Memories

Last Wednesday, I ran into Alice, my mother's Alzheimer's buddy, when I was at Atria.  She's such a pleasant young woman.  She was the one who painted my mother's fingernails blue.

She suggested that I bring in a family scrapbook so she would have something to go over with her.  I decided to put a bunch of pictures on Snapfish and spent the day working on such a book.  I used to make a lot of books since I got a special deal for life from Snapfish, but then they didn't mean anything to my mother any more, so I stopped making them. I hadn't made one since 2015.

It's easy to do, the results are very nice (mine won't be as nice as many because so many of my photos were low resolution--but that really didn't matter.  That's not why I was making the book), but I'd forgotten how time consuming it is.  There's finding the photos, and either copying them or scanning them.  Then uploading them to Snapfish, deciding the layout and then realizing that you didn't have nearly as many as you thought you would, so looking for more picture two or three different times.  The whole thing is 20 pages long.

I tried to get photos from her younger days and to include photos of her family, which is one of the most important things for her.   

 

Plus, I wanted to remind her that she was a mother and a grandmother.  In the upper left corner is her step family, plus me, and the black and white picture was taken when m sister was a baby.

 

Of course I had to do a salute to cousins day.  I don't know if she remembers...

 

I loved the dog lover page.  

 

I made a 2-page spread about the ranch where she spent her youngest years, and the home in Inverness where my grandparents lived.

 

And I found the perfect photo to end it with.

 

I could have gone through a lot more places where I have photos and gotten better photos that would not be low resolution, but I wanted to get this sent off so maybe it will be back by the time Alice comes next week.  In any event, I don't know if she will really appreciate it, but you gotta keep trying!

My grandparents' wedding photo

(Ironically, my entry on this date last year was titled "I Miss 65" and was about missing our Cousins Day card games)

So Big!

Hey, did you know that something shocking happened on The Bachelor this week?  Since I have never watched the show it is amazing to me how much coverage, on talk shows and news shows this episode has received.  Thirty minutes yesterday and today they are covering it on Live with Kelly & Ryan.  Walt saw it on the nightly news.  Something about Arie and Lauren (I just learned)  We can't make guns safe, but we sure can dissect a stupid program like The Bachelor.  Our brains have been turned to mush.

Hey, look at this:

This is a Paesano's "Stromboli" and it's what I ordered for lunch at Paesano's when I went there with my friend Kathy yesterday.  It's slices of steak mixed with mushrooms, onions and cheese in a wine sauce.  Doesn't that sound yummy?  It was!

But my first reaction when they put this in front of me was that it was the size of the torso of a newborn baby.  The thing was huge.

There was a day when I would wolf the whole thing down, but I took this photo and sent it to Walt to let him know what I would be bringing half of home so he could have it for lunch.

I am remembering the days when Walt's mother used to complain whenever we went out to have a meal, angry that they gave her so much to eat. I am beginning to understand.

I saw a commercial for a Subway sandwich the other day and remembered when I was a kid, shopping in downtown San Francisco.  I took the cable car home, because it ran so close to my house and...well...because it was fun.  I caught it at the end of the line, where there was a Woolworth's by the cable car turn-around at Powell and Market.  Inside Woolworths was a food counter that made the very best subs I have ever had.  I've never tasted anything quite so good since then.  But when I looked at the Subway commercial, all I could think of was "there is no way I could eat that whole thing," though I had no problems when I was a teenager.

This is the turn-around in 1954 and the shop on the
right is Woolworth's.  (Note that people are climbing on
the cable car every which way...now you have to queue.  No fun!)

Another commercial that I always liked was the one for Outback Steak House.  Now I look at the big plates of steak and lobster (the lobster doesn't do anything for me, but in its time they also have pictures of crab) and all I can think of is how the plates are so big there is no way I could finish the whole serving.

I always loved our rare visits to a prime rib restaurant where you got a big slab of prime rib with delicious horseradish and a big loaded baked potato with sour cream, cheese, and bacon.  Now I shudder thinking of how much food I would pack up to take home.

We've been using Blue Apron and now Home Chef for dinners 3 days a week.  There are generous portions and it's the rare dinner where I am able to eat the whole thing.  It used to be that it was because I snacked so much during the day, but even on days where I rarely have anything for a snack, I just can't finish the meal. 

I wish I could say that the reduction in my appetite has resulted in a reduction in my weight, but alas my weight has stayed the same for at least 10 years.

Romance in the Home?

Today I picked my mother up at Atria to take her to a doctor's appointment.  She was sitting at lunch with this gentleman, her friend Loretta, and another man.

The last time I was at Atria, we passed this guy in the hall and one of the aids told me "they really love each other."  From my very brief interaction with him today, I am guessing that he is at about the same level of Alzheimers, in other words, totally inarticulate and unable to be understood.  He didn't seem to understand that I was her daughter.

I made the mistake of asking the other guy, of indeterminate age, if he was Loretta's son, which everyone found very funny.  Then I realized he's the guy I see sitting in the community room with her, often with his arm around her shoulders.

Hmmm...romance in the home?  Whoda thunk.

It  wouldn't surprise me.  Those Scott women loved their men, from Aunt Mel, married 13 times to 12 different men, and all the others with multiple marriages (but none beat Mel's record).  When my mother's sister Barb was in her own "home," she had gentlemen callers and her husband was angry when he discovered some man's clothes in her dresser.  But my mother was never happy without a man to take care of -- whether a romantic interest or just a friend.  So if she has developed a male friend, that will help make her happier.

They had called me on Friday to say that her arm was hurting a lot ("burning all the way up to her shoulder") and thought she should see a doctor.  So I made an appointment for today.  When I saw she was at lunch, with her back to me, I snuck down to her apartment to get a jacket for her.  I've discovered she seems to have a whole new wardrobe.  Obviously the aids can't keep track of whose clothes are whose, but given that most people can't remember their names, let alone identify their own clothes, it's not a biggie...and she is finally not wearing the same clothes for weeks on end.  It's kind of funny given how she was giving away her clothes when she first moved to Atria four years ago because she didn't recognize them and didn't want anybody to accuse her of wearing their clothes.

The jacket I found for her is one I had never seen before, but there were no other jackets in her closet and this one  was nice and warm, so I chose it, since it was in the 50s outside.  When I told one of the aids that I was taking her to have her arm checked because of the pain she said she didn't understand that because she hadn't complained of pain all weekend.  Sigh.

The visit with the doctor went exactly as I knew it would -- she feels fine, no she doesn't have any pain.  Fortunately, as the doctor was winding up her exam, my mother grabbed her wrist and said "ooo...that hurts." 

But the report was that it's normal, it will take time for the pain to subside and if Atria thought she needed more than Tylenol, they could call and she would prescribe something stronger.

This was kind of a difficult day.  For one thing she thought I was her sister. At one point she said "I don't think Mom knows where I  am, so the next time you talk to her, will you let her know where I am and what I'm doing?"  She was also disquieted because "something's wrong" and she can't figure it out.  This is a recording.

Lately she has been having more and more trouble word-finding, so when she started looking for her "stash" I had to try and figure out that she meant "purse."  That was not the only confusion.  But a big problem is that she has started speaking so low that I can't hear her....and I didn't wear my hearing aids today.  I can't ask her to repeat what she is saying to me because within a minute after she asks me something, she forgets what it was she asked me about.  So mostly we just sat in silence.

She goes back to Kaiser next week for an eye exam and bone density exam, which will be fun because the eye exam is in Davis at 1:50 and her bone density exam is in Vacaville at 3:30.  But then, unless she falls and hurts herself again, I think we are finished with doctors for awhile.

Sunday Stealing

 

 
Some Art Historic questions


Classical: If you were an Olympian god, what would you be known for?
I'd obviously be the goddess of the remote, the occupier of the recliner, and the feeder of the dog.

Byzantine: Do you prefer gold or silver accessories?
No strong preference, but probably silver.  it goes better with my "winter" color designation.

Medieval: Are you religious?
Not any more.  The church angered me one too many times.  I consider myself spiritual, in my own weird way, but don't attend any church (it's difficult to choose a different religion when you are raised Catholic and suffer Catholic guilt for entering a non-Catholic church!

Gothic: What is your favourite historic building?

This is the Transfiguration Cathedral on Kizhi island on Lake Ladoga, in Russia.  The building was built (without nails, and using only an axe) in 1714 to honor Peter the Great, and has the most onion domes of any building in Russia.  The story goes that Peter had the architect killed when the building was completed so another cathedral like it could never be built again.

Renaissance: Have you ever had a time in your life when you felt enlightened or changed?
Oh during my youth I read a lot of inspirational books that enlightened me in one direction or another, but none were "life changing."

Baroque: Do you enjoy the finer things in life?
Well, I'm not a "finer things in life" kinda person.  I can appreciate looking at and experiencing through photos, but living with the finer things in life doesn't work for me.  That said, I wouldn't argue if someone wanted to give me a first class ticket on a flight somewhere.

Rococo: Is your bedroom full of trinkets and pictures? If so, which pictures adorn your walls?
I don't sleep in a bedroom, but my whole house is full of trinkets and pictures.  In the living room where I sleep there are lots of souvenirs from trips and from things that people from other countries who lived with us gave to us.  A mish-mosh.  (I'm not as bad as George Clooney's father, Nick Clooney, whom I saw interviewed recently; his walls and even his ceiling are covered with photos so that you can't see the actual wall or ceiling itself!)

(I love Google images!)

 

Neoclassicism: If something came back into fashion, what do you hope it would be?
Since I am blissfully unaware of fashion, I don't have a clue.  My fashion sense hasn't changed in 50 years.

Romanticism: Do you often see things in a positive light?
I think in my younger days, I saw things too positive, but especially since the inauguration of #45, I find it difficult to think of anything in a positive light any more.  Just waiting to see which country we are going to go to war with first.

Pre-Raphaelite: Which book would you like to see turned into a film?
As a general rule, books I love turned into movies have been a big disappointment, with the possible exception of Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz.

Impressionism: Do you look for details or take everything in at once?
I think I take in everything at once, which includes details.  I think.  Sometimes I miss big details, sometimes the little details I see Walt misses, so who knows?

Art Nouveau: When were you last at the theatre?
Friday night to see Carousel and Saturday night to see a play called Fragile Things.

Surrealism: Why does the porcupine think it's a duck?
Beats me!

 

Pop Art: Do you enjoy pop culture? Probably some, mostly not.  I'm not up on what is current popular culture.

Contemporary: What did you do today?
Watched Saturday morning cooking shows on Food Network, worked on my review for last night's Carousel and got ready to go to see Fragile Things.

Peanut butter Lovers Day

Yes, today is national Peanut butter lovers day.  I have sent greetings to Walt's sister, who is a peanut butter lover.  (Actually, when I googled it, the day is really March 1, but the calendar on which I found it had it as March 3, and I won't quibble)

We buy peanut butter by the largest jar around here, though we have no children and rarely make anything with peanut butter, but we both like eating it right from the jar itself.  It's embarrassing how quickly we go through a jar of peanut butter.

There was a time when David really loved peanut butter and his daily lunch sandwich was, believe it or not, peanut butter, jelly and tuna.  He ate that daily for weeks and finally gave it up when he decided to add a pickle to it and discovered that was really gross.

Some fun facts about peanut butter:

- Peanut butter is 127 years old! It was developed in 1890 and promoted as a health food at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.
- It takes about 540 peanuts to make a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter.
- Americans eat 3 lbs of peanut butter per person per year.
- By law, any product labeled “peanut butter” in the United States must be at least 90 percent peanuts.
- Two peanut farmers have been elected president – Virginia’s Thomas Jefferson and Georgia’s Jimmy Carter.
- According to Little Brownie Bakers, cookie bakers use about 230,000 pounds of peanut butter per week to bake the Girl Scout’s Do-si-dos and Tagalongs.
- A Survata study revealed that women and children prefer creamy peanut butter while men prefer crunchy.
- People living on the East Coast prefer creamy peanut butter, while those on the West Coast prefer the crunchy style.  (Not me; I'm a smooth girl)
- Six major peanut producing states grow nearly all the U.S peanut crop: Georgia (over 46 percent), Florida (nearly 13 percent), Alabama (nearly 11 percent), Texas (nearly 9 percent), South Carolina (about 8 percent) and North Carolina (about 7 percent).
- In 1895, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (the creator of Kellogg’s cereal) patented a process for manufacturing peanut butter.
- ESPN magazine recently called the PB&J a “staple snack” of the NBA.
- Peanut butter is found in 94 percent of American households today.
- In 2017, peanutbutterlovers.com released a list of the top five cities for peanut butter lovers, based on “peanut butter sales data, PB-centric celebrations and stand-out menu items at local restaurants.” They are Boston; Columbus, Ohio; Dothan, Alabama; Nashville, Tennessee; and New Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
- Peanuts have 7 grams of protein per serving – more than any other nut.
- Just a handful of peanuts a day may help maintain healthy cholesterol levels and is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease when eaten as part of a healthy diet.

To celebrate the day, I made some peanut butter bars, the recipe for which was on a bag of sugar.  They are WAY too sweet, and I suppose that given the source of the recipe, I shouldn't be surprised!

I also made a "Praline cheesecake" to take to a lunch today.  it required baking the crust for 10 minutes at 375, then raising the temp to 450 and baking the filling for 10 minutes, then lowering the temp to 250 and baking for an hour, then removing and let it cool for 20 minutes and then refrigerate.  Since I didn't get started making this dessert until 11 p.m., I was up quite late before I could refrigerate it.

But it was delicious, with brown sugar instead of white and folding in chopped pecans.  A different taste, and not as sweet as most cheesecakes.

Lunch was with my dentist Cindy and our friend Roberta.  At one time we all worked together along with Melody, Laura and Shirley for The Secretariat, where we did lots and lots of typing mostly for university students.  We also edited term papers students.  I wonder how many jocks we managed to get through school!

Melody has gone silent and no one has heard from her in years (which saddens me because we were such good friends), Laura is running an apple orchard in Oregon and selling apples to tourists.  She doesn't do internet, so it's difficult to contact her, though I do occasionally hear from her at Christmas.  Shirley moved to New York to be with her daughter, who owns a winery, with her husband, in the Fingerlakes district.  Ironically, I had an e-mail from her just last week saying she was coming back to Davis later this month and hadn't been here in five years or so.  We hope to get together with her while she is here.

Our lunch was delightful.  Cindy is such a good cook and made a carrot soup to die for.  My cheesecake was a winner too.

Sad Stories

This is a very sad story in the making.

His name is Sudan and he is a North African White Rhino, living at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. 

The sad thing about Sudan is that he is one of only three North African White Rhinos left in the world, due to rampant poaching.  He managed to survive the poaching epidemic because he spent most of his life in a Czech zoo until he was returned to Africa in 2009. He is about 45 years old now, old for a rhino, and he is dying of old age.  The Conservancy has two other rhinos, both females.  They had hoped for mating but apparently the females have infertility problems so when Sudan dies, and the females die, this subspecies of rhino is extinct.

(They have stored sperm from Sudan and hope for artificial insemination, but it's not as simple in rhinos as it is in cows and horses.  The process of extracting eggs, for example, is very difficult, since it requires going in through the rectum with a long pole and a small camera ('cause it's dark in there dontcha know and it's too deep reach in and feel where they are going).  They are experimenting with other sub species of rhinos, but so far have been able to get a fertilized egg to live past the embryo stage.)

Sudan and the extinction problem was the subject of this week's Nature.  There were some half a million of rhinos in Africa and Asia in the 1900s and by 1970 the number had fallen to 70,000, thanks to exporting to zoos around the world, and especially by poaching to use the horns for what people felt was an aphrodisiac.

(There is no scientific proof of the aphrodisiac properties of rhino horn, BTW).  Despite armed guards 24/7, poachers managed to kill all but these three animals, who are under guard in an enclosure. 

While I am not as big a fan of rhinos as I am of elephants (who have their own problems with population decimation due to poaching), it breaks me heart to think of any species coming to an end, especially when it could so easily have been prevented.  And now that #45 wants to lift the ban on ivory brought into this country, the population of elephants will going to decrease much more quickly too.

Another animal that will extinct, if not in my lifetime, at least in the lifetime of Brianna and Lacie is the polar bear.  While they are not victims of poaching, they are victims of the rising temperatures of global warming, which our president does not believe exists.  With the ice melting it is harder and harder to find food, and the bears themselves are starving to death.

The World Wildlife Fund has the terrible statistics on animals that are facing extinction in the foreseeable future, if not in our life time, then surely before the end of the century.  It's quite an eye opener.

Celebrations End

(I'm kind of sorry to see February end.  I really liked the Chihuahu wallpaper.  This salute to St. Patrick is rather bland in comparison!)

I visited my mother yesterday and remembered to  take my camera with me, so I got a photo of her blue fingernails, which I learned her Alzheimers Buddy, Alice, had painted for her.

We sat in the front hall to do what passes for a visit these days.  I told her many times why her arm hurts and why her hand is rough-looking, I told her many times we were going out to dinner with Ned and Marta and we sat in silence a lot.

Her new obsession, though, is cleaning the floor.  Everywhere.  This speck, for example, is the sort of thing that bothers her because the floor is so "messy."

Whenever she found one, she would pick it up and give it to me.  I would toss it back on the floor to my side, where she couldn't see it.

I finally took her for a walk down the hall.  My intended destination was the old dining room, where we could get coffee and a cookie, but before we had gone half way she told me she felt like she was gong to fall, so we stopped at the closed bistro, where someone had left a pitcher of lemonade and plate of cookies out, so we had cookies and lemonade.  She didn't like the lemonade, so I thought we might continue on down to the dining room, but on the way we ran into Alice, who had come to visit her, so I turned her over to Alice and I continued on to the car to drive home.  Alice suggested I might bring in a book of photos that she could use to talk with her about, which is great--gives me a project to do over the next week.

In the evening we met Ned and Marta, along with Marta's mother Ginger and stepfather Bill.  They live in Hawaii and I realized that it had been so long since I had seen Ginger, that I had not even met Bill--and I think she said they'd been married 12 years.  It was lovely to see her again and Bill seems a nice man.

I ordered pesto tortellini, which was what I ordered the last time I was there, and it is delicious.

Since the dinner was for my birthday and Walt's birthday, the restaurant brought us both cherry-burgundy gelato...

Vanilla ice cream with cherries mixed in and then a burgundy sauce poured over the top and very nice, especially since we almost never get dessert when we go out.

So our birthdays are over now and we were home in time to see Jeopardy (well...the recording the DVR made).  I zonked out shortly after that and was happy that I woke up at 5 a.m, so I am well slept.  Now "birthday season" is over for a few weeks, until Brianna reaches "double digits" at the end of the month.