On a humorous note...

As I have been with my parents this week I have been surprised that declining years and health have only sharpened their sense of humor and ability to reply in one-liners. Perhaps it's old age conserving energy and distilling thoughts into a few words. Here are a few classics to remember.

My sister was driving with my Dad and was thinking how to begin a discussion on his thoughts about having to relocate. She said "Well....." and paused. "That's a deep thought," he interjected.

The day we moved my parents my mother had remained in bed until just before time to leave. She was very weak and we got her up and dressed. She needed to visit the bathroom. I held out my arm and said, "Mother, take my arm and we will pretend we are going to the ball." She looked up and weakly asked with humor in her voice, "Would that be a b-a-w-l or a b-a-l-l?" There was no question which one I had been attending all week long.

That night as we settled my parents into my sister's house we were explaining over and over to my Dad that this was now their new living quarters and he was working to grasp the situation, retaining bits and pieces with each explanation. "So this is our new arrangement now and that other house is done with?" he would ask. Then he would add, "Well, this is a nice retirement center here?" Later he asked my sister, "So do you and Ted own this nice retirement center?" My sister reminded him this was their home. He spent time wandering through all the rooms and said to my sister, "This is a nice building you own here?"

We decided sitting my Dad down at the paper shredder to dispose of all their old documents was a good way to keep him occupied. He has tackled it with vigor. "Is this my new job now that I have retired?" he asked my sister. She told him that yes, this would be his new job. "That's really good," he said, "I've been wondering what my new job is." Never mind he's been retired for 20 years.

The pictures are from Kimberly's wedding reception this summer.