Around 2 AM this morning I finished “Alexander Hamilton”, an epic book that exceeds 700 pages and the source of the wildly popular play “Hamilton”. Normally I would lose interest halfway through a lengthy book, but the biography delves so deeply into Hamilton’s life and the early days of our nation that I could not…
Ongoing caretaker news! My stepdad Marvin is home from the rehab center. I can see the happiness in his soul. Still, coming home for Marvin is not what it was in his younger days, like coming home from vacation and experiencing the joy of sleeping again in your own bed. The surroundings are the same…
note: Tango is my dog and the following is his perspective I won’t complain about being left alone while J visits the nursing home because she already feels guilty enough. Besides, we walk several times each day, and she plans special outings every week. She is trying to care for me too, and…
Time to visit Mom and Marvin in the nursing/rehab center. I go late in the afternoon because, if I arrive earlier, they would likely be in a rehab session or napping. Once there, we chat about the day’s dramas and dilemmas. All of us share news of assorted aches and pains; theirs are more severe, mine…
Many animals went extinct in the 20th century, including the following. For a complete list click here. Passenger Pigeon Arizona jaguar Bali tiger Barbary lion Caribbean monk seal Caspian tiger Culebra Island parrot Falkland Island fox Ivory-billed woodpecker Japanese wolf Laughing owl Desert rat kangaroo Narborough Island tortoise Madagascan serpent eagle Seychelles swallowtail butterfly…
Mom likes to call the rehab/nursing home food slop. I can’t think of any other name for overcooked frozen veggies; noodles and whatever leftovers the cook finds; and cold Tater Tots. Their only gastronomical redemption comes in the large dispensers of fruit-infused water set up in the central hallway. I guzzle a glass of lovely…
Baby brother and I visited Mom, as usual, in the evening. We had been talking about our ancestry when the conversation turned, as it often does, to words – both their spelling and derivation. I smiled and enjoyed the discussion, a typical conversation when you grow up with two English majors for parents. The folks…
As usual, I opened the door to Mom’s apartment, where I am staying, and found the local newspaper on the floor outside. Today, the newspaper headline shrieked: “Vote Delayed on Troubled Health Care Bill”. For once, some good news. I have insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and I love it. The system is…
For now, my strolls on the beach with Tango, hikes in the mountains, wanderings in the meadows, and interactions with bison: gone and replaced by wheeled adventures with Mom to assorted doctors. Next week, the podiatrist for a toenail clipping, eye doctor for an assessment, and primary care physician for a routine, long-scheduled visit. The…
Mom developed a serious infection in one eye after receiving routine shots in her eye for macular degeneration. Her doctor (who comes to Akron once a week) runs the retina clinic at the Cole Eye Center, which is part of the renowned Cleveland Clinic. I took mom to the Akron clinic when it was clear she…