Something Different

April 10, 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

I wile away the long hours –perpetual passenger –lens posed for interesting capture:Why, why, why, asks the overpass,echoing my own impatience. In Louisiana, the highway roars –miles and mile of concrete straddlingwaterways, an amazing sight. My camera and I observe as Springreverses itself, green fading to Winter’sbarren aftermath, the familiar landscapeof Ontario’s farmlands welcoming us […]

Sunshine

April 9, 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Sunshine, you magician,adding sparkle to my view Painting the cloudless skya dazzling shade of blue Favoured by your golden rays,we all take on a glowing hue. (Submitted for Nancy Merrill’s A Photo a Week Challenge: sunshine.)

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #43: Rain

April 8, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

Raindrops, not tears,blur my vision –the line of trees before mea glistening blur.The pounding in my templesis just the steady rhythmof watery drip, drip, drip,not the incessant roarof my blood pounding –discordant is this day. I wrote this piece while stranded in Mississippi, with eighteen hours of driving still ahead of us, and no idea […]

Farewell to Farewells

April 7, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

Total exhaustion has taken hold. Brain is fried, emotions taut, body shot. Monday as we prepared to pull out, my right leg collapsed and as I reached out to stop the fall, I grasped with my left arm, wrenching an already torn shoulder. It did not bode well for the trip home. With a dead […]

Friday Follies: Punctuation is Everything

April 5, 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

For Proscenium’s Friday Follies

If Not For The Stairs

April 5, 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

I could live by the ocean,if not for the stairs… or linger amongst ancient ruins,although climbing, I daren’t… and seaside dining is best, I agree,if not for those lofty flights The only up these legs can dois resting on the sofa most nights. (Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge is stairs or steps. I added a fun […]

Hello April

April 4, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

April means farewell, for we winter Texans. Not fated to be a quick journey, as problems keep arising, grounding travel, and interfering with our plans. Nevertheless, April means Spring and everywhere we look the birds are twittering with extra fervency – is that romance in the air? And even though we’ve encountered setbacks – breakdowns […]

The Rookery

April 3, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

There is a small wooded area, really just a patch of Live Oaks, that grows between the main highway out of Rockport, Texas and the waterfront. We’d passed it many times, and hadn’t noticed, until friends pointed it out. It’s a rookery: the place herons and egrets come to build nests and nurse their young. […]

Ducks in a Row

April 2, 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Lining up our blended ducks on our wedding day. Many years later, ducks old and new, line up with our ‘baatis’ – Somali pyjamas. Featured image is Whistling Ducks. Submitted for Nancy Merrill’s A Photo a Week challenge: getting your ducks in a row.

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #42: farewell

April 1, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

As you read this, Ric and I will be saying farewell to Texas and our cozy home on the canal. We leave behind new friends, the countless birds who have so entertained us, and the beautiful Gulf Coast. I am both excited to be home, and sad to end our time here. But isn’t that […]

This Life A Road

This life a road –the way preparedsigns to guide me,and still, I get lost. Construction, distraction,disobedience – throw me off –tendency to choose tougher routes,broken down and been sidelined And yet, the road still beckons,invites progression, thrills.A rolling stone gathers no moss,my father liked to say, and so… I push ahead, keep motoring,trust the obstacles […]

Wings

(Written during my bedbound years with ME/CFS)

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

May is Myalgic Encephalomyelitis awareness month. Also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, this disease is characterized by exhaustion after exertion. The exertion can be physical -taking a shower; emotional – worrying or obsessing; or mental- filling out forms. The best source of information about ME/cfs, as we call it, is the Bateman Horne Center. They […]