We brought into our home a young cat whose mission, it seems, is to seek and destroy. His name is Hoku (it means "star"), but we should have named him Kolohe (rascal). We love him, but his curious, energetic presence means minimal decorations this year, certainly nothing he can climb, claw, pull down, knock over, or pulverize.

Or eat. Which means no poinsettias. Sad. 

So, yeah, we are back to baby-proofing our house for a little devil disguised as a 9-month-old kitten.

But then Ward, my husband, said, "Let's get a tree anyway! We don't have to decorate it."

Written by Jade Moon

This is my Moonlighting column, published in the October 9 issue of MidWeek. Serious question: Are we as a country too polarized to hope for a day when we can all—to paraphrase Rodney King—just get along? Are we marked with permanent ink-- either red or blue? Have we lost the...

Written by Jade Moon

Mom wants to go out and you can’t let her. But she wants to shop. She doesn’t understand why you’re blocking her. You know she’ll get lost. Heck, the place might not even exist anymore.

Conflict ensues—arguments, anger, yelling, crying, impatience, confusion, regret.

Then it’s over—until the next time. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Written by Jade Moon

Teepa Snow says dementia isn’t a diagnosis, it’s more of a syndrome—a collection of symptoms.

In one of her excellent videos, Snow presents four facts: If you have dementia, at least two parts of your brain are dying. Second, you can’t bring back what’s lost, stop it or cure it.

“When someone is living with a brain change like dementia, it means the brain is gone,” she says. 

Written by Jade Moon

Glenn and his wife rushed to Uncle’s house and what they found horrified them.

“He had no electricity in the house. Nothing was on. And he was slouched in this hallway. My god, we didn’t recognize him.”

Uncle was emaciated. It looked like he hadn’t eaten for weeks.

“His hair was down to his shoulders, he hadn’t shaved. He stunk,” Glenn recalls.

When they took him to the emergency room the doctor told them Uncle would have died within a few hours had they not found him when they did. He spent six weeks in the hospital and another seven at rehab.

And then Glenn and Joan did something that changed their lives. They decided to bring Uncle home with them. They would take care of him.

Written by Jade Moon