Fibonacci sequences, aging, and dementia

Sue sadly had to miss dinner with our Bhutanese friends last night because she was knocked off kilter by the birthday party and had to stay home and nurse her upset stomach, but this morning she had recovered enough for us to visit our friend Peg together. 

Peg is a retired psychiatrist, 82, who has a diagnosis of dementia and is meeting it with her usual enthusiasm for exploring new territories. She is enjoying reading novels as an in-the-moment pleasure, not needing to remember or summarize what she has read; able to immerse herself in the pleasure of the words and images. She loves gardening and feels closer to her father, a botanist who for some years wrote a newspaper column about gardening. She's also fascinated by the patterns in sunflowers. She explained, "I think there is a word for these patterns, and I don't remember the word, but I love gazing into the hearts of the flowers. Each flower has its own pattern. I get kind of mesmerized by them." 

I think she is talking about Fibonacci sequences, and I get mesmerized by them also.

In the afternoon I visited Liza, another friend dealing with aging and its losses, surprises, and revelations (Extra).