My mother had a dental appointment scheduled at 2 and my cousin Niecie was going to come up from the Bay Area and give her a mani / pedi in the morning . Among the things I found during the big Office Reorganization was a box of old , old black and white snapshots of my mother 's family that had been torn out of someone 's photo album ( the black page still sticking to the back ) . Many of these photos are duplicates of ones I already have and in any case , I have a ton of photos here to go through " some day " and definitely don 't need to add these to the four big boxes I already have . As Niecie has become , with Peach 's death , the family historian , I thought she would like to have the photos . So we settled in at the table and Niecie started looking at the photos , asking with almost every photo " now who is this ? " Sometimes my mother knew , almost always I did because I 've been seeing them all of my life . As I answered her questions and corrected her guesses it occurred to me that with Peach and Kathy gone , I am the only one in the family who knows all this stuff ! ! ! ! I do have a couple of cousins older than I am , but they have always lived at a distance and I don 't have a clue how much they know about our grandparents when they lived in Inverness and the people who visited them , or what Peach and I looked like as little kids , or how to tell the babies one from another based on the date of the photo . I can . And I think I am the only one in the family who can . ( I call Niecie my cousin , but in reality she 's is the daughter of my cousin Shirley , who would have been able to identify all of these photos , had she not died of cancer several years ago ) . That 's a pretty heady responsibility . When I die , the IDs of all these photos dies with me . I don 't know that anybody cares , but if this family is typical of many other families , the people who really are interested and care , won 't realize they care until everybody who can answer their questions is gone . That 's certainly what happened with my father 's side of the family . I inherited the scrapbooks of my godfather , my grandfather and my father and I don 't have a clue who is in the photos and what is happening . This is particularly sad in the case of my grandparents ' vaudeville scrapbook , filled with many of the stars of the company they were members of , but I don 't have a clue who they are or , in the case of informal photos of this group , what was the occasion for the photos . That is all lost to history now . But it seems I am now the only one who can keep the memories of my mother 's family alive , through the remaining photos . She can remember some of them , but not all of them . I can figure out most of them . To my surprise there was no resistance . Maybe her defenses were down after a morning with Niecie and then our session with the photographs . I just said " it 's time to go " and she followed me . It was kind of endearing , though , that even though she didn 't know what was happening , she still had the dental nervousness . " I 'm very nervous and I don 't know why , " she told me . When I asked her about it , she said " I don 't know where I 'm going and what 's going to happen to me . " As for the appointment itself , it was a perfect example of why I love Cindy so much . I remember when I first went to her after > 20 years of not seeing a dentist and fearing that my teeth were about to fall out . She had been a friend for years , but not my dentist . She scheduled me for the last appointment of the day so there would be nobody in the office except me . Years later she told me that she should have taken a picture of my teeth because she had never seen such a thick piece of plaque behind my front teeth and was sure a photo could be published in a dental magazine , but she didn 't want to make me feel uncomfortable . She truly changed my life and I now brush , floss , and see my dentist 3 times a year . She also took care of me herself until she felt I would be comfortable seeing a hygienist . So she took my mother to the back of the office , where dental procedures are done , and she was very gentle with her , examining all of her teeth , then asking if she would mind if they cleaned them . My mother agreed and Debbie , the hygienist cleaned . Then Cindy came back in and asked if my mother would feel comfortable having her teeth x - rayed , which she agreed to . A full mouth x - ray was done . Debbie told me she would be taking 18 x - rays , which would not have to be repeated for 5 years , which I told her meant it probably would not have to be done again . I listened while Cindy tested the gum pockets and most were 3 or 4 , but a couple were 7 and I think I heard her say one was 10 . She 's also lost 2 teeth , Cindy says . So I 'm sure she would like to do some work , but the question is , I think , how much dental work you do on someone who is 97 . I 'll find out when we have our meeting . My mother spent her youngest years on a ranch in Valley Springs , near Galt , CA . . . a town which , from what I understand , isn 't all that much bigger now than it was in the 1920s . She used to be fond of telling the story about the can pile . Apparently in one of their fenced off areas of the ranch , there was a big can pile ( how big " big " was is , I guess , speculation , given that she was still quite young when they moved ) . One of the jobs of the kids still living at home was to move the cans from one side of the yard to another from time to time . She says that it was so frustrating for them because whenever they wanted to go somewhere , their father would tell them they could not leave until they had moved the can pile . When she was an adult , she asked him about it . What was so special about the can pile and why did they always have to use it . He laughed and said it was to give them something to do so they wouldn 't bug him . Last night my mother had one of her spells , where she doesn 't know who she is or where she is or what she 's supposed to be doing . She can 't recognize anyone , and it terrifies her . Atria called me and I went over there and spent an hour and a half talking with her . Gradually she began to " come back , " aided by a little photo album her oldest sister made for her many years ago . Marie was the oldest in the 10 - child family , so many of the photos are of the older kids , who were out of the home when my mother was born , but there are also pictures of my mother and her younger siblings , and family portraits , and even pictures from 1947 , when I was four years old visiting my grandparents on their little farm in Inverness . As she thumbed through the book and read the captions my aunt had supplied , I would make a comment about the photos , which I knew quite well . As she got further and further into the book she began to identify faces herself and by the time she went back through the book the second time , she knew everybody by face and she was back . We ended the evening on a happy note and she was about to go to bed . I promised I 'd come back in the morning and have breakfast with her just to see how she was . I figured that she would be better in the morning . And she was . Sort of , though she said she felt " terrible . " But the thing that plagues her and has plagued her every single day since she moved to Atria is that she knows she 's supposed to be doing something , but she doesn 't know what it is . She wailed today " isn 't there something I should be doing for someone ? " That 's when I decided I needed a can pile . Or an equivalent . I needed something vitally important that she needs to do that the next time she feels needed , she would do the reverse . Unfortunately , there is no can pile at Atria . Despite the fact that she was " back " she just wasn 't happy and from all she was saying , it seemed blatantly obvious she was bored . She does nothing but sit in her chair and isn 't interested in doing any activity at Atria , but she also complains that she has nothing to do ( please , find a can pile ! ) I asked if she 'd like to go to lunch and suggested that we could go to the dining room or we could go out for lunch . She eagerly chose eating out . I decided to take her to a Denny 's , which is the cheapest sit - down restaurant I could think of . I know she sparkles on these excursions , but I spent a fortune a month ago taking her to lunch a few times . I 'm trying to think of places to take her where she can walk , but her walking is hampered by her back pain and her refusal to use any cane or walker and heaven help her NO WHEELCHAIR . There are lovely places where we could go and sit and watch trees and water fowl and enjoy a picnic lunch , but you have to walk a short way to get to all of them - - not long , but with her back , she 's likely to give up before we get there . She can 't follow the plot of a movie , and has never been interested in museums . So a restaurant seems to be the only option ( though I am going to investigate further ) . But it was definitely worth it today . Her mood lifted as soon as we were in the car and headed for Woodland and the nearest Denny 's . I took the road that had the most greenery , which she loves . She beamed when we sat in a booth and waited for our lunch . Walt brought some rolls of artwork he found in cleaning up the upstairs bedroom . Jeri at first said that she didn 't recognize them , but then decided that maybe she did recognize them and that she thinks she might have drawn them when she was in grad school and learning how to create theater sets . The drawings seem to be 3 parts of a gigantic picture of Jeri as a giraffe with a long French braid running down her neck and around her chest . My mother picked up the photo album that Aunt Marie made again and started looking through it once more . Jeri sat with her and my mother began explaining to her who all those people were . These were people , most of whom died before Jeri was born , or people that she never really got to meet as a child so it was cool that she could see some of her relatives . . I just got all verklempt watching the two of them going over these photos , my mother remembering who everyone was , and Jeri listening to her stories about them . Tomorrow she has a dental appointment , her " something to do " for tomorrow . On Tuesday I may take her to the farmer 's market , have her help me pick out a bunch of green beans and then come back here and ask her to help me string them ( I don 't need green beans , but they are cheap and we will eat them ) . Then Wednesday I 'll try to take her to a duck pond and see if she can walk that far . An Obama shirt I got during his 2008 campaign . 25 . What 's important about a bed to you ? Like type of sheets , size or whatever . Nothing . I haven 't slept in a bed in years . I sleep on a couch for half of the evening and half in a recliner for the other half . No sheets but a wonderful pillow . 26 . Can you sing ? Badly . I used to be able to carry a tune , but in recent years , I have a range of about 3 notes . My life is pretty much an open book here . There 's very little that would surprise anybody . . . and if there is , I don 't want to share it . 28 . Have you been a pirate , Renaissance Fair , or other costumed event ? If not , would you for the right event or say cause ? No . Not my thing . If it were for a good cause , I could be talked into it . My mother had one of her " spells " tonight where she doesn 't know who she is or where she is and is terrified . Someone called me and I went over there and by just talking to her for an hour and a half , she started to ' come back ' and by the time I left we were laughing together . That was beautiful laughter . 34 . Best toy as a child ? 2003 , During a 32 mile charity bike ride , I flew over my handlebars . Twice . The second time I dislocated my shoulder . My knee has never returned to normal and I can 't ride a bike any more . 36 . Where would you love to live ? I am happy where I am . If I had to move , it would be to Santa Barbara , to be close to our grandkids . But we can 't afford to live there . We have a flat screen which is pretty wide . Could not upgrade because it is as big as our space can handle . Also , the " smart TV " part of the TV is always going out and I can 't use it . 39 . How many dogs do you have ? Welcome to Saturday : 9 . What we 've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday . Sometimes the post will have a theme , and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated . Those weeks we do " random questions , " so - to - speak . We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment . Because we don 't have any rules , it is your choice . We hate rules . We love memes , however , and here is today 's meme ! Well , it 's not a genius , but it isn 't mentally challenged either . It 's an iPhone 4 which desperately needs replacement . I can no longer play " Word with Friends , " which is a great loss ! Sadly , no . My husband is always turning off appliances I have left running when I leave a room . I try to be ecologically conscious , but energy is something I don 't think about . 3 ) Adele sings that she must have a called a thousand times but her former lover never picked up . Think about the last call you made . Did you get through ? Did you leave a voice mail ? Or did you just hang up ? Well , that 's a " yes but not really " answer . I was trying to reach the director of a local theater company for a story I 'm writing . I got his answering machine and left a message . ( He did call back later and I was able to complete my interview ) Almost never . I 'm not a tea fan . I occasionally have iced tea ( but prefer ice water ) and once in a great while will have a cup of hot tea , but rarely when I am alone . . . usually when I am with someone who offers it , or if I go to a " high tea " with someone . I don 't like sweet tea , but some flavored teas are OK . Sure . I watch it all the time . I don 't do anything to control it , but I carefully watch it as I am putting it in my mouth . 8 ) Even though she is one of the world 's highest - earning entertainers , she recently had her credit card rejected while shopping at H & M . She admits she was " mortified . " Have you ever experienced that moment at the counter when your card was rejected ? Bwahahaha . My mother is a Virgo , I am an Aquarian . It was only neat when my mother couldn 't stand it any more cleaned it . . . . or on those rare occasions when the " neatness gene " hit me and I became a whirling dervish and cleaned up . It never lasted for more than a day . Kind of like now . The guy I replaced at Logos today is a guy who always rearranges the desk . Moves the charge machine to the front right side instead of the side left , moves the cash register and I 'm not sure why , but first thing I did after he left was to move it all back to where it usually is . It was a decently busy day , which was nice after the dead - dead - dead day I had last week . A woman came in and wandered around for a bit , didn 't buy anything , but as she left , she took the bottle of water she was carrying and watered the little palm at the front of the store . I guess she thought it looked thirsty . She didn 't say anything , but then left . A girl wearing a Trinity College t - shirt came in and I asked her if she had been to Ireland , which she had . We shared Ireland stories . She told me how much she 'd loved the Cliffs of Mohr but that it had been very windy while they were there so that they had to stand almost parallel to the ground . Now she said the wind was 100 mph , but I suspect it might have been more like 100 kilometers , which at ~ 60 miles is still a hefty wind , but I doubt someone could move about in 100 mph winds , especially not at such a steep cliff . A short woman with short reddish hair wearing slacks , a salmon colored short - sleeved shirt and sandals with small heels . She carried a big bag over her shoulder . She had this " aura " about her that made me think she was either a teacher or at least some sort of executive . She didn 't buy anything but said " goodbye " as she left . A couple came in holding hands . The woman had dark brown hair with the last 6 " or so streaked with white . He had Bermuda shorts that were really weird . They seemed to be a silver color but with a black panel , front and back , that made it look like he was wearing an apron , especially when he stood with his legs together . The bought a book called " Word Freaks , " which was on of my donated book Always nice to see an old friend sell . When they walked out of the store , her black dress had kind of a scoop in the back , which let her flesh - colored bra and teddy show through . Next two moms came in , each with a toddler ( one mother told me her daughter was 13 months old . Both little girls wore sundresses and both were so cute as they toddled around the store . One was more friendly than the other , who didn 't want anything to do with me . The friendly one was very interested in the portrait of an egret drawn by our current artist in residence , Richard Barry . The group bought two cardboard baby proof books . A middle aged woman was looking for books by Spider Robinson ( she didn 't find what she was looking for ) . She looked as if she had lost a lot of weight , with arms dimpled with cellulite and a rather large derrier . She asked if I had any Kleenex because her nose had started running . I went into the back and brought her 3 sheets and she balled all 3 up together and wiped her nose . I would have used them one at a time so I had extras if needed ! A clean cut young man left his backpack at the desk and browsed . He finally bought " Lady Luck " a book about probability theory . I remember all those gambling examples of probability theory that my old boss , Fred Reif wrote about in his text book , " Fundamentals of Statistical and Thermal Physics . " I wondered if he was a physics student , or planning a trip to Vegas . Bruce came in , still all in white , but carrying his hat this time . He chose a book on medicinal plants to have me set aside for him to buy later . Normally we don 't do that , but for Bruce , we make exceptions . A cheery red - cheeked guy had 3 books for donation and said he was looking to buy back the Dorothy Sayers books he had donated the week before . He ended up buying a thick Sayers book , which contained 4 of her books , but it was not one that he donated . He was wearing a big safari hat and it looked so strange when he left and buckled a bike helmet on top of it . About a month ago a huge branch of the tree came crashing down onto the patio . Walt called someone to come and check the tree . Contrary to what we thought caused it - - some sort of disease - - it turns out the tree is too healthy and the weight of the branch finally was too much for it to bear . We made an appointment to have guys come out and trim the tree , which had to be rescheduled when they got hung up on an earlier appointment . But today was the day and the tree got a big hair cut . It 's amazing how little time it take to cut off lots of big branches and feed them into a crunching machine that turns them into sawdust in nothing flat . While that was going on , Walt was upstairs cleaning up the mess in the bedroom where last week 's flood seeped in to soak the rug . What was affected was a bookcase where my father 's old 78 rpm records were stored . Walt asked if he should just throw them out . They should have been discarded 30 years ago , but Paul wanted me to keep them after my father died and then after Paul died , I just never thought about them , but they were taking up a whole bookcase , which can now be discarded . I told him I would first put an ad in " Nextdoor . " Do you have that ? Nextdoor is a private social network for all the people in a certain community . It 's an easy way to put up announcement ( " lost dog " " found cat , " " marauding racoons " or anything that might be of interest to that particular community . There is even a section for classified ads and I thought maybe someone in our neighborhood might like the records . I put in this ad : My father left a collection of classic 78 rpm jazz records , which we will throw away if we can 't find someone who wants them and is willing to pick them up . Free to a good home ( or even a bad home ! ) . PM to Within FIVE MINUTES , I heard from someone who wanted them . He 's a nice guy named Sean who moved out here from the east coast to go to grad school , but had to leave all of his records behind because it was too expensive to ship them . He just recently got a turntable that would play 78s and he was thrilled that we were just giving him the records . In the afternoon we went to see Florence Foster Jenkins , the second movie we have seen in 2016 . What a wonderful film . We learned of Florence Foster Jenkins a couple of decades ago , when our friend Stephen Peithman told us about " the worst singer in the world , " a rich socialite in New York who loved opera and thought she could sing . She gave concerts around New York , made a record , and even sang at Carnegie Hall . We bought one of her recordings just to hear her and yes , she was the worst singer in the world . But this movie with Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant makes her human and shows how her husband protected her and helped her achieve her dreams . It 's a very sweet story , It 's Meryl Streep as you have never seen her . . . . and Hugh Grant as you have never seen him and both are excellent . Today we were having lunch to say goodbye to our friend Grainne , who was about to return to Ireland . Grainne is here so often , I sometimes forget that she has returned to Ireland because within a few months she will be back . She comes and house sits for friends when they go on vacation . But there are still truly wonderful things in the world and the production we saw tonight of The Hunchback of Notre Dame is certainly up there with them . I haven 't written my review yet , but I suspect it will be full of so many superlatives someone will think they paid me to publicize the show . From the magnificent set to the augmented chorus that positively filled the theater to the cast , especially John McGinty , a deaf actor playing Quasimodo who was incredible . He can speak but not sing and his on stage singing voice Jim Hogan worked seamlessly with him so that when Quasimodo needed a singing voice ( or a speaking voice for longer speeches ) Hogan was there to unobtrusively provide that voice for him Jeri and Phil have packed up and headed off to our Tahoe condo for the week ( this was Walt 's mother 's condo , which we now jointly own with his sister ) . I was surprised at how tired I was all day . It wasn 't that the weekend was all that busy , but busier than I 've been in awhile and I guess that past a certain age you notice . The next day was the day of the Nifty Fifty party . While we were packing up and getting ready to Jeri and Phil went to see my mother again . It was awful . They tried calling her first but she didn 't answer ( I discovered yesterday she had unplugged her phone ) . So they knocked on the door and she answered but it was one of her " out of it days " and she passed out on them three times . Jeri called me and I told her to tell the front desk . I talked with someone at the front desk and they are trying to decide whether to send her to the ER or not . What to do ? What to do ? Should I go to the party , or stay home on the chance my mother might be going to the ER ? Finally , after discussion with Atria , I decided that we would go in two cars , Atria had my cell phone number and Jeri 's and if they decided my other should go to the ER , they would call and I could meet them there in about 45 minutes . Obviously , I ended up enjoying the party and did not get a call from Atria . I had visions of her refusing to eat , as she often does , stating that she doesn 't feel well . But that was not the case at all . When they got to Atria , they saw her in the dining room eating , so they waited until she left and then went with her to the apartment . Jeri reported that they had a wonderful time , singing and telling jokes ! ( I want Jeri to move back to Davis again ! ! ) So they left with a good feeling . Yesterday , I went to visit and it really was back to normal . The first thing she told me was that she 's getting old , then she said she didn 't feel well . I told her what we 'd been doing the past 3 days and when I finished she asked " so what have you been doing I should know about ? " She had no memory of seeing Jeri . I realize that with her you have t enjoy literally the MINUTE because it will be gone the next minute . . . but the minute you are enjoying is real and she is enjoying herself in that minute . I was there for an hour during which time she asked at least a dozen time what I was doing tonight ( she ony asked twice if we were going dancing ) and what I had been doing . She complained about being old , she complained about the " mess " on her patio ( they are doing remodeling ) , she loved the artificial flowers , and she looked off into the distance and sighed a lot . That was how our hour went . She would pick up a little booklet of pix of Bri when she was a baby , look through it , then toss it aside in disgust . She did that over and over again . And so it begins again I was emotionally exhausted when I came home and took a nap . The summer theater season is coming to an end , which means that the fall theater season will be starting soon ! Since I started reviewing for the Sacramento period too it seems that theater is my life . It 's fun , but sometimes overwhelming when there are three openings a weekend back to back with three more openings the following weekend . The nice thing is that the salary for the Sacramento writers has almost doubled in the past month and that 's a very nice thing ! This weekend has been a flood of emotions , first a bad ay with my mother , which left me wondering if I was going to the Nifty Fifty party at all , or should stay home in case she had to be taken to the ER ( I decided with the Atria person , that I would go , but she had my cell phone number and Jeri 's and would call if they were taking her to the ER and I 'd come back . We did not receive a call . ) I left town with a flood of emotions about that . Pinata People . All those memories , good and sad . Remembering the folks who are no longer here , rejoicing in the ones who are . Watching each of us in Generation 1 as our bodies slowly begin to break down , looking at the adult of Generation 2 and their children and remembering when we were those guys , and the kids of Generation 3 as they continue to learn about this special group , and each other . Wishing that Father Quinn , who is responsible for this all , were here to see what his counsel has wrought ! I was standing in the kitchen making a cup of coffee when I heard water running I thought I had left the tap on , but no . It wasn 't coming from there . Then I looked at the door to the laundry room and was water pouring down the door and soon , I felt water on my arm , as it poured out of the light fixture over the sink . Walt ran upstairs to discover that the upstairs toilet had overflowed and the floor was covered with water . Fortunately , we still have a big bag of towels left over from our puppy fostering days and I quickly soaked all of them while Walt used all of the towels upstairs to mop up the mess there . He got the toilet to stop running , but we haven 't investigated what we need to do to keep it from happening again . While they were talking about their newly discovered great - grandfather , the others ( Alice , Olivia and Joe ) were looking through an old book of Walt 's grandmother 's , telling the story of their father , from birth to high school graduation , and enjoying the photos in it . Alice has started getting interested in the family history and this book was a treasure trove . ( It was one of the things I found when cleaning out my office . ) We all ordered our Grad Burgers an settled in for another visit . Olivia and I did a lot of Trump - trashing , and well deserved it was indeed . But my back can 't take that long on a bench without some support , so I eventually moved to the other side of the restaurant to a booth , with something to lean against . . . and to watch them all enjoying each other . Ned said I looked so pathetic , he decided to drive me home . . . he had to get back anyway because Marta was due home . So I came back to the support of my recliner . Walt and the others followed soon and then they were also on their way . Jeri and Phil walked over to Atria to have dinner with my mother , but she was already in the dining room eating ( yay ! ) and when she finished they went back to her apartment where they seem to have had a lovely visit , including laughing and singing . Such a change from yesterday ! So that ended the day on a flood of good emotions . Jeri and Phil head off for a week at our condo at Tahoe and then back here , briefly , before flying back to Boston . whom I have written before . 10 people who met at Newman Hall in the 1960s , coupled , married and among them produced 22 children and throughout all these years , we have remained close friends . We were in each other 's weddings , we are godparents to each other 's children . We took vacations together - - many , many camping trips . We nursed each other 's children , they attended the same schools ( at least until the middle 1960s , when we started moving in different directions ) . We have seen the death of three of the kids , and five of the adults . We 've been there for people 's funerals and even the funerals of their parents . The first year we had what became an annual New Year ' Day party there were five children . And all of us were pregnant . The next year there were ten children . We never doubled in size again ( thank goodness ! ) but ten years ago we had a birthday party for the five who were turning 40 and today we had a party for the five who are turning 50 this year . Welcome to Saturday : 9 . What we 've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday . Sometimes the post will have a theme , and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated . Those weeks we do " random questions , " so - to - speak . We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment . Because we don 't have any rules , it is your choice . We hate rules . We love memes , however , and here is today 's meme ! I have a large head and " one size fits most " hats do not fit my head . They sit on top like a cherry on a sundae . I hear Oprah has the same problem , so she has her hats specially made . Not having Oprah 's budget , I just don 't wear hats . Period . 2 ) This song is from Meet Me in St . Louis , which was a huge hit and the second highest grossing movie of 1944 . When is the last time you watched a movie in the theater ? We went to see Room in January . It is the only movie we have seen this year . So far . ( But I really want to see Florence Foster Jenkins next week ) 3 ) The movie follows the Smith family as their hometown , St . Louis , prepares to host the 1904 World 's Fair . What 's the biggest thing happening in your hometown ? I can 't think of anything specific right now , but the last biggest thing I remember happening was the gathering in central park to unveil the new wall for the bathroom . We had a band and refreshments and newspaper coverage . It was a Very Big Deal . 4 ) This week 's featured artist , Judy Garland , is best known as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz . That movie is shown so often that Sam thinks she may have seen it a dozen times . Is there a movie or holiday special you 've seen over and over ? I don 't know how many times I have seen Judy Garland in A Star Is Born , but easily more than 100 times since I first saw it in 1953 . It made a Judy Garland fanatic of me . ( I even got to see her perform live three times , and met her once . ) 5 ) Judy admitted to being perpetually tardy . Are you usually prompt ? Or are you always running late ? I am almost never late . In fact it 's eerie how often arrive exactly on time , to the minute , whether I plan it that way or not . 6 ) Judy 's first professional performance was a rendition of " Jingle Bells " when she was just two . How old were you when you entered your chosen profession ? Well , since I worked all of my life typing in some capacity or other , I guess that would be when I was a junior in high school . The last 15 years or so I was a medical transcriptionist and I got started at that in about 1987 , when I was 44 . 8 ) Judy was a very demonstrative person . She enjoyed hugs and admitted that , when she nervous , she took emotional support from physically reaching out . Are you demonstrative ? I was pleased , however , to find Sandy and granddaughter Sarah working when I got there . It 's been several months since I 've seen Sarah and I swear she 's grown a foot and suddenly is starting to look more mature . She 's less than a year older than Brianna , which makes me wonder what Bri is going to be like next year ! A red headed girl came in with a bag of books to donate . They were packaged in a bag from the store " Forever 21 . " After I emptied the bag and started to fold it up , I discovered that on the bottom of the bag the store had printed a Biblical reference ( " John 3 : 16 " ) , which seemed a bit odd . Reminded me of a local attorney who advertises on TV a lot and his commercial always contains a biblical quote on the bottom of it . A guy I described as a " Mike Blackford " type , but he wasn 't as put together . He had long unruly white hair under a baseball cap , and a goatee . He was carrying a big heavy backpack an wearing flip flops . He checked the literataure section for a bit , but left without buying anything . A middle aged man wearing cargo pants ( which seem to be very big around here ) and a blue polo shirt . He had either a 5 : 00 shadow or was doing a good Don Johnson imitation . complete with sunglasses . He was looking for books by Julia Whitty , but did not find what he was looking for . so left without buying anything An older man with a walker came in to donate books . He sat down to rest before leaving . I gathered from what he said that he had been a photographer and never used things like PhotoShop to enhance a photo . He had been to Alaska trying to photograph Denali , but never managed to see it without clouds surrounding it . He asked what the status of the store is and I told him I didn 't know , but thought they had another year to go on their lease . A curly headed young man I had not even seen enter was actually my very first sale , at 3 : 30 . He bought " 90 ⁰ North , " about the quest for the North Pole . He didn 't seem impressed when I told him he was my first sale of the day . A woman stopped by the window to take a picture of a book on the display table . Then she came in and asked how late we would be open . I got the idea she planned to come back later and buy the book . Susan arrived early since her Italian speaking group was meeting tonight . I asked her the status of the store . The building has been sold to some conglomerate that builds strip malls . The jewelry store had its rent raised so high they moved out , but the shop has remained empty for months . The athletic shop next door will probably close . Susan says their lease is up in January , and they may have to close up shop . But since Peter just turned one of those " zero years " he may be ready to give up working so hard to do some traveling . We talked about the upcomng " Nifty Fifty " party the Pinata Group is having on Saturday ( celebrating the 5 Pinata kids who turn 50 this year ) . There are 44 coming and one guy has bought a pinata . Of all years for Tom to decide not to come . . . but maybe hitting a 49er symbol would be too painful for him . But that can 't be because the lab results are " astonishingly excellent . " Now doesn 't that make you feel like a piker ? My lab results are usually within normal limits , but I 've never aspired to be astonishingly excellent and I 'm not sure how I could rig them for that result . " It 's very odd for a doctor to say , ' He 's had a complete medical examination that showed only positive results , ' " said Jonathan Moreno , a professor of medical ethics at the University of Pennsylvania . " Normally a positive result in the language of medicine is not a good thing . " ( Moreno also points out a conspicuous absence in this report from a gastroenterologist . . . who doesn 't mention whether or not Trump has ever had a colonoscopy . Apparently questioning the Trump team whether or not he had colon polyps received no response . Perhaps that 's TMI ) Even when writing a faux medical report , Trump can 't resist making himself better than the average man . " His physical strength and stamina are extraordinary . " Give that man a cape . Give me a break . What reputable doctor , even a dead one , would write that ? You could check the doctor 's web site , listed on the letterhead , but it does not link to anything . " I don 't want to question Dr . Bornstein , " said Jeffrey Singer , a practicing general surgeon and adjunct scholar at the libertarian Cato Institute . " But doctors don 't usually say that kind of thing . " " I could understand Donald Trump saying that , because that 's the kind of thing he says - just like he 's the smartest guy and the richest guy and all that , " Singer continued . " But doctors don 't usually make those kind of superlative comments . " It always amuses me when Trump asserts that Hillary Clinton does not have the physical stamina for the office . Did he see her travel schedule while Secretary of State ? The woman never stopped . . . and most people on the world stage seem to have liked her , unlike Trump , who is getting negative comments worldwide . An Australian friend of mine , a woman I met while visiting Australia , recently wrote " I think the world is waiting to see if Americans are stupid enough to elect Donald Trump . As you say - stranger things have happened . Like Hitler . Surely common sense will prevail . " One can only hope " This is a Mel Brooks version of an election campaign , except it 's deadly serious , " said Constanze Stelzenmüller , formerly of The German Marshall Fund in Berlin , now with the Brookings Institution in Washington . Above all , she said , Germans are disturbed by echoes they hear of 20th century fascism in Europe , from Hitler to Mussolini . And they hear in Trump 's anti - immigrant rhetoric the views of far right parties in Europe today , whipping up fears of Muslim immigrants flooding their continent . An American president joining that chorus will " just inflame the trend , " she said . Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , who supported Obama 's Republican challenger Mitt Romney in 2012 , invited Trump to visit in December . But after the candidate 's comments about banning Muslims , he withdrew the invitation . " it 's Trump 's lack of experience that most worries Israelis , " explains David Makovsky of the Jerusalem Post . " They live in a tough neighborhood , so Israelis don 't want an American president who needs on - the - job training , " he said . " Because they have to play six - dimensional chess in a very complicated Middle East , they want someone who knows how to play chess . " One career U . S . ambassador in Latin America sums up what troubled the officials he deals with about Trump . " I hear one word - reckless . People are afraid that he will be as reckless with the instruments of national power - military , economic and diplomatic . The French liberal newspaper Liberation has described him as a nightmare turned reality . JK Rowling tweeted that he 's worse than Voldemort . A recent Economist cover has a picture of Trump dressed as Uncle Sam with just one word , " Really ? " That pretty much sums up the mood of global elites . I 've probably watched more of the Olympics this time around than I have in a long time . For two reasons . First of all , I got hooked into the women gymnasts and secondly , with my new office , my TV is right at my elbow and whether I 'm typing or working on a project , I can see it ( unlike when it was on the other side of the room and I had to turn around to see it ) . I have thoroughly enjoyed the successes of our athletes , but it does eventually start to feel like overkill . Yes , I want each athlete in his or her particular sport to do the best they can , but when you are just watching the results and not necessarily the work that they went through to win , I start to feel embarrassed at our dominance of the medal count . it starts to feel like showing off . From what I have seen of her when she is not performing she is a happy person , but she can be having a serious moment and as soon as she sees the camera , she turns on the smile . ( It 's the same before she begins her event . Serious while she goes through the routine in her head and then the big smile as she gets on stage . But the thing that amuses more than anything is the camera work at all the medal ceremonies . The athletes stand on the stand , get the medal put around their neck and then the national anthem starts to play . You just know the cameraman is hoping to find a tear glistening in an eye . If it begins to look like the athlete is going to get emotional , there is a slow pan to where the eye is the center of attention . The camera man is often disappointed . I even got a cooking injury . I was slicing a tomato on our new super sharp mandolin and could not find the thingy that attaches to the food so you don 't slice your finger . I decided to wing it and found out why you don 't slice food without the thingy that attaches to the food . ( Note my Superman bandaid , which I bought in case Ned is here and needs a bandaid again . ) Gabe , the son of our beloved dog sitter and good friend Ashley and her husband Dave arrived yesterday . At 10 lbs , he 's a real hunk . He reminds me of David , who was just slightly under 10 lbs and happened to be in the nursery with preemies , so when they wheeled him out so we could see him ( there was no viewing window . . . . they brought the babies to the door of the nursery , two at a time ) he always looked like a behemoth compared to the wimps that were wheeled out with him . I told Ashley that with all the problems over the last nine months , I wish for Gabe to be a good baby . " I hope you have a Jeri and not a Paul , " I told her ! I know the reality of both . Ned , Tom and David were normal babies , and not as quiet as Jeri or as difficult as Paul . It 's time Ashley gets to enjoy the fruits of her labor ! Things have not been smooth sailing at Atria this weeks . My mother 's had another couple of her spells where she doesn 't know where she is or who she is or who anybody else is . It scares her and she just wants to sit in a chair , shake , and wait for it to pass . She doesn 't want to leave her room because she 's afraid she 'll do something wrong , or that she will get lost . She has cleared all of the shoes and other things out of the floor of her closet , but now doesn 't recognize them and is waiting for someone to come and take them away . When I offered to take the mountain of shoes home with me , she was vehement that she had to " go through them first . " It was a rerun of trying to get her out of her home in Terra Linda 3 years ago ; And then there were The Keys . She lost her keys . She didn 't know she had lost them because she doesn 't know what they are or what she needs them for , but I knew she couldn 't go to meals without them . I tore that apartment apart , looked in her purse , in the refrigerator , in the linen closet ( all places where I have found them before ) It caused her great frustration because she didn 't know what I was looking for When I asked her if they were in her pockets she lifted the hem of her slacks to check . She ended up with her head in her hands saying " I don 't even understand what you are saying ! " I tried asking her if she knew what a key was , and she did not . When I left her , she was sitting in her chair with her head in her hands and I felt terrible . I feel so helpless when she gets like this because it 's a real emotional pain for her , but there doesn 't seem to be anything that can be done to help her . When I returned 2 hours later , she was fine and didn 't remember anything about the keys . . . or , in fact , that I had been there earlier . The keys were not in the clock . After dinner I ended up leaving my keys for her , telling her over and over again to please remember to leave them on the counter , where they usually are . I knew , of course , she would forget that as soon as I finished saying it . . . but it 's something like $ 40 to get a new set of keys because they are special electronic keys . On thinking this all over , I decided it 's time to go with Assisted Living . I don 't have a clue when or if she is eating , and if she 's not eating , that could affect her mental condition . I just can 't eat every meal with her , and if she has someone from Atria to check on her a few times a day and make sure she gets to meals , maybe having a regular schedule will work better . Today I went back for lunch , after last night 's dinner . She was up and looking fresh and well . She did mention that she wasn 't feeling well , but then Ned knocked on the door and suddenly she felt just fine and poured on the charm because she had a man to fawn over ( she 's such a slut . LOL ! ) Ned is just so wonderful with her and I love watching how he visits with her . To top things off , we had lunch with Loretta , her best friends who she doesn 't realize is her best friend ( and who doesn 't realize my mother is her best friend ) . The two of them have been at about the same level of dementia for three years , and are deteriorating at about the same rate . But they love to tease each other and often their conversations don 't make any sense at all , but they laugh a lot with each other . I told Ned the only thing better than having lunch with Loretta is having lunch with Loretta when both of them have glasses of wine , which add a whole new layer of silliness . This duplicates entries in my journal , Funny the World , which I have been writing since March 2000 . The reason for starting a mirror blog is for people who prefer to subscribe thru an rss feed . The title is a quote from The Mikado , " Is this a time for airy persiflage ? " ( light banter ) . Yes , I am !