Wings. Feathers. BYO.

Christina Bothwell, Lord Vishnu riding on Garuda (2014)

A wing and a prayer. A feather and a flight. Occasionally one must arrive with their own conveyances to soar over hump day into the rest of the week.

A Dog’s Serenity Prayer for Peace In Our Time

I continue to wait impatiently for word from my oncologist neurosurgeon/radiologist oncologist/regular oncologist/nurse from anyone’s office re. next steps in my procedure to have the brain tumor resection discussed further and scheduled In my initial consult with the neurosurgeon he suggested he and his team would meet with my by May 18th, 10 days following my initial consultation. Nothing yet, despite numerous calls placed regarding status of said follow-up. Thus my increasing symptoms of anxiety, high blood pressure, balance/coordination/motor skill issues and general malaise despite high doses of steroids, also not helping. Numerous calls placed, numerous “we are so sorry” responses from what I am assured for 30-40 minutes at a time while on hold is “one of the best hospital systems in America.” God help anyone not in one of the “best” systems as the dog day afternoons will chew your hiney up before you know what bit you.

I will attempt to find a way through this current medical logjam in 15 minutes.  Do say a little prayer if you are so inclined as my reserves are running low along with strength, stamina and sanguinity.

June’s Greening and Golding

And just like that, June rolled in on morning gold, greening everything along its path if you’re so inclined to see it that way.

Which seems right even knowing that we don’t see things as they are but rather as we are.

Life works a bit better that way I think.

Memorial Day, Celebrated, 2023

"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." —Winston Churchill

As we do on this day each year, we pause to remember the men and women who died fighting for our freedom.

We stand by humbly, gratefully, silently, to honor their sacrifice.

We remember…

We mourn for those lost…

And we mourn for those they’ve left behind…

As we reflect once again on the the steep price of freedom.

By all means, enjoy your picnics, parades and celebrations today – it is a holiday after all. But do pause to remember and honor all the brave Americans across the centuries who have sacrificed their lives in the fight against tyrants, tyrannies and terrorists;

the enemies of freedom who will always be amongst us and will always be a threat to liberty. God willing, America will always be there to vanquish freedom’s adversaries. 

Wishing all a tranquil, thoughtful and reflective Memorial Day this year.

Updated and Reposted from Memorial Day 2018

Café Caturday

Life, like cats, has priorities.

Do not accidentally misplace your priorities, treat them like options or permit them to turn into daily procrastinations. But let’s be real, first you drink the coffee…then you do the things.

Stay focused and remember: stabbing people is just wrong. But giving them the finger before your first cup is okay if you do it silently.

When Dromedaries Fly

I don’t recall when or how we dropped dromedary hump day for wings and feathers day but I suspect it had something to do with our potato head leader.

As a child I had a love/hate relationship with dates, hating most things containing the sweet, cloying fruit -  with the exception of my Grandmother’s not- so-sweet soft pastry-like sugar cookies filled with a date mixture tempered with plenty of lemon juice to take the sweetness down a notch or so.

                

So now, Wednesday is technically wings and feathers.

P.S If you still feel as though you must sniff and hump, please do so responsibly; unlike the most dubiously elected official in the history of the country.

This is MOTUS and I approve this message.

Mutt Day Meditations

For pbird: a likely dog.

Untitled: Karin Wickström

For unlimited mutt day reflections.

Good Lamentations

Good morning my lovelies.

And another huge thank you for yet another gift delivery of another fine lovelies:

The gray ghost in the mirror is me. 

They arrived on a cool, damp, dreary day and immediately injected warmth and happiness into an otherwise not so much that kind of place. Lemon yellow snaps, pink peonies, orange roses, pinky-orange parrot tulips and lime hydrangeas all enhanced with spring greens. You would smile too if you received them.

Unfortunately I have a bit of setback news that I’ve been reluctant to report. It seems that after repeated and more frequent MRIs that all 3 of my oncologists (chemo/immuno/radiation/neurosurgeon) agree that the brain ‘inflammation’ that continues to grow larger with each image is most likely new cancer growth combined with effects of the prior radiation therapy. I am experiencing concerning balance/coordination problems again and have a return of the Frankenstein feet seemingly detached from the brain. I’m taking steroids to reduce the swelling but they don’t seem to be helping with the balance issue much. They have greatly improved my TJM situation and have made chewing more feasible than it’s been for the last year, so there’s that. 

As I haven’t all the details yet I will make this brief and somewhat clinical and report back later when things are more set. We’ve met with the radiation oncologist and the neurosurgeon to discuss treatment risks and side effects, which are significant with either strategy due to the location of the tumor in a rather ‘non-rehabilitatable’ portion of the brain. So, scary, but all seem in agreement that neurosurgery to remove as much as possible is the best route at this time.

So I’m waiting to hear back from the surgeon to discuss scheduling and follow up care. I have a most excellent team of docs and couldn’t ask for any better, still…we wait, but are fine. So please, send nothing other than your prayers, exhortations,

incantations,

and lamentations - always, always, lamentations! The more the better.

And extra butter and jam wouldn’t hurt either.