BEE @ 90

                                                                     (bee~ circa 1940~ east los angeles, ca)

my beloved mum, whom i call~ BEE~ turned 90 today!
a real milestone for her and me as well.

i'm so happy to still have her.  she's healthy despite living with Alzheimer's disease for the last 10 years. 

if any of my dear readers knows someone with this disease, my heart goes out to you. we know first~hand what a toll it takes on our loved~ones, and the toll it takes on yourself. 
BEE has no memory of what is of the present moment. i can walk out the door, come back in and she will think i've just arrived. luckily she still knows me and recognizes everyone around her. she is still sweet as pie.  if you had just meet her, you would not be able to tell anything was wrong.

what i miss the most are the long conversations with BEE. she was always my comrade in life. every major decision in my life involved a chat with bee. she was my support and loyalty in a world of moody people that love conditionally. that was then.
what i have now is someone who will ask the same questions over & over.
yes bee, i've been busy.... 
yes, work is fine...... yes i still live at the same place...  no, i only have one cat left...
yes bee, i've been busy...
she will repeatedly ask me these same questions for eternity. the only good thing about Alzheimer's is that every now and again something nice is repeated. 
the other night i stayed over @ my parents house. something i rarely do anymore.  as i lay on the couch bee came by with a pillow. "good night son, she said with her sweet mother voice, have pleasant dreams." she kissed me on the forehead.
 about  5 minutes later she came back~  "good night son.  have pleasant dreams."

bette davis  was once quoted as saying~" getting old... it ain't for sissies." damn right.

(bee & my sister~ becky~ circa~ 1944 in east los angeles)