Month: September 2016

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

Other people’s troubles

When I had to turn down a research gig, my contact at the client company wrote me a private note. She suggested that I get in touch with the Spousal Caregivers / Well Spouse Association. She knew about it because her husband has had MS for seven years. I was really shocked. She’s a young … read more Other people’s troubles

The Monkey’s Paw

Every time I’ve seen a wish granted that didn’t turn out so well, I mutter, “Monkey’s paw.” Be damn careful what you wish for. In fact, just stop wishing altogether.  Maybe you read the short story by W. W. Jacobs, “The Monkey’s Paw,” in grade school, like I did. The story was written in 1902, … read more The Monkey’s Paw

Walking through mud

For several weeks, I’ve been having strange sensations. As though I am melting, like chocolate in the hot sun. As though I am walking through mud and can’t pick up my feet. As though I weigh 400 pounds, even as my actual weight continues to drop. When these were just occasional and physical, they didn’t … read more Walking through mud

Off track with Google Maps

In one of my many apocalyptic visions of the future, we all have driverless cars and Google controls their routes. When Google has long forgotten its slogan, “Don’t be evil,” it begins to force people to go places they don’t want to. It makes people late for appointments so that they lose their jobs. If … read more Off track with Google Maps

Labor daze

It’s not that I don’t like the cabin, or my house. I appreciate having solid, wood-lined walls, and a deck where the only view is trees, hillsides and valleys. They’re both at 2,000 feet elevation, so I have a wealth of Southern Appalachian flora and fauna to observe.  What I mind is that owning property … read more Labor daze

Lop lop loppers

On the drive in Friday, Tom flinched every time a branch scraped against Xena on Booger Hollow’s narrow and rhododendron-infested roads. So today, I got out the loppers to trim them back. It was a three-hour chore. But the destructive beast inside me was growling with delight to be off the leash. Loppers were unfamiliar to … read more Lop lop loppers

What the drought hath wrought

The first summer after I transplanted a black cohosh to the hillside above the cabin, I was so worried about its need for shade that I suspended a baby blanket over it with bungee cords. Then halfway through the summer I realized that I was also keeping some of the rain from reaching the plant, … read more What the drought hath wrought

From Montaluce to Booger Hollow

Since we have the X3, we can drive straight from our condo in the city all the way to Booger Hollow in the middle of the Chattahoochee National Forest. The ease of making this dramatic transition in less than two hours makes it especially fun. We decided to do that for Labor Day weekend, but … read more From Montaluce to Booger Hollow