Swans by the River Stour at Sundown

/ Anthea Tripp / 4 Comments

Stour SwanYesterday was a particularly distressing day. Mum’s restful state changed rapidly to one of agitation and anxiousness. She was wide awake, her beseeching blue eyes darting back and forth almost child-like, asking questions constantly, in a frantic obsessive manner, rubbing her eyes, clutching at her face and clearly in a very disturbed state.

We tried everything we knew to calm her down and lull her back into serenity, stroking her forehead, playing music, softly reassuring her that all would be well, professing our love for her and reassuring her that she would be happy and whole forever. That we’d all be united again in eternity.

Continue reading →

God Pours Out His Favor

/ Anthea Tripp / 1 Comment

I have to confess that the last few days have been among the saddest, yet most joy-filled times I’ve ever experienced. Sad because my beautiful mother is fading away from life as we know it on this earth and I am heartbroken, yet I feel joy because her spirit is about to take flight and she will transition into the most glorious state ever – everlasting life with her Lord and Savior, where her body will be whole again and there will be no dementia. 

It was Sunday yesterday – a beautiful sunny day and if that wasn’t enough to raise our spirits, God favored us in a special way that makes my heart sing with joy and gratitude.

Continue reading →

So! How Was Your Flight Today?

/ Anthea Tripp / 1 Comment

So, how was your flight across the Atlantic today?  Er…….fine! Not too bad!  What? Come on Anthea, just tell it like it is.

Okaaaay! So let’s just leave it like this ….. it could have been worse.

That woman across the aisle from me? The one who reached rudely in front of me to bag a spot in the overhead above MY seat? Yes, that one!!  It could have been a whole lot worse had she not taken time to wash her underarms before leaving home. That furry pit jammed up my nose could have given reason for an elbow {mine} to involuntarily connect with her solar plexus.

Yes, things could have been worse.

Continue reading →

Dementia Daze: The Rambling Mind

/ Anthea Tripp / 2 Comments

“What have I to do?  Where have I to go?”

mum95yrs Simple questions from a sound mind. Ones we ask ourselves {inside our heads} as we go about daily life planning our day, directing our activities. In contrast, these same queries from a confused mind are complex and disturbing to hear … at least they are to me. These two little questions have haunted me for some time now. It’s not easy to shut out their echoes inside my head.

 

Have you read my other Dementia Daze posts?

If you have, you already have a feel for the intensity of these repetitive questions from my beautiful mother, persistently asking the same two questions a hundred times a day. Sometimes so softly spoken it’s barely audible, a mere whisper, at other times sorrowfully, or blurted out in loud frustration, at times even angrily demanding, but always with a pleading undertone, accompanied with an equally beseeching look in her eyes … piercing at times and always searching for an answer through those expressive icy-blue eyes.
 Continue reading →

The Spandex Squat-and-Stretch Test!

/ Anthea Tripp

Okay it’s been five years since I expressed dislike in an earlier post for what I consider the Spandex invasion. Nothing has changed my opinion. I. DO. NOT. LIKE. SPANDEX in my cotton clothes! My recent foray for a skort {skirt with built-in shorts} slammed it home this week as I searched for 100% cotton skorts that don’t seem to be prevalent. What’s most annoying is not the 100% all-stretchy spandex that you’d expect in swimsuits and workout clothes, it’s the presence of Spandex in clothes that I prefer to be 100% cotton! Like my pants, like my shorts, like my skirts.

When will I learn that it’s not going away? They’re still putting that stretchy filler stuff in with the cotton to give it a stretch! {W.H.Y?} Seems I keep forgetting how annoying it is. Is it just me or do any of you other women out there dislike the Spandex/cotton blend that seems to be everywhere nowadays? The kind that bags out clothes in all the wrong places. Who the heck wants that baggy butt look anyway?

Continue reading →

Dementia Daze: It Was a Dark and Stormy Night

/ Anthea Tripp / 3 Comments

In the last 18 months, my mother’s dementia has worsened noticeably. I guess it’s to be expected – a natural progression of an insidious, incurable disease. But if you’re like me, you remain ever hopeful, and you might even look for a tiny sign of improvement, knowing all the while in your heart of hearts, you won’t find it….it’s not there. There’s no denying Mum’s dementia has advanced significantly, so we might as well embrace it for what it is, and make the best of a challenging and heart-breaking reality.

Humor helps. Not that dementia is funny, but having the ability to laugh, to find the lighter side of things in life {no matter how hard you try, or how deep you must dig}, does help ease the pain, the sadness and the frustration that accompanies this affliction of the mind. Continue reading →

Just One Other Passenger

/ Anthea Tripp / 2 Comments

Hi Everyone!  Today is Memorial Day and a fitting day for me to post the first of a series of my Dad’s stories from his WWII days. My Dad served as a pilot in the Fleet Air Arm, a branch of the British Royal Navy.

Just One Other Passenger: by J.A. Shipperlee

Tony - UniformcropWhen a very young, inexperienced, extremely new and junior officer, I was proceeding from the Portsmouth area on a brief visit to Oxford bearing an official rail pass issued by the Navy. Reaching one of the local stations, I found the Basingstoke & London train already at the platform and ready to depart. So I hurried to a 1st Class carriage (as entitled by the 1st class pass), opened the door of one of the six- seat compartments, pushed my case onto the floor and mounted the step into the compartment. Quickly I lifted the case up onto the rack and turned to sit in a spacious, comfortable seat beside a window. Continue reading →

My Tooth Hurty …. Two-thirty!

/ Anthea Tripp / 1 Comment

Just have to share this story!  It’s too good not to!

So our grandson Brandon stopped by for a short visit en route home to California for the summer holidays. Oh my, what a fun four days we all had! We talked and talked and lived completely in the moment…..so busy enjoying our activities and quality time together that we neglected to share our joy  with the rest of the world … just now got pictures up on social media 🙂

FullSizeRenderBack to the story.  We ended our day out yesterday at the Cheesecake Factory to nourish our hungry bodies with some healthy food.  We were getting very “h’angy” … hungry!!  Sorry! It’s an inside joke really – the Tripps don’t fare well on empty stomachs – you might say we get a little gnarly if we go too long without food.  Yes … we chose wisely – grilled salmon, mashed potatoes and broccoli! NO! We did NOT eat dessert. Continue reading →

Take Time Out to “BE”

/ Anthea Tripp / 3 Comments

time to be

Aside from the many treasured moments of being with my elderly parents, one of the reasons I love to return to Dorset, is to give myself a “time-out”. Time out from the everyday “normal” … away from the demands of routine living, a break from the hustle and bustle of self-imposed activity and the endless doing, doing, doing {most of which I admit is self inflicted!}  While there, I’m usually busy assisting my folks, but when I snatch some precious “alone” time to breathe in the tranquility of the peaceful countryside,  I’m reminded how valuable, rewarding {and health promoting} it is to simply BE.  Continue reading →

Parting is NOT Sweet Sorrow

/ Anthea Tripp / 3 Comments

chuckthailandI awaken with a jolt, my eyes adjusting to the darkness, trying to focus on the shapes and shadows in an unfamiliar room, one that doesn’t smell like home. Reality hits hard as consciousness kicks in.  I feel my heart sink as I recall what’s about to happen. My hand wanders slowly, quietly across the bed sheet, looking for a sign of warmth from my husband’s body heat, not wanting to disturb him, searching for his hand, reassurance that he’s still here, tangible proof that he hasn’t left yet. I feel his warm, familiar touch as his strong hand grasps mine in response to my reach. He’s still here…I’ll steal every second I can get, do anything I can to keep him here a little longer. I had sensed he wasn’t sleeping, he’d been as restless as I. I catch a glimpse of the clock/radio in the motel room. It’s one o’clock in the morning. I’m thankful and sad. Thankful we have 3 more hours together, sad that at 4:00 am the alarm will signal it’s time … time to … stop Anthea, don’t think about it. Continue reading →