Over the final two years of his wife’s life, David Weinberg recorded spontaneous comments and dialogs. Some of these comments were said while she was in a dream-like state, sometimes likened to dreaming while awake. Others were in response to hallucinations. Still others were in the form of what she called “ditties”, which meant she liked the sound of them, and would repeat them many times. Occasionally, she would say something that was almost surreal, but others were drawn from her vast store of wisdom.
7/7/19
L: Marlena called. The robots are making Pesach dinner.
8/14/19
L: What day is tomorrow?
D: Monday
L: Well, that seems arbitrary!
D: If tomorrow is Monday, then today is Sunday.
L: Like I said – it’s arbitrary!
12/28/19
L: How can you make something reappear once it disappears?
D: Why do you ask?
L: Just popped into my head.
1/31/20
L: Are you thinking about high school?
D: Why?
L: You look pensive.
3/17/20
L: There’s a Harvey sea turtle
D: Where?
L: Over there.
D: What’s the Harvey part?
L: I just like the word “Harvey”
4/30/20
L: What does a ten year-old reasonable meatball sound like?
D: What do you mean?
L: Figure it out.
6/5/20
L: I see everything in the world in this bowl of soup.
7/18/20
L: I had a dream last night that I had become demented.
8/8/20
L: Look in my ear. See anyone you know?
8/24/20
L: How can it be Monday?- It has to be Friday.
D: Why?
L: Because I think it’s Friday.
L: I was so shocked to see you in my dream. How did you know where I was?
9/20/20
L: I think I know how to extricate myself.
D: From what?
L: From this place.
9/21/20
L: (Looking at our piano) Look – the piano’s dancing!
10/4/20
L: Did anyone ever come to look at that room with a big padlock on it, across from the stairs?
L: Did I make this? (looking at dinner plate)
2/16/21 (at home)
L: When are we leaving?
D: We don’t have to – we can stay.
L: But we’re paying by the night
3/11/21(One of David’s favorite comments by Louise)
L: I’m drawing to learn, not learning to draw.
3/19/21
L: I think it was a little pushy for Karen (caregiver) to have all of us sleep in the same bed together.
3/26/21
L: (trying to send email messages to her mother)
5/7/21
L: If I lived in a box, would you still love me, would you come visit me?
5/18/21 (fifth hospital day)
L: Lazy, crazy lazy crazy days of summer
L: How do we know what group we’re in?
L: What did it say, the beautiful message?
L: Do I have serendipity?
L: I want to dig.
6/20/21
L: I truly believe I will not know what I need to know by that date.
Louise died several days later, on July 31, 2021.