V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #55: reclaim

July 1, 2019.Reading time 3 minutes.

In July of 2013, I contracted pneumonia. After a course of treatment, I continued to experience weakness, shortness of breath, and frequent tachycardia. By January, I had seen a gamut of specialists, received no answers, and was worse. Test after test eliminated obvious possibilities. In the end, I was diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. The doctor […]

Yellow and Pinks

June 28, 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Flowers awaken imagination – magicpaints the garden bed. (For Cee’s Flower of the Day)

Every Step a Miracle

June 27, 2019.Reading time 3 minutes.

Angel of Death. The name had started to stick. As a volunteer, working with the dying, my job was to help patients relax, ease some of their stress. “She needs you more than me,” on old Irish doctor said as we both arrived at a patient’s home simultaneously. “I can give her medication for the […]

Planning a Garden

June 25, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

Gardening is not my strong suit, but I also do not want to be the blight on the block, so Ric and I put our heads together to plan a garden. But where to start? The neighbours gardens are well-established and even their hanging pots look lush and well-pruned. Up until now, I’ve left the […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #54: Subtle

June 24, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

Subtle is: 1. not loud, bright, noticeable, or obvious in any way; 2. small but important; 3. achieved in a quiet way that does not attract attention to itself and is therefore good or clever. Cambridge English Dictionary Subtlety is not my strong suit. I am outspoken, exuberant, and often joke that I have to […]

Lottery for Life

June 23, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

Lottery has been the focus this week. In Canada, our LottoMax now has two draws a week – the dream is apparently alive and flourishing. My mind has turned to the immigration process, part of which is a lottery program. Although, I am not fully versed in this process, I remember hearing the story of […]

Drama in the Woods

June 22, 2019.Reading time 3 minutes.

A high-pitched chirp caught my attention the moment we entered the park. We’d come to Stratford for a meal out and decided to check up on the swans. Ric found a bench by the river, while I wandered in search of the source of the incessant note. It seemed to be coming from a clump […]

A Blaze of Tulips

June 21, 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Earth, nurtured by sun,celebrates her glory, growsa blaze of tulips. (For Cee’s Flower of the Day)

For the Love of Trees

June 19, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

I haven’t met a tree that didn’t have a story to tell, or at very least an invitation, as the trees featured, whose proffered shade entices. This lone tree speaks to me of isolation and perseverance in times of strife. Oh, the tales this old trunk could relate. I know my inner child stirs at […]

Bits and Pieces

June 18, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

Our first summer in the house and he’s putting in a new garden at the front. We’ve been scouting local nurseries and while he pretends that my preferences matter, he really is just humouring me. Ric has very specific tastes in flowers and most diametrically opposed to me. The viburnum featured, for example, will sit […]

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 […]