polka dots, my birthday bouquet

To my friends out there in flickrland:

Friday February 28, was my 84th birthday

I figured it was time for an update for anyone interested.

 

We’ve had good times and bad times.

 

Since the presidential election, I am becoming more of a recluse and am cutting back on everything. The election was a bad thing. IMHO.

 

Leon’s Parkinson’s is moving very slowly, if at all, which is a good thing. He thinks he isn’t doing well but he is.

He has fuzzy exhausting days, so do I, and I don’t have Parkinson’s.

 

My nephew died last year, a bad thing, then his dad died, another bad thing, and then my sister died —- another bad thing.

 

But…..my granddaughter who has had 4 losses in 5 years, finally conceived and made it through her whole pregnancy and delivered a baby boy Jan. 4th, and he is beautiful. A very good thing.

He looks like both his parents, IMHO. I haven’t been able to hold him yet, they are very cautious and will wait to invite us over until the NorCal sick season is over and he’s had some of his shots.

 

It is raining right now, that’s a good thing. And all the trees are blooming, another good thing. I’ve never counted the trees we’ve planted on this 3 ½ acres, but it’s dozens and dozens and dozens, well over 50 I’m sure, maybe close to 100. Trees are good things.

 

I am reclusive, but we have my daughter and SIL up here along with their children and families. Another Good.

And we’ve made friends at the local breakfast restaurant and grocery store. A good thing about small towns.

 

My older son is paying for a cleaning woman to come in once a week for 2 hours. At least the bathrooms and kitchen are kept clean. Good thing. and he sends flowers.

 

Some bad things: me. I still can’t walk a straight line and can’t see well because of the nystagmus, and I’ve a very bad right shoulder and left knee and a moderately bad left shoulder and right knee. Navigating is hard. So is reading a book, and I’m an avid reader. I have ouchy carpal tunnel in my right wrist, so the typing is going downhill.

I have pain all of the time. I often sleep 14 hours/day.

And, I’ve lost 15 lbs. I look like an armadillo.

 

I’ve had every test known to man. The last was the spinal tap and I apologized to my doctor for being a sissy wuss. He asked if we were still friends. Yes, he is a good thing.

Final results are not in on the tests.

I think I’m going to draw the line at a bone marrow test unless they knock me completely out. But I love my doctors.

 

I’ve got to find someone to put my nose stud back in. I can’t do it. The stud had to go with the last MRI.

 

It’s still so beautiful up here. The flowers/bulbs are starting to bloom. Unfortunately, so are the weeds.

We have a young man to do some gardening when he can and a tree guy to trim trees when he can. Good things.

 

I have Leon and 4 boisterous, happy rescued dogs to keep me entertained, and I have the bruises and scars from all our doggies past and present to prove it.

 

So that's how it goes. Good and bad. It is what it is, and all those other sayings.

I thank you for being here.

 

**just to remind me not to feel sorry for myself:

from lynnespo181 some time ago

How long have we been asking ourselves this question.

How long will we continue.

Maybe it's the profound ignorance that seems built into our human nature and that some allow to rule.

 

"later that night

i held an atlas in my lap

ran my fingers across the whole world

and whispered

where does it hurt?

 

it answered

everywhere

everywhere

everywhere."

 

-Warsan Shire

 

 

“just because it ends

doesn’t mean its over.”

 

~~Jonathan and Jessie Kellerman, The Lost Coast

Done