Monday, May 6, 2013

High Clouds

Yes, I rode to work today.

0700 CDT
And it looked pretty much the same outside all day long.

1800 CDT
Later on the sky seemed to have a few patches of blue, but I think that had more to do with the angle of the sun than any clearing.

It didn't rain. Of course, this isn't a surprise since it is a Monday. This year it seems to only rain on weekends. I remember my Grandpa saying, "If it rains on Easter, it will rain for the next six Sundays." This is the same Grandpa who said he was going to live forever. When I protested that no one lives forever, he winked at me and said, "Maybe not, but so far so good." Sadly, this was the same man who really wanted to die before it was all over. He was confused as to what time he was living in. He couldn't figure out where his horses were. They'd been gone before I was born. He spent much of his day looking for my Grandma who died before he did. It's funny how one memory leads to another isn't it?
  • 55F with high clouds for the ride to work.
  • 67F with high clouds for the home ride.

6 comments:

  1. That's a melancholy memory. Losing one's mind is perhaps what we all dread more than anything. Such confusion surely is torture. Poor man.

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    Replies
    1. Not always. Sometimes crossing over into that world of fuzzy memory can serve as a means to experience that which is no more.

      I'm sure he is with grandma now!

      Glad it's not raining over your way!

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    2. Martha,
      It still amazes me he was able to stay in his home and died at home. My parents worked hard to make that happen. There are lots of stories which are funny now, but at the time felt tragic of the little stunts he pulled, like trying to start a fire in the furnace which had been converted to oil. Whoops.

      He was a big part of my growing up. Working with him and my Dad was the best thing about growing up on the farm.
      ~k

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    3. Deb,
      It was painful at the time, but later it became filled with memories and head shaking laughter. It was still sad. He never got to the point he lost his oldest memories. One particularly ironic twist was he didn't recognize my mother, but he continued to know who my Dad was. It is truly funny how the brain works.
      ~k

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  2. That is melancholy, but it seems fitting for the weather.

    My grandpa wanted to go before it was his time too. Our bodies are outliving our minds these days and that can't be easy.

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    Replies
    1. I suppose it might be true we are outliving our minds. Or, perhaps we are living much of our lives out of our minds and it just catches up with us. I think of the study of the nuns who had a lower incidence of Alzheimer than the general population, but when they did autopsies they found while they hadn't exhibited symptoms, their brains showed the disease. Hmm, something about being engaged in life makes a difference.

      I'm at high risk given my head injury history. It is one of the reasons I ride. Engagement.
      ~k

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