Well … I must say that I’m quite happy that June is in my rearview mirror. And it occurred to me that perhaps there might have been a subliminal reason for why I was sick for nearly that whole month. Jim’s Celebration of Life was held in June No – I wasn’t invited No […]
Miscellaneous
Happy Re-New Year
Good morning. Here I am again writing on a Saturday that happens to be a major American holiday; this one celebrating the 250th anniversary of the USA. As many of us who are widowed know, weekends coinciding with holidays can often prove to be draining instead of festive; delivering a double emotional whammy. I still […]
Don’t Let the Hard Days Win
I fully expected to be able to write today and share the excursions Sheila and I have taken this week. Instead, my only excursions have been to doctor offices. I am so tired of this. I’m grateful that I’ve been pretty darn healthy most of my 75 years (in spite of my poor eating habits […]
Planting Hope With the Tree of Life
Tuesday, June 30th, would’ve been the 66th birthday of my late sister, Manette. Each year, I recount the story of how my horse-loving sister magically acquired a lovely, but feisty, Arabian Quarter Horse mix in 1973 when my family spent 9 months living in Boulder, Colorado. My essay, The Year of the Dream Horse, a […]
Resolve
“He who is firm and resolute in will moulds the world to himself.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe I’m still dealing with my kitty, Freya, who is stumping veterinarians with severe anemia. Everyone has been guessing with a diagnosis of IMHA, or Immune-Mediated Hemolytic Anemia. It’s a scary mouthful and an even scarier and often […]
I guess that’s why they call it the blues …
It’s been a quiet week with no appointments, no hockey, nothing to do except let those antibiotics do their thing. But maybe that wasn’t the best way to spend a full week … because too much free time can emphasize the missing of both Jim and Vern and some of the other heavy stuff I’m […]
Welcome Summer and Happy Paw Dad Day
Tomorrow is the official first day of summer, the longest day of the year. Abundant sunlight often extends the hours of our days long after 6:00pm with those bright rays lingering even three hours later. This has always been my favorite time of the year. I think for some people that are grieving the […]
Only Happy When It Rains
(Reposting from almost exactly 2 years ago as I’ve had another crazy week with emergency vet care for my kitty, Freya.) Mario wasn’t one of those guys who carried on and complained or wilted like a flower when he was sick or had some physical pain. His tolerance was high, bolstered by a masochistic tendency. […]
Widow Brain
Facebook can sneak into our lives without us initially realizing what they are up to. Using AI they create these beautiful stories that feel like a real person wrote it – but they’re really just selling their product. I’ve nearly fallen for them in the past, but now I try to remember to look to […]
My Knights .. My Heart
This was a busier week than usual for me. And while I hit a wall at the end of it all, it was all worth it. My next door neighbor needed some rides to/from the airport due to her husband’s medical crisis that arose while he was visiting his daughter in Texas. Doing good deeds […]
Permission to Live
You know I’ve been through all of this before … nearly 16 years ago. The years of heavy caregiving leading to the loss of my love, the emotions, the disappointments, the sadness, the loneliness, the missing. The grief. And now all of that is on repeat. 8 months out. Some think this should be […]
A Gift of an Unlikely Place
I know it’s a good “problem” to have, but maintaining three homes and four dogs can put a nice hurtin’ on the balances of ‘ye old credit cards. When I got a nice offer from a credit card company recently with a no interest balance transfer for 18 billing cycles I was all in. After several […]