Hiking with an old buddy After graduating from college and traveling in Europe for eight months, I came home ready to do art. My first full-time job was at Dayton’s, selling sporting goods until my supervisor did me a favor. …

HIKE THIRTY-TWO Read More »

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MY KIDS’ DAD My kids have a dad in a nursing home who is sometimes embarrassingly filthy when they come to visit. Sometimes he is wearing clothes that do not belong to him. Sometimes he says f*** you to them …

BARRY’S JOURNEY No. 21 Read More »

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Barry is getting stuck Something new is happening with Barry. He is getting stuck. The first time I noticed it, he was looking at a magazine when the subscription card fell out. Barry reached down to grab it. I was …

BARRY’S JOURNEY No. 20 Read More »

One more in Door County The last hike during my trip to Door County was again in Peninsula State Park. This time, I began at the opposite end of the park where I was surprised to find a golf course, …

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Spring in Door County Door County, Wis., holds a lot of memories for me. It was more than 30 years ago when a couple who had collected my art vacationed in Door County and told Anne and Minnow Emerson, owners …

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Laugh out loud Every once in a while, Barry’s old sense of humor comes alive. Before FTD, Barry was not one to talk a lot in a group. But he had a very dry sense of humor, which quietly would …

BARRY’S JOURNEY No. 19 Read More »

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Musical shirts I try to visit Barry at least twice a day at his care center. I ride my bike there in the morning to get my exercise in and then try to get there in the afternoon with a …

BARRY’S JOURNEY No. 18 Read More »

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Happy anniversary Not surprising — I forgot our anniversary this year. It slipped my mind as I spent the morning following Barry around his care center. We were married on June 30, 1979. The ceremony was held at the church …

BARRY’S JOURNEY No. 17 Read More »

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More moves for Barry In my last post, I reported that Barry had been moved back and forth to hospitals and care facilities that didn’t want to or couldn’t take care of him. The saga included a two-week stay at …

BARRY’S JOURNEY No. 16 Read More »

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From hospital to hospital to where now? A person with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is not someone you want to be around. Hanging out with Barry can sometimes be a very unpleasant experience. I am learning that caring for Barry as …

BARRY’S JOURNEY No. 15 Read More »

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