╨╧рб▒с>■  ')■   &                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                ье┴M Ё┐╪bjbjт=т= "АWАW╪      lиииииии╝bbbb n ╝a╢ЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖртттттт$ 7TиЖЖЖЖЖFииЖЖFFFЖ иЖиЖрFЖрFЪFриирЖz !JbЕN╞╝жbР"рр10aрЛ▓ФЛрF╝╝ииии┘Home Sweet Home By Dianne Collier Do we get forgetful as we get older or is it a family trait that is passed from one generation to another? Blaming it on СwhateverТ doesnТt alleviate the frustrating feeling when youТve forgotten something you knew five minutes ago. I like to think that neither of the above applies, that we are just cramming too much into our memory bank and are recalling more than one thing at a time Ц thus creating a Сroad blockТ. Take last week when I was preparing to go to town Ц I couldnТt find my glasses. Yes, you might chuckle - but we all wear glasses because our eyesight is not 100% so if you donТt remember where you put them, using your less than perfect eyesight to find them can be an exercise in frustration. The normal routine has me putting on my glasses as I slip my feet into slippers first thing in the morning. ItТs as automatic as getting out of bed. But on this particular day I was in a rush to get ready for my trip to town and somewhere along the way to preparing for the day, I removed my glasses. When everything was in place, I started the car with my remote, put on my boots, gathered the list of things I had to do while I was in Pembroke and, as I thought of something else I needed to add to the list, I discovered my glasses were among the missing. This resulted in a search of all the usual places IТve left my glasses in the past Ц and I searched three times but still came up empty-handed. In sheer frustration I sat down, mentally slowed myself down and retraced my steps from getting up to getting ready. Thankfully, it worked and I recalled taking my glasses off to powder my face Ц and my compact was in my purse Ц there sat my glasses just waiting to be discovered. Am I getting forgetful? I donТt think so. IТm just one of those people who needs to concentrate fully on one thing at a time as when I try to multi-task, something is usually overlooked. As I rushed out the door anxious to start my day I recalled a similar experience many years ago Ц before wrinkles, before gray hair, before my 30th birthday. A friend had dropped over for a visit in the morning. We hadnТt seen each other in a while so had a lot to catch up on. Knowing she was coming, I hurried through my morning chores and tidied up the kitchen as best I could. I wanted to spend all my time enjoying her company. Downhomers are famous for their hospitality and the kitchen is usually the most popular gathering place. I always offer my guests some refreshments as soon as they enter my home and on this particular morning she and I gravitated to the kitchen as I prepared to make a pot of tea. Only problem was I couldnТt find my teapot. That was most unusual, as it is usually kept on the stove Ц ready to be used at a minuteТs notice. While we chatted I searched the kitchen looking for the teapot. Annoyance was replaced with frustration, as I was perplexed at not finding my teapot Ц an item I use daily. Not only was I embarrassed, but also I had to acknowledge to my guest that I couldnТt serve her the cup of tea IТd just offered, but would she like a cold drink instead. She was gracious in her response although I suspect she was wondering if IТd really Сlost itТ. However, we both discovered I hadnТt lost anything. When I opened the fridge to get her cold drink, there sat my teapot Ц looking decidedly out of place. I had no memory of placing it there but I like to think in my haste to tidy up, I was multi-tasking and on overload. The morale to this story is that if I ever lose my glasses again, the first place IТll look is in my purse and the next time I canТt find the teapot, IТll start searching in the fridge. IТve also learned that my age has nothing to do with my forgetfulness Ц I was born that way! $ & ╪¤H*#$╩╦єЇ( ) ╘ ╒ G H бв╛┐╪¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤╪¤ 1Рh░╨/ ░р=!░а"░а#Ра$Ра%░ i8@ё 8 NormalCJ_HaJmH sH tH <A@Є б< Default Paragraph Font╪    #$╩╦єЇ()╘╒G H б в ╛ ┐ ┌Ш0ААШ0ААШ0ААШ0ААШ0ААШ0ААШ0ААШ0ААШ0ААШ0ААШ0ААШ0ААШ0ААШ0ААШ0ААШ0ААШ0ААШ0ААШ0АА╪ ╪ ╪ ┌в # & M ┌3 UVop "/Ю ж Q ] ╛ ╞ ╩ ╩ Ц ╓╫┌  mom`C:\Documents and Settings\MOM\Application Data\Microsoft\Word\AutoRecovery save of Document2.asdmomD:\Articles\forgetful.docmomD:\Articles\forgetful.docMOM$D:\Webpages\salute-web\forgetful.doc @А№Иr╪P@  Unknown            GРЗz А Times New Roman5РАSymbol3&Р Зz А Arial"ёИЁ╨hW║гЖW║гЖ%= $Ёааx┤ВВ202ГЁ  Home Sweet HomemomMOM■ рЕЯЄ∙OhлС+'│┘0hРШ░╝╚╘рЁ № $ 0 <HPX`фHome Sweet HomeomemomomomNormaleMOM2MMicrosoft Word 9.0@@·зIЕN╞@·зIЕN╞%= ■ ╒═╒Ь.УЧ+,∙о0№ hpАИРШ аи░╕ └ ▄фtreveэ Home Sweet Home Title ■   ■   ■    !"#$%■   ¤   (■   ■   ■                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Root Entry         └F!JbЕN╞*А1Table            WordDocument        "SummaryInformation(    DocumentSummaryInformation8            CompObj    jObjectPool            !JbЕN╞!JbЕN╞            ■                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           ■       └FMicrosoft Word Document MSWordDocWord.Document.8Ї9▓q