Note from Julee

This note came from Jean's beloved niece, Julee, the other day. I wanted to share part of it, because it is so true. Many times I have had these same thoughts myself.

         The two photos above are from five years ago, October 2010, when Julee came to Kentucky.

A Beautiful Bouquet

 I bought this beautiful bouquet to put in Jean's room. He likes to have colorful flowers to look at and admire.

 I hope I did not alarm anyone with the quote that I posted last time.  It was just a feeling he had that particular day. When John mentioned it to him a few days ago, he said, " I can change my mind, can't I?"  He continues to be cheerful and positive most days.

A couple of weeks ago, there were several days in a row when he was eating practically nothing. He did continue to drink water and juice, so at least he remained hydrated. No matter what what we brought him, it did not taste good to him, and he would push it away. We thought he cannot continue like that for very long.
Then --  his appetite returned! He started eating double portions, plus dessert, at every meal!

So, we are just taking one day at a time. John smiled and said his dad has always been unpredictable; and he continues to be!
Of course I am just a daughter-in-law and do not know him nearly as well or as long as his children and a few others have, but I think it's safe to say he always was, and continues to be, "a free spirit", living his life according to his own timetable, and marching to his own beat...  And that is wonderful.

Stop the world

Yesterday Jean said, "Stop the world, I want to get off. I'm serious this time.  I've gone far enough."

I said yes, he certainly has gone far.

Where am I?

When we got Jean up today, he asked,"Where am I?" This could be partly just a reaction to waking up from a dream, in which he was traveling. But he does seem to be losing some of his shorter-term memory, or at least it comes and goes.

John asked him if he remembered retiring, and where he used to work. "Not quite."

We told him he retired in 2009, six years ago, and he has been living here in Kentucky since then.
Then he said, "I've been in bed for six years?"

"No. This has just been your home base. You traveled all over.  You took many trips out west, to visit the family. You traveled to Panama, and the tour leader there, Mario, arranged for his father to take you on some private tours. Remember Mario?"

"No."

"Then you went to Iceland, and the following summer you spent a month in Switzerland, etc."

So this partial loss of memories makes it harder for him to orient himself in time and place.
I'm going to try to find and print some photos from the last years and put them up on his wall. I think he'll like that.

Jean received mail from a close family member, which made him happy, of course.
 He asked John to read the letter to him.
I know Grandpa looks as if he is asleep, but actually he is listening intently, and conserving his energy.
His condition has been up and down lately. Some days are not so good, other days are better.

Grandma Hoenshell

Yesterday, while glancing through some old photos that Julee had sent, I found this brief excerpt from a family history written by Julee's father (Jean's brother-in-law), Lee Blair. It's about Jean and June's maternal grandmother, Grandma Hoenshell.

"1940.  One of the great things about dating June was picking her up for a date, and being entertained by her Grandma Hoenshell while I was waiting for her. She always wanted to entertain me. At this time she was in her 70's, a slender gray-haired lady of true delight. She was raised on a farm, and had this story of coming back from town in a wagon with a load of pigs and going in a ditch and falling off. The pigs scattered everywhere. I heard this story almost every time I arrived at 1805 Commonwealth in Alhambra, and later when they moved to 1812 Pepper Street, just a couple of blocks away. She was such a great sport, and after we were married and we ate at a restaurant somewhere, she would always say at the end of the meal, "Well, that was worth a quarter!", and then "Lee, you forgot some money", referring to the tip."

"She was so proud of her beautiful daughter in Holton, Kansas. Mother Charles - Jessie - WAS a looker, and very popular in High School. However, Grandma Hoenshell spoiled her a lot, especially since she became a truly accomplished pianist."

"Grandma had mild stomach problems (always taking some slight medicine), but lived to be 90 and died in 1951. I remember her nose always had a patch of adhesive on the bridge of it - she had had cancer and it left a hole there which she always covered. June inherited this tendency and had cancer there in her midlife."

A Doctor's Visit

The m.d. who oversees the Hospice care came by to see Jean today. It was the first time. It's nice to see a doctor making a house call!  My father was a country doctor, and he made house calls all the time. So this was kind of nostalgic for me.
The doctor said Jean is doing well under the circumstances, and commented on his sense of humor.
He asked Jean what his biggest concern is, and Jean answered, "I want to move away from here." He wasn't joking. Freedom of movement is what he longs to have.

A while ago, Jean said he should watch the old movie, The Count of Monte Cristo, again.
"He was a prisoner too, and I'd like to see how he got out of it."

Jean has become a lot weaker, but at this point we can still get him up twice a day. He is not bedridden yet.  His appetite was quite poor for a while, but has improved again. This morning, though, he did not eat one bite of his breakfast, an omelette with country gravy, which he normally likes.  Hopefully he will eat a little extra this evening. For dessert, I'll make him a milkshake.