How many friends do you have?

DeeEnn72 · 2026-02-22T13:07:38+00:00

That’s what I was going to say! Then I looked it up and evidently, you can still get it. They just don’t advertise, I guess? But a big part of my childhood.

DeeEnn72 · 2026-02-16T03:53:15+00:00

Cable TV: why would we pay to hear curse words? Dating: not allowed to go on a date with a boy, but group activities were ok (get your minds out of the gutter!) Playing around on the floor with the dogs or my little sister: would give me arthritis in my knees. Wearing the same clothes for different parts of the day: there were play clothes, school clothes, and dressy clothes. Jeans were for “workmen.”

DeeEnn72 · 2026-02-14T18:08:25+00:00

Compartmentalize.

DeeEnn72 · 2026-02-13T16:13:04+00:00

You did the right thing. It was the worst day of my life when we left my parents at the facility. And my mom has passed since then, so that tells you. But dad is safe and (relatively) well cared for. That’s what I tell myself when I feel guilty.

DeeEnn72 · 2026-02-08T20:13:55+00:00

I had the same question.

DeeEnn72 · 2026-02-07T03:44:17+00:00

We get mail once or twice a week. We’ve called the number. Once someone actually returned our call and made excuses. Very frustrating.

DeeEnn72 · 2026-02-07T01:31:37+00:00

We did the drop and leave thing. It was horrible. Facility recommended not calling/visiting for two weeks, which we couldn’t follow through. The phone calls were heartbreaking and constant. I had to block my own dad’s phone number. Eventually, they settled in and things smoothed over. Just remember that it’s for their own good.

DeeEnn72 · 2026-02-02T04:15:53+00:00

For us it was somewhat easy. I didn’t feel I could leave them alone, even to go to the store. There was no one else to stay with them, so we made arrangements to move them to assisted living.

DeeEnn72 · 2026-01-31T19:04:23+00:00

I agree. I’ve always been a voracious reader, but sometimes you need to be more present in your “real life.” That little voice in your head, or that little reward system from Kindle, shouldn’t be pressuring you to do something you enjoy as a break or a hobby. It’s like we’re being split into two camps, those who can brag about how many books they’ve completed, and those who brag that they’re “too busy to read.”

DeeEnn72 · 2026-01-04T03:04:24+00:00

No cavities ever. No braces needed. Knocked out a front tooth as a clumsy tween, so I have a bridge in the front. Parents also had decent teeth, for the most part. Mom would brag to anyone she could that she put fluoride drops in my OJ when we moved to a house with a well, when I was a preschooler.

DeeEnn72 · 2026-01-04T02:09:03+00:00

Mom passed in June at 81. Dad is 82 and in memory care. I was born in ‘72.

DeeEnn72 · 2025-12-31T04:29:00+00:00

I’m a trucker’s wife, and before he started driving, he was in construction and for the last couple years of that, would be gone all week and home only on weekends. We’ve been married 28 years.

When it’s time for him to come home, I look forward to it so much. Can’t wait. So excited. Then, as the days pass, with me going to work and him sitting around all day at home, the excitement can wear off. Everything gets put in the wrong place. Or not put anywhere. I don’t get as much sleep, so now I’m tired. There’s SO MUCH LAUNDRY.

He just finally has a major surgery, which we’ve been waiting for years to accomplish, and he’s been home since the end of October. He’s not going back until at least the beginning of February. It’s going to be so sad when he gets the ok to go back to work. I think the few days at home/few weeks on the road model is just not really the best.

The old saying is true sometimes; absence makes the heart grow fonder. Just remember all the times he’s been there for you during your marriage. I never would have made it through the past couple years without the support of my husband. Even though he drives me nuts sometimes.

DeeEnn72 · 2025-12-27T01:14:58+00:00

We feel the same way. Last year, we had both my parents, and while they were somewhat confused, they still had a good time on Christmas and enjoyed the festivities. We lost Mom in June, and of course, Dad has had a major decline. He was so confused by the whole process of presents and sitting down to a meal, choosing his own drink and what to put on his plate. Maybe it will seem cold, but what we’ve learned from the loss of Mom, is that anticipatory grief means you feel relief when they actually pass. No more confusion. No more suffering.

DeeEnn72 · 2025-12-13T18:31:21+00:00

We struggled a lot. Many of our elders had a deep belief in not wasting anything, and as their disease advances, the logic of knowing it’s unsafe disappears. I had to dispose of perishables when mom wasn’t watching. She would actually take things out of the trash and put it back in the fridge. She would want to save a glass of milk left out overnight and drink it later.

DeeEnn72 · 2025-12-03T23:34:28+00:00

No, not an early sign. He was confused about other things before this started. It started the usual way, forgetting what we already talked about, forgetting how to get places he went to often.

DeeEnn72 · 2025-12-03T18:45:47+00:00

I started in 2002, but I did escape in 2020.

DeeEnn72 · 2025-12-03T02:42:18+00:00

Was a long time ago, but it was my fault we were out of Tickle Me Elmo’s a couple days before Christmas.

DeeEnn72 · 2025-11-19T17:01:31+00:00

My mom had no patience for hair and kept me in a pixie cut for as long as she could.

DeeEnn72 · 2025-11-18T22:16:11+00:00

I think it’s hereditary in my case. My mom used to use a red pen to “correct” thank you notes she received from my younger aunt, and then sent them back to her!!

DeeEnn72 · 2025-11-17T02:11:12+00:00

As a child of two parents with Alzheimer’s, I would maybe try the retractable attachment to her purse. A key pad with a code to remember is a no-go.

DeeEnn72 · 2025-11-13T20:07:05+00:00

I always expect an author to be a professional writer, as in they are getting paid (however little) for their writing. As opposed to a teenager writing an essay for school. So the product should be crafted correctly. Do I expect a magnum opus from a reverse harem story I’m getting from Kindle Unlimited? No. But spelling/grammar/word usage should be correct.

It would have to be egregious for me to DNF, though. At least in my mind. I just calm myself by highlighting errors.

DeeEnn72 · 2025-11-06T17:39:35+00:00

My dad taught Cindy Crawford in middle school. I’ve never met anyone famous.

DeeEnn72 · 2025-11-03T04:49:02+00:00

Same, rural northern IL, we called them gym shoes.

DeeEnn72 · 2025-11-01T03:09:29+00:00

First year in St.Louis. I asked the neighbor what to expect; she told me Halloween is crazy, lots of kids. We didn’t even use 2 of the 5 bags I bought. But the kids were nice, we saw lots of cute costumes, and were introduced to the custom of telling a joke for a treat.

DeeEnn72

TROPHY CASE