SPecial Army Meat

Along with the Pearl Harbor 75th Anniversary Commemoration events held at Pearl Harbor and several other places over the past week or so, there are also short historical pieces being run on various TV stations. For most of them, I am learning a lot of the lesser known facts about the attack on Pearl Harbor and World War II. I knew SPAM became a staple in Hawai'i during the war, but was not aware of how it got its name; now I know!

The origin of SPAM (screen shot from TV).

One of the benefits of Mom getting a transfusion is also a downside; she has more energy. It's great because she feels better and can do more of the things she likes to do, but she also does some of the things that she is not supposed to do because the dementia makes her forget that a certain activity got her in to trouble earlier. Like go out at 6:30 in the morning to pick up the newspaper or push the garbage bin out to the edge of the road - which is what caused her fall & subsequent injury 6 weeks ago. The last 2 mornings I caught her going outside to pick up the newspaper (without her cane & in the rain) and trying to move the recycle bin out to the side of the road (it was empty which is why I did not put it out the evening before). She also stays up really late worrying about things & trying to prep things for the next morning (carrying breakable objects around the kitchen in lieu of her cane). Auwe! I can't wait for her to start losing some steam.

Two weeks ago she was walking in the hallway & fell & hit her head in spite of having walls to support herself. (She says she doesn't need her cane in the house because there are a lot of things she can hold on to.) Since then I have been very vigilant in having her use her cane, much to her irritation. But it has paid off, she has almost fallen 4 times since then but was stabilized by the cane. Unfortunately, 5 minutes later she can't remember that the cane helped her, she thinks she is fine without it. It is a constant battle to get her to use her cane in the house since I can't reason with her. She either says I am treating her like a child or I think that she is stupid, she does not see it as a safety concern.

A Very Special Happy Birthday to my god daughter Marlena! And Happy Birthday to Shabbir!