My mother-in-law is ninety-two years old, and getting a little… fuzzy in the memory department. I found this list from her caregiver, Mary, with these life lessons:

Here are a few things that Ms. E has learned:

• The hand held telephone will not change the TV Channel, nor does it have a mute button.
• If you tease the cat with your sock and then put it on your foot, the cat will bite it.
• The TV remote does not work very well after being in the freezer overnight.
• Fully used toilet paper that is placed in the trashcan beside the toilet will make the bathroom stink.
• If you are going to set up the coffee maker for the next morning, it works better if you grind the coffee beans first.

Here is the most important thing that I have learned:

Never ever bring any of these things to Ms. E’s attention.

I hadn’t realized it was so long since I posted. From my Facebook posting:

So we come to the end of another year, on the Grrrrrgorian calendar (Gregorian, for those without dogs). For some reason, my brain keeps thinking “Julian” calendar, mostly because I feel very julienned by this year. Some of the bits were cooked to perfection, some left too raw, and a few, blessed few, fried beyond recognition. The rest? Comfortably done.

So starts a new year, with new beginnings. From Semisonic’s song, Closing Time, comes the wonderful line “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” Let’s see what kind of beginnings 2010 brings.