordered to share. The smart waiter brought us extra plates.

Uncle Yip’s, by the way, is the closest thing to actual Chinese cuisine that I have found so far. I visited China about ten years ago for business. And the owner’s and wait staff’s first language is not English.

Carpe Diem.

The Last Day of April

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A Happy Birthday celebration — a week or so early. A poorly written sonnet:

Tis the last of April, just beyond reach

is May the tenth the date of your birth

it’s said by some, it may have been breach

No matter the details, my life gained great worth

That night that we met, our story yet untold,

unknown at the time how beautiful our life;

no one but the Great One could have foretold,

the thrill in my heart when you became my wife

Here surrounded by loving and caring siblings

To celebrate another year past with great glee

I wrote this sad poem, earnest and small scribblings

with the deepest love. I hope you agree

Our life together is amazing as your mom would say

I think so too, so, Happy Birthday!

– Paul

Carpe Diem

Kardia Mobile

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This company wants me to buy a device that pretty much tells me I am not dead yet. I already know that. I run to the store and run to the library and run to the doctor fairly often. I am pretty sure I am still running okay and not dead.

Many people, probably most, spend a great deal of time running here and there. It is ingrained in us. We chide each other if we are not active. But instead of running what if we took a deep breath and stopped to look around at God’s wonder of Spring and the renewal of life. It happens every year. It is truly amazing.

Breathe and notice the world. Run for exercise and health but do it outside where He can show you His wonder.

Run: Carpe Diem.

The Goat is Right

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Stephan T. Patsis is a favorite cartoonist. His signature work, “Pearls Before Swine” is the cartoon in the comic section of the local newspaper that I read first when my wife hands me the funnies and says, “There are some funny funnies today.”

You have to choose to be happy. The goat who is somewhat intellectual and thought provoking tells rat. An absolutely true statement from a smart goat. One does choose to be happy and no one else can make that choice for you.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy. – Desiderata by Max Hermann

Choose to be happy.

Carpe Diem.