A Good Week

Another good eating week for Grandma - at least when I was out at Hillcrest. She inhaled her dinner last night (although spit out the cream of broccoli soup, which I take as a sign that it must really taste bad) and ate almost all of her meat "mixture" and green stuff (Lima Beans). I saved the brownie and cream for last, and knew that she appreciated every bite.

Alzheimers hasn't totally taken away her ability to communicate. She tried to tell me that she had had enough of her main entree, which is more action that she has done in awhile. Usually if she doesn't want something she'll spit it out after you put it into her mouth, but she came out with a pretty clear sentance of "I've had enough of that." I was shocked. I'm usually the one asking the questions and all I get are stares or a short "yes."

Then after dinner I was talking to her about stuff I think she would be interested in...family geneology and history of some things that my distant (twice removed maybe??) cousin Scott sent me. I located a book on the Shackleton family (Grandpa Glenn's mother Ethel is a Shackleton) and have been reading that and was telling her about it, then I switched gears and started talking about Grandpa's Great Grandpa Hugh McCann and when he came over from Ireland... and then all of a sudden she stopped fidgeting and put her hands up to her head and said "I don't remember that."

For some reason I laughed, and then said "Well of course you don't remember, it was before you were born!" But later I started thinking about how she said she doesn't remember and if it was because she knows she forgot, or that she can't remember. The fact that she knows she forgot has some meaning in and of itself.

I can't read too much into it, because there will be a day, maybe this week or next, when she'll be on a different time frame than the present, and it doesn't matter what you say to her because you'll be a complete stranger. But she didn't treat me like one yesterday. Even though she didn't know my name or who I was, at least I wasn't a stranger.

Birthday Bash - 88 Years!

The Hillcrest Gazebo was full of McCanns Saturday for Grandma's 88th birthday. Everyone was there, even cousin Denny (wife Peggy & son Zachary) all the way from Virginia whom we haven't seen in decades. Cousins Greg and Demara also came in from Kentucky. We missed A. Ruth and U. Bernie (Phoenix AZ), and Melinda and Don & the triplets (St. Peters MO).

Maxine and Claire's family (Sidebar: Maxine was Grandma's niece but the same age as Grandma; Maxine's husband Claire was Grandpa's cousin. Glenn & Dolores and Claire & Maxine hung out quite a bit together.) were also there: Virgil & Karen, Janie and her two girls Carly & Grace, and Linda. Linda brough Maxine last year to Hillcrest for Grandma's birthday, and even though Maxine wasn't as far along as Grandma in her Alzheimer's, she looked real good and held a conversation quite well. It was a shock when Maxine died earlier this year. I thought she had a while yet.

Aunt Rosemary did Grandma's hair before they brought her out to the gazebo and she looked really good. Grandma stopped coloring her hair and let it go to its natural state it has been a really beautiful silvery-gray color for the last couple of years. She has colored her hair for as long as I can remember so she must have gone gray really early. I have photos of her with red hair and then really early photos that looked like she was a strawberry blonde.

In true McCann fashion we had a ton of food, all good. Lot's of sweets. My vote goes to A. Carol and her coconut pie.

Grandma ate a good meal (been eating good lately- total turn around from a couple of weeks ago) and she even had room for brownies and cake. Of course she had to stick her fingers in it, but I think she was encouraged. Someone commented, maybe it was me, about coming full circle: Parents let us stick our fingers in birthday cake when we are young, and then when we are older we get to do the same thing again. Sweet.

I think she knew it was her birthday (or at least some special day), she was sitting upright in her chair and looking quite perky for a long time. She knew her family was around her and she took all of the hugs and kisses she could get. Every time someone came to sit by her she had to hold their hand. Well after the food and the cake was gone, she was still sitting there, eyes open, soaking it all in. Demara thought she looked tired and we looked at the clock and were surprised it was after 7:00 p.m. Grandma normally starts nodding off around 7:00 p.m. As tired as she may have been, I could tell she wasn't going to give up that day for anything.

Summertime

If there was such a thing as an Alzheimer's Plateau, I guess this is it. Nothing is worse, nothing is better. A few days ago she was her "on the go" self, and if you didn't push that wheelchair fast enough then she was going to do it herself. Almost like a little kid. If she could still talk I bet she would have told me to get my hands off her chair.

Her 88th birthday is coming up: August 19. Many of my cousins and aunts and uncle are coming in for a picnic at Hillcrest. Last year at the same time I was wondering if Grandma would still be here for another year. This year I'm wondering if she'll be around next year. It doesn't really matter I guess because the outcome of Alzheimer's is the same. So I'll take what I get even if it means doing laps around the hallway.

When I drive out to Hillcrest with my window down I can smell the corn, and that always reminds me of summertime on Grandma and Grandpa's farm. I will always love that smell. When the sweet corn was ready I would help Grandma boil it, slice it off the cob and then put it into baggies. Of course I ate my fill at the same time because there is nothing like fresh cooked sweet corn.