Thank You

Sunday is a day of rest and I’m taking full advantage of it – putting a halt to the recent frantic pace & catching up on some chores that need doing around here.

I may even cook a dinner. I’ve been nibbling from my Mom’s hospital meals – but only stuff she doesn’t want! However, a salad consisting of lettuce & dressing or a small plastic cup of vanilla ice cream does not make for a balanced diet.

On Monday we will resume the pace – more phone calls & meetings regarding future living arrangements. My mother may be discharged from the hospital tomorrow. She’s eager and anxious to leave but I’m not quite sure she’s ready. I’m hoping we will be.

Many thanks to all those who left comments and/or emailed me – very much appreciated.

Regular blogging (posting & leaving comments elsewhere) has not yet resumed from BooksEtc. This is simply a brief update and a sincere thank you.

Absence

My mother isn’t well.

I know she will be okay. My sisters and I have been and will be spending every moment we can with her. Her hospital stay will supposedly be a brief one. While the doctors attempt to get her immediate physical issues under control, we will begin dealing with matters as to her future care and living arrangements. This is going to be a long process and quite a battle. She is one feisty lady.

Word of advice: If at all possible (and it usually isn’t) stay away from hospitals if you can. We spent yesterday in the various ER areas of a hospital full of sick people wearing masks due to possible H1N1. My mother was finally admitted after eight hours but was still in the ER when we left due to a lack of available beds. (And, no, she does not have H1N1.)

Odds and Sods

Strange how you scramble to get urgent matters dealt with before leaving for a brief three day get-a-way and upon your return there’s another pile of urgent matters begging for your attention. I place 80% of the blame for this phenomenon on email.

Had a great time – de-mice-pooped the cottage & scooped up two dead mice bodies with a snow shovel. Why a snow shovel and not simply a dustpan? I needed that distance. Why? I don’t know. Bought and placed mice poison in the basement (thank you Guy and The Bodhi Chicklet) and also put Bounce sheets everywhere (thank you Cheryl) as back-up. The cottage smells like a laundromat.

Mice matters aside, my time away was wonderful. Good food, lots of wine, much laughter and great company – including the presence of a man (!) amidst what was basically a girls’ weekend. Brave soul. And, no, he was not my guest or date. For lack of a better word, this eligible male “belonged” to another.

I’ve always been intrigued by a certain aspect of my make-up – and I am referring to the character kind of make-up, not the plaster all over your face sort. I have never felt the slightest inkling of an attraction to a male who is “taken.” (Again, for lack of a better word – one person never owns another.) He could be the most gorgeous of men with a personality to match but from me – not a spark of interest. Nada. Interesting that the world is full of those who do not recognize, acknowledge or respect such boundaries. Love (or lust) is a many splendored & confusing & fascinating subject.

Bleeding radiators is not such a fascinating subject. That was one of the pressing matters I attended to upon my return and ended up with a numb butt waiting 10 minutes for the water to finally flow through one of them.

Next on my agenda – dealing with further legal matters.

I am so glad I went away. Needed that break.

Let the Games Begin...

anticipatory victory pose (or counting my mice before they're caught)

Heading to the cottage tomorrow morning & looking forward to some time away but also anticipating Beth vs. The Mice – The Sequel.

According to my youngest, who was at the cottage last weekend, those damned critters threw down their version of the gauntlet.

THEY POOPED ON MY PILLOW! This time, they have gone too far.

They may outnumber me but I am smarter. That should count for something.

And, yes, I will be missing Halloween night. So sad – both for the little ones around here and for me. No leftover candy.

The Secret Place

I’m the sort of person whose mind will drift off – any time and just about anywhere. This can also be referred to as zoning out or going to one’s happy place. It can also occur at inappropriate or inopportune moments.

Recent examples? The other day while brushing my teeth I suddenly realized I’d been doing so for an awfully long time. Where had I gone? “Inside myself.” And at yesterday’s pool class the instructions for an exercise were: “Stretch both arms forward, slowly pull them back behind you and turn palms inward.” I eventually came to and noticed I was the only one in the class with my arms still stretched forward – and that the instructor was watching me with a grin on his face.

Is this habit of mine indicative of some sort of mental aberration? Perhaps. But if so, I don’t mind at all. On occasion, I’m also capable of withdrawing inside myself with some rather negative thoughts. I much prefer the visits to my happy place.

Imagine my delight when I came across this poem last week written by Canadian poet and author Dennis Lee. I am not alone! I’ll go out on a limb here and suggest that Mr. Lee joins me in wishing everyone possessed the ability to visit such a place.

So, if you catch me with a faint smile on my face and a somewhat distant gaze in my eyes, do not disturb. And do not worry. I’m just experiencing a pleasant time out. I’ll be back.


The Secret Place - Dennis Lee

There's a place I go, inside myself,
Where nobody else can be,
And none of my friends can tell it's there -
Nobody knows but me.

It's hard to explain the way it feels
Or even where I go.
It isn't a place in time or space,
But once I'm there, I know.

It's tiny, it's shiny, it can't be seen,
But it's big as the sky at night . . .
I try to explain and it hurts my brain,
But once I'm there, it's right.

There's a place I know inside myself,
And it's neither big nor small,
And whenever I go, it feels as though
I never left at all.