#199 Nomad Diary. 10-16 August 2024. 3rd of 4th Week Near Denton, Texas. Daily Meals with Darrell's Folks and His Sister and Daughter.

Sunrise at Lake Lewisville, Texas

Sunday Mexican Lunch with the Family in Denton, Texas

Saturday. 10. Ladies Bible class convened at the church building. I took Mom and we enjoyed our outing together with the lovely ladies at class. We discussed how to live for Christ and how to express that to people and continually look for opportunities to share the word of God and grow in love. I’ve been an annual visitor in this group since about 2021. With intentional practice to learn about the women here, I know several of them by name. Yvonne (pronounced Why-Von) is now 85 and her veterinarian daughter Laurie is an amazing and kind duo. Francine is in her upper 70’s but looks a full 15 years younger with amazing zest for life. Elaine is an interested conversationalist with many topics and life experiences to share. Rhonda retired for 17 years as a middle school teacher. Jo, in her 80’s and looking young for her age, now deceased husband was a drinker and a gambler until he was past retirement and obeyed the gospel. Linda teaching these classes each month for decades is so cheerful and helpful in learning and living God’s Word. There are several more women including my family members who make for an amazing and interesting mix of experiences and discussions.

Sunday. 11. Morning worship in Denton. Afterward the 6 of us found a quiet Mexican restaurant to try out. There are many in this area to choose from and we and Cyndy have tried many of them. We went to another one and it was good food with fresh made tortillas and quiet inside.

Darrell Completed Putting Together Kylee's New Loft Bed. Cyndy, Darrell and Dad.

Monday. 12. Darrell put Kylee’s new loft bed together after dinner. Cyndy had to work this evening at her school for the open house a couple of days before classes start. When she got home she was excited to see this project completed and in place! It kept Dad’s attention to watch Darrell throughout the 90 minute process.

Tuesday. 13.

Grandson Owen in Alabama

View of Huge NASCAR Stadium from 35W Highway Heading South Toward Ft Worth, Texas

NASCAR Sign Near Tanger Outlets South of Denton, Texas

Driving Our Niece to High School 

Wednesday. 14. Take niece Kylee to first day of school at her High School. Cyndy is a 30 year long elementary school teacher and at her first day for teaching her 3rd grade class. Darrell and I are picking up the folks at Cyndy’s house to take to lunch at a Memory Care place called Willow Bend. This morning when we were getting Kylee for school, we were visiting with Darrell’s parents as they were finished with breakfast. His dad was having a ‘bad’ day as Mom calls it. He was struggling with what we call a blank space in his thinking. He says things like: I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. 

We took the folks to Willow Bend for a tour of an empty apartment and a lunch in the resident dining room. It was very nice. We saw Patsy who lives there and attends church with Shirley and Donald. She spoke to us at our table and then walked us around to her apartment inside the large hallway forming the main square shape of the large high-ceilinged building. Darrell’s Mom enjoyed and engaged well. She was given a wheel chair to ride in and that helps her since she has very weak legs and low endurance for walking. Donald walked all the distances within the building and made few comments. He acted appropriately. We think he must have gotten tired because by dinner he was quite distracted and unable to do anything without assurance and direction from Shirley or one of us. I noticed his bottom lip was blue. He labored to arise after dinner, pick up his water cup and carry it through the kitchen.  

Darrell made chili for dinner as suggested by Cyndy. We cleaned up dinner and went back to our place 5 minutes away. We took off at 6:30 for Bible class in Denton but Cyndy called us and said the traffic was too thick to make it to the building. We turned around and drove back to our cottage and enjoyed a quiet evening. 

Thursday. 15. We picked up Kylee for school at 7:30 and got her to school ahead of any traffic congestion today. We got back to our cottage for more coffee and work reading and computer time. Before 10am Darrell and I drove back to Tanger Outlet mall about 25 minutes from here. Darrell returned some shoes that he bought at Sketchers outlet store. Turns out that there is a ‘relaxed fit’ designation on the shoebox. These shoes were too loose even though the heel has a fitting cushion in it. We are making Pizza Bread and Salad for dinner tonight. For dessert we are serving Zoi lemon greek yogurt with blueberries and whipped cream and a cookie and walnut crumble to mimic a crust.

My Old Favorite Slip-ons Were More Blue and Now Faded and Loose-fitting. My New Black Pair Purchased at Tanger Outlet Mall Spring Step Shoe Store

Friday. 16. Kylee to school and Grandma to an 8am dermatology appointment. Darrell’s the driver. 

I’m staying with Grandpa. My stay with Darrell’s Dad was needed for him. It was 4 hours and he was ok and not a problem. His dementia has gotten worse through the last few years and even more so in the past year. He has good days or hours when he seems very normal in his conversations. But most of his time he doesn’t say much but he hears and can read still. He takes all of his directions from his wife Shirley. She is his closest caregiver. While I was there he ate his breakfast cereal, but would not take his vitamins or drink his coffee. He sat for 2 ½ hours in his chair at the breakfast table not willing himself to move to his recliner or ask for the tv to be turned on. After 30 minutes of sitting at the breakfast table with him, I turned on a 90 minute youtube track of old congregational singing hymns with upbeats. I sang with several. He was holding his head and had been telling me that his head hurts and trying to describe his internal head experience to me as it took all of his focus. After listening to the hymns for about 30 minutes, his hand relaxed and he began to make brief comments or ask questions about the music. Like: ‘that’s a long one’; ‘how long is that one?’ (I think he heard it as one long song). About an hour into the track, I’ll Fly Away came on and he tapped his toe to it and smiled. This was the greatest interaction he had with all the music. At the conclusion of the 90 minutes, he said, ’that was beautiful’. I said, ‘thank you’. He was still sitting in his breakfast chair. I sent a text to Darrell to see when they were coming back. He didn’t know and was just in a waiting room for his mom. Meanwhile Dad put his hand back up on his head and started his selfie-comments again. I suggested he take his vitamins. He says, ‘There are just some things I can’t do.’ I say, “you do it for Shirley, and she said for you to do this.’ He just ignore me and the pills. 30 minutes later I find another hymn track and turn it on. These are more like lullabies and he falls asleep lightly while still sitting in his breakfast chair. I switch over to the upbeat hymnal track. Then the dog is signaling to go outside at the back door. I tell Dad, ‘Klaus wants out.’ He says, ‘I don’t see him or hear him at the door. I point across the living room at the back door. He’s there and he rang his bell. It’s hard to hear with the music playing.’ Dad stands up for the first time since before I arrived, maybe three hours ago. He gets his legs steadied and walks to the back door and lets Klaus out. Once he’s done that he comes back into the living room and opens a cabinet with a glass door. He looks intently at Cyndy’s decorator items on the display shelves. After this, he continues to make his way through the house stopping and looking at things as he goes. There’s the dark dining room and shadows under the dining table, another cabinet door to open and see what’s in there, the kitchen and items stuck to the fridge, into his living space with Shirley’s wheeled walker and her exercise bike. Next he makes his way into their tv room and looks at display shelves of long held items of their past. He looks behind the tv at the cables, maybe he remembers the recent cable repair man who came and worked on the outlets behind that tv. He walks over to Shirley’s recliner and puts one knee into the seat and bends down to look between the chair and the side table. I’m still sitting at the breakfast table and playing the hymns. Eventually I go into the kitchen and do some cleaning and make him and Shirley sandwiches for their lunch and her arrival back from her morning skin surgery and into her space and place as Dad’s closest caregiver. 

Nomad Notes.

Mail Order Supplement problem: This week I received a sample order of 4 small blue tablets of methylene blue to try out. They are for mitochondria improvement. Problem is that we are in a heat wave being 100 degrees and hotter almost every day! My blue tablets were dissolved and running out of their plastic pack and staining the cardboard product box. I took pictures and sent in for my refund. 

There was enough for me to begin trying the product at the lowest dose on Wednesday. The first day I seemed to wake up feeling happy in the morning which I do sometimes without this blue additive. I also dropped a half pound unexpectedly. This happens too when I bounce up and down within a few pounds range. I took my second dose on Thursday morning. 

Family Time: Every night we go around 4pm to Cyndy’s house and collaborate to put dinner on the table and eat together around 5 to 6pm.

New Clothes and Older Clothes: Darrell ultimately decided that he would continue using the shoes he has and doesn’t want a replacement pair right now. Meanwhile I have been to the outlet mall three times since last week. I’ve revamped many of my clothes with lightweight new ones mostly from Columbia outlet. I purchased several items there including a winter coat, walking shoes and sandals.I’m quite happy with my new clothes that are replacing some older and wearing out shirts, shorts, slacks, etc. I hope overall that these newer clothes will be lighter weight in my suitcase and in my trunk. It is still slightly difficult for me to donate wearable clothing. In my past I had a longer overlap with new to older clothes. I would just fill my closet with my new clothes and then donate the items about twice a year that I knew I had not worn in the past 2 years. I don’t have large closet anymore and my turn over is quicker now.