Observations on quality time with my 84 year old father, day 11:

• He watches a show on CNBC called “American Greed: The Fugitives.” It’s about criminals who’ve scammed people out of large sums of money. My fear is he’s taking notes.

• My father has issues with his short term memory. However, he refuses to take the medication that’s been prescribed for it because of what he’s read about the side effects (“I don’t want bad dreams!”). Here’s a typical conversation:
o Dad – “Are you seeing your sister tonight?”
o Me – “Not tonight, it’s her mother in law’s birthday and they’re taking her out to celebrate”
o Dad – “I thought you two were going to that photo exhibition”
o Me – “Nope, it’s closed on Sunday.”
o Dad – “Are you going by yourself?”
o Me – “No dad, it’s closed on Sunday.”
o Dad – “Too bad. Well, maybe you can see what your sister is up to tonight?”

• I’ve been trying to observe him when he uses the microwave as the inside looks like it’s been through an industrial accident even though I recently scrubbed it clean. The only time he doesn’t use Jethro Bodine sized bowls is when he uses the microwave, assumedly because they won’t fit into that small space. Unfortunately, it means everything is dripping, overflowing and spurting. I hear all kinds of crackles and pops coming from inside it but he’s not making popcorn. I blame all that damn dental work! If only he had dentures, he’d be eating rice pudding like the rest of the elderly and quit using the microwave.

© Curt Weiss 2014