By accident, I just found online seven photos of Dad from World War II that I didn’t even know existed. The caption for the featured photo above is “Burtonwood – Flying control personnel – 1 May 1943 Cpl Schnellinger, ‘Nice chap’.” Yep, my dad really was a nice chap. Everyone who knew him would have said that. … read more Someone else’s memories
Author: Lisa
Train of thought
At the beginning of recovery from brain surgery, I couldn’t pay attention long enough to read anything, play a game, or even follow the plot of a movie. I was afraid that would last forever. I have a subscription with Lumosity for brain-training games. They are designed to improve your memory, attention, flexibility, problem-solving, and speed. … read more Train of thought
The secret friend
You know when you’re little and you have a secret friend? Someone you made up but you tell everyone about them, play with their invisible self while talking to them, and insist that this friend is real? My sisters tell me I had a “secret friend” named Patty. At least I think that’s the name. I don’t … read more The secret friend
Too many words
I didn’t imagine I’d have a day when there were too many words. But they came in streams so thick and unintelligible that I nearly drowned. Too many words. Too little communication. They were heavy and nasty at times. Condescending and cruel at other times. Mostly, angry. So much anger, like a bombardment of a … read more Too many words
Milking it
Today’s hike took me through a meadow that I haven’t been to in years. The community has reseeded it so that it’s now all native plants, specially picked to attract birds and butterflies. Milkweed is a favorite of monarch butterflies, and there are now several huge patches of it in the meadows. Milkweed is a … read more Milking it
What do I call this?
When I had a photography business, I named it Baraka Photos. The name came to me in 2006, while we were living overseas, and before I’d even heard of Barack Obama. “Baraka” means gift or blessing in Arabic and Hebrew. It seemed like the perfect name for the way that I felt about the things … read more What do I call this?
Losing traction
When I climbed the mountain trail last Thursday, my time was even faster than the previous week – 45 minutes up! And 31 minutes down. I was pushing, almost running in places, and the temperature was almost 90 degrees, so I was soaked with sweat. I remember having a funny feeling on my foot on … read more Losing traction
Quieting down
Some days, like today, seems there’s nothing but noise in my head. Just stray bits of fuzz, flies buzzing, engines idling. A very big crowd of people in a stadium all talking at once, not really paying attention to the game that they’re there to watch. At work, I was trying to troubleshoot technical problems long distance, … read more Quieting down
100 grand
My girl Charlotte turned 100 today. I’ve been watching the odometer and I kept thinking of the lyrics from that John Denver song, “On the Road”: Back in 1958 we drove an old V8 and when it’d gone a hundred thou’ we got out and pushed it a mile If I could have, I’d have … read more 100 grand
A thousand fears
Saturday’s supposed to be the easy, fun day. The one where you just relax and do whatever you feel like. I spent most of the day nearly paralyzed with anxiety. Every thought leads to a fear. In the shower, I move very slowly, afraid of falling. I watch Tom warily, because I’m afraid he will up … read more A thousand fears