Feeling Dumb... More in the Saga of taking care of my elderly father...

I must admit that I'm the one who felt dumb.  There's news on TV about the earthquake in Haiti.  Now, I remember learning about Haiti.  I remember learning that it had, when I was a school kid at least, the lowest per capita income in America or the world, I'm not quite sure, but people there were poor.  And they probably still are.


Yes, Haiti is some island sort of near Florida, or is it near Texas.  Well, it's in the water somewhere.  OK, no-brainer, that's where islands are.


Then my father, who's supposed to be the demented one, began complaining:

"I can't remember where Haiti is.  I used to know the entire map."
"Uhhmm isn't it near Mexico."
"No, I don't think so.  Maybe near Florida."

So I took out the World Book Atlas.  And I found Haiti's page.  Oh, my.  I didn't realize that Cuba was so big.

And I had no idea that it was so close to Florida.  You can't see it, but Puerto Rico is to the east of the Dominican Republic.  I had no idea it was so far from the mainland.  I don't think I ever took a good look at a map of this area before.

Oh, my, I ought to improve my mind.