Fwd: Merry Christmas ? 2006

Subject: Merry Christmas ? 2006

So the joy of the season continues, ho ho ho.

Sunday Dad and I had a wonderful afternoon working on several projects at his house. Mom was there, but it is different now. We worked on re-attacking the unopened boxes from his move back in July. There were still boxes piled in the back office and still boxes of Mom's clothes that had never been opened. We also moved into the laundry room a new floor to ceiling linen cabinet that Dad had made in the garage. The cabinet is finished with a nice stain and clear coat and has real nifty hidden hinges on the front doors.

As Dad worked on opening boxes Mom was unable to stay away from poking and lifting each item found and she continuously moved items from box to box removing any chance at order, so Mom and I went for a walk. She is much quieter now then she used to be, walking quietly, slower pace, yet still a good walk. She gets cold easily and dresses in unusual layers of sweaters and woolens with just one object, staying warm. She talked some on the walk, about nothing and then she wandered on ahead of me with no sense that we were both there.

Dad had made good progress while we were gone. Later we installed the mirror on Mom's dresser and continued to set up the spare bedroom for Dad to sleep in down the hall. While doing all this I found some suspicious tissue tossed in the corner of Mom's bedroom and I did not mention it to Dad. Later, I made a glorious "tender bit casserole" with fresh garlic and fresh mushrooms, we had Christmas Eve dinner, just the three (or was it four?) of us. For a few minutes denial was the better part of Valor.

All day Mom was popping in and out of the two bathrooms and spending time talking to herself. Early in the day Dad pointed out that she was actually talking to her "friend", "twin", "sister" who would only talk with her in the bathrooms, (in front of the mirror). So i asked Mom who she was talking with and at first she said her "friend" was shy and would not come out or talk to me. By the end of the day I would lean against the bathroom door jamb and Mom and I would have three way conversations with Mom answering for and gesturing to the girl in the mirror. Turns out her name is the same, Marjorie Louis, and it turns out that "they" both know many of the same people. In the middle of all this I asked Mom what my name was... she struggled for a bit and said I was "Craig, what, don't you know your own name..." go figure. So by dinner time she wanted me to set four table settings and make sure there was food for "her sister". So then it gets interesting, she won't sit down and eat, keeps stepping out to check on her friend, asking her to stay at the table makes her mildly upset and when we cleared the food away she was rather disgusted that we were not sensitive to her and would not feed her friend.

Today is Christmas Day, Linda and Mark and I had a gentle day together. Linda is feeling poor enough that we did not drive to Sacramento to her aunts place for a Dunbar Christmas. It would have been nice to go and see everyone, but tiring too. So here we are. Dad called about 10AM and shared that he had continued today, cleaning Mom's room and had begun to find soiled tissues, toilet paper and soiled underwear stashed all through the drawers of Mom's dresser and the linen closet in the bathroom. Well so much for denying the reality of what I found yesterday. He has cleaned her bedroom and both bathrooms to create a new clean house and see how bad the problem is. Fact is, he has been in denial that this is happening. He and I spoke of it over a month ago when Mom and Linda worked together to get her to take a shower. But here we are.

I went through a lot of emotions today. Dad and I talked several times and he is struggling with the reality that he MUST get some help and the steps have started that will end with Mom in a care center and him home alone. I struggled with anger more then anything today. Linda helped me talk through the reality that I am not MAD at anyone or anything, just angry at the situation with non-specific fears tossed in regarding the future.

I have been telling several friends that 2007 was going to be an interesting year.

Where did the MIND go?

And when it left, why did it not leave a forwarding address? And did
it physically leave or is the mind still there with no street map or
phone book or index to help find the pieces that are actually there.

So off to Google I go.

Memory and Executive Function in Aging and AD

Multiple Factors that Cause Decline and Reserve Factors that Compensate

Randy L. Buckner, 

Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Washington University in St. Louis,
Department of Psychology, One Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1125, St.
Louis, MO 63130, USA

Available online 29 September 2004.

Abstract

Memory decline in aging results from multiple factors that influence
both executive function and the medial temporal lobe memory system.
In advanced aging, frontal-striatal systems are preferentially
vulnerable to white matter change, atrophy, and certain forms of
neurotransmitter depletion. Frontal-striatal change may underlie mild
memory difficulties in aging that are most apparent on tasks
demanding high levels of attention and controlled processing. Through
separate mechanisms, Alzheimer's disease preferentially affects the
medial temporal lobe and cortical networks, including posterior
cingulate and retrosplenial cortex early in its progression, often
before clinical symptoms are recognized. Disruption of the medial
temporal lobe memory system leads directly to memory impairment.
Recent findings further suggest that age-associated change is not
received passively. Reliance on reserve is emerging as an important
factor that determines who ages gracefully and who declines rapidly.
Functional imaging studies, in particular, suggest increased
recruitment of brain areas in older adults that may reflect a form of
compensation.

An Extraordinary Weekend

What a weekend. And what a season of the year.

Tonight was the final Christmas concert of the year and final concert
ever for the St. Helena Hospital Men's Chorus. Wendy Skeels, our
beloved director, (and cousin to Mom) along with her husband Norman,
have, after over 25 years of leading and singing determined that now
was the time to make some life changes, possibly move out of state in
a life transition and the choir has ended.

And what a ride it has been. I personally have been a member a mere
twelve (?) years with the group and oh the memories that flood into
my heart. We have sung all across north and central California. One
tour took us up to Yreka in the far north and the small Adventist
church there overwhelmed us with their love. It seems the churches in
the hinterlands do not get to hear the traveling groups like the
larger churches, that is sad. We had recording sessions for burning
CD's. Studio time is precious and we all had to behave for hours at a
time with out the usual tom-foolery that often bonded us together. We
sang at camp-meetings and funerals, high times and low, and each time
was wonderful. Singing in the Grass Valley church while huge snow
flakes drifted down, wonderful memories.

This weekend was our annual Christmas concert series in the
Yountville, SDA Church. The church has welcomed us in each year for a
weekend concert series and the church has outdone themselves with
decorations and food for the choir. This year the Christmas story was
told thru the eyes of Joseph. Mary was never seen in the concert.
"Pastor Pete" from a Christian church in Napa was Joseph and his
portrayal touched me and gave me new insights into the burden that
Joseph carried in supporting his virgin wife and providing a loving
home to the Son of God. To be a part of this concert series has been
a blessing for me that I get to keep.

Mom and Dad came down from Lake County for the Sabbath afternoon
program. Linda helped Mom with her hair before the concert she looked
just great. Mom has had a tough series of months, particularly
lately as the Alzheimer disease continues to ravage her brain. And
yet, she was in fine form on Sabbath, remembering people, remembering
names, remembering faces, hugging and tears with old friends who had
also come to the concert. It was wonderful to see her for just a few
minutes and pretend that all is well. As we sat around our dinner
table later and recalled the day, she still had some of the faces and
names in her mind and yet, she did not know just where she was or
where home is.

Jerry and Sally Cople came up, Janet and Lester Margart came down
from Eureka, there were more old friends visiting and hugging and
sharing after the concert then I will ever know, and it is good to
see, life is too short to ignore friends. To have friends and family
who we can be "real" with, that is the greatest blessing we can
expect on this earth.

Life is wonderful. Linda and Mark and I continue to take our lives
one day at a time and we treasure every day.

Be Blessed. Merry Christmas,

Craig Philpott

Mom gets a haircut

We went up to see Dad and Mom on Sunday.

I made burgers and helped Dad finish setting up his Dish-Network and
3ABN satellites. Two set-top boxes, two dishes on the rear of the
house, I think it is all working fine now. Mark and I even went
through his remote settings and made a short list of channels for him
that did not include any of the HBO or sport or adult channels that
he is not using. But now that he knows they are there....

Linda gave Mom a hair cut after lunch and then Linda encouraged Mom
to take a shower and wash her hair to get those final scraps of hair
cuttings rinsed away. Mom could not figure out how to use the
shower, never did figure it out, so Linda went in to help her. Mom
explained to Linda that she is uncomfortable bathing in her bathroom
since several men live in the walk in closet off the master bathroom.
(Perfectly understandable, I would not want to shower in my shower if
there were men living in my master closet either. ) So mom hopped in
the tub and proceeded to shampoo and rinse her hair under that faucet.

Linda came away from the episode quite concerned and spoke with Dad
about it briefly, asking how often Mom bathes or showers. He said he
did not really know since she goes in the bathroom and closes the
door and he is never sure if any bathing takes place. After mom got
dressed she showed Linda the guest bath down the hall and explained
how she preferred that bath, it seems it has not closet, and thus no
extra prying eyes.

Throughout the three or four hours we were there mom would disappear
into her bedroom from time to time and come out wearing a different
skirt or top or sweater or whatever. Mark commented that she kept
changing her clothes and Linda pointed out, NO, she was just adding
layers. By the time it was bath time she had on three skirts and
several tops and she usually has on two to three layers of mismatched
socks.

So we go home.

I called Dad tonight to discuss some of this with him and we had a
pretty good talk. Right now I say that Dad is in denial about just
how things stand with Mom. I suggested that it was time for him to
start investigating some type of "home health" service to get a women
aid to come in at least once a week to help Mom with a bath and her
hair and nails as needed. Dad, apparently, is withdrawing from these
things in some ways and I think he needs some help. He conceded that
this might be a good idea and YES, he does know who to call in the
community for a referral for help.

I feel like 2007 is going to be a momentous year somehow. This thing
is starting to pick up pace and exceed my understanding of what
happens next and what should be the appropriate responses to what
happens next and when should further action be taken and what is that
action and and and and and....

I know less and less about more and more.

Just a medical update

Dad has just completed a complete medical work-up on Mom performed by her new doctor in Lake County. Mom's new lady doctor has rather impressed Dad with her thoroughness and her compassion for what Mom is facing and what Dad has to deal with in the coming months. 

So, this is all second hand from Dad but the medical work-up on Mom included full physical, breast x-ray, chest x-ray, head scan (MRI or CT scan I do not know). And the results are in. With the exception of her brain, Mother is in reasonably good health. I am beginning to think that maybe a life of "eat, drink and be merry" might be the better way to live. You might not live as long, but you might have more fun and you will not need to linger so long with a healthy body but no mind to appreciate it at the end. But I digress...

In the final report to Dad the doctor referred to a couple items that are naturally distressing. 

The chest x-ray and brain scan both showed signs of TIA's or "mini strokes". A TIA or transient ischemic attack is a brief (seconds or minutes) blocking of blood flow to an area of the body, often the brain. This blockage then "breaks up or moves on" usually without medical intervention and the sequence can happen repeatedly. This process is damaging the brain by blocking blood flow. 

Next item, the doctor reported that the brain scan showed classic evidence of Alzheimer's. Or, to quote webmd.com:

CT scans can show certain changes that are characteristic of Alzheimer's disease in its later stages. 

These changes include a reduction in the size of the brain, referred to as atrophy.

Since the physical and testing was completed, last week, Mom has apparently been very agitated, displaying anger and confusion why the doctor was poking an prodding her since there is nothing wrong with her. 

Linda and Mark and I will be going up to visit on Sunday, take a casserole for lunch and give Dad a break for a while. Take Mom for a walk, help Dad get his new satellite system set up and generally be there for awhile. 

I figure the whole situation is in God's hands now.

Time slips away

Mom and Dad came over today. 

No surprise there, it is a privilege to have them living just an hour away. Dad and I were scheduled to do some light carpentry. 

Mom was scheduled to spend the day going for a walk and sitting and talking with us and generally having a nice day. But nice days are tougher for her then they used to be. She and Dad went last week for her first medical visit and physical with her new doctor in Lake County. She is still upset about the doctor speaking to her as if she has any problems, she is fine and does not want to see that doctor ever again. Along with general health issues the medical check-up was for a mental health review and Dad privately asked the doctor after the visit about Mom's status and prognosis. The doctor used the clear medical term, "well, she is pretty far along...." . Humm... what ever that means. 

So today, Dad and I worked, Linda and Mom went for a short walk and after Linda left for work Mom was on her own to wander the house and our very small yard. She would sit for a while in the shade, wonder over to see what we were doing, comment on the neighbor's cat wandering by, generally quiet, normal, wonderful, Mom things. Then she would start following Dad around. He has commented about her following him like a "puppy dog." I had not seen this before and she can be insistent, incessant and insolent in her following behavior. Where ever he moves, there she is four feet behind him. He stops, she stops, he moves six feet, she moves right along, back and forth... gets on your nerves after awhile. Funny when you think about it, but then, not ha ha funny at all. 

The phone rang off the hook today, each call was some recorded message telling me how to vote next Tuesday. I AM SORRY, but I will be voting on my own thank you very much, you keep bugging me, I might just vote against you, who ever you are. Another call, it was someone from Dad and Mom's church asking me if I knew their new address and could I tell them where Alan and Marjorie had moved to... I gave the phone to Dad and talked for awhile and Mom got very upset. By the time he was off the phone she was off in the shade, sitting and crying quietly to herself.  (Earlier she had been speaking with Pat Trumble, she said, except Pat is a neighbor of mine who died about a month ago whom she knew when she was in college... so at first I did not realize she was crying this time...) Dad noticed and I asked him what we should do. "There is nothing to do..." he said. "She does this every day and when I talk with her she knows she is upset but can not put the words together to say about what. So I went and sat with her, asked what the problem was. 

She said that she was upset because Dad had been on the phone and the people in the Fort Bragg church did not know where they were and she was upset because she was certain something had happened to HER mother and Dad would not tell her what that was and she wanted to go home and no one would tell her if her parents are dead or alive and why was Dad keeping information from her and he never told her anything and she wanted to go traveling but he would not take her and she did I know what happened to her parents since Dad would not tell her and this was all very upsetting to her and did I have any idea what had happened to her mother. No, it didn't feel funny to me at the time either. 

So I talked with her and held her hand and shared stories with her about her move away from Fort Bragg over 15 years ago and about her mother's funeral and her mother's grave in Cleone and how Linda and I had attended the funeral with her and how it really did all happen and even though she could not remember all these things now she had lived these things and it was OK if she did not remember. I talked to her about our neighbor Pat and told of her funeral and she said that was fine, "but I was just talking to her."  And she said that she was fine, but Dad should still tell her  things and he is keeping important information from her. She went on to say that she does not know where she is much of the time and this is upsetting to her. I asked her if she felt "scared or afraid" and she said, no, it was not like that, she just needed to be told more things about what is going on and if Dad would just tell her......

So now I was upset. 

Later Dad and I talked about it, he could tell it had been upsetting to me and I told him I guess I just needed to see for myself how she was thinking even though it will never do any good and nothing can be done to reverse this moving into darkness that she is experiencing. Yet, in between the bouts of tears she is cheerful and happy to talk to her family pictures and talk to the cats in the yard and talk to her invisible friends and where is the harm in all that. She is not in any physical pain. She is in very limited emotional pain, she has very limited emotional range. And gradually the darkness will close in completely and she will be completely gone. 

Stages of Death: 

So here we are, below are Stages 6 and 7, the final two stages in the Alzheimer's disease. 

For more information see http://www.alz.org/AboutAD/Stages.asp

Mom is deep into Stage 6, with every symptom shown below in Stage 6 except for significant incontinence and toilet issues. 

Stage 6:	Severe cognitive decline (Moderately severe or mid-stage Alzheimer's disease)
	Memory difficulties continue to worsen, significant personality changes may emerge and affected individuals need extensive help with customary daily activities. At this stage, individuals may: Lose most awareness of recent experiences and events as well as of their surroundings Recollect their personal history imperfectly, although they generally recall their own name Occasionally forget the name of their spouse or primary caregiver but generally can distinguish familiar from unfamiliar faces Need help getting dressed properly; without supervision, may make such errors as putting pajamas over daytime clothes or shoes on wrong feet Experience disruption of their normal sleep/waking cycle Need help with handling details of toileting (flushing toilet, wiping and disposing of tissue properly) Have increasing episodes of urinary or fecal incontinence Experience significant personality changes and behavioral symptoms, including suspiciousness and delusions (for example, believing that their caregiver is an impostor); hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not really there); or compulsive, repetitive behaviors such as hand-wringing or tissue shredding Tend to wander and become lost
Stage 7:	Very severe cognitive decline (Severe or late-stage Alzheimer's disease)
	This is the final stage of the disease when individuals lose the ability to respond to their environment, the ability to speak and, ultimately, the ability to control movement. Frequently individuals lose their capacity for recognizable speech, although words or phrases may occasionally be uttered Individuals need help with eating and toileting and there is general incontinence of urine Individuals lose the ability to walk without assistance, then the ability to sit without support, the ability to smile, and the ability to hold their head up. Reflexes become abnormal and muscles grow rigid. Swallowing is impaired.

May God help the living

To ye who are lurking

I am happy for you that you find some satisfaction in the blog, but I
would like to know who is watching anonymously, yet knows me.

Say HI.

A day of fun

I just got back from a day of helping my dad hang sheet rock in his
garage.

I missed Brian more today then I have in a very long time. Of we
three boys, he was the one who became the best at sheet rock hanging
and taping. We did the ceiling of his two car garage at near nine
feet then we did the walls. After over seven hours we were done. And
I was done in big time. Came home and jumped in the hot tub in the
back yard and just soaked and cooked for awhile before I felt human
again. Brian and Dad could sure hang rock back in the day. Both of
them preferred to tape rather then hang but they were good. Dad
admits he does not have the strength that he used to have, but he can
still work me under the table. I spend to many days in front of a
computer and not nearly enough time walking or exercising.

I had taken up a caserrole (Special K loaf) for our lunch and Mom
sure appreciated that. I keep giving Dad cooking hints that work for
us in our house but he is always happy when he does not have to cook.
My hints to him are mostly encouraging him to buy slightly more
expensive, but easier foods that are semi prepared when he buys them,
hoping he will cook with some variety and not get bored.

Mom wandered in and out while we worked and when we sat down to lunch
she told me about all her conversations with a lady from 3ABN, with
Linda and with Mark. She said she had had a lengthy conversation with
each of these people about family and parents and life. Except each
of these people is only a picture either on the fridge or in a
magazine. She is so loving and sweet and then she will ask me how
Craig is doing and how are my two sons, which probably means she
thinks I am Brian. But she is still Mom.

Alzheimer's disease and caffeine

Below is an excerpt from an article on the website of the Alzheimer's Society. 

But first some comments of my own:

As many of you know my mother is slipping in Alzheimer's haze. She is 70 and the gentle fade to black has been progressing for more then five years. Her father had exactly the same experience and the possibility that I am the third in line for this tragedy has been something I have been aware of for many years. Both of my brothers have their own, mostly unknown, genetic pools to wonder about, but it seems I may be seeing the future in my mothers increasingly vacant eyes. 

So, several months ago I was discussing these things with a biology professor here at PUC. His immediate, lengthy and heartfelt response was, " Craig, you need to catch up with current research. Caffeine is being shown to have a very positive effect on the brain in the same areas of the brain affected by Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. " I began what has become lengthy and rather thorough research on the relationship between tea/coffee consumption and disease. 

I started out reviewing the medical evidence for harm/benefit from caffeine and then moved deeply into the history of "why are Adventist opposed to tea and coffee"? It has been a very interesting journey which has ended with me changing my caffeine view. 

I am committed to doing "almost anything" to reduce my chance for early dementia. I am consuming at least 200 mg of caffeine each and every day. This seems to be the minimum, over years and years of use, to show a positive benefit on the brain. I am primarily using home brewed tea. Usually cheap stuff like Lipton tea. I drink either tea or coffee, always sugar free, from about 8AM until about 2PM, total consumption is 20-24 oz each day. This should equal about 200 mg caffeine if it is tea and about 300 mg plus if it is coffee. 

Since I started, I have lost over ten pounds of body weight and I have spent many weeks adjusting to caffeine, balancing caffeine and the clock, and learning that the body does adjust to caffeine and over time the "buzz" response of the body is lowered due to increased tolerance. 

Will it save me? Will it change the world? 

I would certainly love to hear feedback from the list. I particularly interested in learning of possible negative effects. I have not been able to find much genuine evidence regarding negative effects of caffeine. And I do place credence in pictures of spider webs after giving the spider caffeine. All that shows is that spiders can not handle their coffee. Neither can slugs and snails by the way, pour coffee and coffee grounds around your precious roses and slugs and snails will vanish. 

So here is an excerpt:

http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/Mind_your_head/Common_questions/Lifestyle/diet/coffee.htm

Can drinking coffee/tea affect your risk of dementia?

There have been suggestions that caffeine might delay or prevent Alzheimer’s disease. However, research has involved only small numbers of people and often relied on their memory of how much coffee they drank much earlier in their lives. It is hoped that current research will yield a clearer picture of the impact of known caffeine consumption on dementia risk.

What the research tells us

There are three effects of caffeine that might enable it to protect against or reverse brain changes related to dementia. Firstly, it can stimulate brain cells to take in choline. This is the building block they need to make acetylcholine, the brain chemical, or neurotransmitter, that is reduced in dementia.

Secondly, caffeine interferes with the action of another neurotransmitter called adenosine. It has been suggested that this action, or the 'knock-on' effect on other neurotransmitters, might be beneficial in Alzheimer’s disease.

Finally, chemicals related to caffeine seem to be able to damp down the activity of 'housekeeping' cells in the brain, called glia. A recent review of one such chemical, propentofylline, concluded that it might benefit cognition, global function and activities of daily living in people with Alzheimer's disease and/or vascular dementia, but further information is awaited.
While glia are important in keeping the brain free of dead and injured cells, their activity can sometimes be too thorough, and can damage surrounding brain areas. Whether caffeine can keep glial activity in check in such a way that it could prevent dementia is not known.

Should I start drinking more coffee/tea?

It is certainly too soon to say that our morning coffee or afternoon cup of tea is more than a pleasant pick-me-up.

Halleluia for Power

Dad just called and told me that the power is on in his house.
I know he called each of you in TN but this is for my blog.

I can hardly believe the level of incompetence shown by the trailer
installing company that was used for Dad's house install. Contractors
not showing up to the job was the least of the problems. Concrete
poured and cracking within days (Dad had them pull it out and redo
his sidewalk), concrete drive not poured for weeks, permit papers not
turned in to the county, documents at the county not reviewed, papers
not turned in from county to PG&E, electrical main panel installed
wrong ( you would think this crew had never done a modular before),
Dad and I dug the ditches for phone and TV ourselves, we dug the
foundation drains ourselves, we chipped the street curb for drainage
ourselves, Dad finally leveled and graded all the sand for his own
driveway pour.... it just has seemed to go on and on and on.

And I am not complaining. It has been genuine fun to work with Dad on
many of these projects. Mom has been a different deal completely. She
never did understand the issues involved in getting power but she
complained over and over "we have paid these people money for years
and look what they do to us... you, Craig, go over and try that wall
switch, see, it does not work, I have tried all the switches in this
house and none of them work... why is that?"

I just bought a filter cartridge for Dad's whole house chlorine
filter to help get his water tasting better. I need to go up and help
him start hanging the lid in the garage so he can get some wall
shelves installed and sort the rest of the stuff. Now that lights are
on Linda and I need to go up and help get the computer and TV and
stereo set up and finish the kitchen and install the mirror on the
bureau in the bedroom and finish the house.

It is good to have them just 45 miles away.

Well that was easy

Hello to everybody and the blog.
Today was the last time I will ever go to Cirby Creek, not missing
the place one bit. Today was moving day for the green house that
Cowboy and Brian and Dad placed up on horses back in June so it could
be moved to the new house now. Thanks guys, it worked almost
perfectly. With the greenhouse already up three feet in the air all
Dad did was string a come-along between two trees, hoist the front of
the structure even higher, remove the sawhorse and I backed the
borrowed flatbed trailer under the unit. Pulling out the rear support
was a bit more fun but it all went very smoothly. Dad had designed an
ingenious tie down system and we were on our way back to the lake.

Oh did I mention that we had a blow out on Dad's truck on the way
across the valley? The right rear tire blew, never buy Goodyear or
Bridgestone, waste of time and money. These are the same tires that
Dad has previously had one blow out and one other tread separation
with. No problem today, changed a tire on the side of the road while
Mom stood on the shoulder and complained about the cars whizzing by.

So we head back to the lake and Dad is driving pretty fast pulling
this greenhouse and we converted it from a garage into a carport. All
the panels from the front of the unit popped out, into the trailer
and we got stopped before any of them slid off into the street.
Turned out that about 50 mph was about the upper limit for the three
hour drive back to the lake. And I should mention here that Dad is a
one track mind kind of guy, no bottles of water on board, no plans
for food stops, no plan but going to get the green house. He is still
an ox, we went all day with nothing. I grabbed a soda at a gas stop
and that was it all day. Even Mom did not complain; of course she can
no longer tell time so if you don't tell her it is food time she
doesn't seem to mind.

Regarding Mom...

Dad appreciates the phone calls from family, he says it helps him
feel like he is not all alone. Mom can string some of the most
interesting thoughts together, each individual thought is
interesting, but together they tend not to make much sense. Naturally
I told her again that her mother is dead, her dad also. She complains
that no one (DAD) kept her informed of such things and she wishes we
would keep her more up to date on such important happenings. She was
pretty upset about the hauling of the green house which she did not
understand. She threw a little fit when we were ready to head home,
she refused to get into the truck until we all agreed with her that
we should unhook the trailer and leave it all behind..... She has
completely lost the ability to "filter" her thoughts so if you want
to know just what Mom feels on a subject now might be the time to
ask... she has an opinion on just about everything, it is just that
they no longer make any sense.

So heading home, she asked me if I knew about the "Picture"? Dad had
mentioned pictures and Mom to me before so I had a pretty good idea
what was coming. She said she had some pictures at home that she
liked to "talk" to but she was always disappointed that "they" would
never respond to her. Naturally I asked several questions to learn
more about her and the pictures, who is in the picture? She did not
know. What would she tell them? Various things, news items,
happenings in the day, that sort of thing. But she continued to want
to share her concern with me that the people in the picture (who she
did not know) would not respond to her. She said she thought "maybe
they were shy around other people." Stupid me I pointed out that
pictures were not "real" people and they could not talk. So she said,
"Oh, so they don't talk to you either..." (well that was a big help)
So we get back to the lake and it is still on her mind, she wants to
show me the pictures over by the piano. She points to the pictures
and I ask her who they are, she gets just a bit indignant and says,
"well that one is you and Linda and the other one is Brian and
Brenda..." And then she went on to identify Bo and Mark in small
pictures. So go figure.

I am truly glad I spent the day with Mom and Dad. I made a cottage
cheese loaf to take with me and they both devoured it for supper. I
think right now they are both tired of Dad's cooking. I know he is
tired of cooking. I intend to take some sort of food each time I visit.

Punch under sidewalk to cleanout for phone/TV

Front Door

Garage side

Nothing but non sequiturs

So moving day came, that was Wednesday, here it is Thursday night at
10PM and moving day is almost over.

Through a wonderful logistics ballet of drivers and cars and U-Haul,
Linda and Mark and I helped move Dad and Mom yesterday to Clearlake
Oaks. Yes, we did start at 4AM, yes there was plenty of driving, yes
Dad did hire three day laborers to help load, yes Uncle Earl did
bring in three others to unload, yes the truck seemed big enough in
the morning and no, Mom had little idea what was going on.

Wednesday ended with me sleeping on the floor of the new house and
Mom and Dad in their little camper (the tic tac). Linda and Mark had
gone home and Dad and I continued opening boxes until about 9 PM, we
were both exhausted but the piano was installed, there were couches
and chairs in the right places and Mom was too tired to complain for
the 35th time that the light still did not work in the bathroom. Dad
has annoyed the entire neighborhood and violated just about every
rule in the homeowners CC&R's. He has moved in before final
inspection, there is no PG&E in the house, the front drive slab has
not been poured and the propane has not been hooked up. He has water
and sewer and a power cord from the nice neighbor. Remember his
house sold more then two months ago and he has run out of time living
there, he had to move to the new place and his install contractor has
been dragging his sorry little feet. And Mom has little idea what is
going on.

While driving across the state, one of several times with Mom, she
asked me if I had any brothers or sisters when I grew up.....

She told me about the wonderful 50th wedding anniversary party her
boys from Tennessee tossed for her, I told her I was there also and
she asked me, "why?"....

She spoke to Mark by name all day Wednesday and on Thursday asked me
who the young man was with Linda... I explained that Linda and I were
married and Mark was our son. She said, "well, that is all news to
me, I guess no one tells me anything these days..."

She has lost the names of common places, things and events and
replaced names with long sentences of description that get her lost
regarding where she was headed in the first place....

Today, Dad and Mom and I drove back to Cirby Creek with a rental
trailer to clean the garage and pick up the trash. It was the largest
rental trailer in Clearlake and there still was not room for all the
final bits and pieces, so Dad and Mom will drive back again on Friday
and finally all, except for the greenhouse, will be moved and this
will be over. I knew that Dad was stressing about getting all the
pieces of his life ready to move but I had no idea how over extended
and stressed he was until we walked into his old house yesterday.
Most of the house still needed to be packed and he had precious few
boxes to do it with. Bathrooms, untouched, kitchen, partly packed,
master bedroom, barely started, garage, untouched, refrigerator and
freezer, full, with no where to put the food. Linda and packed and
packed and thru things in boxes and garbage bags for hours while the
hired fellows hauled stuff to the truck. Hours and hours of this till
finally we ran out of big stuff and Dad paid off the help.

Dad is pretty toasted right now. Mom is probably still looking for
the light switch and just about everything they own is in the new
house or in the garage. On Friday Dad will go back to Cirby Creek to
just be hauling off the trash and loading some favorite rose bushes
and other bits and pieces, I may go up there in the afternoon to
continue working on the kitchen so they do not have that to do.

Mom does not know what day of the week it is....

She can not count backward from 20...

She can interject unrelated sentences into any conversation... it
seems like sentences of non sequiturs.

She told me a very sad/funny tale about the evil people at the DMV
who took her license and she called the worst DMV employee a bitch,
mentioned it several times, used the word properly, "that bitch was
the meanest person I ever met..." Oh yes, I was laughing on the inside.

She usually knows she has three sons. They were all good boys.

She tells Dad off for all that is wrong with the world, usually it
revolves around no light in the bathroom or some such.

I don't know... Dad mentioned years ago he was uncertain if he should
move early or move late, seems he moved late and the next few weeks
are going to be sad and interesting all at once. Late today, while
Dad was meeting with the contractor, I got Mom to sit in the living
room and tell me stories about when she was young. Once I got her
going she talked with little prodding for about forty minutes and the
more she talked the more she relaxed and calmed down. The stories did
not always make sense but that was not the point, she was gradually
calming down and that was good.

It is Moving Week

It has finally arrived. This is the week that Mom and Dad move to the
"lake house".

That is my name for it, even though Linda points out you can not even
see the lake. Here is the logistics plan for the week. Dad is pulling
a trailer full of stuff over to the new house on Tuesday. On
Wednesday at 5AM Linda and Mark and I will be arriving at the new
house to pick up mom and dad and drive to Chico to collect the moving
van. Then we all go to Cirby Creek to load the van with the help of
several helpers that dad has hired. Load the truck, eat lunch on
paper plates and then head back to the lake. Uncle Earl has said he
can come to the lake house with some helpers to help unload. That
should use up all of Wednesday. On Thursday I will still be at the
house with dad to keep making a home out of things and then I have to
work Friday before returning Friday afternoon. It should be a week.

Mark and I went up to the lake last week and helped dad on details.
Vacuuming, dusting, digging a ditch to lay a drain pipe, setting up
book shelves. It was a good day of work. That day, the water and
sewer was hooked up and the electrical needed to be inspected before
the final and the driveway in front of the garage needed to be
poured. Hard to seem it is ready to move into but dad is pushing his
contractors and pushing on with the move.

Mom is struggling. Last week when Mark and I were cleaning she
reminded me how pleased she was that all three of us boys were at her
place for a day this summer. She was not quite certain what the
occasion was and she did not remember that Earl and Nellie were there
but she remembers we were there. That was sort of cool. During the
move and the packing she is quite confused. She connects our pictures
on her refrigerator with her reality that we are actually there at
the house. She talks to us, and brings food to our pictures to feed
us and she gets upset when dad is not supportive of her care for her
sons. Yes, it weirds me out and Dad has been having a tough time with
it also.

I hope you guys are calling dad from time to time, or he is calling
you. He needs every smile over the phone he can get. I will put up
another update after the moving is over.

Salt Creek, 2pm, July 23, 2006

Death Valley, July 23, 2006

Death by degrees

 

Baker to Big Pine, July 23, 2006

 

124 degrees Fahrenheit is not a temperature it is a state of body.

 

I know, I know, California is having the worst heat wave in 57 years. The news says it is so; so it must be true. Naturally the same news outlets indicate that all this heat is due to “global warming” and we should break out the permanent sun block since this is the way of the future. Apparently global warming has been with us for a very long time, many of the highest temperatures ever recorded in California took place the summers of 1906, 1909, 1913 and 1949.

 

I wanted to experience real, true, natural, oppressive heat for myself. Seeing the news reports just has not been enough for me. So, I made a promise to myself, earlier this summer; when the heat in Death Valley is predicted to exceed 120F then I would make my first summer visit to the valley of death and see for myself.

 

Linda said I was proving to be the dumbest husband she has ever had. I pointed out that the life insurance is all paid up. She pointed out that she preferred me over money. (I thought that was very nice) Mark said he would prefer to drive north to the Eel River for a day of river swimming but if I insisted on this adventure he would accompany me. And so we were off, off our rockers and off to Death Valley.  By all accounts our timing was just about perfect. We hit the peak of the heat wave and yes, we experienced 124F, 125F and possibly 126 degree Fahrenheit.

 

The search for heat

 

The journey was a simple one really; just drive down the San Joaquin Valley through Bakersfield. Drive up over Tehachapi pass to Mohave and then turn East to Barstow and then Baker (aptly named) to then turn north straight through Death Valley, Eureka Valley and then over the Inyo Mountains to Big Pine, California.

 

We arrived at Baker on Highway 15 at 11 p.m. It was only 103F. We then drove north on Highway 127 to the Harry Wade Rd turn off. This is the actual southern end of Death Valley and the start of a dirt road entrance that follows the Amargosa River (dry) North into the valley. We were fully prepared for traveling alone in the heat. The Pathfinder was packed with 10 gallons of water, shovels, tarps, rope, tow straps, blankets and an ice chest packed with ice, water and caffeine. What could possibly go wrong? We camped for the night just out side the national park boundary. This was important since camping under BLM rules is easier then under national park rules. Inside the park you cannot camp right next to the road and you cannot drive your vehicle down a wash looking for a campsite, we did both. Since we were driving into the valley, naturally the heat began to increase, by the time we found our campsite wash at midnight it was 108F.

 

I tossed out a tarp, a couple pads and a blanket to keep us off the pads and we tried to sleep. Between the heat, marauding stink bugs (their scratching makes you think of desert scorpions when you are half awake) and no breeze, there was little rest. Mark got so hot at 2 a.m. that he climbed back in the Pathfinder and ran the air conditioner for a while. By 6 a.m. it had cooled to about 99F and the sun was up. Rise and shine, it was bound to be an interesting day.

 

The goal for the day was, “experience the day.” Don’t just drive through the valley with the A/C on all day. I scheduled in four stops: Saratoga Springs, Badwater, Furnace Creek and Salt Creek. Sadly, each location has a name associated with water, disappointment  was sure to follow.

 

Saratoga Springs:

Just inside the southern end of Death Valley National Park. Six acres of water that could actually be a drinking source in a pinch, bring your own filter. This area is full of old mining activity so we drove up Ibex Pass into a talc mining area. After passing huge warning signs on the road like, “high clearance, 4X4 recommended” and “deep soft sand next 4 miles” we got stuck in the sand while Mark was driving. He had been driving for miles and doing great. He hit a deep sand patch going to slow and spun out. Well, I take all the blame. I had not put it in four wheel drive yet. I locked the hubs and backed out of the sand to solid earth before hitting it again with speed and power. Yep, them signs were telling the truth. No moisture in the sand and it seemed bottomless in places but we did OK and moved on. Temperature up to about 110F.

 

Badwater:

Lowest spot below sea level in North America, –282 feet. The elevation sign is right next to the parking lot; even I thought that was the lowest spot, right next to the sign. Turns out it is several miles west across the salt flat. So we decided to go for a walk. Not too far, just out past all the other foot prints and then, just a bit further, just to say we did it. No problem walking out there, icy bottle of water in hand, steady focus and goal. I even had a small thermometer with me for checking on just how stupid we were. Right now the stupid meter was at 114F. We walked passed all the other idiots. Took a group picture for a grandfather, father, son group (is this a guy thing?). Then just a bit further. Now turn around and look back at the parking lot, oh my, the car seems awfully small from here. It seems we had walked out about 3/4 of a mile. Ran out of water on the way back. Early on the way back. Popped a sweat like I have never experienced before. Back in the car, new ice water, A/C on high, all is well. Temperature up to about 115F.

 

Furnace Creek:

12:30 p.m. This is park headquarters, water, fuel, gift shop and $10 vegeburgers. Two sodas, two burgers, one onion rings, $38, they figure and include the tip for you! How nice. After looking at $18 tee shirts and “native Indian” crafts probably made in Mexico it was time to keep moving. But no, the parking lots were full of vans and RV’s covered with signs like, “caution, runner ahead” or “watch for slow runners”(that about says it all for me…). The next day, July 24, 2006 was the start of the Badwater 135. www.badwaterultra.com. This is when ultra marathon runners from all over the world gather to “run” from Badwater to Whitney Portal, the end of the road at over 8,000 feet in the Sierra Nevada’s. See, there is dumb and there is truly insane. (the winner this year ran the 135 miles in just under 26 hours) Temperature, about 121F.

 

Salt Creek:

2:00 p.m. The temperature is now 124/125F “in the shade” as they say. No shade in this parking lot but it is time for the final hike of the day. There is a boardwalk here for walking a half-mile loop across the delicate swampy habitat of the lowly Salt Creek Pupfish. But, no swamp, no water, no fish. Apparently the fish spend the summer in a deeper pool further upstream. But no matter, we shall die right here. We walked the entire loop, ran out of water again, popped a red faced sweat with moisture pouring out of our bodies, dripping arms, neck, forehead. Breathing means pulling 125F pre-heated air into the lungs and it feels heavy, oppressive and to me… emotional. Not scared, but nervous, apprehensive, uncertain and a bit fearful. The feelings mounted in intensity as we walked. The path curved into a barren wash and the surrounding hills were completely white and chalk colored. No life in sight, no other fools either. Back to the car. Mark got overheated this time. Nothing serious, but a nervous overheated flush that lasted for miles as we drove north.

 

Just before Hwy 267 reaches Scotty’s Castle we turned north onto Death Valley Rd. This is the dirt road exit out the “top” of Death Valley. Driving north, alone again, on the road to Crankshaft Junction, we gradually climbed to nearly 3,000 feet and the temperature dropped to only 103F. Then we dropped down into Eureka Valley (still in the park and home to the tallest sand dunes in the United States) crossed the Inyo Mountains and dropped into the Owens Valley and Big Pine, California. 

 

260 miles from Baker to Big Pine. 

Saratoga Springs

Saratoga Springs

 

We arrived at midnight. The night had cooled as we drove north from Baker, California; it was now only 108F.

 

Mark and I were on a journey of discovery and research; just what was hiking like in Death Valley, in July? And was there natural water available? Our destination was Saratoga Springs, just inside the southern edge of Death Valley National Park.

 

Saratoga Springs is a mixed alkali habitat spring with three ponds. Over six acres of shallow ponds are surrounded by bulrushes, reeds and a generous outer ring of saltgrass. The springs flow at over 70 gallons per minute and the water is naturally high in fluoride, boron, chlorides and sulfates. While generally this spring does not emit the classic “rotten egg” smell associated with excess sulfates the water does have a classic desert odor and must be filtered through a ceramic filter before use. Even after filtering the water will maintain a taste associated with desert springs, but it will be potable.

 

We spread our sleeping pads next to the Pathfinder on a sandy wash shelf about a foot above the floor of a shallow wash nearly five miles from the springs. While it is never wise to sleep on the bottom level of any desert wash I felt the minimal elevation we had would protect us in the event of flash floods from the Confidence Hills of the Avawatz Mountains during the night. The night was still, stifling, hot and apparently perfect for wandering stink beetles (Eleodes sp.) that wandered onto my pad throughout the hours till dawn. Twice they scratched at my bare back and woke me to unfounded fears of desert hairy scorpions. 

 

Sunrise cleared the Salt Spring Hills about 6 AM and the air had chilled to an almost tolerable 99F.  Breakfast was a simple affair of “cold” truck-stop coffee and muffins with bananas. We drove the remaining miles to the springs while watching the sandy washes for morning creatures. It was quiet, nothing but zebra lizards and small swarms of flying ants were encountered. After parking we prepared to hike north around the springs to the old mines nearby and then further north and east to the base of “old Ibex pass”. The length of the hike would depend on temperature rise and related courage levels.

 

Historically, Saratoga Springs figured prominently in the route of the famous “twenty mule teams” of Death Valley used by the Harmony Borax Works to haul partially refined borax from Death Valley to the train railhead in Mohave, California. From 1883 to 1888 these teams (usually consisting of 18 mules and two horses) hauled massive dual freight wagons plus a water tender the 165 miles to Mohave over a Chinese laborer built road that crossed salt flats and followed dry river bottoms before climbing several passes in the mountains guarding the southern valley entrance. Wagon teams regularly camped near the springs and there is an old stone foundation and walls near the east side of the springs that may date from this era. The springs were also the location for the murder of a teamster during this period. Stories vary but generally agree that a two-man wagon team quarrel ended with a desert murder and hasty burial near the springs. Later, the unfortunate teamster was dug up as part of the ensuing murder trial and re-buried with more dignity at a different location.

 

As Mark and I approached the small ponds in the early morning the level of bird life was impressive. With temperatures climbing rapidly we were greeted with the lifting of a small flock of mallards, one great blue heron, a common egret and at least one cormorant. Without binoculars I was unable to identify the cormorant but the double-crested cormorant is listed on the birding field list for Death Valley as “rare”. In addition there were killdeer and doves and a lone red tailed hawk drifted above the water. As we moved off toward the nearby mining activity to the east the mallards circled and landed and life returned to normal.

 

While the ponds contain the Saratoga pupfish we did not see any fish activity. Each of the pupfish populations in Death Valley has been isolated for so long as to be considered a separate species. The Saratoga pupfish is found only here and while it is maintaining a healthy breeding population it is considered at risk since it exists in no other location. Each of the Death Valley Pupfish (Cyprinodon salinus) subspecies is located in small critical habitats but none is more endangered then the Devil’s Hole Pupfish (Cyprinodon diabolis) located in one small sinkhole spring 37 miles east of Death Valley proper in Nevada.

 

After passing the old talc mining works the trail fades away and the hiking is cross-country as the hills to the east curve into a divide called Old Ibex Pass. Our desire to continue up the pass and then return down the south side past Ibex dunes and thus returning to the Pathfinder dwindled with our water. The air temperature had already climbed back to 108F and it was increasing at more then one degree per hour. The climb over the pass would have to wait for another day.

 

As we retraced our steps we were both pleased. The hiking was pleasant, the local water would do in a pinch and there was still plenty of day left for additional discoveries.

 

Thank goodness for automobile air conditioning. 

Gemini Bridges crossing

White Rim trail

Standing Rocks, Maze District

Craig and Mark in the Maze @ 110F

a Mazing trip

>
> Still alive here. I have not written in a long while. Busy I guess.
>
> Last week I was at Utah campmeeting in Springville until I got sick
> late in the week and Mark and I headed home. Seemed to make no
> sense to stay and just be miserable in the camp.
>
> Mark and I took the scenic route to camp meeting. Traveled the
> southern route across Vegas and St George so we could go swimming
> in Lake Powell and then up to Hanksville for supplies before
> spending three days in the Maze District of Canyonlands. I have
> wanted to visit that area since I was 10 and finally made it. We
> drove slow 4x4 roads each day, we hiked to the bottom of one Maze
> canyon in the middle of the day with temps around 100F up on the
> canyon rim, we met hikers who had come up from rafting on the
> river, we drove out to river overlooks where you could see the
> Needles district and Island in the Sky from a whole new point of
> view. We slept under the stars, we got rained on.
>
> Thundered and rained and blew almost every day, what's up with
> that, I thought the monsoons came in July and August. Next it was
> off to Moab for two nights. Before we dropped off the Chalet
> folding trailer to enter the Maze it was hit by a gust of wind and
> rain while it was open and it flew apart, broke the bungee cord
> tethers at the top of the roof and the front roof half folded open
> and was punctured by the front hitch. It was also twisted and bent
> on the piano hinge. Mark and I managed to close it up and lock it
> and then we drove off for three days. Now it was time to haul it to
> Moab, set it up and see what was damaged.

When we got to Moab, we camped at the same RV park we have used
before, $25 night and before you get to town, right nest to the old
log style steak house. Our camping spot turned out to be right next
to another Adventist family from WA who had two boys, 13 and 17,
Daniel and Alan. The boys hit it off and before we knew it we had
been invited to drive the White Rim trail the next day with our new
friends. Since we did not have a camping permit, it would need to be
a one day drive, about a 140 mile circle. Along with the Maze
district, the White Rim has been on my list of must do drives for a
very long time. Of course we did the drive the next day.

I will post a few pictures from the trip.
>
> Then it was off to work at camp meeting and then home.

20 Years

I just returned home from campus where PUC concluded the annual
"awards assembly" where faculty and staff are acknowledged for years
of service, accomplishments or retirement.

I received a very nice little clock (made in China) with my name on
it, recognizing me for 20 years of service to Pacific Union College.
I do not know how to feel about it. Pleased, yes, Honored, not
really, Surprised at the passing of time, I suppose, Depressed, at
least a little.

20 years, that is enough time to go from P51 Mustang airplanes to
putting a man on the moon. What have I done? Oh, I know, "well, you
have touched lives and influenced young people during their formative
years...." blah blah blah. It feels kind of funny to be moving into
the ranks of the longest serving employees at this institution. Who
would have ever guessed it. So I shall bore you with a brief review
of how to spend 20 years at work.

First, a year before the 20 began, Linda and I married. We spent a
year as broke PUC students before one of us had a staff job of any kind.

Year 1: Heating Plant Supervisor. Operating boilers, firing sleeping
students, climbing inside huge equipment to remove corrosion and
calcium scale.
Year 2-12: Heating Plant Manager. Became the boss, managed budgets
and learned more and more about myself, human nature and how to fix
things with no money. I also began consulting with the Bay Area Air
Quality Management District where I was mentored into the realization
that thinking adults could disagree with each other and then go out
to a fine lunch of Thai food. I learned the true meaning of
"collegiality" and I was urged to return to school and finish my
bachelors degree. Along the way I became the only Chairperson of the
BAAQMD Hearing Board to serve in that capacity with less then a
Doctorate degree.
Year 12-17 PUC program representative. I went back to night school,
finished that degree, had a son and stepped out of the Power Plant
into a suit and tie to recruit adult students into the same PUC night
school program I had just finished. The credit for this
transformation from machines to people goes to Linda, Gary Gifford
and David Ritter, Tom Ferritto, Dr Jim Hughes and Mary Romadis. Each
of these people nudged, urged, pushed, prodded or just plane shoved
me forward and into the light. I thank them.
Year 17-20 Assoc. Director, Enrollment Service. Locked to a desk,
loving nearly every minute of it and working with seven wonderful
full time staff and 21 part time students to share the word with
families about the possible reality of a Christian college education
for today's young people.

I know for a fact that it is unusual and difficult to move from the
trenches, literally, into my current position without changing
institutions or employers. I am so grateful that I have been at PUC
all these years. The squabbling on campus, the strong leadership, the
tepid leadership, the changed lives of students; it all melds into
the years and they have been good years.

Only God knows about the next 20, and that is probably best.