American Chimpanzee

My father and I went to visit a friend of his in the nursing facility he now lives at, b ut I told you that last week.      In the middle of our visit, we were asked to leave the room while someone from the office came by for a little talk. I'm assuming it had something to do with his having pulled the fire alarm, and I'm assuming it went something like, "DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN!"      Those are MY capitalizations.       "What was that all about?" my father asked him when we were let back inside.      "I have no idea," his friend said.       When it comes to dealing with my father, who's been diagnosed pre-Alzheimer's, I've learned to just go with the flow. Whatever he tells me, I just accept that's what's true for him in the moment. It saves a lot of aggravation. On his part, as well as mine.      My father?       He has other ideas.      "Don't ...

There was quite a kerfuffle going on at the facility my father and I were at.      We had gone there to visit an elderly friend of his. They've been friends since childhood, so I guess that makes my father elderly as well. Sadly, his friend suffers from Alzheimer's, so visiting with him is hit or miss. Sometimes he remembers who we are and sometimes he just pretends he does, but he's always nice and polite. If his condition makes him aggressive, I've never seen it. In the case of my father, who's been diagnosed pre-Alzheimer's, his doctor has prescribed what my wife and I call magic dust for him. We sprinkle it on his food and the aggression magically goes away.  Anyway...      As we pulled up, I saw workers in their scrubs herding some of the residents and their visitors back inside.      "I guess something happened," I said to my father.      My father didn't say anything.      I wondered if I should ...

The last Saturday before Christmas was busy.      By the time I got home it was dark. My wife was already in bed watching something on her tablet. I'd tell you what, but I've forgotten. That's nothing unusual. I can forget any number between one and ten just by counting scoops of coffee into my coffee maker. My wife, on the other hand, says I don't listen to her, or some such nonsense.      My two daughters were getting ready to go out and my granddaughter was by herself watching  Home Alone  in the living room. On the TV screen, a young girl was busy miscounting the children.      Personally, I’ve never cared for  Home Alone . With the exception of John Candy, there’s not one likable person in it. Sure, little Kevin is cute, but do you really like him? In a reflective moment inside a church, even  he  admits he’s a bit of a turd.      I wanted to get on...

To start the day off on the right foot, my beautiful and thoughtful wife sticks a Post-It Note on our refrigerator door with little strips cut into the bottom half and writes a single word on each one. Confidence. Love. Wisdom. Patience. Strength. Etc… The idea is for us to take whichever one we need to face the day.      The first to go is always Chocolate.

In Reader’s Digest, I read about a lady who asked her kindergartner what she would do if she couldn’t wake her up and got a humorous response. Humorous enough to win $100.      I thought there was an important lesson to be learned, so I asked my granddaughter the same thing.      “What would you do if one morning I didn’t wake you up to go to school?”      “I’d stay asleep,” she said.      Hmm… maybe I could have phrased that better.  

My father has family that live in another state, and once a year I'll drive him kicking and screaming there for a visit. Well, not really kicking and screaming. More like mumbling and grumbling. The first time we went was different, though. He actually looked forward to going. Since I had never driven there before, as we entered the state I stopped at a Welcome Center for a map. Maps may seem like an outdated concept these days—like VCRs and TV you don't have to pay for—but this was before cell phones were so common. Heck, the iPhone hadn't even been invented yet. The elderly lady who helped us was very sweet and greeted us with a friendly smile. "Can I help you?" she gushed, mainly to my father. I looked around but didn't see what I was looking for. "Do you have any maps?" I asked. "Of course I do," she answered. I asked for a state map and told her the name of the city we were visiting. "I'll go get them for you," she said, ...