Oh the sadness of a dying year.
Yes, this time of year is the close of the Jewish year. I think I have always been on Jewish time, as I sense the days shorten and the winter approaching. I cling to the sunshine and the deep blue September sky. The sunflowers and mums are open, the warm colors of autumn everywhere I look.
There is an urgency to get things done, to prepare for hardship.
Projects must be wrapped up, gardens harvested, the house made ready for cold.
This past weekend we drove to Iowa.
Harvest is coming. Corn is ripe. We gleaned beans, tomatoes and cucumbers from Grandma's and Grandpa's prolific garden plot.
We went to the county fair. The weather was memorable. It was gorgeous, cool, sunny and clear. Ed spent the day riding the rides on the midway. He amazed us all by his tenacity. He wanted to get the most out of his all-day pass. He did.
The rest of us shopped and looked, watched the horse shows and pet the animals. I wonder why the beef cattle have such fluffy haunches these days. It just doesn't look natural! But it sure is cute. It's kind of Corgi-ish. Watching steers get shampooed and blow-dried is really entertaining. The bovines seem to enjoy the attention. Young 4-H'ers glow with quiet pride, caring for their prize winning animals.
The horse people were as much fun to watch as the horses at the horse shows. This fair is really fun to attend, as they've made everything easy to do. The horse shows are free to watch. The horses are top-notch.
Our niece, the beautiful Izzy, was the reigning fair queen, and it was fun to see her in her glory.
Also fun was connecting with good friends and our family.
If only we could make this harvest time trip every year! It seems a fitting end to summer.
When you have a child with cancer, a world going bezerk, a family in transition, and a bunch of other complications, a wholesome county fair is just the ticket to feeling normal. I recommend.
I'm thankful for the gift of the weekend away.
Today Ed started the shot regimen again. He got the 3 shots, and then we found out his platelets were low when he bled overly much from the shot pokes. After a platelet infusion, a talk with the hospital psychologist, and other clinic stuff we got home, exhausted.
We are appreciating the on-going prayer for our situation. Ed has been in elevated moods recently, and he's starting to swing back down. These poles are never easy, but it is a reality with figuring out the perfect combination of medication to stabilize his bipolar condition.
There is a portal of experience that you cross when you've been diagnosed with cancer. Up until then you dread the horrid stuff, never believing or coming to terms with the possibility of having it. When it comes to you, you can't believe it at first. Denial is there in all of us to an extent.
But you have passed that border of cancer. Now you understand. Now you know.
Yes, yes. It's Ed that has the cancer. I'm just the mom. Somehow I feel it in a weird way, like it is a part of myself too.
We must deal with it. No backing out, no negotiation, no option.
On with the school year.
Cherie arrives home tomorrow, we project. She's heading northwards even now, as I write. What tales she'll have to tell! What excitement! Cowboy boots and belts, Native American jewelry and Civil War paraphernalia. Treasures to be sure, to share and admire.
I can't wait to see her.
Margaret turned over another birthday this golden weekend. She blossoms. What a gift she is to me, to all of us.
I broke the barrier of inertia today by going to the YMCA to swim for the first time in about 5 months. Terrible lack of exercise! I had to go, as my back was in bad shape. For you new readers... I broke my back years ago. It's a constant reminder of my accident with the beautiful horse I loved growing up.
It felt great to swim again, but I must have dropped my gorgeous necklace there at the Y, the one my son and daughter-in-law gave me for Christmas! I couldn't find it in my bag this evening when I looked for it. I'm going back tomorrow to try to find it. Pray I do.
Little things. Things you do in twelve hours at a time. That's our framework, and that's our plan.
I've got green beans to freeze.
Getting ready for winter, here.
Yes, this time of year is the close of the Jewish year. I think I have always been on Jewish time, as I sense the days shorten and the winter approaching. I cling to the sunshine and the deep blue September sky. The sunflowers and mums are open, the warm colors of autumn everywhere I look.
There is an urgency to get things done, to prepare for hardship.
Projects must be wrapped up, gardens harvested, the house made ready for cold.
This past weekend we drove to Iowa.
Harvest is coming. Corn is ripe. We gleaned beans, tomatoes and cucumbers from Grandma's and Grandpa's prolific garden plot.
We went to the county fair. The weather was memorable. It was gorgeous, cool, sunny and clear. Ed spent the day riding the rides on the midway. He amazed us all by his tenacity. He wanted to get the most out of his all-day pass. He did.
The rest of us shopped and looked, watched the horse shows and pet the animals. I wonder why the beef cattle have such fluffy haunches these days. It just doesn't look natural! But it sure is cute. It's kind of Corgi-ish. Watching steers get shampooed and blow-dried is really entertaining. The bovines seem to enjoy the attention. Young 4-H'ers glow with quiet pride, caring for their prize winning animals.
Our niece, the beautiful Izzy, was the reigning fair queen, and it was fun to see her in her glory.
Also fun was connecting with good friends and our family.
If only we could make this harvest time trip every year! It seems a fitting end to summer.
When you have a child with cancer, a world going bezerk, a family in transition, and a bunch of other complications, a wholesome county fair is just the ticket to feeling normal. I recommend.
I'm thankful for the gift of the weekend away.
Today Ed started the shot regimen again. He got the 3 shots, and then we found out his platelets were low when he bled overly much from the shot pokes. After a platelet infusion, a talk with the hospital psychologist, and other clinic stuff we got home, exhausted.
We are appreciating the on-going prayer for our situation. Ed has been in elevated moods recently, and he's starting to swing back down. These poles are never easy, but it is a reality with figuring out the perfect combination of medication to stabilize his bipolar condition.
There is a portal of experience that you cross when you've been diagnosed with cancer. Up until then you dread the horrid stuff, never believing or coming to terms with the possibility of having it. When it comes to you, you can't believe it at first. Denial is there in all of us to an extent.
But you have passed that border of cancer. Now you understand. Now you know.
Yes, yes. It's Ed that has the cancer. I'm just the mom. Somehow I feel it in a weird way, like it is a part of myself too.
We must deal with it. No backing out, no negotiation, no option.
On with the school year.
Cherie arrives home tomorrow, we project. She's heading northwards even now, as I write. What tales she'll have to tell! What excitement! Cowboy boots and belts, Native American jewelry and Civil War paraphernalia. Treasures to be sure, to share and admire.
I can't wait to see her.
Margaret turned over another birthday this golden weekend. She blossoms. What a gift she is to me, to all of us.
I broke the barrier of inertia today by going to the YMCA to swim for the first time in about 5 months. Terrible lack of exercise! I had to go, as my back was in bad shape. For you new readers... I broke my back years ago. It's a constant reminder of my accident with the beautiful horse I loved growing up.
It felt great to swim again, but I must have dropped my gorgeous necklace there at the Y, the one my son and daughter-in-law gave me for Christmas! I couldn't find it in my bag this evening when I looked for it. I'm going back tomorrow to try to find it. Pray I do.
Little things. Things you do in twelve hours at a time. That's our framework, and that's our plan.
I've got green beans to freeze.
Getting ready for winter, here.
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