Where Do I Start?

I am an instructor at a local private university ... an instructor in Gerontology.

I have a law degree.

So how did I go from talking about personal jurisdiction and writs of habeas corpus to talking about coping mechanism and primary caregivers, advanced directives and Alzheimer's Disease?

Well, the short answer is: I was asked.

The long answer starts with my great Aunt Fern. I was raised in a family that was the primary caregiver of my Aunt Fern. My Dad was her POA and he was the son she never had. He meant the world to her, and it was always readily apparent that Aunt Fern preferred my Dad to anyone else in the world. She wouldn't listen to my Mom, or really anyone .... If it didn't come from Dad's mouth, it didn't mean anything to her.

I was young when I met her. She lived in a suburb of Cleveland, and we would drive over to visit with her and take her to her favorite restaurant. And there was one thing about Aunt Fern that everyone knew about her: she LOVED her dessert. It didn't matter that she left most of her meal on her plate. She went for dessert, each and every time. And it normally was pie. She loved pie. (Really, who doesn't love pie)?

Aunt Fern had a monkey. Yes, a monkey. Pedro was his name. I never knew him, but as he was described, I think I was one of the lucky ones. Pedro wore a diaper, and he was a mean old cuss.

Aunt Fern had taken pilot lessons. I don't think she ever completed those lessons as she had a disease called Wilson's Disease. I didn't know anything about except for the fact that Aunt Fern couldn't see or hear worth a hoot. That fact was either a source of frustration for her or of humor.

So as I grew older, I grew to appreciate Aunt Fern that much more. Eventually my Dad moved her to our hometown where she lived the rest of her days. She owned a condo, and lived across the street from a man who she secretly loved to death. She perked up every time Bob would bring her mail to her.

So .... fast forward some 10 odd years and here I am, teaching classes in Gerontology. I enjoy it. It is a subject that I fine insanely interesting, and one that is evolving on a daily basis.

It is also a subject in which I live .... with my parents now 70 years old, I am living the very things I am teaching. This blog is talk about it, to discuss it with myself (and any readers I might pick up along the way ... if I do). There are many stories, between my parents and Aunt Fern. These are stories that I want to tell so I have this electronic accounting of those memories before those memories fade into nothingness.

Hopefully it will be interesting and educational at times. If anything, there will be some laughs.

So... here I am ... living the world about which I am teaching young minds. I am what I teach.... and I teach what I am.

A little Popeye-ish, yes.