Typical Tate Girl Conversation….
Momma: Did you bring that thing?
Me: What thing?
Momma: You know that thing we were talking about when that girl was here.
Staci: What girl?
Momma: You know that girl from town who works at that place over by that road next to the church whose husband graduated with Lesa who was talking about that thing for the lake.
Me: When?
Momma: The other day.
Staci: Oh that girl.
Me: Her hair looks really cute these days.
Staci: I think so too.
Me: Yeah, I brought it.
Momma: Good.
Do you wonder if you have Alzheimer’s? Early onset? How early is early? When is it regular? Since I read Still Alice, I’m pretty sure my whole family has it. If we have it together, I guess we won’t even realize it.
Our conversations are often a combination of Charades and Taboo. Our most used words are thing and it. It covers everything.
We have a secret family language, finishing each other’s sentences with no proper nouns, very few adjectives and single syllable words and grunts. Like a secret twin language with hand gestures mixed in for emphasis.
In contrast, my 91 year old mother-in-law can recall details with amazing clarity. She knows the value of each of her stocks to the penny and buys and sells when she sniffs out a good deal. She recommends stock to us along with the best deals at the grocery store. She doles out my father-in-law’s medication like a highly skilled pharmacist…half a pill at 10:00; one pill at lunch; two pills at 2:00; one and a half at supper; one after the first full moon. She never seems to struggle to find a word.
My father-in-law, at 90, has memory problems and repeats his favorite ten stories like an album soundtrack. WWII – when John was born – first driving experience – car wreck – new shoes….repeat….
The mind is an amazing thing.
talya
Musical Pairings:
When I’m Sixty-Four – The Beatles (ok this is NOT that old….)
“At some point, there would simply be no point. ” – Lisa Genova, Still Alice
Like the swim caps but perhaps the aforementioned conversation was a result of the tight fit of caps. Synchronized swimming coming soon. Go USA! 🙂
No it happens regardless of hair accessories.
I was talking to a friend and neither of us could retrieve the word and so she said, “Well, we know what we mean”!
When I Googled early onset of Alzheimer’s a while back, it said that it isn’t so much that you can’t find your glasses but that you don’t even remember that you wear glasses! So, at this point, I think I am still okay! Paula Larson
good point!
It happens! We usually know what the other one is going to say before they say it so we answer before the question is completed. Make sense? Like, “where is my”?…. “on the counter” or “have you seen my”?….”last time I saw it, it was on the table”
Oh, god. Your mother is my mother. We have conversations that go like this:
Mama: Do you know old man White?
Me: No.
Mama: Well, you know his granddaughter, right?
Me: What’s her name?
Mama: She’s married to that Smith boy from Akron.
Me: I don’t know anyone named Smith from Akron.
Mama: Well, I think you went to kindergarten with his younger brother.
Me [thinking, oh, sure…]: Okay. What about him?
Mama: Well, he died.
Me: I guess I’m sorry to hear that.
Yup the same. Can you imagine the conversations our mothers have together?