Duma

I took exactly two photos today, this one and another just like it but blurry. So this is it for today's blip.

It was a really busy day. I went to talk to the fellows who manage my IRA for me for my yearly update and goal setting for the year. We had a long discussion about the financial implications of the possibility of Arvin moving to a memory care facility. They aren't pretty as those places are really expensive. I've got us on the waiting list for three of them though I do not feel ready yet to actually have him move to one if we pop up to the top of the list. They all said they would keep us at the top once we got there if we weren't ready to make use of the open space.

There is much more to this kind of decision than the financial aspect. Because it is so expensive, however, it does encourage me to have Arvin stay home as long as possible and so far that is not a problem. I would miss him very much if he left and he would miss me and our home. So I am in no hurry. That being said, I am also not going to put myself in a dangerous or very heavy emotional place trying to take care of Arvin at home when that is no longer viable. The gist of all of this is a giant unknown about my life, his life and our future. So we live in a kind of lightly held limbo for the time being. At least I do. Arvin just keeps on keeping on the best he can. We don't dwell on what might happen in the future though he does know it could end with him somewhere else.

I also went to the support group and we all had some pretty heavy discussions about this and other aspects of our futures. Many of the loved ones with dementia are moving as Arvin is deeper into the disease. So though we still laugh a lot, we have moments of deep thought and sadness as we share the journey we are all taking. It really helps that we are all in it together and have very similar roads to follow, though unique because no two folks with dementia take the exact same path, nor do any two caregivers. In fact we talked about that today too.

The evening was much lighter. Arvin and I went to see the Calidore Quartet perform as part of the Bellingham Festival of Music. They are truly amazing. They are young, the oldest being 30, and they play with technical mastery, superb musicianship and an obvious connection that makes them one instrument instead of four. If you ever get a chance to see them, take advantage of it. They are fantastic.

Almost forgot to mention that my camera is back and it works fine. I took the picture of Duma with it just to check it out. And I also got quite a surprise from my insurance company. They had said they wanted paper versions of the cost of repair and I was expecting that information to arrive with the camera and returned lens. (Actually they only included the camera portion but that turned out not to be a problem.) The weird and amazing thing is that yesterday I got a check from the insurance company for the total cost of the two items when I bought them new. That is not at all what I expected. I deposited the check today and am delighted to call the case closed. I have a new replacement lens and a repaired camera and a bit extra $ on the side. Works for me.

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