Posted 5-29-19 Overconfidence can be displayed most clearly in one of two formats: An arrogant, Emporer’s New Clothes kind of way where nobody would dare correct you; a mistaken (or forgotten) sense of one’s own abilities. Mom’s unit has none of category one, but one such lady in the second category, presumably. Ms. F is…
Author: Mark Applegate
Mom, The Comedienne
Posted 5-28-19 I have mentioned several times throughout my blog the amazing, well-timed sense of humor my mom possesses, even in the throes of this stinkin’ disease. Whether it be a stress-breaking raspberry or a belly laugh, mom’s still got it! It is so heartbreaking and life-giving all at once in our visits to see…
Mom, the Advocate for the Underdog
Posted 5-24-19 There’s no need to fear! Underdog is here!When criminals in this world appearAnd break the laws that they should fearAnd frighten all who see or hearThe cry goes up both far and nearFor Underdog! (Underdog!) Underdog! (Underdog! Speed of lightning, roar of thunderFighting all who rob or plunderUnderdog. Underdog! When in this world…
MomGuyver: My Mom the Innovator
Posted 5-23-19 Mom was and probably somehow still is an innovator. Maybe not a Tesla or Edison-grade inventor, but she knew how to stretch a buck long before life hacks filled the airwaves. I Googled “MomGyver” and the term has its own hashtag and a large following of similar ladies. MacGuyver was to tin foil…
The Joplin Tornado and the Ever-Spinning Alzheimer’s Mind
Posted on the 8 year anniversary of the Joplin Tornado May 22nd, 2011 seems like an eternity ago, even in my world in which time lurches forward quite quickly sometimes. It was a Sunday. I remember getting out of evening church and seeing ominous storms bearing down on our little town, a town that knows…
The Five Love Languages with Dementia in Mind
Posted 5-21-19 If you are one of the people 12 people in America that have NOT read Gary Chapman’s 1995 book (or subsequent variations) “The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate”, this piece may make a little less sense than it normally makes…and that says something. Allow me, as a…
Fear in Caregiving
Posted 5-20-19 “You know what’s wrong with ‘Merica???”. (The 1600+ subscribers to the cornbread table all roll eyes their in unison and surf Oprah instead….) Answer: Fear! Fear!! Fear!!! As the enigmatic president Roosevelt said in his 1932 speech: “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have…
The Pompousless Circumstances Surrounding Mom & the Sweet 17
Posted Graduation Day, 5-19-19 This weekend marks(ed) graduation weekend for hundreds of thousands of high school and college students throughout this great land. Long speeches and visions of wild success and grandeur (or perhaps freedom) streamed like Netflix reruns throughout football fields and gyms everywhere. One thing is also for certain: The familiar-to-Americans-part of “Pomp…
It’s the Little Things
Posted 5-18-19 Had an extended visit with my numero uno mom today. 🙂 She is still doing great, especially for someone on hospice. She even mentioned my wife’s name, asking how she is doing. That is a first in almost as long as it has been since she said my name! This sequence means that…
Mom’s Memory Unit is Full of Peanuts
Posted 5-17-19 I find it fun to occasionally compare different Sweet 17 members to famous people from Hollywood, especially since they are all, in my semi-humble opinion, leading-lady-quality sweethearts…and all I really am is a minimally-helpful paparazzi. It occurred to me yesterday that another workable comparison would be my favorite childhood cartoon, The Peanuts. Just…