ON THE BUBBLE? IN THE BUBBLE? BURST BUBBLE?:DEAF SENTENCE COMMUTED?
DEAF SENTENCE COMMUTED? This next posting on deafness has a “prequel” that involves my gorgeous mother-in-law who, even at 91, still looked like a million bucks. But as for her hearing, that started to go long before any of her other faculties. Despite her quite perfect figure (she worked out at the gym regularly, well into her 80’s), one of her most endearing characteristics was her lifelong enthusiasm for food. One summer when she was visiting us at the Squam Lake bungalow we rented for many years, we were sitting around the dinner table chowing down on burgers when my husband and son mumbled something to each other that she could not hear. That was well before she had reluctantly agreed to having her hearing tested. In attempting to smooth over the situation, I piped up with something that was true: “I also have trouble hearing the TIMBRE of their voice.” She brightened right up, and quipped, “What? More hamburger?” We all laughed, her included, and from that moment, whe...