(August 3, 2013 at 4:37 pm)whateverist Wrote: My father-in-law just died a year ago a few days shy of 97. He built a house on land which has since gone back to the Point Reyes National Seashore in a small community of about 12 houses where he and his wife were the only full time residents. He always made a vegetable garden every year and when we visited we'd gather either peas or italian beans for dinner from his garden while he grilled whatever was for dinner. He also supervised the harvesting of the trees which would fall blocking the mile and an eighth access road in, and he drove around with a chainsaw in the back of his truck to clear the way as necessary right up until he moved to town when he turned 90. While he was there he bought and restored an old Monterey fishing boat and acquired a fishing license. He caught crab and salmon, sadly, before I met his daughter. A few years after moving to town, his brain started to fail. A waitress at his favorite restaurant got us aside to tell us he was coming in three times in a day to order lunch. That and he was becoming annoying repetitious in his story telling. Guess that is what we have to look forward to if nothing gets us sooner.
That's the way I want to go. Robust health and a sharp mind until the last little, tiny part of my life. Then a rapid decline ending in death a few months later.
I don't want to get dementia and linger for years not recognizing my children. The idea horrifies me. If I lose my mind just put me down.
Everything I needed to know about life I learned on Dagobah.
