Our Afternoon

Kate has a cold again. I had gotten it last week when Kevin was with us. Fortunately, mine was mild, I am hoping hers will be as well. Hers is accompanied by a cough that I didn’t have. That presents a problem in being in public places. When she coughs or sneezes, it is quite loud. I had planned for us to attend a play this afternoon but changed my mind at lunch because she was coughing so much.

On the way home, I suggested we stay at home. She said she would like to take a nap. I thought that was a good idea. At home, she went back to her bath to brush her teeth. When she came out, I gave her half a Benedryl assuming that might help relieve some of her symptoms while she napped. Then I noticed she went to the kitchen cabinet for a cup. It seemed clear that she was planning for us to go out. I didn’t say anything. I just went to get my jacket. When I got back to the kitchen, I looked out the door to the garage and saw that she was waiting patiently for me in the car.

As I started the car, she opened her door to throw a paper towel into a basket on her side of the car. As I think I have mentioned before, she brings home paper napkins from some of the restaurants where we eat, tears them into smaller pieces, and throws them into the basket. She does the same with the paper towels and toilet paper she uses at home to wipe the saliva from her mouth. When the basket reaches the overflowing stage, Libby, our housekeeper, empties the basket. Kate has never said a word about her habit, and neither have I.

That reminds me of something else that occurred the other night. As we were preparing to leave the house for dinner, she used her hand signals to ask if she should bring one of her family photo albums with us. I just said, “You can leave it here. I don’t think we will need it.” These are just a few more mysteries of Alzheimer’s.

We are at Panera now. She coughed a little after we arrived but that seems to have stopped now. I feel better about that. I had just about decided to leave and go back home. Kate was resistant to that. There are not too many people here now and none very close, so we may stay a while longer.