We thought about going to the 15th Annual Blues, Bandits, and BBQ event at Kidd Springs Park, but when we saw the ticket prices we decided to camp out instead. For just a few dollars more, we enjoyed an entire weekend at Loyd Park rather than just a few hours at the festival. It gave us the opportunity to view the spectacular Beaver Moon, the last “super moon” of the year.

We not only attended the inaugural Blues, Bandits, and BBQ event 15 years ago, we also joined a neighborhood team and participated in the BBQ competition.

We’ve eaten plenty of barbecue between then and now, but nothing compares to a Date Night steak grilled to perfection by Chef Cliff, accompanied by an excellent 2021 Sphinx cabernet. “As powerful and regal as the ancient sphinx, this cabernet sauvignon offers coveted flavors of black currant, black berry, and tobacco, making this incredible wine approachable and delicious.” It delivered that and, most appealing to us, it came at our preferred price point (under $10). Friends think we’re wine snobs but really we’re cheapskates. (Another recent favorite cab is Carnivor, “layered with notes of dark cherry, blackberry jam and perfectly toasted oak.” It’s slightly more at $12, but well worth it.)

Jon’s mom called around 9:30 to tell us she had fallen while getting a knee X-ray in her room. She knew there was very little we could do except listen and empathize. By next morning she reported being bruised and sore but not broken. Managing her care from 650 miles away, especially as she becomes increasingly frail, is a growing challenge. Jon supports a Geriatric Medicine division with faculty who have long eschewed the one-size-fits-all approach to managing older adults that dominated practice in the 2010s. Today, geriatricians practice according to the “5Ms of Geriatrics,” a conceptual framework promoted by the American Geriatric Society: Multicomplexity (assessing and managing multimorbidity and challenging biopsychosocial situations); medications (ensuring that medications do not interfere with the other Ms); mind (managing neurocognitive disorders and comorbid mental health conditions); mobility (ensuring older adults can move independently and safely); and what matters most (aligning care with an older adult’s specific goals).

Jon’s mom has multiple morbidities: End-stage COPD, advanced emphysema, chronic asthma, arthritis. Her medical condition makes any exertion an exhausting endeavor. She takes nine different medications. Her arthritis affects her mobility, but she doesn’t want to increase her pain medication because it makes her sleepy. Her mind is still sharp and clear, but she’s more fearful. She dislikes isolation but she also wants to be left alone. Boredom is often her only companion. What matters most is that someone is there for her. We’re trying to do what we can, but our spending a few days with her every month simply isn’t enough.

Saturday found us enjoying our usual pursuits: watching “CBS Saturday Morning,” reading The New York Times, walking around the camping loop, having brunch with cocktails, and indulging in a late afternoon nap. For something completely different, we joined friends for campfire conversation and card games. Cliff’s Saturday supper menu gave way to chicken tacos and potato salad. Cliff lost at cards but won at dice, giving us a bag of loot to take back to Cloud 9.

We spent our Sunday relaxing by a daytime campfire. Who says you can only have a campfire at night? The late fall weather was ideal: partly sunny, warm, mild. A great opportunity to reflect on our past and plan for our future. Regardless of what we face, we’ll do it together.