Visit from Violet

This week my grandma, Violet, came to visit. Violet Grace was named after Violet Marie. Here you can see Violet Grace being treated like a baby by Great Grandma. Violet certainly doesn't mind the extra attention.

Grandma has Alzheimer's disease, but we are fortunate because it is still in an early stage. She has no problem remembering who and where she is. She mostly talks about childhood memories. She had a difficult time remembering the season this visit. She was convinced that winter was coming soon. She often repeats herself, but we don't mind. I think Vi enjoyed the repetitiveness of her questions such as "What do you think Grandpa's doing right now" or Vi's favorite question "What do you think Grandma's kitty is doing right now." Violet knows how to answer this question, "See sayin meow, meow, meow". Since her AD isn't too far along we can laugh at and ignore the little things like: my comb is missing, the bathroom sink doesn't always get shut-off, we have a large supply of "rolls" (pastries) because Grandma likes a "little roll with her coffee," she mistook a small flashlight from our nightstand drawer for her own, and Violet came up to me and said, "What's this Momma - candy?" when she found one of Grandma's pills on the floor. It is fun and we enjoy having her around.

Grandma has lived on a farm her entire life. She has had very limited interactions with people of different races or cultures. Yesterday we played outside with our neighbors, and it was neat to watch interactions between Grandma and our friends. The little boy below in the blue stripes was particularly intrigued by Grandma. I looked over and he was standing by her holding her hand and looking at it. It was really sweet and it was probably a first for Grandma. I wish I could've got a picture of his little hand in hers.

This is a picture of Jasmine, our new neighbor. She lives next door with her mom, dad, and 4 siblings. We have really enjoyed them in the few weeks they have lived here, and Violet loves Jasmine.

Here is a picture of Violet with a Gameboy. It belongs to one of the neighborhood kids and they are great about sharing. I was noticing yesterday how generous they are, and I thought it was interesting. I have always had more than I need and have held very tightly and been very protective of my possessions, but many of these kids have little and are very willing to share.

One of our favorite activities when Great Grandma comes to visit is putting together puzzles. Sometimes I am not sure what to do to keep her busy and this seems to help fill time when she doesn't feel that there is a task for her. Also, it is fun to work on together in the evenings. Violet liked the idea of the puzzle although she wasn't much of a help.

I will post again soon with more Anara updates.