Sarah and Emma were here last week. Matthew and Jordan spent some nights with us too. One day we went to a parishioner's farm where the kids fished and canoed in the pond. Our dogs enjoyed the pond too.

In an e-mail, Steve said, "For some reason I can't make comments on your blog." I'm sure it can be set up for responses, but I don't know how to do it. Not sure I want to yet. Apparently there is a way for readers to try to make contact through a site www.contactprivacy.com which allows a reader to send a message to the owner of a domain name. The owner then can send an e-mail to the reader if he wants to. I have received one about the Dispatch article that I haven't responded to. Also, a couple people have asked reporter, Rita Price, how to contact me. She forwarded the messages to me, but didn't tell anyone my e-mail address. I haven't responded to them. Not sure I will - and I'm not sure why I'm not sure. Another woman took a more direct approach and called me on the phone. I don't suppose that would be hard to do, since the name of this place was in the article. We talked for several minutes. Her husband, who had Alzheimers, had died in June.

Summer 2010: Jack

Here are a few picture of Jack....kids grow up so fast!

I have read the 23 comments related to the Dispatch article. It took me a while to access some of them yesterday and again today. I don't know how long comments are available after the original publication date. I had wondered if someone would object to going public with such a story, and one woman did raise that question. I think it's legitimate, and one I raised very early in what I put on the web. Would Mom want me to write about her? I repeated that question to the reporter and she mentioned it in her story. I actually believe if Mom and I had ever discussed such an eventuality - one of us getting Alzheimers and the other writing about it - she would have opted for privacy. I probably would have also. But now I think differently. When people get to know more about how others deal with such things, they may be better able to deal with them, if and when their turns come. I don't believe there's any one approach that will fit all situations. I once heard a wise statement about approaching human relations problems. The speaker said to successfully treat, say a case of scarlett fever, a doctor had to know a lot about medicine, a lot about that particular disease and a lot about that particular case. He also had to know a lot about humans and a lot about that particular human. You could apply the same reasoning to a case of Alzheimers. So far, having observed behaviors of many with the disease as well as that of their loved ones, I'm sure my approach wouldn't work in some, maybe none, of the cases. If it would in one or more, writing about it is worthwhile.

Rita Price had told me the piece would appear today, but my eyes popped when I saw it at the top of the front page with THE LAST SONG in big capital letters. I think the story and the photos are award-winning material - not because they're about Mom and me, but because of the way it was written and the unique way the photographer captured the scene. The use of the big mirror added a third dimension in a very creative way. One was at the top and across most of the page. I think Rita told the story with a certain spirit that reflected a deep understanding of life situations - feeling the content as she writes it, something that goes way beyond regular reporting.

Rita Price, Dispatch reporter, called today and said she's pretty sure the story she wrote will be in Monday's paper (7/5). You can see it at www.dispatch.com Most of you probably know more than I do about how to navigate such a site. If you have problems, she said she could provide a specific link. She said "the editors" liked what she had written. She also described some shots the photographer had captured, but didn't know which might be in the published piece.

Had an interesting experience today. Yesterday, Rita Price, a Columbus Dispatch reporter called me. She had heard about, and read the website. Wanted to visit Mom and me. So she came to 600 this morning, came back here with me for a while, then came back to 600 at noon with a photographer. He took pictures before and during lunch. I have no idea what might get into print or when, but I'd guess it will be sometime this weekend. I'll let you know and if the article will be available on the web.