What made you smile today?

BBB and JL - Thank you.

She is a special human being - not that all humans aren't- but I can't describe it. Her voice, the animation in her face, the sweetness and wonder and the words she used- in the twenty minutes I spent with her- I truly felt I had been blessed. She inspired every emotion from happiness to be alive with someone like her to wanting to cry for her and her situation to feeling at absolute peace with life and its wonderful surprises.

I know I sound like a dork, but she provided me with what was a wonderful spiritual experience. My walks will be less when I don't see her.

I've been thinking about walking down and introducing myself to her carers - she told me, 'I don't have my husband - now I have Brad and Kerry,' and offering to take her on walks. Not because I'm virtuous and for her sake- more because I'm selfish and I want to experience her presence again.

She was that wonderful- and I'm smiling again- remembering.

Do you think your lady would allow you to take a photo of her for you to keep?

BBB

I think she might. Actually, I'd have to ask her husband. She DOES still have a husband- Kerry and Brad are her two sons- not her carers. I stopped by their house today while out walking my dog. I just really wanted to know her name- it's Hillary.
Nigel, her husband, answered the door. He is wonderful as well - so loving and patient with her.

She is an amazing woman. She was a home-ec teacher and a wonderful cook who has written and published cookbooks. She landscaped their entire back garden herself from scratch - it was an orchard. She built all the dry stone walls and pathways herself. It looks like a professional landscaper did it.

She once played the guitar and autoharp - she knew how to read music but doesn't anymore, although now she can play three songs by ear on her son's keyboard. Her husband doesn't know how she learned these songs - the instruments he knew she could play, she no longer can play but she can play three songs on an instrument he never knew her to play...

She loves dogs and her dog of fifteen years died eighteen months ago. Her husband hasn't replaced it as he has to work three days a week and can't leave her alone with a dog as she would constantly be out walking it when no one was there and it would be dangerous.

When I got there today, they'd just returned from a walk - and she immediately wanted to go back out with Pearl and I to take another walk. Her husband reminded her that they'd come back so she could have lunch - but her hunger didn't deter her - she was so eager to have a walk with a dog- she walked outside with us in her socks.

I'm going to go bring my dog on Thursday so she can take her for a walk. She has carers at the beginning of the week - and I'm actually going to see a friend for a few days - so it works out well.
I will take a picture of her - she's lovely - beautiful light eyes and a wonderful eager smile.

Oh, and she doesn't have alzheimer's disease. She has semantic dementia. It started eight years ago - her husband first noticed something wrong on her sixtieth birthday. She had prepared a dinner for fifty people - three courses - five choices of each course and she did it all on her own. But when the people arrived - friends they'd had forever - he noticed that she couldn't recall a lot of their names.

How fortunate you are to have have such a lovely serendipity experience with Hillary---and her husband. I'm enjoying it with you.

BBB

Thank you BBB - I am too.

Aidan what a treasure you have found....

got me a BSOD* on my super-duper win7 cad workstation today... a blast from the past!





* blue screen of death

. . . and you smiled?

This made me smile: I just heard on the radio (public radio) a man nominating for the Nobel Prize in Literature "whomever wrote the manual for my cell phone; no greater work of fiction has ever been written."

A woman at Facebook, whose friend request mentioned a Portuguese woman in Toronto as a "mutual" friend, and who is, apparently Slavic, told me she loves me.

I've never had two lovers at the same time before.

I'm now in Bergen, and will return home tomorrow by 1:20PM into SFO.
This has been a great journey with beautiful scenery, including the North Cape and a RIB rubber boat ride through some real rough waters. Even went to the border of Russia. You'll have to visit my travelpod.com travelogue that I hope to finish within the first week home.

She asked if i had a pony, or some cavalry. So i sent her a horse as a farmville gift. Then she sent one back to me. Finally, she picked up a foal from my home page, and sent me several messages: "Thankssssssssss," and "Thankssssssyyyyyyyou," then "Lllllllllllloveyyyyyyyyyyy" and finally, a flat "I love you." Then she logged off.

What!!?? In all that time? Some Darwinian Setanta is. He obviously doesn't even know the evolutionary explanation of post-coital disgust.

It was one of those old Greeks. Socrates I think.

it was funny to see one after all these years... plus i'd saved all my work...

Time to start wearing your wedding ring, Set.

too true.
one time i forgot to wear mine to the supermarket, and, sure enough, got hit-on in the produce aisle...

I avoid women without wedding rings. I don't feel safe with them.