A Yard Quilt of Memory
When one is younger, she (I give the preference to “she” because I can’t speak for men) doesn’t really consider memory, because she doesn’t have many memories in her cognitive vault. She’ll build them over a lifetime, with some being wonderful and some (hopefully not too many) painful. My friend, Jackie Damian, once spoke about…
Burial at Berry….
It was as still as could be in Berry Cemetery (yes, someone knew that name would get a reaction), off a dirt road in Denmark, Maine, where I’d gone this past Saturday, in June, to be part of the funeral assembly for my latest cousin who’d gone the route of Alzheimer’s. The sound of the…
Paul Wesley Gates and Colleen Mellor Marry After 33 Years
Mark Patinkin, a top journalist at Rhode Island’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Providence Journal, interviewed me and wrote up Paul’s and my story about our wedding this past December 16, 2023. He found our story intriguing—the kind in which others would be interested. We were 83 and 78 years of age and we’d been together in an…
Soon, friends…Soon…
Az and Me: A Partner’s Journey with Alzheimer’s Two years of writing this….Countless hours editing…Knowledge acquired over 10 years as sole caregiver to my husband who has Alzheimer’s…many months of working with others who graciously gave me their time in support of a project they believe in (helping those who are caregivers for the cognitively…
Humor’s a Big Winner in Boomerrrang
The photo is my guest talk at Westminster Unitarian before 3 realtor groups. I’ve been out there, talking up my new book, Boomerrrang, and in all my talks, there’s great interest. People tell me they LOVE the humor. (See the reviews of “Boomerrrang: The Amazing Journey…” on Amazon.) I’m thrilled they’re enjoying my guest-speaking, because…
Vets’ Families Leave the Benefits Behind
Did you know that 58% of all vet families do not apply for—or get—death benefits for their deceased veteran? (A situation I hope to change in “Az and Me: A Partner’s Journey with Alzheimer’s” bc I offer all sorts of tips to families on ALL topics (not just military). ***Many of my generation (70-95+) were…







