SEUSS ONCE ADVISED, “YOU’VE GOT BRAINS IN YOUR HEAD. You have and feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.” Not if you have rocks in your head. Since I was a boy, my mother said I had rocks in my head; now after decades, they are literally calcifying, obstructing signals to the brain. Early-onset Alzheimer’s will do that. I’ve always been a good rainmaker, the art of inducing precipitation, in this case, generating puddles for the family to pay bills, but of late, the signals are crossing. While I was never an exemplary steward, I’m spending money today in odd ways, at times like a drunken sailor. At doctors’ directive, I’ve turned all my credit cards over to my wife, who along with my faithful sister Lauren, an accountant-type, views all my online bank and debit-card statements daily to make sure nothing is awry. Surprises were occurring regularly, until I was forced to hand over a hidden American Express card I had kept to maintain a sense of self.
