Sometimes Kate and I seem to move in opposite directions. As she sleeps later, I seem to be getting up a little earlier. Yesterday I was up at 5:00. That gave me enough time to have breakfast before leaving for my walk. I was still able to get out by 6:00 and took an unusually long walk, five miles. The past couple of weeks I’ve been walking between 4-4.5 miles. I walked a little longer yesterday when I got into two separate conversations with neighbors who also walk about the same time.
Kate and I spent less time together yesterday. I woke her up at 11:15 so that we could go to lunch together before the sitter came at 1:00. I had a scare while she was in the shower. I heard a scream and a thud. When I arrived, I found her lying on her back on the floor. She was unable to explain what happened. The shower was still on. She was wet and holding a towel. I plan to do what I can to get her to shower in our bathroom where we have a walk-in shower. That would be much safer. Fortunately, she was not injured at all and has not expressed any signs of pain so far. I’ll be eager to see how she feels this morning.
Because we were short on time, we went to Panera and arrived just after 12:30. I called the sitter and asked that she meet us there. There was no problem with the handoff to Mary. Kate was quite comfortable when I left. I finished my meal and went to the Red Cross where I donated platelets.
After I got home and Mary had left, Kate frowned and said she was glad to see me. I told her I had missed being with her. She said, “I got along fine. I just like to be with you.” A few minutes later, we went to dinner. We had a good time. She got our conversation started when she made reference to what great experiences we have had. Since she can’t remember them, I took the lead and filled in the specifics. I am glad she retains her feelings even though she doesn’t remember the details.
When we got home, I watched the PBS Newshour while she worked on her iPad. She was having difficulty. Over the past few days, I have noticed that she periodically forgets which icon to touch in order to open her puzzle app. This time, however, she wanted to look through the photos on her iPad but didn’t know how to do it. I set them up for her, but there were so many it was an overwhelming task. She gave up. I hope we are not approaching the time when she has serious problems working her iPad. That would be disastrous. That represents the only thing she does on her own.
I suggested that we adjourn to the bedroom and play the last part of Les Miserables. She liked the idea. That worked well, but we had finished by 8:15. I suggested that I put on something for her to watch while I took my shower. I selected Fiddler on the Roof. It seems to generate the most interest after Les Miserables. That turned out to be a great success. While I was in the shower, she called to me expressing her enthusiasm. Several times I heard her belting our “Tradition! Tradition!” I don’t recall her ever doing that before. After a while she was tired. I helped her get ready for bed, and she was asleep quickly.
I don’t try to count the number of times she asks my name, but I suspect it was probably ten times today. She tries so hard to remember, but I can easily tell that she never has it down even after I tell her three consecutive times. The good news is she seems to recognize me as her husband although I am never sure.
