Descent into Alzheimer's Disease

Ah, the first day of school. A bright new year. Ha! Actually, it went pretty smoothly if you don’t include the discourse from Chris about how homeschooling has ruined his life. He scored an A+ in Speech and Debating. *smile* He’s not overly thrilled about all the work I have planned for the year. But he’s very excited that this was the first day of the last year of homeschool. I have mixed emotions about it.

Chris and I are getting ready to go for one last weekend to the beach before the end of the summer. After the recent shark attacks near there, I have lost the desire to swim. A few days ago a ten year old boy was killed in the ocean by Sandbridge in Virginia Beach and last night two young adults were attacked (one fatally) in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, which is pretty close by. There have been several shark attacks in Florida not far from where Josh and Leah live, too. So, I may take a walk through the sand where the waves are breaking, but I am not immersing my body into that giant shark tank. Since we lived in that area for nine years, the REAL reason we go there is to spend time with our friends anyway. I’m looking forward to a revival meeting on Friday night, spending time with friends on Saturday, and two church services Sunday before heading home Monday morning. Hopefully, I’ll return well fed and encouraged in my walk with the Lord.

It seems like Mom has been feeling better lately. She has been rather tired, but not very grumpy. She was quite a handful when we went over to get a haircut from Lois (the friendly neighborhood hairdresser) today, though. The ac was blasting when we walked in and Mom immediately said she was going home. What followed was ten to fifteen minutes of Lois and I trying to coax Mom into the chair. We were the only ones there, so I was blocking the door and encouraging Mom to sit down. At one point Lois asked if she could come to our house and do it tomorrow (wasn’t that sweet!), but Mom goes to daycare tomorrow. Eventually, she seemed to lose track of the fact she was having a tirade and went and sat down. She was perfectly calm after that and waited while I got my hair cut, too. Next time I’ll give her Ativan before we go. She still seems to slip in and out of moods rather rapidly with no visible reason she has decided to be compliant.

Oh, lest this entry be lacking in amusement, I should share a recent encounter with my neighbor. I have been friends with this man for quite a while. I never realized how ummm... shall we say eccentric he is until we talked the other day. He had come out to chat with me in front of his house as I walked by with Tana one morning. Somehow the subject of speeding came up. He described what he wished would happen to speeders in great detail.

“When someone speeds by here, I wish they would wreck so bad! I don’t want them to die, though. I want them to break a bone. It has to be broken in a special way so that when the paramedics come to take them away the ends of the bone will rub together and just grind. I want those bone fragments to grind so they are in complete agony. And while they’re in that agony, I want them to think to themselves, ‘this is what happens with I speed’. “

My mind is racing as I try to recall if I have ever sped by his house. I do like to wind the gears out as I go by there, but I don’t think I’m exceeding the speed limit. Is this little diatribe directed at me?

“So, THAT’S your punishment for speeding?!?” I ask incredulously.

He went on to describe what he would like to do to other people in other situations. I eased away ASAP and continued my walk. Okaaay. Now I just roll by his house in neutral until I am a safe distance away. I wonder what his punishment would be for jaywalking?

Hebrews 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.