I was getting annoyed. The two cars ahead of me at the parking lot exit were taking forever. Daily parking is free so exit usually takes 10 seconds, but not these two – after handing in their ticket, they just sat there. When I got to the booth, I did the same thing. The attendant … read more How you doing?
Tag: 2013
A spooky hike
Yet another day of sunshine and 80+ degrees. I put aside the work I couldn’t finish, and went to do the toughest hike in the community. Fall colors relaxed my eyes as the dry leaves crackled under my feet. But something was strange… The forest was silent. Completely silent. I puzzled over it, then realized that … read more A spooky hike
That high-pitched noise
The noise started when the heat came on last night. A high-pitched tone that could only be from something mechanical. The kind of noise that makes me crazy. The heat didn’t come on. The registers were blowing cool air. I waited for the air to get warmer. It didn’t. I turned the thermostat’s heat switch … read more That high-pitched noise
Regaining pain
For about a month Tom’s been having pain in his right hand. Lately it’s gotten worse and affected his ability to do physical therapy with his hand. It limits his range of motion. Even wakes him up at night. It’s a crampy pain, “like there’s too much blood in my hand,” he says. And his … read more Regaining pain
Unwrapped
Once I got a mud wrap at a spa. Two people slathered a slippery brown mud mixed with herbs all over my body, and then wrapped me in cellophane. After that, they swaddled me in a cotton sheet. I figured that was for pure aesthetics rather than any therapeutic reason, because who could relax when … read more Unwrapped
Lofty ideas
My new office is uplifting. Today I was up lifting boxes of files. And down carrying empty boxes. I’ve claimed the loft in our rental house for my office – and what an office it is. A skylight illuminates the room and frames blue sky with the highest tips of leafy branches. To my right, a … read more Lofty ideas
Flying, falling
The smoke poured in from the hallways. The fire below raged like a huge demon. They could die of smoke inhalation. They could die in the flames. They could die when the floor collapsed under their feet. Or they could be free. They made a choice. Perhaps for some there was a wild glimmer of … read more Flying, falling
The trouble with food
My biggest struggle these days is something I used to love as a creative act: cooking. I make three meals a day, on as much of a schedule as we can manage in between medical appointments and trying to have a life, because it’s important in keeping Tom’s blood sugar regulated. But the restrictions mean … read more The trouble with food
Food fun
Dinner in a box didn’t used to be anything but KFC and other junk food. Today we got a delivery from Peach Dish, one of the new online services that offers fresh ingredients and easy recipes brought to your doorstep each week. There were snafus in the ordering process, so this box was unexpected. I had … read more Food fun
Empty boxes
Tom quit smoking on my birthday. He didn’t actually start the day intending to do that. It just happened. When you are hospitalized with a stroke, they don’t let you light up in bed, oddly enough. So that took care of the first month of quitting. What surprised him was that he had no nicotine … read more Empty boxes