2010 was an eventful year. Mom died on March 13. It was for the best. Her alzheimers was getting worse and worse. Last Christmas 2009, I wrote a reminder email to myself to be opened 2 days before Christmas 2010. I reminded myself not to bring her to our christmas eve gift opening because she just did'nt know what was going on. She did not really appreciate the gifts she gave (I got them for her to give) or received.
But also she was bad off physically. She fell down at the beginning of the year and ended up at the Blair House nursing home where she got an intestinal flu and dehydrated. Her final days were incoherent reminding me of my dads last days 10 years earlier.
The nursing home was an eye opener to me. I realized why my mom dreaded it so much. It is a place where people are kept alive waiting and hoping to die. So sad. I will do whatever I can to avoid being placed in a nursing home. Our health care system keeps persons alive longer than they should and the final days are often spent in pain and with little dignity. More on that in a future blog.
But I digress. 2010 was also eventful because I made my first trip to Hawai. This was Malle's 3rd visit. What a wonderful place so beautiful. I'm so glad that we played golf because that is one of the best ways to see the beauty of tropical Hawai. Although when we landed on the Big Island from Oahu, I thought we landed on the moon. The area around the airport was pitch black for miles and miles to the ocean. I soon figured out that it was lava which had accumulated over the years from various volcanic erruptions. But it was also very beautiful especially in contract to the blue ocean and the green tropical foliage beyond.
Malle and I took a helicopter ride(our first) to the famous Kiluaia Volcano. It was exciting and interesting and beautiful especially watching the steam created as the lava flowed into the ocean.
The 3rd and 4th memorable event(s) of 2010 was the loss of our cat Midnight and dog Penney. I had the unenviable job of bringing each of them in 2 separate trips to the vet to be put down. I cried. They were such an integrel part of our family for so long. Pen was the best dog I ever had. But I could no longer watch her walk around bumping into things. At the end she was blind. And Midnight was not much better. She had trouble climbing onto our couch. You could see her pain.
In January, we went to Vas Vegas. Played some golf and saw Bette Midler perform at Ceasers Palace
In early March we went to Arizona for a few days to a Caremark Confernece at the Gainey Ranch.
In April we went on our annual trip to Myrtle Beach to play lots of golf.
July took us to Detroit to visit brother in law Jack whose health has been failing. He just had a pacemaker placed in his chest. We also stopped in St Catherines, Ontario to visit Malle's cousins. It was nice to get to know Ronnie, Malle's brother, and Mariann, his wife. Really enjoyed their company
During the last week of July, we played a golf tournament in Maine with some friends from Tewksbury.
Malle went to Chicago in August but not with me. In mid-august we returned to Myrtle Beach for one week to play some serious golf in the heat.
Oh and last but not least, business was much better in 2010 compared to 2009 - about twice as good.
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