Be Prepared for Old Age - It Happens!

We have just returned and mostly recovered from our trip to Sacramento. We moved William's parents into an assisted care facility. So for now they are safe if not happy. The lesson here is to be prepared for old age. William's parents are in their middle 80's, they have talked about moving from the huge house they raised their kids in but nothing ever came of it. When William's dad started having trouble walking, his mom took care of him. Taking care of him compromised her health and she ended up in the hospital in June. So she can't take care of herself, she needs help and she can't take care of him anymore. The only choice was assisted care and we moved them to the only nice one with an opening. They are now looking at another place where they have some friends, so it looks like we will be going down again and moving them....

it is just as hard watching your parents suffer the consequenses of their own actions as it is watching your kids suffer the consequences of the theirs.

Don Juan said that there are 4 enemies of man, that one has to conquer. The first is Fear, the second, Knowledge, the third Power and the 4th, Old Age. He said the problem with the forth enemy is that you can never conquer it, only stave it off. Just when you have worked all your life and have it somewhat together, moving through fear into knowledge and into power, Old Age, rears it's head.

Betty Davis said that old age is not for sissies. The only way to not grow old it to die young.

This drama with William's parents has been going on for months now and when I finally got to Sacramento it wasn't the old people who drove me crazy but William and his sister. What is it about family that is so annoying? Erma Bombeck has a book intitled - "Family, the Ties that Bind and Gag". Seiza said that it is so easy for parents to push your buttons because they installed them. What do I know, I am just an in-law. Jim, William's brother in-law calls it being an out-law. I am not sure how helpful that is.

The photo is of William's parent's Jane and Bill on one of their last days in their house. The lovely young woman in the middle is Vashti, the wife of William's nephew. Carson and Vashti came from the east coast to visit his and her family on the west coast and I was luckly enough to overlap and get to see them. Carson is a few years away from being a doctor he is at Harvard, doing his intership and Vashti it an attorny, working for a judge (her father and grandfather being judges!) A delightful young couple and I was so glad to spend an evening with them.

Tonight we are going into Roseburg to hear Los Lobos play in the park. A few of the little towns around here have a weekly free concert in their park. Roseburg has the best music. Myrtle Creek does not have as good of music but we can walk down or ride our bikes to the park, that makes everything sound better somehow.

We have had the craziest weather here in southern Oregon. Cloudy, cool, windy. Not like the Julys I remember. We go to the river everyday and swim anyway, we just don't stay very long. There is a great swimming hole about a mile from us on the Umpqua River where the railroad bridge crosses south of town. We ride our bikes down most days. I love to swim and that is one of the reasons we moved here.

Thanks for listening.