Fall has finally fallen and boy, am I grateful. Although this past weekend, temperatures around here still reached the lower 70’s, we escaped to the west side of the state for a friend’s wedding and got to enjoy the much cooler temperatures they’re blessed with over yonder. It was nice to get away again – even if it was rushed and a little tiring.
Things in our household have been a tad stressful the past week or two. I spent three days with my grandmother last week. She’s in the beginning stages of what we think is Alzheimer’s and sometimes it’s hard to see. She used to be very active and involved – one year she asked for a bandsaw for a birthday present! But now most of what she does involves the television and reality court tv. The past month or two, she and my mother and I have been working on a huge project: getting a journal of all the family heirlooms put together. My mother and I took pictures and I finally developed them last week. There were almost 100 of them. And I think for clarity’s sake I should explain our family’s version of “developed.” I bring the digital camera over to my parents’ house, do color and lighting adjustment in Photoshop on one of my dad’s computers, print them out, and cut them by hand. It takes a while. But now, my grandma is all set up and ready to do her heirloom journal whenever she wants.
She’s also been a little antsy to have me re-examine her will. She seems to be genuinely afraid that when she passes away, all of the family members will fight over who gets what. Which might seem a little arrogant to you, but if it does it’s only because you don’t understand the extent of this woman’s antique collection. So far, she’s taken the Emily Gilmore route and had us place sticky notes on things we want. But since I don’t think a post-it holds much weight legally, sometime soon she wants me to list everything in her will. A depressing job, but I’ve been the one to work on it before so it’s nothing new. She also has hinted at other major changes which HAVE thrown some of my relatives into a tizzy and so now I’m also required to have one of them present to make sure she’s in her right mind before I go changing anything. Which just makes the task a little bit harder.
Other than this, Jason and I have both been fighting various colds at one point or another. Jason’s point is right now, as mine is almost over. We both overdid it a little this last week and weekend and so last night we loaded up on Cold-eeze cough drops and Zicam. For people with MS, getting a cold is a huge deal. Your immune system can go into overdrive for the entire duration of the cold – the one thing an MS person wants to avoid. So we’re being extra cautious with flu season right around the corner, and a day of rest – a sick day from work – might be in order soon. If he gets too sick, it can bring on another exacerbation and the thought of dealing with that and the holidays and our busy schedules this time of the year is frankly, terrifying. We’re trying to keep the stress level down, but the rest of the world is starting to get cranked up for the holidays and we have such full plates that it’s a little tough. So keep us in your prayers if you remember.
Other than this, life seems to be that crazy thing we call normal. I have been having a lot of nights where I can’t stay asleep for more than a few hours or I can’t even fall asleep until 2 or 3 am. But God has allowed Jason to keep sleeping despite the fact I’m moping about – which is a blessing considering how much he needs it. I’m relieved that the season has finally turned over here. We can finally put away the shorts and flip flops and the heater has come on once or twice. The leaves are skittering across the streets and sidewalks in the near-constant Mid Columbia basin wind, and a few nights a week it will even rain. I’ve bought some sweet potatoes and made pumpkin cookies to celebrate.
Wannabe Inkling 
Mmmmmm…pumpkin cookies:-) Love you!!!