Alzheimer's: It's close to my heart

     Going from strong to frail is difficult to look at, seeing your family member laid off is another. This is a small story I decided to do about my grandfather and mother August of this year.
     My grandfather Francis Drake, 86, has be diagnosed with Alzheimer's, since in January 2007. My mother, Suzanne Walker, 50, was layed off in February and now spends most of her time taking care of him.
     I remember two things about my granfather that have always made me laugh. In his youth he wanted to be a photographer, but since he couldn't spell "photography" when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, he could spell "engineer."  So, "engineer" is what he became. The other is that he always lied about his age, always.
     As for my mother, she's always had a loving heart. Now we could all say that about our mothers, but if you met her you would understand. But her loving nature these days have become something deeper.
     These days she's an "informal caregiver."
     A position 19 million other Americans can proclaim as they care for a parent or grandparent 75 or older, she's now a part of something I've only read about.

Visiting once or twice a week, she comes as much as she can between going back to college and taking care of her mother, my grandmother. 

Bringing her Yorkshire terrier around the facility, he even falls asleep with my grandfather during visits.

Making sure he's comfortable, she does what she can with little help, except from the nursing home that is now his home.

Vigil honors victims of earthquake

Dated May 20, 2008 for The Independent Florida Alligator

Harsh winds couldn’t extinguish the flames blazing from a couple hundred candlewicks at a Friday night vigil held to honor victims of an earthquake that hit the Sichuan Province of China on May 12.

The vigil, hosted by the Friendship Association of Chinese Students and Scholars, a non-profit student organization, took place at the Reitz Union Amphitheater.

About 250 students, faculty and Gainesville residents attended the ceremony and observed 30 seconds of silence to honor victims of the earthquake, both living and dead.

Since a 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck the southwest province of China May 12, the death toll has risen to about 35,000, and about 245,000 people have been injured.

UF President Bernie Machen spoke to the crowd beside a large heart illuminated by individual white candles placed front and center of the amphitheater.

“We grieve with them,” Machen said. “Indeed, all of us in America have suffered a great loss because the Chinese are our great friends.”

Members of the association are still seeking donations after collecting about $10,000 since Wednesday afternoon, said Jiawei Zhang, the club’s vice president.

All proceeds will be donated to the Chinese Red Cross, said Weitao Li, president to the Chinese Red Cross, said Weitao Li also encouraged students to give donations to the Chinese Consulate General in New York City or to Mercy Corps.

Long Yu, a chemistry graduate student, is one of many students who donated money in support of earthquake relief, accumulating roughly $1,100 in donations during the week from his own pocket.

“At this point, we’re not caring about money but hope,” Yu said.

“Life is so invaluable.”

Jiangyan Xu, an engineering graduate student, attended the vigil because he feels close to those who share is culture and dialect. He did not lose friends or family in the earthquake.

“We’re lucky people we know survived,” Xu said.

Weifeng Liu, an electrical and computer engineering graduate student, had no family affected by the earthquake but donated $20 on Thursday at the Ching Oriental Market.

“It’s a dark and emotional moment for the whole country,” Liu said. “We hope more people can help.”

Saving Lives From the Air

Photo for The North Florida Herald
FULL story at www.highspringsherald.com/articles/2009/08/27/news/news16.txt

With well-wishes from Obama himself, color guard horses arrive at Alachua farm

FULL story at www.highspringsherald.com/articles/2009/08/14/news/news02.txt
One of the two horses from the color guard in Colorado pushes for another carrot at the Mill Creek Farm in Alachua. The farm is the new home for the horses.

Small Farmer Joys & Woes

FULL story at www.highspringsherald.com/articles/2009/08/14/news/news02.txt
High Springs resident Dennis Mycoff feeds the goats on his farm, which is also home to horses, roosters, and hens. Mycoff is classified by the state as a small farmer, and a recent study showed the challenges being faced by farmers like Mycoff.

Bird-watching continues to be major outdoor activity in yards, at parks

Story dated August 20, 2009 FULL story at www.highspringsherald.com/articles/2009/08/20/news/news08.txt

A little 'Dabb' goes a long way- she's now 105 years old


Story and photos at www.highspringsherald.com/articles/2009/08/06/news/news01.txt

FORT WHITE -- With a smile that could light up a room, Phyllis Dabb celebrated her 105th birthday July 24. She was born in 1904.



“I used to have red hair,” she said. “But now, I’m platinum blond.”



Dabb, who lives in Fort White, has not lost her sense of humor. 


“I still have a redhead’s disposition,” she said. “They can change the color of my hair, but not a redhead’s disposition.”



Born before the Ford Model T, she rode a horse bareback to school in central Illinois during a time in U.S. history when there were many fewer highways than exist today.

And she grew up as the oldest of two sisters.

“I don’t know how I did it,” she said. “But here I am.”



She’s not who she was 80 years ago, but her heart is. And with a fresh face for the world around her, she said, “I’ve enjoyed life.”



“I love it.”

She said she certainly has her up days and her down days. But she deals with it.

“You do the best you can with what you have,” she said.


She enjoys sweets, chocolate and cinnamon buns. Sitting on her recliner holding a chocolate treat given to her for her birthday, she joked, “Breakfast in bed.”


She took care of animals all her life and enjoyed herself.


“Just have fun,” she said. “I like to have fun.”


She lived a life out of a movie. Her husband worked on a Navy aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean. She, however, lived “in a suit case.”


Her grandfather taught her how to read and write and she lived in a world where one teacher taught every grade until high school. She was a daddy’s girl who could ride anything on a farm.


And she danced in the Trianon dance club in Chicago as a teenager.


She graduated from Northwestern University in Chicago, not expecting to get married, but she did. Married in World War II, she lived out of a suitcase and followed her husband wherever he was stationed in the Navy.


“I couldn’t keep a job,” she said.


When she was married, she smoked.
“Everyone did,” she said.



But that didn’t last long. After realizing tar was going down her throat, she stopped.

“We can’t realize how wonderful our bodies are,” she said. “It even works when we sleep.”



One the things she remembers as a child is that her mother taught her never to abuse her body.



“They are doing everything to a beautiful machine,” Dabb said of people who abuse their bodies.



She now lives with her companion, Jasper, a 15-year-old Dotson.



“He’s 105, too,” she said, joking. “He’s the oldest one I’ve ever had.”



Dabb owned the dog’s mother when she bred Dotsons and participated in the birth of Jasper.


“All he wants to do is get on my lap,” she said. “He’s my pal now.”



With 105 years of experience under her belt, she’s had a colorful life. She came from Illinois to Miami when Miami wasn’t a booming city. She can speak Latin and wishes she had taken Spanish.



“I love Spanish,” she said.



Now at her age, she has challenges



“(At) 105, nothing works anymore,” she said. “Don’t get old.”



But Dabb still has her memory. One relative, Jan Beets, said Dabb remembers the conversations about the Civil War between her grandfather and uncles.



“(It) blows my mind,” Beets said.



She enjoys picking Dabb’s brain.



“She has the most amazing stories,” Beets said.



Beets said she remembers Dabb’s stories about living in the 1920s.



“Can you imagine driving down to Florida from Illinois the way the roads weren’t paved,” Beets said. “It took guts. She had moxi.”