How to Detect Early Alzheimer's.......It's all about a Horse.
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| I need to paint a picture for you of where we Live so you can decide for yourself in which direction my life is headed.... You have to drive by two horse farms to get to our house.... Oh it's lovely....especially in the Spring and Fall. I Fell in Love with the Road the day we went to look at the house with our Realtor... I had Grand Plans to get a cute bike with a little horn and a wicker basket on the handle bar.... of course a big straw hat.... I've been told I have a face for hats... And then.... The county decided this beautiful iconic setting needed... Speed Bumps....or as they call them here in the South... "Speed Humps".... So the bike idea went out the window when the Boss said I would have to wear a helmet.... That wasn't happening.... Big floppy straw hat or Nothing!! I drive down this road every single day..... Over those 9 freakin speed bumps... (embellished for effect there are only 6) The only thing that keeps me sane is looking at those beautiful horses in the pasture.... |
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| Aren't they Handsome.... See the white and tan one... Some days he's standing...some days He's sitting down....some days he's actually lying on his back....You know like the Dead Horse in Animal House.... I like to think of him as the "Boss" of Horses...Because.....the Boss always says... "Why stand when you can sit...why sit when you can lie down...." But....I do realize the horse is Alive and Well and certainly not Dead.... even though he may look that way on Occasion.... I have the common sense to realize this.... Or so I thought..... |
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| Here is the other horse pasture.... Actually just some one's large back yard... One Lone horse... For argument Sake let's call him "Mr Ed".... Mr. Ed has been here as long as we have.... I see him every single day just like the other horses only he has no one to play with. He normally wanders the large fenced in area and that is normally what I see him doing... |
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| Until this past week... Doesn't matter what time of Day or Night... there he is.. standing in that same spot... Staring.... He looks like he's put himself in "Time Out"... I have seen him there when I'm going and when I'm coming home... 10:30 in the morning or 6:00 at night....doesn't matter... Never moves.... You do know where this story is going Don't You?? Yesterday I passed by...and there he was.. Same spot....not moving.... my first Thought Was.... OMG....it can't be that the horse finally died and the people had him Taxidermied... Hey....don't laugh....we are in the South where there is a taxidermist on every corner... This actually went through my mind.... And here I am admitting it... Second thought popped into my head.... The Horse did Die but they missed him out in the yard So they went and bought a phony Horse To take his place.... I thought perhaps the people really loved this horse Or they thought it would just be fun to see what the neighbors would do... This thought was warranted because.... After All we are "those people" With the Dummy Board of our dead Golden Retriever On our Front Porch... A fake horse is exactly what we would do... The damn horse didn't move a hair for a whole week!! |
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| What would you have thought.... This Horse Looks Fake....Does he not??? And... If you have ever seen my house you know Taxidermy animals are not unusual.... We Have seen in Person Napoleon's Dead Horse... And... This is what a Taxidermied Horse Looks Like.. So I Finally got out of the car And I took his picture.. still no movement... Until I got up close... He blinked his eyes... Must have been the flash :) I sent it right off to the daughter She confirmed that it does indeed look like a Fake horse.. Nope...... He's Alive....I figure he is standing There hoping for an invite from the horses down The Street... Like a bad kid that no one wants to play with.. |
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| I felt better that perhaps it was just a moment Of excitement With the Thought that we too could have our own Stuffed horse to go along with the Buffalo head and yes...your seeing that right.... Killed and stuffed right there in Aisle 5 at FAO Schwarz on Fifth Ave.... Our new Leopard head... Only temporary until I find a real head to replace it....I hung it as a joke....But on second thought I better take it down before Daughter visits next or she will be having me committed for sure... I am hoping that it was just one of those "Brain Cloud" Moments and that at 63 years old my mind is Not starting to stray.... So you make the call.... Early Alzheimer's.....or "Just Plain Nutz"..... At least I didn't hear him talk!! Disclaimer..... this post although 100% true was meant to be lighthearted No disrespect for people with Alzheimer's or friends who have family members with this awful disease... I was talking to the "Big Boss" a few years ago when he called to say he was afraid the snow fall during the night was going to kill his tomato plants... It was August.... shortly after that Daughter went to visit and his Home was sweltering hot and his fridge was filled with food that had gone bad... I contacted his primary care doctor and told him our concerns....I knew something was very wrong.. The doctor said... "It's none of your business....he's a grown man and if this is the lifestyle he wants there is nothing you can do about it".... I couldn't believe his words...... Less then 2 years later....He woke one night seeing dead people on the ceiling in his bedroom.... He died one month later... From.... Alzheimer's/Dementia And nobody ever diagnosed it..... At 89 he was still driving every day... So watch out for friends and family who make odd comments...or do strange things... Except for me of course....... Hopefully if my mind goes I hope I get to keep my sense of humor... Me and My Dog... Can always entertain at the Old Age Home.... |
Comments
Always enjoy your posts and sense of humor
-Joan-
www.mvobsession.com
hugs, Linda
Love the latest addition to the wall- you're not headed to the home yet, IMHO.
I don't think you are odd at all, girlfriend. You are talking to a died in the wool Southerner whose family defined the word "eccentric", particularly Mr. Magpie's family. ;-)
As for me, I grew up in a house full of African heads staring down at me. Think "Out of Africa" with heads and chintz and limoges. LOL
xo
Sheila
And your FIL would not let you help - but his doctor should have stepped in.
I love your sense of humor too!
sandie
ps I HATE SPEED BUMPS! It must be those fast and furious cars going to fast in your neighborhood. lol
BTW, I am making your pork kabobs in the crock pot tonight. They smelled heavenly. Then Pa came to the door and said, "Peg, we have a big problem." It seems the dog ran in the barn, straight into a skunk. After googling what to do, we washed her for 20 minutes in peroxide and baking soda and now she sits whimpering, confined to a cage. Well, we can't let a wet dog outside in 20 degrees! So the kabobs... they will taste good but the whole house smells like skunk!!!
Thank you. Love love, Andrew. Bye.
I hate to disappoint, but Daddy's valet was just a boy. Mama said that Daddy hired him to take care of (aka pick up) his clothes, etc. I guess the boy needed money (and Daddy couldn't even boil water!), and when Mama married Daddy, she went into a real bachelor's household! The housekeeper was the housekeeper for his grandmother and by distinguished, and she took care of Daddy, his brother, and also some of my grandmother's affairs after she died. The housekeeper mhelped my father and his brother run things and was an amazing lady. There was a legal guardian (actually three with one in charge), but this lady kept their home together until my parents married. Then she retired. She was afraid that she would interfere with Daddy's marriage since she had been there so long (even from the tome my grandmother was little) and wanted to give Mama a chance to establish their household together.
It wasn't Downton Abbey, but its Southern cousin and far, far less grand. He, however, did descend from some fascinating royal and noble characters, but was the most down to earth person ever. He was noble in his love for his family and royal In terms of having the biggest heart ever, and I loved him to pieces. A wonderful father and husband. :-). Can you tell who is a Faddy's girl? ;-)
xoxox
Sheila
I didn't see that typo. It is the IPAD spelling for me. Argh!
Last weekend we went to Atlanta and stayed in the Georgian Terrace for a Valentine's Mini-Moon. We had dinner and breakfast at the Livingston Restaurant there. Wonderful food! My plate was embarrassingly clean. As for my molten lava cake dessert, I may have scraped the finish off the plate, making sure I didn't miss a drop of chocolate goo (culinary term :) ) and ice cream.
I raised and showed horses when I was growing up. Believe it or not, horses can become depressed and broken hearted, just like people. A depressed horse can show symptoms such as a lack of motivation, low energy, dull hair, or even chronic illness. I would offer it a carrot and some affection. Buster (my cairn terrorist) showed signs of dementia before he died. He would wander into my garden and couldn't figure out how to exit.
Your Friend,
Deborah