From the woman who loses her words

 Oh yes, that's me.  I forget most names these days, although I know them when I see them.  I still read, and I know what the words mean.  But later I can't recall those same words.  I have an longtime friend who is also in the stages of dementia.  She calls me and tells the same story three times in thirty minutes of talking.  I wondered if I was doing that, because I wouldn't know even if I did. 

So I asked Cliff if he had noticed me repeating things over and over, and he said no.  The only thing he notices is my not knowing the words for simple things, which is every time I open my mouth.  So I use words like "that thing over there", or sometimes I just say "never mind".  I have made a game of it though.  One of the earlier words I lost was "microwave".  Another was one that I wanted to put on the grocery list but couldn't think what it was called.  I needed coffee filters, and I would write coffee and finally just put coffee paper.  A while back I decided to get those two words back, come hell or high water.  Most of the time now I can remember microwave, but for some reason I couldn't get the word filter to stay in my brain even five minutes.  I'd say filter, filter, filter... to no avail.  

Then I decided to think of something familiar that it sounded like, and thought fill, fill, fill... and realized that part sounds like Cliff's oldest brother's name:  Phil!  It didn't work all by itself though, and I couldn't think of the rest.  Nothing sounded like "..ter".  As I washed dishes I kept saying, FILter, FILter.  Then I thought, I'll just think about Phil and his wife, and substitute "her" for "ter": Phil Her.  That sounds enough like filter that I know what it is now.   

Does playing the game help anything?  No, I can't play that many word games, but I like that I've gotten two words back.  I made games from those two words.  

I still read, and I know what every word means when I read.  I still like to try for my 10,000 steps a day, although it's been rather hard these hot days.  Sometimes I get it done between six and seven A.M.  Yesterday morning was surprisingly cool, so I hurried out with Gabe to the pasture.  Wouldn't you know I had the most awful walk ever!  The temperature was great, but mosquitoes followed me on the whole walk!  

I still love being in my garden and enjoy cooking, and I don't mess things up any more.  When I started on this journey I ruined several meals, but I have learned to take my time, and haven't had to throw any food out lately.  

I'm about as happy as I have a mind to be.  I don't let myself worry about the future.  Every little thing is going to be alright!   

I say the Lord's Prayer and the 23rd Psalm at least twice a day and so far have remembered the words as I learned them as a child.  Also the Beatitudes.  And yes, I can still sing Me and Bobby McGee!  

It's a wonderful life.