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HIKE FIFTY-THREE
Mount Josephine on the Grand Portage Reservation In June, as I drove up to Mount Josephine in Grand Portage, Minn., I did something I have not done before. I took along our old iPod because I finally...
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BARRY’S JOURNEY – Half on and Half off….
Contemplating a memoir Today I found Barry lying sideways, half on and half off his bed at the care center. He looked really uncomfortable, poor guy. To make matters worse, he was dressed in big, baggy...
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HIKE FIFTY-FOUR
Do Not Give Up Mt Maude on the Superior Hiking Trail This last June, I did a lot of hiking and thinking. One hike I really wanted to do was up to an old fire lookout tower called Mount Maude on the...
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BARRY’S JOURNEY – Dogs for the heart.
Dogs in his life A few weeks ago, Barry had an extra special four-legged visitor named GoldenGirl Getty. GoldenGirl is a very well-trained golden retriever therapy dog who is busy doing all sorts of...
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HIKE FIFTY-FIVE
Planning a Life I decided to hike to Magnetic Rock on the Gunflint Trail in June. Although I thought I knew the way, I got a bit lost driving there. Not good planning on my part. My backpack only held...
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HIKE FIFTY-SIX
Visiting the past This hike was a very short one — only a half mile. But it was an important one for me. In mid-August, I was invited up to long-time friends Nancy and Fred’s cabin in Wisconsin. Nancy...
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HIKE FIFTY-SEVEN
The art of the doodle This August, my family and I stayed at Lutsen Mountain on the North Shore for a few days. We had a great time with our two busy little ones, Charlotte and Lilly. We enjoyed the...
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HIKES FIFTY-EIGHT, FIFTY-NINE AND SIXTY
The summer of Nancy My family kept asking, “You’re going up north, again?” I replied, “Yes, because I’ve decided this is The Summer of Nancy!” My instincts sent me up north a lot this summer of 2015....
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MY JOURNEY
I am a hypocrite I have been irritated for a long time with old friends who do not want to see Barry as he is now. They have told me they want to keep the memory of how he was before he got sick in...
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MY JOURNEY – Alone
Alone in a crowd I have noticed after this summer of hiking that I never feel lonely up north. You would think I would feel lonely, tramping around in the woods all by myself. I have spent days without...
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BARRY’S JOURNEY – John
CALLING BARRY JOHN My husband Barry has been at his care center for just over a year now — but it seems like forever. It’s still hard to believe that he is there for the rest of his life. I feel stuck...
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NANCY’S JOURNEY
A month away I was sad when I returned home from my wonderful month of October in Red Wing, Minn. Fitting with my mood, the sky has been grey for the last two days. I was awarded the Capstone...
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HIKE SIXTY-ONE
Barn Bluff Red Wing hike with FTD friends While I was staying at the Anderson Center, three people from my frontotemporal dementia (FTD) support group in Minneapolis traveled to Red Wing to hike with...
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BARRY’S JOURNEY – One Cheese Burger Too Many…
No, I am really not trying to kill you Barry. After staying in Red Wing for the month of October, I hit the ground running in November. I had three out-of-town speaking engagements along with Barry’s...
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OUR JOURNEY
A good night’s rest? Through this journey with Barry suffering from frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and our money worries, people ask me if I have a hard time sleeping. Actually, there have been very few...
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FIGURING STUFF OUT
I have a routine now that summer is over. I walk each morning with my friend Talla. We solve all the world’s problems in that one hour each day! After the walk, I head to the YMCA to row. The first...
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OUR JOURNEY
Early Signs I held my annual holiday sale early this past December. I have been doing this with a group of women artists for well over 30 years. Only three of us original artists still participate in...
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BARRY’S JOURNEY
Another New Year’s Eve On New Year’s Eve, I stopped to see Barry before I went to babysit our young granddaughters for the evening. He is very thin and almost totally bed-ridden. The theme of my blog,...
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BARRY’S JOURNEY – Pretty sure….
I am pretty sure Barry is dying now… I had a care conference about Barry today. He can barely swallow now and weighs only 135 pounds. I tried to feed him lunch earlier and there was major panic in his...
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This thing in your brain
It was there waiting in 1949 when you were just a little baby born to parents who should never have married. Twice! It was there when you learned to walk and talk. It was there when you lost your first...
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