Igniting Wonder

December 20, 2023.Reading time 2 minutes.

Health issues have dampened my Christmas spirit. Not that I was ever overly enthusiastic – too many memories cloud the seasons – and this year, there is no energy to decorate the house. Ric’s solution is to call in help, and I confess that even that sets me deeper into depression. How will I manage the commotion? Natasha […]

Santa’s on His Way?

November 17, 2023.Reading time less than 1 minute.

I created this piece a week ago. Weather was turning, and I got inspired to make lists, and then, wham….Ric and I tested positive for COVID. Damn! The doctor immediately prescribed Paxlovid with a warning that it would cause a terrible taste in my mouth (it does) and likely affect my gastrointestinal system. No joke […]

Rocky Path

August 23, 2023.Reading time 1 minute.

Last time I was in the hospital, the admitting doctor asked me about a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) order. “Have you had the opportunity to discuss it with a loved one?” she asked. “Of course. No heroic measures!” I emphasized. “I’ve spent the last ten years living with chronic disease; I have no aspiration to […]

Not a Chance, Lady

July 10, 2023.Reading time 1 minute.

I decided to ignore the tugging signs and drive the car the short distance to the river. The day was overcast, so I reasoned that the light would not bother my eyes. Some things are not meant to be. Lifting my camera to shoot the heron lingering in the shallows, I realized that my right […]

Re-emergence

June 11, 2023.Reading time 3 minutes.

Hard to pinpoint when it all started. Was it the night before, when I pushed myself to finish that knitting project even though my eyes were so blurry that I had to feel my way through? Was it the day before, when I noticed that my breathing was compromised? I do know that I awoke […]

Non-Compliance

March 1, 2023.Reading time less than 1 minute.

If I listen to my body, I will lose hope. I will lie down, and never get up again. I am sticking to non-compliance, and hitching my hope to will. Mine and God’s. …as soon as I can get out of this bed… (On Wednesdays, I borrow from old writings – journals and blog posts. […]

Adjusting Focus

October 28, 2022.Reading time 2 minutes.

Sometimes my focus is off. Like in the photo above – I thought I was capturing the body of water beyond, but in reality I only managed to get the fronds and a bit of fence. I’m still sick. I’ve stopped counting the days, but two bouts of antibiotics and many weeks later, I am […]

Moments

August 12, 2022.Reading time 1 minute.

The trips along the river have decreased, replaced by ongoing texts and emails. A family of cardinals, newly hatched, line our windowsills, their curiosity endearing, yet; my camera remains on the desk. My health has taken a plunge – not unexpected, but despairing. I’ve been locked away inside fighting the sludge. August the 23rd, our […]

Limping Along

December 15, 2021.Reading time 1 minute.

Ruled out: COVID, heart failure, cancer, and blood clots. Twelve hours in emergency, under intense scrutiny revealed no answers. Symptoms continue. You need “restorative rest” the ER doctor emphasized. “Hire help if you can.” I suspect this is just another stage in my journey with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. The least amount of effort tires me, leaves […]

Life Takes A Turn

December 10, 2021.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Life, like the weather, has taken a turn. No answers at the moment, but I am once again confined to bed rest. Restorative rest, is what the doctor has ordered. Limited screen time, hired help to run the house, no outings. I have a few posts pre-scheduled on my poetry site, and will visit when […]

Now That I Matter

The times I waited –restless and ragingdeliberately put on holddismissed, degraded, ignored. Why did I put up with that?Was I so afraid I’d lose it all?So uncertain about a future? How the children came to meneed in their eyes, little armsbegging to be embraced,and I too blinded to reach outfixated on the anger, powerless,immersed myself […]

Flowers and Rain (haiku)

Sun Certainty

Clouds bundleshift and foldcotton strata Trees huddleconfidence incommunity Emotions stackone on anotherco-mingling hues Beneath layersan eternal glowsun certainty. (First published April 2021. Image my own)