EOAD....egads

OK....you can't fool me.  It's still winter outside and no amount of sunshine is going to change that.  Brrrr.  Sis and I have been trying to walk most days but when it's really cold, neither one of us wants to go--especially in the wind.  We'd much rather snuggle up together in a chair and visit.  We've talked quite a bit lately and while she usually seems OK with Wiggles gone, sometimes she still acts sad and just down right weird--like she's just not sure how this thing works being an only dog.  Since we tend to spend a fair amount of time together, I've already warned Fred I'm going to turn her to the dark side---that's what I call it when a dog becomes mine.  Every now and then, I think she's turned, only to have Fred drive in the driveway.  Nope....not a chance. She might like me for all the loving and scratching, but she's all about him for the FUN.  Those two are just like fly paper--stuck on each other.

Over the weekend, Fred found an old pic of Sis as a puppy, lying on my legs, and sent it to the boys, and both went nuts. It's hard to imagine her now ever being that small but clearly she was.  No wonder we brought her home.  Little baby animals are just way cuter than they should be.  Rational thought just flies out the window when you get a sniff of puppy smell and a stroke of that ever so soft, slick, puppy furrrrrrrr.  And puppy breath?  They should bottle it and sell it.

On another note, a wonderful friend loaned me a copy of Still Alice, a novel by Lisa Genova, and it's the story of a Harvard Professor's diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer's disease, at the ripe old age of 50.  The interesting part is, it's written from the perspective of the person with the disease, and what it feels like to have EOAD (early onset Alz. disease).  While a lot of it I already knew, there were a few things that I found especially helpful to know and understand.  It seems lots of Alzheimer sufferers fall often, due to the inability to judge spatial issues.  They may misjudge where the edge of a chair or sofa really is.  Another was that while they  may have difficulty understanding the gist of a conversation, they often have an increased ability to read body language and feelings.  In other words, they may not know the specifics of what's happening but they sure as heck can feel it.  Great information for me and another thank you here to my friend, for the loan.  The down side?  Now I think I'm getting EOAD and am paranoid.  Yes, it's inherited and yes there is a test to determine if you will get it or not.  The reality?  Mom doesn't have EOAD--a little fact I also forgot.