So many things, big and small, so much variety. I had a rough patch. Nothing earth shattering. A little breath-holding before an exhalation of relief. CeCe told me she realized I was getting old when I turned 47. She promptly put that out of her head and no longer thinks I’m old. Neither do I. But lately, I ruminate about Mom getting old. She’s 87. I’m so blessed to have her. I contemplated how much I will miss her. Someday. Hopefully, not soon, but time is getting short. Dad is gone, Loved-One’s parents are gone. She’s here and strong mentally and physically. Then last Monday struck. I called here house and my niece answered. Mom couldn’t get out of bed. Sisters took her to the hospital, where she told everyone to go home. She didn’t want people hovering. She has spinal stenosis. It’s not the kind of disease that kills you. It’s the kind that makes you wish you would die. Sisters called with updates. She was not getting the quality of care needed for an elderly person with a variety of chronic diseases (diabetes, high blood pressure, appropriate pain management, etc.) So of course, first on my list:
♥ Mom is home. She’s happy. Her illness, a bad nightmare. She’s back talking politics, state of the union, and plans for grandchildren’ weddings.
♥ My friend Vic and his Love of Great Books. He started a new reading group with that name. So far I’ve read Beowulf (author unknown,) Major Barbara (George Bernard Shaw,) The Mysterious Stranger (Mark Twain.) What wonderful reads! And quick, enjoyable reads. Reads that create deep eddies of thought mixed with delight.
♥ Walking with CoCo. Now that the weather is nice, we will be meeting half-way. She coming from work, me walking to meet her. Good music and mind-wandering in one direction. Entertaining conversation in the other. This weekend we walked around a lake: wonderful tulips and daffodils, with the summertime smell of the beach. Five miles we trekked.
♥ FitBit, CeCe, and Loved-One. I lost mine. My FitBit, that is. I looked everywhere. I had it clipped to the belt-loop of my khaki shorts. Maybe I took it off, and clipped it to my skirt. No. I’m sure I clipped it to my shorts. CeCe suggested I call FitBit and ask them to help me locate it with the built in GPS. Loved-One took the ball and made the call. According to Danielle, “We don’t want her to be without it, so we’re sending her a brand new FitBit.” Holy Customer Service, Batman! This morning I found it, clipped to a different pair of shorts. My mind’s eye saw it, exactly as I knew it was clipped. I just had my mind’s eye fixed on a different pair of shorts. Danielle, said the shipment had already been authorized, so I just need to call back for return instructions, once it arrives. Yay!
♥ Listen to Your Mother and Melissa Wells. What a great performance! Melissa, so kind to let me know the Chicago reading was just around the corner from the Media Influencers Meet-up. What a great bunch of essays. The weekend before Mother’s Day; it was the best of timings. Next year, it could be me up there.
♥ Media Influencers and Denise Tanton. “The Black Tortoise is here!” she called out to me. Denise always makes me feel like I shine in a sea of bloggers. She’s a tech guru at BlogHer. How she remembers so many faces and names, I’ll never know. What a wonderful feeling.
♥ Blossoms everywhere. Daffodils fading, tulips opening, forsythia brilliant yellow shedding to bright green, apple and cherry blossoms unfurling in the rain, Dogwood dropping petals while Verbinum pop open overnight. It’s like a private mini-creation scene.
♥ Toads mating. I really hate the scream of the toads calling in the night. “Come here! I need you! Nooooooowwww! Nowwwww! Noooowooooow!” Screaming louder and louder, so even a closed door cannot relieve the noise. Yes, but…. That means summer is close at hand, the pond eco-system is healthy, and soon new life will be springing all around me (eating bugs.)
