V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #63: ripening

September 9, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

Drooping under the weight of their ripening fruit, our tomato plants have escaped their cages. Wax beans are losing their green tinge, and zucchinis, stretching across the narrow garden bed, are full of promise. Even though we planted late this year, there will be something to harvest. The anticipation is killing us, and yet, we […]

The Canada Goose

September 8, 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

A sign of Canadian humour. (For Proscenium’s Friday Follies)

Spilled White

September 6, 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Purple petuniasundiminished by splatter –cloud painting mishap. (For Cee’s Flower of the day.)

Preferred Fashion

September 5, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

Age allots me the excuse to ignore fashion,invites me to wear bright colours, dance in offbeat shoes, wear hats of any flair,and announce my mood in any given moment. Yes, being a senior citizen is most freeing –not unlike my childish kin. (For Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: fashion. Also submitting to V.J.’s weekly challenge: child/ […]

Texture

September 4, 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

For Nancy Merrill’s Photo A Week challenge: texture

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #62: child / childhood

September 2, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

My daughters gave me a copy of this poem, surrounded by images of me playing with the grandbabies. It always brings me joy. As summer comes to end, and the children return to school, I am already feeling the loss of our time spent together, so; I thought it might be fun this week to […]

A Shift Towards Recovery

September 1, 2019.Reading time 4 minutes.

“Maybe there is a purpose to this struggle,” I say, offhanded, to a visiting friend. We have just made our way to the edge of the falls, the trek difficult for me today, as my legs are not cooperating. I’m hanging onto her arm for balance. I’d been telling her about another visit I’d had, […]

Zinnia Delight

August 30, 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Nature – that fashionista –couples orange with pink,hotter than August haze –my soul applauds. (For Cee’s Flower of the Day)

Frames

August 29, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

I’m trying to frame my life with gratitude, adding structure to the chaos I’m experiencing within. So much of life is a gift, and the troubles, minuscule by comparison. Life changes, and along with it, so do our perceptions, our abilities, and our dreams. Sometimes it is a hard pill to swallow, and then; other […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #61: recovery

August 26, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

Surgery behind us, we shift to recovery mode – he gingerly navigating the days of healing, while I try to brush off the cobwebs of exhaustion. As relief washes away the dregs of worry, I am still trying to sort out my emotions. Ric’s condition is black and white – a blockage requiring opening. Problem […]

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 […]