Wednesday, Sept. 5

Up at 6:30 to get ready to go to water aerobics. Whew! What a muggy morning for the walk to the pool. The water was cool, however. Twenty-seven of us showed up today, including several new ladies. If the group grows anymore, we won't be able to stir them with a stick.

The parking lot was almost empty when I arrived, but completely full by the time the session was over. I definitely need to continue to arrive early to secure a parking space. Everyone is anticipating that by the end of the semester, attrition will free up spaces, as freshmen students begin dropping out of school.

Back home, I found that Hubbie was gone with the truck, but he returned minutes after I came home. He'd been to the farm store to pick up turnip seeds and some sort of seeds for greens.

Meanwhile, I got a call from the volunteer coordinator at Caring Hands Hospice. She would like us to make some more sympathy cards. These are not our favorite cards to make, since it means folks are passing on. We supplied about 20 cards a couple of months ago, but she said they are running low.

She also said she's to go in for surgery tomorrow...a hysterectomy and bladder lift. It'll be laparoscopic surgery, which is supposed to be less invasive and easier to recuperate from. If she does well, she'll be dimissed to go home Friday, and hopefully be back at work in two weeks.

Following that phone call, I called my doctor's office to schedule my six-month checkup, and inquire about flu shots. All three of us can get our shots the same day of my appointment.

I also asked about the clinic's new online website, where we should be able to receive test results, make appointments, etc. To do that, I needed user names and passwords, which were issued by the clinic. I got the necessary information for all of us.

Once I was ready for the day, I fixed Mother an early lunch of her usual Ramen Noodle soup and delivered to her house, because Hubbie and I decided to go to the hospital conference room for a box lunch and lecture about dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

This was a very popular program, because at least a hundred people showed up for it. Some of the attendees were health providers from other towns, as well as providers from the hospital and local home health care agencies.

Most of us, though were older folks like Hubbie and me, interested in learning if we have symptoms of the disease, and how to detect symptoms if they arise in the future.
From what we gleaned, our forgetfulness is simply absent-mindedness.

I was interested to learn, too, that just because a family member had the disease, does not mean we will get it. In fact, genetics plays a role in Alzheimer's mainly in folks under the age of 60, who have had family members that also had the disease at that age. The rest of the population becomes more at risk as we age, because our brains shrink, because we may suffer strokes, because we have diabetes, and other physical reasons.

Naturally, the recommendation is that we watch our diets, exercise, get enough rest, and exercise our brains with word games, or other activities that stimulate the brain.

The box lunch consisted of chicken salad, macaroni salad, and fruit salad, with a choice of water, tea, or a soft drink. We brought an extra box home with us for Mother.

Following the program, we visited the hall that features an art exhibit from our local art gallery. I wanted to see if a hand tinted photo I loaned the art gallery to display at the hospital was included, and it is.

I also briefly visited the new gift shop that's a part of the new hospital wing. The shop is very, very nice. I'll want to visit it again, when I have more time to browse. I understand the new wing also has a new cafeteria that's supposed to have very good food. So I'll want to go for lunch there at some point.

After we'd dropped the box off, we went to another town about 20 minutes away to check on printers at our favorite computer store. A staff member suggested I try to uninstall and reinstall my current printer to see if I can get it to work before buying another one.

We'd bought multi-packs of ink cartridges at a warehouse store a few months ago, and Hubbie wanted to find a printer that would use them. Naturally this store didn't have one and couldn't find one online. So our printer may be obsolete.

If I can't get it to work, we'll have no choice but to buy a new one, and then see if the warehouse store will let us return the cartridges. Phooey, why does everything have to be so complicated?

On the way home, we stopped to check on sweet potatoes being sold by a lady I know from Extension Homemakers. She was selling the potatoes by the sack or box. A 40-lb. box was $12, so we bought one. We'll keep them in the storeroom, which is the coolest room in the house, and they should be good for several months. If they start to wilt, we'll bake them for the freezer.

At home, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, where she chopped veggies...bell pepper, onions, and mushrooms...to be added to browned eye of round steak strips, seasonings, and beef broth. We had this with baked potatoes and salad.

Afterward, I accompanied Mother to her house, and wited until she'd taken a shower before returning home. Then Hubbie and I settled in to watch a 2011 movie called, "Martha, Marcy, May, Marlene." A young woman runs away from an abusive cult that has damaged her to the point that she has trouble meshing with her family again. Stars Elizabeth Olsen, younger sister of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.