A Saturday visit to Germantown

This is my great Aunt Pearl and my great Uncle Herb (my mom's only brother.) This was taken on a day trip that we took with them back about five years. We drove up to Amish country in Montello and listened to both of them relate the many memories they both had of that area. That was long before Pearl developed Alzheimers. Now she can hardly remember her dearest loved ones, let alone Montello and the Amish memories. Yesterday we visited them in their new home. After spending 70 years of married life in their home here in Watertown, my cousin (their only son) moved them to an apartment in Sussex two years ago. The apartment was located just across the courtyard from my cousin and his wife's apartment. It was a bittersweet move, but a necessary move since the ravages of old age had begun to set in on both of them. Physically for Herb, but mentally for Pearl. After two years in Sussex, the care for Pearl became too stressful for my cousin and his wife, so it became time for the next step which is a nursing home. Herb did not need a nursing home, but because he would not leave his lovely wife of almost 72 years, they went together to a nursing home in Germantown. They both live on the Memory Care wing even though again, Herb would not need to be there, but love does that to people, I guess. Isn't Memory Care a nice term for a unit of Alzheimers victims? I found it to be comforting to the loved ones. My grandma lived in two different nursing homes with her Alzheimers and I will say this one is much more welcoming and pleasant than either of hers were. Maybe it just shows that people have come a long way in 20 years to caring for those with Alzheimers.

Anyway, we found this nursing home to be a very nice place if you have to spend anytime in a nursing home which I pray to God, I never have to!

After our visit, we took a "ride." We stopped at the only covered bridge left in Wisconsin. We knew that mom would enjoy seeing this bridge since we had stopped here as kids with her and my dad. My brother refused to walk on the bridge, he was scared of things like that as a little kid. Funny memories.

Here is my mom reading up on the history of the covered bridge in the exact area where my brother Kevin walked away from the entrance of the bridge.

We also drove up to Holy Hill on our way home. Many childhood memories of this beautiful place, too. Luckily we still have all of our memories intact, but you never know when the day might come where we might not recall all these happy times.

When we got back to Watertown, we met my brother at Bismark's, a local bar and eatery. We had a few beers to celebrate the successful day trip and to toast our memories of Herb and Pearl and happier times for them. We also toasted them on their 72nd wedding anniversary which they will celebrate together on Thursday at the nursing home. Maybe, just maybe, God will grant Pearl the ability to remember something of that wonderful wedding day so many years ago.

Happy Anniversary Pearl and Herb!