Hubby Still Here and the LORD Is Already There

Thursday I prepared my husband for a date on Friday, even though he didn't realize it. I said, "Let's go out to dinner after you shower and shave." He did that. Behavior modification here. It seems one day is the same as the next day to him and even though 'shave" is on his list it doesn't always happen after I leave the house. We just went to Denny's Thursday night but then we checked out the Strawberry Festival and places to pick up a relative who was working for "Casting Crowns", a musical group playing Friday night at the festival.

Sure enough, when I came home Friday afternoon hubby had forgotten about going to the Strawberry Festival noted on his daily schedule, but he didn't have a bad beard and so was ready to go. Like clock work we picked up the relative and took him to an early dinner at Buddy Freddy's, a Plant City landmark near the Strawberry Festival grounds.

Niece's husband and myself in a cowboy hat

Boxes of strawberries picked from the fields in background

I am not sure that our cowboy hats impressed my relative, but we did have time to give him a tour of Plant City, including our home, strawberry fields, and the down town area.

Then the three of us went to the Strawberry Festival. Our relative went to set up for the concert and I went to the exhibits after my husband settled in at a warm booth with his strawberry short cake.

Amazing puzzle in exhitit

Before Alzheimer's, hubby had been able to walk around with me at the Strawberry Festival . This year he sat and had strawberry short cake while I had a little bit of time to check out exhibits. I am so over buying anything anymore and "The House That Cleans Itself" is not finished yet. Why would I want to put anything more in our home!

I  did enjoy seeing  Lakeland's Fabric Warehouse exhibit. I should explain that I am making quilts and my introduction to Fabric Warehouse several years ago at their Strawberry Festival exhibit had bumped up my ability to make quilts with a new sewing machine and with their ideas. I also liked seeing FFA (Future Farmers of America) school exhibits and since I substitute often in Agriculture I can talk about their exhibits. The school I wrote about recently won first place for their exhibit.

When I had a chance last week while substitute teaching, I re-read a helpful book, knowing that I would test out its ideas at the concert last night--that is if I could actually get my husband to the concert. It appeared touch and go. I kept checking back with him while he sat with his coffee and strawberry short cake. It was a little chilly and he thought maybe we should go home instead. I encouraged him that we came to see the 7:30 pm concert.

About 7 pm we headed for our seats. The Queen of the Strawberry Festival with her court came on stage to greet the audience and told the audience to enjoy the "worship" experience. Yes, "Casting Crowns" is a Christian group and yes, my husband, I could tell, was able to worship. Me too, after a long week or working. I wanted to know about live music and my husband's abilities to enjoy a concert, even if later he wouldn't remember it. Sure enough we had great seats near the front and were able to enjoy the concert. My husband was throughly engaged in the concert, swaying to the music and even standing to enjoy the event at times. He was warm enough (we both had hats on and a blanket for our laps). Dr. Zeisel in I'm Still Here emphasizes that the dramatic arts including older movies are so good for Alzheimer's patients.

My husband is still here!  

Also so moving to me was the messages in the songs and one song especially that

the LORD is already there

He knows the end of this Alzheimer's journey. Thank you, Casting Crowns, for a wonderful concert.



Blog Announcement

I read a lot of blogs and comment on many of them. People make money on them. Barb and my pastor have suggested I do the same--that I monetize Plant City Lady and Friends. So this post is to announce that I will have monetized this blog (if you all buy something) by the middle of next week. You can buy books I recommend  through Amazon by clicking on the Widget at the right. I may change those books for time to time, but here are the first ten I have selected.

Mindy Starn Clark's updated edition of The House That Cleans Itself is on that Widget. I am reading the updated edition now, and of course have been blogging about the first edition since last September on this blog and have a YouTube talk on the first edition. I was the first to put a review of the new book on Amazon and of course will blog about the updated edition on this blog.

The Organized Heart by Staci Eastin I reviewed here. Recently the Housewife Theologian also reviewed this book here. Although she doesn't write about Alzheimer's, Staci's book has brought so much calm in my Christian life.

Dr. Mary Newport's Alzheimer Disease: What If There Was a Cure? is a top viewed post here on this blog (over 250 have read this post) and you can buy it off of my new Wiget. Early on in my husband's disease even before her book came out I was in contact with Dr. Newport.

My first book review was The Coconut Oil Miracle here. The world seems to be upset that I write about coconut oil here, but it does help a lot of ailments, and anedoctablly it slows down Alzheimer's and helps with our loved one's mood.

A Promise Kept is a classic for married folks dealing with the dementia of their spouse. I bogged about keeping your marriage vow and this book here.

I'm Still Here is a book that haunts me and I look for what in my husband is still here. .

Learning to Speak Alzheimer's is a "go to" book for me. Probably will write about it and need to master the concepts in this book.

I often use two classic books, Mayo Clinic Guide to Alzheimer's Disease, and The 36-Hour Day, which I have included on the Wiget. Both are too big to review here.

Finally, I put my book, Getting Off the Niceness Treadmill, on that Amazon Widget. Here the book is cheaper than its original price on Amazon. (However, the cheapest way to read it is a Barnes and Noble eBook, folks.)  See http://www.gettingoffthenicenesstreadmill.com/index.html