Longest Night?

It is getting closer to the longest night of the year. That night is Sunday, December 21st, 2009.

I like long days I like being outside working in the yard planting the garden and flowers. I will soon start getting seed catalogs. They always arrive before Christmas --a lot of them do. As soon as I get one It makes me feel closer to Spring.

This has come to my mind because farmer man is going to bed every night about 7 and even wants to go to bed earlier. I feel lonely for some reason. I think because he can't remember where he and the dog sleep, he asks me over and over where do they go---he must feel safer when i show him and help him finds his way. It makes me feel like i am in a strange place myself---my strange place is helping my husband of 58 years find his bed.

He did enjoy everyone here Thanksgiving day and was not as anxious as I was afraid he might be. I asked if anyone wanted to tell what they were thankful for and many did, well Farmer man reminded me of the commercial on TV he said, he was thankful for the ham.
Love,
Marie--[aunt maria]

Chinese Silkies!!!

Today I got outside and did some get ready for winter things. I got my flowers and bulbs and took them to basement. My two beautiful ferns, I put them in the basement too---but they will not stay pretty all winter. I will enjoy them until I can't stand the mess they make.
While I was out I took some pictures or the last of the garden flowers and a few other things. I wanted to share with you the two beautiful Silkie chickens a friend gave me. My black cat Miss Millie and the snow white Silkie were a pretty picture.

We know winter is upon us one month from today is Christmas Eve. Oh, Thanksgiving is two days away --I am having a house full, I am thankful for all my family.

I am thankful for my husband of 58 years.Now he has gone back in his mind to when he was a boy at home. I am still thankful for him even when he thinks I am his sister or his mother. We talk about times in the past.

Love,
Marie[aunt maria]

Thanksgiving!!

I love the holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
My family is together a lot at this time of the year. We eat together a lot ---we like to eat, but even when we are not eating and the family is around we sit at the table and talk. We ate at church today and sat at the long tables and ate and talked.
I enjoy that a lot--everyone in this family and our church family are Good cooks.
I am so thankful for both my family and my church family.
This weekend I decorated a tree at the Fly Arts building and participated in a one day sale. Enjoyed being in the community and talking with friends and making new friends. My great niece helped me and we had fun decorating the tree.

The theme of my tree is,"Reading with Aunt Maria". I have my books, my cards, my ornaments and many other things on the tree. The Festival of Trees, at the Fly will be up through Christmas.

Farmer Man is not better he is having more and more days that he doesn't know me.
I do not leave him my himself much anymore. Yesterday one of the daughters and our son-in-law stayed with him. That is good but when someone else is here instead of me he becomes more confused seems. I have become his everything. I do have to go do somethings for myself though to clear my head and just be me. I am thankful i have a family that helps. My grandson and wife and children came today while I was at church and brought chicken pot pies for lunch for all of them while I ate at church.
I ask him to go to church with me be he hasn't yet maybe sometime.
Love,
Marie--aka aunt maria

Vascular Dementia

Vascular dementia is the kind of dementia that Farmer Man has. The most common type
of vascular dementia is multi-infarct dementia[MID], which is caused by a series of small strokes, or"mini-strokes," that go unnoticed and cause damage to the cortex of the brain- the area associated with learning, memory, and language.
I found this information on Helpguide.org.
His Dr told us this is the kind he has because he has had one stroke that was visible but seemed to not do any damage at the time. Later though he started declining in memory and other things. He has had some of the mini-strokes I know because he has shown many changes in the last two months. Very fast it seems to me and sad too. He has gone back in time to his younger years and referrers to me as his sister sometimes. He does not know me sometimes now. To look at him he does not look like there is any thing wrong , he still looks good.
Last week we went on a day vacation with three of the daughters and had a very nice day ,he did enjoy but he gets more confused when we go somewhere different.
It was a good day though.
Love
Aunt Maria

Making an Astronaut Suit today.

This has been a beautiful week full of color and sunshine. I just sing my praises to God for all his gifts and love.

I have been busy-- my great grandson, little Brian wanted me to make him an astronaut
suit. I was given the instructions from the magazine,Family Fun, they said put together time was one hour---well they didn't say you would have to go to Lowes, the Dollar Store and Wal Mart , to get all the parts. I took farmer Man with me on this
adventure hunt, he did pretty good until lunch time and I said we would eat at Captain D's----Then he tells me we would have to take something to the girl at home,--oh my he thinks I am two people again. I tell him I am one and the same. There is not anyone at home she is with him and that she is me me me me. Are you confused yet--I sort of feel confused myself so he must really feel confused. He tells me how nice she is to him and she just laughs a lot. Well I am laughing cause I don't want to cry. You can't imagine the discussion we had about her --ME?

We ate lunch and came home to finish the project and he actually helped me some.
He had to cut the opening in the bucket for the helmet face opening. I am sharing some pictures of the finished project. Brian is in a program at school tomorrow night. I told him he sure did ask a lot of me, and ,he said I was magic---wasn't that sweet. Eight year old think things like that of us nannies.

Love,
Aunt Maria

Green Eggs and Ham?

This day has been a much better day. Farmer Man the scare crow has come home to stay.
He stands guard out on the hill by the old equipment. I will show you soon.
First I want to tell you the front porch to my cabin was put on yesterday and today I will show you the eggs I get from that front porch. All the boxes and treasures out there is fine for hiding a nest, they think. I have a little hen that lays a green egg. She is just a little white hen with a rose comb. I told you bout Miss Moses sitting on nine eggs, well she only hatched two babies and is very proud of them and is a good mother.

So now I can have Green Eggs and Ham? I am getting ten eggs a day now--I have fifteen hens.

Alzheimer or Dementia

Today was a beautiful fall day.Going to church at 8:30am, it was misty fog and rays of sun like they were floating through the mist ---The colors of the trees was brighter and more luminous looking. It was God's handiwork for sure--Everything seemed to glow. I heard more than one comment about the beauty.
Our Pastor Doug had a message that was definitely God directed. Is your bible worn or written in or just underlined a lot? I like to underline and make sideline notes and date it. We have had several pastors over the years and I have written their names and sermon topic and the date and scripture in my bible.

I have to say a few words about Farmer Man, he has lots of back pain and his legs are weak. He still goes each morning and night to feed the goats. He has to use a cane and he walks slow and he has fallen several times.

Alzheimer or dementia is a robbing aliment. It robs the person of all the memories of the present or that is what is happening here. He talks about his brothers and sisters a lot now and has told me i am a lot like his mother that passed away when he was fourteen.
He doesn't believe I am his wife because I am too old, but he says I am really good to him like his wife was. I don't know if this is the thing to do or not ,but I got a picture out of a younger me and an older me and showed him. I told him I am the same person on the inside I just look different on the outside. I said i am still that young 16yr. old inside and still dream dreams and want to do creative things like i always have. On the outside I just look different and so do you.

He said the other lady works around here all the time doing things and he was wondering if he should pay her--Ha Ha yes of course. I laugh and tell him we are the same person--Me and that cleaning lady.Well we just laugh him because he is confused and me because I don't want to cry.

Love,
Aunt Maria