My neighbor has Parkinson's. He now spends all of his time in a hospital bed, with caregivers on site and on call. A former librarian, he is one of the kindest, gentlest people I know. With cats coming in and out of his room and hopping on the bed at will, he is settling into his hospice regime. But that doesn't mean he is in any way out of it. On Boxing Day I came by with my traditional offering--a coffee cake my mother used to bake for every major holiday. The recipe makes enough for two coffee cakes, and while of course one could simply cut the recipe in half, it's more fun (and neighborly) to make an extra. Tom looked fairly comfortable and was glad to see me. (As was his black cat, who appreciated the visit and got some nice pets and scritches while I was there.) We got to talking--he is looking for someone to come and read to him aloud. In the old days, we would see him walking to his job at the library, often balancing several books on his head just for fun. He's...
A blog about travel and staying put, reading and writing, food and food for thought.