I am in our room at the hotel here at Chautauqua awaiting Kate’s return from downstairs. Several things have happened in the past few days that suggest her very, short-term memory is rapidly going. She went downstairs about 20-25 minutes ago to get a piece of carrot cake left over from our lunch at the Italian Fisherman this past Saturday. I suspect she ran into our friends from Houston and is engaging in conversation with them. This is not a problem except that I know that she wanted to buy some tights because of the cold weather yesterday. We planned to go directly from our hotel to the Refectory for iced tea to which she has become addicted in recent years. Then we were going to the farmer’s market for a muffin or other breakfast treat. In 30 minutes it will be time for the Jim Roselle’s radio show during which he interviews the speaker of the morning. These are all things she wants to do, but I am sure she has forgotten that.
Yesterday afternoon we stopped at several shops on the plaza. After coming out of one, she said she wanted to go in one more. Then we could go. I pointed out that she had already gone through that shop. She didn’t remember it at all and said she wanted to go through it again, and she did.
I am always facing the dilemma of how or whether to call her attention to such things. It is hard not to do so because we are so conditioned to say, “You’ve already been there” or whatever seems natural. On the other hand, I fear that each time something like this occurs it makes her feel bad, and I don’t want that. I am trying not to fret. I attempt (frequently not successfully) to take a breath before answering and think of the right thing to say or whether or not to say anything. Perhaps with experience, I will get better.
Another example occurred at dinner last night when she told our server something and only minutes later Kate told her the same thing.
