Although we got a late start and Kate slept later than I wanted, we had a nice day that ended in a typically good evening. I do have to report, however, that Kate had a good bit of confusion in the evening. Several times at dinner, she asked,”Exactly where are we?” The first time I said Knoxville. Five or ten minutes later, she asked the same question again. This time I asked if she meant the city. She nodded. Again, I told her Knoxville. She asked at least once again while we were eating and then again as we walked out of the restaurant.
In addition, we saw Dan Carlisle, a retired music professor from UT who was our son’s piano teacher for two years while he was in high school. He is a regular at this restaurant. He is almost always there when we are. I pointed him out to Kate soon after he arrived. A short time later, she asked his name. That happened again once or twice before he had finished his meal. Until last night, she has been able to recall his name. She often mentions he is there before I’ve seen him.
Once we were home, Kate wanted to go in the living room where we sat for about thirty minutes. We hardly ever use this room any more. She was very cheerful and talkative, something I love to see. She talked about what a nice room it is. I mentioned the furniture and other items we had gotten from her parents’ home. She liked that. She took special pleasure in the Royal Doulton China figures that her father had given to her mother. After a while, she asked, “Exactly where are we?” I told her we were in Knoxville where we live. She said, “So this is our house.” It was a statement that sounded more like a question, and I said yes.
As we were chatting, Kevin called. We talked with him a short time and made plans for our upcoming visit to Lubbock next Saturday. We’re arriving at a good time. Brian will return home on Tuesday after finishing his freshman year at TCU. It will be good to hear what he’s been up to.
After Kevin’s call, it was time for bed. I headed to our bedroom. When she didn’t come right away, I walked to her room to see where she was. She was standing in the hallway near the door to the guest room and her room. She wanted to know where she should go and pointed to the guest room. I told her I thought our bedroom would be a good place. I asked if she would like me to get her night clothes. She said yes. I brought them to her. She had no problems like the previous night.
I went in the bathroom to brush my teeth. When I came out, I heard her call my name. She was in the hallway where I had seen her a few minutes earlier. The light was out, so she was completely in the dark. I turned on the light. She said, “Where do you want me?” and pointed to the guest room. Once again, I told her our bedroom would be best. She seemed relieved to see me. It appeared that she had lost me. It was dark, and she didn’t know where to go. This is only the second time I have observed any indication that she wasn’t sure about her way around the house. The other time was a few weeks ago when we returned from an evening at Casa Bella. When we got in the house, she said, “I’ll follow you.”
You may think it strange that I would say we’ve had a nice day after telling you about Kate’s confusion. I do find that all the new and increasing signs of her decline make me sad. On the other hand, my mood is also affected by her mood. She was in a good mood, and I find it especially uplifting to see her enthusiasm about our living room and the things we have of her parents. Life continues to change, but moments like this sustain us.
