A Pile of Hope

Apr 27, 2011 | This Life

My pile of hope. Vintage tablecloths for the front porch. A girl can dream of sunny weather, right?

Observing today:

. . . Spring isn’t ready to arrive. Not really. And yet, despite the deluge that has been our weather, and promises to be our weather the rest of the week, it’s hard to complain when you consider the South. Prayers that direction.

. . .I am utterly thankful for the extra padding on my thighs. I spent a good part of today in waiting rooms. Waiting for a blood draw. Waiting for Xrays. And the frailty of several elderly women struck me. Their tiny bones peeking out from their clothes reminded me that this extra padding I’m carrying around isn’t all that bad. So, today at least, I’m going to rejoice about these thighs of mine.

. . . A clearly sick man struggle with his coat as his wife watched… I couldn’t help but wonder. Is she indifferent? Or, is she really being loving? Giving him his independence, his space, his dignity. And how difficult it must be to walk that line when someone you love is sick. And how deeply blessed I am to be growing old with someone who has that particular skill mastered.

. . . That my husband is a schmaltzy romantic in the most obscure ways. Just realized that the password he set up for an account of mine is actually a numerical representation of “I love Wende”. I’m clueless, sweetheart, but I 7492 you too.

. . . Children grow too fast. Not just their feet and hands and legs, but also their hearts. I bought a pair of tiny, tiny Converse shoes for a nephew I will never meet, and I couldn’t help but remember feet that tiny. Rejoicing over a 14 year old, with feet far larger than mine, who still offers me hugs.

. . . Thankful for the spirit to face our difficulties with joy and gratitude and a sense of adventure. Budget cutting again? No problem, I can do that. Wait, rephrase, WE can do that.

What are you observing today?

It’s Not Snowing

Nov 16, 2010 | This Life

nightsnow4.jpg

2007– A walk at night with Miss Sophie in the Snow

Ok, so it’s not really snowing here. But my feet would beg to differ. I’m cold! Yeah, I know, whine, whine, whine. Presently, IZ and the boy are off at Costco picking up, among other things I’m sure, an electric throw blanket for miss whines-a-lot. I can’t help it, I’m purple.

And I apologize for the blast from the past photo. I’ve been multi-tasking: taking copious amounts of ibuprofen for a very sore jaw and spending far too much time in the studio. It’s November and Mireio is swapped which doesn’t leave a lot of time for extra-curricular photography or blogging.  That’s a good thing. A very good thing. But I finding all the dental appointments (and the painful aftermath) to be pressing my juggling skills to their breaking point. So far, I’ve managed to keep all the important balls in the air. But the laundry ball has rolled under the couch and is collecting dust along side the blogging ball.

So, that’s me… cold, whiny, munching pain meds like candy, and hoping the new electric blanket will restore order in my world. Or, at least make me a bit less purple.

UPDATE: It’s 11 pm; I’m snuggled under a warm blanket and can now feel my toes. It’s a veritable sauna on my couch. My husband is a genius and a saint and I need something new to whine about. Oh, don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll find something. I’m resilient like that.