Kate’s memory has declined so much over the past few months that I am surprised when she remembers almost anything. That happened twice yesterday. The first occurred on our way to lunch. Only minutes after asking me the city we were in, she said, “Madison (WI) changed my life.” I was surprised for two reasons. First, that without my saying anything to prompt her, she remembered Madison where we had spent three years while I worked on my PhD at the University of Wisconsin. Second, that she was able to express a truth about our time there. It changed both our lives in significant ways. The first two years she worked as a secretary to the director of graduate admissions in the English department. He was an outstanding scholar, and Kate had an undergraduate degree in English and had completed all but her thesis for her master’s in English. She came in daily contact with professors that were well-recognized for their contributions to English literature. She was in heaven.
The other memory occurred after lunch. At Carla’s we have a single scoop of salted caramel gelato each week. We love it. For Kate each week is like the first time she’s ever eaten it. That was true again yesterday. She raved over it while we were enjoying it and after it was gone. Time passed as we got our check and paid it. Then as we walked toward the car, she said, “That was the best ice cream.” That may not seem unusual, but it really surprised me. She’s never commented like this about anything we’ve eaten before. It obviously made an impression on her. When we were almost home, she again mentioned “the ice cream.” I was doubly surprised and happy. It is very special when things like this happen.
