[Jan. 14] It takes awhile to vacuum the little pieces of paper in the office left over from the shredder. I try to get some joy out of using the leaf-blower on the deck, but individual leaf stems and bird seed are stuck between the floorboards. In this last cleaning of the rental house, I’m … read more Harvest moon
Tag: home
Pictures on the mantel
They aren’t expensive frames. Plain black wood, the kind you have to sort through in the display racks at the drugstore, and check carefully to find a couple that aren’t scratched or dinged. After I’d put the two 8 by 10 prints in the frames, and set them on the mantel, I sat and looked at them … read more Pictures on the mantel
A roof over my head
Roof is NAKED! the email from my neighbor exclaimed. Fred’s been keeping an eye on the progress of the house repairs and sends me reports. Mostly, he’s astonished it has taken so long. This week, the tarp ripped and the house suffered water damage. It was kept to a minimum only because I happened to go … read more A roof over my head
The homecoming
Tom got to come home today – and boy, was he ready. He’s now marked “independent” on getting in and out of bed and chair, showering and going to the toilet, and running around in his wheelchair. He has progressed so fast that I can’t keep up, and his therapists are truly impressed. He can … read more The homecoming
Home away from home
The rain stopped just a minute ago. A slight mist rises from the hot asphalt, an accent against the deep green of the tree leaves. My shoulders drop as though I’d let a heavy backpack slip from them. Everything I can see is green. Trees, plants, just green. No cement. No asphalt except the two-lane … read more Home away from home
The red buckeyes: An act of faith
This story begins seven years ago, with an act of faith. February 20, 2009 “I’m going to plant that red buckeye seed today,” I told Tom. Caught in my voice was that thin blade of iron resolution usually reserved for the worst tasks, like sweeping mounds of wet leaves off the decks. I had put … read more The red buckeyes: An act of faith
Being the baby again
I’ve been able to escape many of my work responsibilities during recovery, but today I had to check and finalize a form for the grant’s next installment. It was painfully difficult. The accountant had made some calculations that I knew weren’t correct. I went over and over the numbers to make sure I had done everything right. Then … read more Being the baby again
Lost and found
I’ve really been missing my purple reading glasses. I bought them about a year ago, along with a purple wallet, a purple neck warmer, and a purple headband. Some of this purple binge came from the poem, “When I am an old woman I shall wear purple…” by Jenny Joseph. Why wait until you’re old? Purple is … read more Lost and found
Feeling like a burden
My week is not going so well. My body feels like a hostile robot that I cannot control: The sciatica lingers, the opiate drugs constipate the digestive system, thinking is slow and feels generally purposeless. Tom does not hover overly much. He knows that I’ll tell him what I need and that I hate to whine. … read more Feeling like a burden
Day 34: The last time I left home
I left Ohio many times, physically and mentally, before I left for good in 1984. But I always knew I would leave. Maybe it started when I was very little. I used to play along the banks of the creek that ran through our front yard, and built imaginary villages from twigs, leaves, moss, and … read more Day 34: The last time I left home