Mary's Place

A web page about the life of a lady who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

Name:
Location: Piedmont, Oklahoma, United States

I live in Piedmont, OK, with my Husband of 50 years who has been very supportive. We have 2 sons,David and Kenny, 6 grandkids, and 6 great grandkids. I enjoy feeding and watching the birds and squirrels. Before I was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, I ran a Licensed Day Care Home for Infants for 15 years. I noticed I wasn't able to remember important things and having problems with my speech. I was experiencing severe headaches. I would get lost. I didn't know how to use the computer. At the age of 55, I told my doctor. I was sent for an MRI. which showed a large amount of shrinkage. I went to a neurologist who sent me for two days of testing. I was diagnosed with dementia of the Alzheimer's type. My husband and I were both in shock. I had to give up my job. I went to see a social worker. I've taken Aricept for 11 years. I can now use the computer and even do this web page. I also host a chat room for dementia patients. This is a very lonely disease. I don't want anyone to feel as lonely as I did when I was diagnosed (I thought I was the only one over 50 that had Alzheimer's). In 2006 I started taking Namenda. Also I was told I have a mixed dementia, Alzheimer's/Vascular.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Happy Belated Birthday Helen!!! Helen is a classmate in Marietta, Georgia… The wind has been blowing 40 mph. I went out for a short time and almost got blown away… Dave had an appointment with the eye doctor today so they could check the tumor in his eye. The doctor said there was blood inside the tumor and told him to come off all blood thinners and aspirin. He will check him again in three months… The yellow Irises are blooming and Dave picked me a bouquet of them for the house… I fixed lunch, did laundry, chatted with friends in the DASNI chat room, played dominoes, and fixed a spaghetti supper… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

We are back, after a long weekend at the Last Chance camp ground… I had a great time fishing and catching fish. The wind was bad the whole time we were there but it didn’t stop me… On Sunday we went to Lori’s Grandma’s for her 89th birthday dinner. We were camping not far from their home. She is an amazing lady and we all love her… We got home last night and I got the laundry all done then fried the fish that I caught. Dave didn’t have much luck fishing. He caught a few but they weren’t large enough to keep and a turtle kept eating his worms… On our way home we stopped in Chandler to visit Lori’s Dad and Stepmother… I fixed supper, folded laundry, and made some hummingbird nectar. I haven’t seen any hummers but Kenny and Kathy said they had… I went to check on the garden and picked some radishes. The cucumbers, zucchini, and squash are coming up… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Another busy day for me. I did laundry, fixed lunch and supper, cleaned the kitchen, and chatted with my DASNI friends… I walked to the mailbox in the rain. It has rained most of the day… David called. Josh came down to pick up the Betta, he will take care of it while we are away… Dave is preparing for his colon scope tomorrow. Poor guy… This will be my last entry for a few days. But I will be back… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

I have been busy today picking up around the house and getting it straightened up. I chatted with my DASNI friend in the chat room at http://alzheimers.ning.com/chatroom.php … Dave and I have both been loading up the motor home for our fishing trip. We aren’t going far, we can’t afford to… Dave cut the grass for the first time… I went to the garden and picked and ate the first radish and lettuce. They were yummy… Tonight I watched American Idol and Dancing With the Stars... Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Monday, April 21, 2008

Thanks Diane for the comment you left...
A warm 87 degrees today and like yesterday, I spent a lot of time outside. I watered the landscape and fed the tomatoes and peppers some Miracle Gro… I went to chat with my friends but about half way through it, my Internet went down. GRRRR... I cleaned the bathroom, did a load of laundry, and fixed supper… David called and I called Norita… Kenny and Josh came down… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahom a

Sunday, April 20, 2008

I attended church services on television… I spent most of the day outside, even though we were having 30 mph winds. I pulled weeds, supervised Dave as he planted the tomatoes and pepper plants then I went up and visited with Kenny and Kathy. I tried to supervise them also. Kathy finished planting all the seeds in the garden. So now we just wait till our vegetables are ready to be picked. I can’t wait. We should have plenty for us and to share with the neighbors… I folded laundry that was left in the dryer, fixed lunch, and helped fix supper… Tonight I popped some corn and am watching the Halmark movie “Sweet Nothings in My Ear” … Goodnight All… Keeping the Faith In Oklahoma

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Today is the 13th anniversary of the Murah Bombing in Oklahoma City. This morning I watched a special on television, A Time To Remember. Bob Woodruff and his wife Lee came in for the event and Bob spoke. I still get teary eyed watching it… Today is also the 13th anniversary of my diagnosis of Alzheimer’s… Dave and I went to TLC today to pick up the rest of what we needed for our landscaping, also got some Geraniums, tomato plants, and pepper plants. It was so crowded I think everyone was out doing what we were doing… We went by Braum’s to pick up milk and to Wal-Mart to get Dave’s stuff for his colon scope that he is having done Thursday… I supervised while Dave finished off the landscaping and I did some watering… I fixed supper and now I am tired… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Friday, April 18, 2008

I have had a busy day. Kathy drove me to the doctor’s office early this morning so I could get the Reclast IV injection, it is a once a year IV for the bones. The nurse stuck me twice and was ready to try and stick me again when I told her that my daughter-in-law was a nurse and worked at the heart hospital and she was in the waiting room could she try. So they got Kathy and Kathy got it in the first try. I have really bad veins. We were there for about an hour then we left there and went to Red Lobster for a wonderful lunch. Kathy and I both love Red Lobster and it had been years since we had gone there. From there we made a trip to Norman to see Erin who is at home on strict bedrest for two weeks and is really bored. We had a nice visit with her. Erin looked great and I finally was able to see the baby’s nursery. It is so neat and everything matches… When we got home I was so tired. I started a load of laundry and laid down for awhile to rest. I even dozed off for a few minutes… After supper I finished up the laundry and rode the bike… Our brother-in-law in North Carolina has cancer and is having a really hard time right now. Please pray for Dewey and his family… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Thanks Erin for the comment you left on my blog. I hope we can come visit one day soon. Please take care of yourself… I did laundry and later after chat we went to town to pick up some groceries… We had to call the alarm guy out because our system quit working and found it had a bad battery. It cost us 75.00 for a service call… I called George and the Alzheimer’s Assn. in Tulsa. Dave and I plan on going to their conference in June… Kenny and Kathy came down and ate mushrooms with us… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Another windy day here. I went outside but not for long. The wind has done a job with my tulips… I fixed lunch and helped with supper. I still need to take care of some mushrooms and put them in the freezer. I fixed a mess for lunch. They were sure good… Tonight I have been multi tasking. Chatting with my online friends at http://alzheimers.ning.com/chatroom.php , watching a Red Sox/Yankees game, and watching American Idol… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Dave and David with their find.


Morrells


Morrell mushrooms


Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Happy Birthday Junior!!! Junior is our nephew in North Carolina… We left early this morning and were gone all day. We went to David and Lori’s in Norman. Dave and David went mushroom hunting and I had a good time visiting with Lori. The guys came home with a bunch of mushrooms. Dave had never found a mushroom before and he found the first one. Lori fixed a delicious meal, which included mushrooms… We left there and went to Tinker Air Force Base to get our medications and go to the commissary… When we got home I went up to check the garden, cabbage and corn are coming up… Erin saw her doctor and was put on bedrest for two weeks. Please keep her in your prayers… Howard called… Dave and Kenny went mushroom hunting this evening and found one in the woods across the street… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Monday, April 14, 2008

Happy Birthday Bill!!! Bill is our nephew in Westerville, Ohio… I got up early so I could pick up and get ready for the maids visit… Today was a beautiful day with very light wind. I spent a lot of time outside and helped Dave get the motor home cleaned up. I went up to visit with Josh and also over to see our next door neighbors Sean and Billie and gave Marlee a ride on my scooter. She liked that… I fixed supper, Mexican bean soup… My California sister called and it was good catching up with Norita. David called and invited us out for lunch tomorrow. I will spend sometime with Lori while Dave and David hunt for mushrooms. I hope they find a bunch. My mouth is watering for some mushrooms… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Sunday, April 13, 2008

This morning I attended church services on television… David called and Madison and Macey had spent the night with them. I got to talk to Madison and Macey and I enjoyed talking with them. I am needing to see them soon to get my grandkid fix… I chatted with my DASNI friends, did laundry, picked up around the house, made blueberry muffins, fixed lunch, and helped fix supper… My back is hurting and so are my knees. I am sure it is the weather. We are to have a freeze tonight… I have watched a couple Lifetime movies and later will watch the Red Sox/Yankees baseball game. Go RED SOX!!! I received an email from Diana McGowin, she was the first person that I talked to when I was diagnosed who was in the same leaky boat as me. Her life story was in the movie “Forget Me Never”… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Saturday, April 12, 2008

This morning I watched a movie “River of no Return” with Robert Mitchum and Marilyn Monroe… I folded laundry and went up and spent the afternoon with Kathy. Dave and Kenny were busy in the garage doing their thing, working on airplanes and motorcycles. Kathy invited us to eat pot roast with them. It was delicious. Josh and Heather were at work. I got to see Heather’s room that she and Kathy painted last night and it looks real pretty… Good Night All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Friday, April 11, 2008

The sun was shining again today and I love it… I did laundry and cleaned some glass… I went outside thinking it was warm but the wind was so cold. I made a quick trip to the garden and then to snap a picture of the tulips that are finally blooming. They were blooming in Piedmont three weeks ago. Mine are slow like me… Kathy called and Kenny came down… Tonight I am watching Miss USA … Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Tulips with Shiloh


Thursday, April 10, 2008

The sun came out today and I was able to chat with my DASNI friends so I am happy… This afternoon we went to town. We got groceries and went to Petco and got Cindy a new sweater. Since she has been groomed she has been shivering so bad her teeth rattle… When we got home I cooked supper while Dave put away the groceries… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

It has been a stormy day and has rained all day. I wasn’t able to go to the DASNI chat room and I am missing my friends… Dave shampooed our carpet and I fixed lunch and supper… I watched the movie “Gone Baby Gone” I wasn’t able to follow it and the language was terrible… The dogs don’t want to go outside and I can’t blame them, it is rainy and there is water standing out there... I hope the sun comes out tomorrow… David called, he was out hunting mushrooms and found a few. I hope he finds a bunch and shares with his Mom… I forgot to take my afternoon medicines… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Happy Birthday Howard!!! Howard is Dave's brother in Ohio... We had storms all during the night last night. Also had some hail... I said last night we were under a tornado warning what I should have said was tornado watch… Not much going on today. I fixed chicken chow mein for supper all by myself. Dave was busy doing other stuff… Our internet was down for awhile today so I missed most of the DASNI chat… Tonight I am watching American Idol and Dancing with the Stars… Josh came down for a short visit… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Monday, April 07, 2008

My friend Rachel came and spent the afternoon with me. We had a great visit. It was so good seeing her again. She used to be a neighbor in our old neighborhood. I watched Rachel grow up into a beautiful young lady… I did laundry all day and saw the bottom of the hamper, I even washed the dogs bedding… I saw the first butterfly of the year… The potatoes are coming up in the garden… Josh came down and gave Dave and me a hug… We are under another tornado warning… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma…marylockhart@atlinkwifi.com

Sunday, April 06, 2008

I watched the church services on TV and then watched a couple lifetime movies… Spent sometime outside on my scooter. Dave was riding the four-wheeler, I have to share with him… Didn’t have to worry about supper because we were having left over tortilia soup… David called and everything is fine at the Lockhart farm… My friend Gayle interviewed me for her blog. If you would like to read it go to http://clearbrook.wordpress.com/ Tonight Dave and I watched a movie together. “Young Guns” … Rachel called... Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Saturday, April 05, 2008

Watched a movie this morning “Audrey Heburn’s Life Story” , rode the bike as usual and fixed our lunch. I went through our mail and threw away a bunch… Our crabapple and redbud trees are blooming… Tonight I went four-wheeling with Kenny… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Friday, April 04, 2008

Happy Birthday Janerae!!! Janerae is a friend in Columbus, Ohio…
This morning Dave took Cindy to be groomed and when they called to say she was ready I wanted to go with him. She was so happy to see us. We hardly recognized her with her summer cut… I chatted with friends in the DASNI chat room, ran the vacumn, and fixed supper… I put banana peels around the roses. I heard on the garden show that banana peels were good for roses… I checked the garden and still didn’t see any potatoes coming up. Maybe they were planted too deep… I was all set to watch the movie “Gone Baby Gone” but the dvd was blank. I notified Net Flix and they will send me a replacement… Dave tilled my flower beds and I planted some cosmo seeds… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Thursday, April 03, 2008

We were under a tornado watch most of the day… We went to town to stock up on fruits and vegetables… Nothing much accomplished today. I have been busy but don’t ask me what I did??? Tonight I will be hosting Dr. Mitch’s chat in the Dr. Mitch’s chat room at http://alzheimers.ning.com/chatroom.php The topic tonight will be: "Enhancing the DASNI Effect" … Tonight while we were having supper I noticed a couple doves under the bird feeder… David called… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

It has been a cold, rainy, miserable day… I did laundry and got that all put away… Played dominoes at pogo and hoping for sunshine tomorrow… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

April Fool’s Day… I went up to see Kathy, Josh and Heather. Heather had a great time on her cruise. She showed me pictures. Josh was getting ready to go to work… Took a peek at the garden and checked to see if the tulips were blooming, they weren’t yet, maybe tomorrow. I about froze so I didn’t spend much time outside. I made myself dust and I hate dusting. The neighborhood kids were out on their fourwheelers this past weekend and the dust blew right into my house. I should make them come do the dusting… Dave and I fixed a delicious supper. Honey baked ham, scalloped potatoes, and asparagus… Kenny came down... Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma