Spring Break

It's a sunny, cold day today and I've been reading friends' Facebook pages and saw one about Arizona.  We used to go every year to see my folks, but they have sold their place there and their lake place in Brainerd.  They now live in Fargo, of all places.  I guess to be closer to me.  It's kind of weird not to be going to Arizona.  It's a nice place to visit, yet, I don't think I would like to live there. It's too brown. Or, tan.  Not much green.  No change of seasons, at least in Tucson where my folks were.  I do miss the artists at Tubac and the fun we had going there.  Mom is sick and has PSP or Progressive Supranuclear Palsy.  It's not nice and not many have heard of it, including her doctors. They thought she had Parkinson's but she didn't respond to the meds for that.  She even went to Mayo and they weren't sure at that time what it was.   It took a doc from Fargo to recognize her symptoms.  she probably is just bad enough now for docs to figure it out.  I guess it doesn't matter, because there is no cure at the moment.  It is progressive, so she will probably die of it or of a complication.  It difficult to watch her slide away.  She can't see very well, and can't walk without help because she looses her balance and has fallen a few times because she is so dizzy.  One time, just last week, she went over backwards and cut her head and had to have stitches.  She's weak and can't do much.  He eyes bother her alot.  She has to have drops put in them and Dad doesn't like to do it much.  She has to use thickener in her liquids because she can't swallow without swallowing down the "wrong pipe".  Her throat muscles are effected and she can't speak very loud either.  I think the hardest thing for her is not being able to read.  She just got glasses with prisms and she doesn't  like them.  I told her they might take some getting used to.  I am thinking of getting her an iPad, or iPad Mini,  iPod or a Kindle Fire so she could get books on tape or at least listen to the radio, or make the print larger, or both.  She has a Nook somewhere, but its an old one that probably doesn't read text out loud.  We haven't found it,yet, anyway, since the move.

I guess I haven't written much and maybe will write more about this, if for not other reason, than to help someone else if they have it or know someone who does.  There is website about it if you would like to know more about it at http://www.psp.org/ .  Enough for now.