Soybean quilt

The last year my neighbor rented my front field, he used it as a soybean demonstration plot. You can see that each variety yielded a slightly different shade of golden brown. (Probably more visible if you click for big.) I wish I was better at quilting, because in my mind I envision a quilt wall hanging when I see this.

When the neighbor planted this that spring, he parked in my driveway to load the seed. Mom walked down the driveway to see what was going on, and talked to him for a bit. The neighbor hadn't met Mom before, so I walked down after her to explain that she had AD, so if whatever she had said didn't make sense (and it probably didn't), that was why. She continued on to the mailbox, checked it, and then walked back to the house.

I spoke to the neighbor for a bit. He said that he and his brothers had started to wonder (worry?) about their Mom. I implored him, rather emotionally, and passionately, and forcefully, I think, to please, please get it checked out. Don't be like my family and be in denial for so long and heaven forbid actually talk about it. That is one guilt I will carry with me all of my days.

Fast forward to late November. It was an abnormally warm day, and Mom was out walking to the mailbox, as usual. She usually walked to the mailbox, looked inside, and then walked back to the house. Sometimes she forgot to make the turn, and kept walking down the road, so I always watched from the yard to make sure she was coming back. This time, there was somebody pushing a stroller up the road, and Mom started walking with them. I assumed it was the neighbor girl (she had a small baby) that sat with Mom, because she just waved when she saw me in the yard. I figured, ok, she doesn't mind Mom tagging along, that's great. They walked up the road a bit, turned around, and started walking back. I walked out the driveway to meet them, because Mom probably would want to just continue walking with her, and wouldn't understand to come down the driveway. As I got closer, I realized it wasn't the neighbor girl at all, but the wife of the neighbor that rents the field. (She had her little yorkie in the stroller!)

I apologized, and explained who I thought she was. She just laughed and said she didn't mind at all, she enjoyed having Mom with her.

Then, she thanked me. She said that the family had talked it all out, got their Mom to the doctor, and she had started on Aricept. It had made the world of difference for her. She said that the wives of all the brothers had been pushing for them to do something, but it took hearing it from an experienced, non-interested third-party for them to take action. My impassioned plea to her husband had really sunk in. So, she thanked me.

I was happy to hear that at least some good had come from my family's experience.