The Tonga Hut Band, Palm Springs, California 2020

 This is the week Pat and I were scheduled to be in Palm Springs, California for Modernist Week. 

Pat and I have been making this two week winter getaway to Palm Springs for three years now. Little did we know last year at this time, when we made our airline and VRBO reservations for this year, that the worldwide COVID pandemic would upend all our plans. Even if it wasn't for the pandemic, I couldn't have made the trip anyway because I have to devote my total attention to caregiving for Bill at this time of his life. 

The video above was made at the Tonga Hut Tiki Bar in downtown Palm Springs last year on February 16th, 2020. Pat discovered that band while he was walking around North Palm Canyon Drive, the main drag in downtown Palm Springs, during one of my afternoon naps. We had a front row seat that late Thursday afternoon to this fabulous band. What a great time we had that afternoon. We enjoyed it so much we came back that night to get more. Of course it was more crowded then but we waited until we got another seat on the second floor balcony overlooking North Palm Canyon Drive in downtown Palm Springs. We also met and made some good friends with other visitors to Palm Springs who were also enjoying this band. Little did I realize at that time how much my life and the world would change in a year. 

Talking to Pat this morning on FaceTime (which I do several times a day), we pledged to return to Palm Springs someday, hopefully next year. I still haven't given up the possibility of someday permanently retiring to Palm Springs, with Pat of course. 

The first time we visited Palm Springs, on the advice of Nadege (another good California friend of ours we met through this blog), both Pat and I knew we have found something special.  Now I know why so many celebrities and just regular folks like us retire to Palm Springs. And of course Palm Springs has a large, older (mostly men, not women like her in the Rehoboth Beach area where I live now) men. 

With Bill's medical condition now that he needs a caregiver, the thought has crossed my mind that perhaps someday I will need a caregiver. I would rather have a caregiver living in Palm Springs than here in a cold February Delaware. I love my home here in Delaware and all the "things" I've accumulated over the past seventy-nine years of my life (especially my artwork), but when my time comes, I want to end my days in a comfortable environment with minimal help from a caregiver. 

In the meantime, I look forward to next year. 

Pat and me in sunny Palm Springs last year during more carefree times

Caregiver Ron

Today I made the transition to a new role.  I am now an official caregiver.

I've been easing into this role for a few years now. Today was the first time I accompanied Bill to a medical visit and identified myself as a caregiver.  I was pleasantly surprised that I was accepted as Bill's caregiver immediately.  

Regular blog readers know that Bill failed his driver's license test last month.  He failed the eye test.  I took him for an eye examination and they found he has cataracts.  He has to have them removed in order to get his driver's license back.

Bill is hard of hearing.  Bill also has a harder time as he has aged for retaining information he receives from his medical visits.  Too often he has come back from a visit to his doctor with confusing information.  He answer is usually to say "the hell with it."  I can't let him do that anymore.  

Bill will turn 88 years old in two weeks.  He has been in remarkably good health for the most of his life including the fifty-two years we have been together.  We have both been very lucky with our health.  However time marches on and health issues are inevitable.

Thus I sat with him today during his pre cataract surgery examination.  He was thankful and I felt good.  Bill has taken care of me for most of my adult life and now it is my turn to take care of him. I am thankful I can do this.