JOAN’S BLOG – TUES./WED., FEBRUARY 3,4, 2009 – AN ACTUAL FUN DAY – AN ACTIVITY WE ENJOYED TOGETHER

It is often difficult to find activities to enjoy with your AD spouse, and this problem is not limited to those who are in the later stages. I find that my husband, who appears to function well, is very leery of new adventures, cannot walk distances because of his diabetic condition, and generally doesn’t seem to know what he wants to do.

We go to movies, outdoor concerts, out to dinner, and to friend’s houses, but we do not actually do any projects together without me giving step by step instructions and dragging him along.

On Monday, we went to a botanical garden to take pictures for my Zazzle products. We each had our own camera, walked along the paths, pointed out different trees, flowers, and animals to each other, and snapped away. The walk was not too much for him, and we had fun watching the ducks and turtles frolic in the water.

Our next venture will be to the zoo. Sid’s camera has an 18 zoom lens, so I am hoping for some terrific animal pictures. And of course, his assignment on the cruise is to make sure he gets plenty of pictures of the Key West sunset.

When we returned home, I put all of the pictures into the computer, and we went over each one together, deciding which were best for my designs.

It was a fun, “normal” day, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Every once in awhile, a day like that comes along, and it is to be embraced, because one never knows if or when it will occur again.

And may I suggest, if your spouse is at a stage in which he/she is able to operate a digital camera, they may enjoy snapping pictures and seeing them instantly in the camera viewer. For those of you in the snow and ice areas, although it’s quite difficult to live in those conditions, the storms yield beautiful pictures. Everyone is always looking for suggestions as to what the early stage spouse can do to keep busy. Let them try photography. We never know what might work.

These are a few of the pictures we took. You can be sure many will be used on my Zazzle products.

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