Kate seemed unusually confused at lunch today. As we were waiting for our food, she pointed to several military from Fort Jackson which is very near where we live. Then she asked me the name of the base in Fort Worth. I told her that it is the Naval Air Station. .
After a quiet moment or two, I told her that tomorrow is Brian’s birthday. He is our oldest grandchild. She asked, “Who are his parents?” I told her that Kevin and Rachel are his parents. I mentioned that Brian is now 19 and how it didn’t seem that long ago that we had flown out to Texas when he was born. As we talked a little more, she asked, “Who are his parents again?”
She also asked me how long we had been married. I told her we had been married 54 years and that it would be 55 next May. We started talking about other things, and then she asked again how long we had been married. As I sat across from her and listened to her confusion, I felt a deep sense of sadness. There were moments when I fought to hold back the tears.
On the way home, she said she wanted to pull leaves. I told her I knew that was something she really liked to do. She acknowledged that and said, “Of course, when I start my two albums, that will keep me busy.” It is interesting that this comes up once in a while even though it has been about two years since she has done anything on them. At least she said “when I start” on my albums. She must recognize that she hasn’t been working on them.
When I pulled into the driveway, she asked if she could pull leaves. Then she asked about using clippers. After that she asked if she should wear a cap and where she should start. This is just a continuation of a pattern she has established over the past few weeks.
