Category: Journal Entry

Hunter comes to visit for the weekend and we plan a Father’s Day dinner for Saturday night so Hunter can go home early today for Father’s Day with his own children. After sleeping an excessive amount of hours on Friday night and Saturday well into the afternoon, we were skeptical Don would be awake to enjoy…

I come in the house after a hot afternoon working in the yard. I’m sunburned, dehydrated, and covered in sand and potting soil. I waste no time jumping in the shower and was looking forward to a long sit down before dinner. That’s when I heard Don approaching the gate at the top of the…

Start humming the song “Secret Agent Man” by Johnny Rivers. Don: Are you taking a trip with me today? Kristy: Only trip on your schedule today is to the shower, my friend.  Don: Where is the sensor in my body? Kristy: What sensor??? Don: How do you know where I am all the time?  Kristy:…

Four straight days of nice weather in the forecast forced Don and I to head outside to tackle yard work. I guess I should say Don will hold a hose and water plants that are already planted. No digging, bending over, or straining muscles other than those in his right hand. I will do the…

Don: I need some scotch tape.  Kristy: We have clear strapping tape in the junk drawer. I can get you some. What do you need it for? Don: To tape an envelope shut.  I give him a small piece of tape and he returns to his room where I find him, indeed, taping a regular…

When today’s NASCAR race was over, Don was ready for Happy Hour. I bring to his attention the 2 open cans of Pepsi, still containing significant fluid, and a carton of chocolate protein drink, also not empty.  Kristy: You need to finish these before you start on wine.  Don: No problem.  I leave him to…

For the 3rd year in a row, the NASCAR Xfinity series is racing stock cars today at Portland International Raceway in Portland, OR. Don and I were there in the pouring rain 3 years ago to watch the race. We ran into 2 of Don’s fraternity brothers from Oregon State, and that was the fun…

“A man’s real possession is his memory. In nothing else is he rich, in nothing else is he poor.” by Alexander Smith Featured in: Alexander Smith Quotes Well, then, Don must be in the no-man’s-territory of memory land. He remembers very few things correctly and none that apply to daily living in the here and…

I never know for sure what I will find each morning when I open the bedroom door to Don’s world. Today I find him draped over his recliner chair like a limp dishrag. Face down, legs gnarled up, one slipper on and one flipped upside down, arms hugging each armrest, and the butt is the…

“Tumble out of bed and I stumble to the kitchen” 09:00 a.m. – I tell Don he needs to take a shower today, so let’s start getting ready. 09:15 a.m. – Don needs me to clean up the mess from his first 2 breakfasts he consumed overnight. Raisin Bran, brown sugar, and unidentified debris everywhere.…