The stop sign was flattened. Pole twisted down to the road, red octagon turned vaguely upward, half in the road, as though drunk and disoriented. It was one of those jumbo stop signs – the size that they put at major intersections where two fast roads meet. I stopped to grab a photo because it … read more Island of lost toys
Tag: 2000
Stephen and me
Stephen King says, Don’t put your desk in the middle of the room. I read his advice about a week after I’d decided to re-arrange my office and put the desk in the middle of the room. Stephen King also says, The one thing your writing space must have is a door that you are … read more Stephen and me
The 12 gifts of Christmas
Tom and I don’t usually buy each other presents for Christmas. But today I got at least a dozen gifts. Wahoo! What a haul! The first gift came at 7 a.m. when I woke up and got out of bed. I didn’t die 13 months ago, but even better, my brain is working again. That’s a gift … read more The 12 gifts of Christmas
Eternal vigilance
Today’s penny is a 2000. That’s the first time that Donald Trump ran in a primary election, as a Reform Party candidate. This post was updated throughout the day. Noon. Back at our own polling station – now there’s no line, and the handicapped spot is visible and open. We go in to vote. I fill out … read more Eternal vigilance
echo echo echo
I wake up in the middle of the night wondering where my jewelry is, or a certain shirt. I have had nightmares like this. Wandering around, looking for things that I owned. Now it’s just my life. Stuff in the packout company’s storage, stuff at the house waiting to go into a dumpster, stuff at … read more echo echo echo
On shaky ground
Friday’s visit to the house was the first time I’d walked out on the lower deck since the tree was removed and broke through it. I thought my feeling of vertigo was strictly emotional. That my sense of the deck as extremely unsafe arose because my own personal foundations had been rocked. It turns out that my intuition … read more On shaky ground
Fallen oak
Angela hesitated before she told me why she was calling. “Ma’am… I’m sorry to tell you this… but…. “A huge tree fell on your house.” Oh my GOD. I started to cry. I knew right away which tree it was, and I knew that the damage would be enormous. “My husband had a stroke and … read more Fallen oak
Listening to her voice
I seldom watch political speeches. I watched her speech because it was an historic moment: the acceptance speech of the first woman to be nominated for U.S. President by a major political party. I also watched it because wanted to understand why people don’t like Hillary Clinton. In the first five minutes, I was afraid that she had … read more Listening to her voice
Saturday night date
It’s Saturday night. So we went out. Tom slipped into the wheelchair with amazing ease – just one day of rehab did that. We signed out and took the elevator to the first floor. No chaperone. “This is a DATE, right?” I said, our old joke. I pushed him outside, and showed him the outdoor … read more Saturday night date
Simple pleasures
This little piggy went to rehab. This little piggy went home. This little piggy had salmon, this little piggy had none … And THIS little piggy went “wheeee wheeee wheee wheeee wheeeeee!” All the way home. Since the stroke, Tom can’t flex the toes or upper part of his right foot. So I manipulate his … read more Simple pleasures