Warren showing Izzy his photo on the back of my new book. That is Warren’s knee in the photo.

  September 20, 2008 –  Izzy and I went to see Warren this afternoon, to visit and also to bring him a copy of my new book, “Izzy & Lenore, Two Dogs, An Unexpected Journey, and Me,” out next Tuesday. Izzy’s photo is on the back (Lenore is on the front) and Izzy’s head in the picture is resting on Warren’s knee, so it seemed the least I could do to bring him a book.
  Book tours can be rugged, but one difficult thing about this one is that I have see the hospice patients Izzy and I are visiting less frequently for awhile. It’s easy to explain to Warren, who never complains about anything, but tough to explain to an Alzheimer’s patient or someone with little time.
  Warren has evolved quite a bit since his beloved wife Helen died a few months ago. We are planning a visit to her gravesite. His knees are bothering him, and he is battling an infection. It is clear to me that he held himself together with glue and baling wire so that he could tend to Helen during her long illness.
  Warren has some medical and other decisions to make, and what he needs is what is called “active listening” in hospice work. He just needs somebody to bounce ideas and decisions off. I know he is eager to rejoin Helen on the hill where he knows she is waiting for him. He also has a lot of plans for his own life.
  I told him we will be in touch, and be thinking of him. He was happy to show Izzy his own picture, something I wouldn’t have thought to do.