The Reality of Parkinson’s Disease

BOZEMAN, MONTANA – I spoke to my mother on the phone today.

“Tom, I haven’t exactly been honest with you…”

Uh boy.

More below…

Normal Life

Mum lives on her own, in London. She’s 69 years old. She has Parkinson’s Disease.

Five years ago, Mum was living a pretty normal life, traveling overseas, playing Bridge on Wednesday evenings, gardening, and taking the grandkids on day trips into London…

We knew she had it. And she was beginning to take a lot of pills and see a lot of doctors. But it didn’t seem like a big deal. She just seemed like her old self.

The Reality of Parkinson’s Disease

Then came:

The memory loss… the complete loss of physical mobility… going deaf… losing her driving privileges… the frequent falls, accidents, and injuries… the befuddlement with the phone and other electronics… the boxes of medications… endless doctor visits…

It’s all been so rapid.

Today, my mother told me (admitted) she’s become so frail, she can’t get in and out of bed or in and out of her chair by herself anymore.

“I’ve reached the point where I either need to go into a home or I need to pay someone to live in my house and look after me full time. The live-in carer is much more expensive, but I don’t want to leave my house. I haven’t wanted to burden you with this. But I can’t go on any longer. What do you think I should do?”

In the Heart of the Rockies

Meanwhile, somewhere in America…

Two years ago, Kate and I left our hometown of Delray Beach, Florida with nothing but our three kids, a suitcase, and the clothes on our backs. We’ve been living like nomads ever since… traveling the world and homeschooling our kids.

We are currently floating around the American West, living in a tent, visiting national parks, and exploring “backroad” America. I’m writing to you today from Bozeman, Montana, in the heart of the Rocky Mountains.

After two years of “floating around,” it seems life is about to pin us down and ask us to make some important decisions.

More tomorrow…

– Tom Dyson

P.S. My father also has Parkinson’s Disease. He’s just not as far along with it as my mother…

P.P.S. Tomorrow we are all getting COVID-19 tests…

P.P.P.S. Tonight we’re staying at a hotel. Homewood Suites it’s called, just off Interstate 90. At first, I thought, “Great, a hotel room, with a nice bathroom, a big, soft bed, and cable TV.”

But now, having been here for two nights, it’s starting to feel like a prison… like we’re trapped indoors, climate controlled, and sealed in a box. I miss our tent… and being outside.

Tonight, we took our dinner outside and had a picnic in the parking lot instead of eating in our hotel room, as we had been doing. It felt much better.

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Another reader suggests Tom make a travel guide with all of his experiences – and readers’ mailbag suggestions. Meanwhile, others inquire about metals prices, a possible global shift away from the U.S. dollar, and falling stock dividends…

Reader comment: I do enjoy reading your Postcards. I see so many folks making suggestions for places to visit that it occurred to me that if you should ever write a book about your travels, it would be great to include those suggestions even if you are not able to get to see them. It would be handy for future travelers to refer to those.

Have you been through any parts that you think you would like to return to and possibly settle down for a while?

Tom’s response: Yes, this is my plan. A sort of reader-sourced guidebook to an American road trip. As for settling, we really liked Wyoming and Idaho for maybe settling for a while.

Reader comment: The current pull back in metal prices at this time is interesting. I am wondering what is going on?

Tom’s response: Not much. Just a little pull back. New highs coming soon.

Reader comment: Been reading your emails for some time now, and I find your research very intriguing. We’ve already begun to see many countries advocating for a shift away from the dollar. Curious to know your thoughts.

Tom’s response: I think commodity producers are starting to question the wisdom of trading their valuable resources for paper currency. Especially Russia and China. But it’s tricky. The U.S. government will sanction you if you don’t play along.

Reader comment: Large companies are slashing dividends and potentially slashing our Dow-to-Gold strategy. Please explain if this is a deal killer for dividend-paying stocks.

Tom’s response: Let’s see what the landscape looks like when the dust settles. The main idea behind the Dow-to-Gold ratio is to stand on the sidelines now and be an investor later. The best way to be an investor “later” won’t be clear for a while. But it’ll involve buying great wealth-compounding companies at bargain valuations.

Reader comment: I have had a substantial amount of my net worth in portfolio management services (PMS) since about 2005, when prices were still substantially lower than now – so needless to say I have a decent stash. Lately, I have been considering an exit strategy and your notion about the Dow-to-Gold ratio as an indicator of when to exit PMS has lots of appeal.

My question is whether you are guided by other ratios – ounces of silver (or gold) – to buy a median house, for example?

Obviously, none of these indicators are carved in stone and maybe it is a gradual exit as the target ratio is approached (if the actual timeline allows a gradual exit). What are your thoughts? Regards to you and your family…

Tom’s response: Regarding other ratios, my main focus would be on stock market valuation metrics like price-to-earnings, price-to-book, and such. As I said above, gold is my way of sitting on the sidelines while I wait for good investments to trade at reasonable prices again.

At one of their last campsites, the Dyson family saw a homeless person. A reader clarifies… while another offers sightseeing suggestions in Wyoming and one shares his coronavirus story…

Reader comment: Tom – you say that the lady in the camper next to yours is the first homeless person you have met on the trip. Don’t you and your family also qualify?

Reader comment: Tom, if you get the chance, go to Cody, Wyoming and see the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. It has five different museums, passes are good for two days, and it is well worth the time. We went with our granddaughters this summer and they had a great time. Ages 6 and 8. Ditto for us.

Two days is a minimum to just see everything. Yellowstone is close. It was packed when we drove through, but may not be after Labor Day. Had a one-hour horse ride down to the Shoshone River from the museum that was fun, too.

Reader comment: I study COVID. I read the original research papers, make graphs, compare different strategies, and look at the ever-changing stances of the CDC, NIH, and WHO… I listen carefully to physicians and researchers who deal with COVID 24/7. My friend works at a National Lab studying the virus and gives me insider information. I try to put it all together.

My conclusion so far: Masks probably do more harm than good. I don’t wear a mask and I won’t wear a mask. I shop where masks are not mandatory. I quit my job because they required that I wear a mask. For me, an old, white guy, the best course is to keep my immune system healthy. I do this from a standpoint of knowledge, not ignorance. If new facts point me a different direction, I’ll go there.

Tom’s note: Thank you for your messages! Please keep writing us at [email protected]. We read every note you send us.