I enjoy playing cards. I got the bug from my parents. Mom played pinocle with a group of friends for several years. They rotated the host site from lady to lady. They played for a few hours and ate fancy snacks and desserts. When they played at our house, my sisters and I got the …
Author: Robert
Supporting Each Other
The Parkinson support group helped both Mom and Dad learn what to expect from the disease. They knew he wasn’t going to “get better” because there’s no cure. He could “live better” if he followed the advice of his doctors and adjusted as he aged. They learned people didn’t die from Parkinson’s, but rather with …
Offering Support
I was at a family Thanksgiving dinner at my Aunt Ruth’s house when Mom made the announcement. Dad was retiring, and he had Parkinson’s disease. He’d been off work for about six weeks after cutting his hand on a broken pop bottle. Broken bottles were a part of the job when you deliver pop for …
When The Alarm Sounded
Thursday night the fire alarm in our condo went off about ten minutes after we went to bed and four seconds before I would have been fast asleep. I was out of it just enough to wonder where the alarm was coming from. My first thought was my cell phone, but the more conscious I …
Days I Won’t Forget
I was having breakfast Monday morning when thoughts of my dad popped into my head. They came from out of nowhere. I was reviewing the day’s agenda and my thoughts drifted to him. I started thinking about his last day, the last time I spoke to him, the words we shared, the people who stopped …
We Have A Walker!
We have a walker! That’s what Michael’s text read on Wednesday evening. Jackson James has been walking around things and taken steps holding on to his mom or dad, but this was his first solo romp. Firsts are a big deal. I spoke to Mike on the phone the following evening, and he reported Jackson …
Doing Chores
I was never a fan of doing chores. I did them but didn’t like it. Luckily, I could handle everything that came my way and knew what the consequences were for failing to follow through. The consequences were worse than the chores. The lesser of two evils. My main job was keeping my room clean. …
Match Play
Ruth and I decided to get more involved this year in the activities associated with our condo and the Tullymore Golf Club we joined. Last summer we spent most of our time settling in. Now that we’re settled, we’re more involved. I’ve signed up to play in several golf tournaments including both a single match …
And the Password Is…
If your life is like mine, you have too many passwords. I’ve got them for bank accounts, brokerage accounts, credit cards, medical records, internet and tv service, social media accounts, Sirus radio, Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, the Secretary of State, my Social Security and State retirement accounts, my USGA Ghin account, and a ton of …
Three Sisters
When I was very young, I spent several days with the Walker girls while my mom took care of her mother who was ill at the time. While I was actually their cousin, they treated me like their little brother. Diane is six years my senior, Elizabeth four, and Ruth Ellen almost two. Diane married …