Nature Songs ~~~~
JANUARY, 2001
"In masks outrageous and austere
The years go by in single file;
But none has merited my fear,
And none has quite escaped my smile.”
~~~ Elinor Wylie
American author (1885-1928
January 1, 2001 - I ushered in the new year alone, with nary a fanfare. There is only myself and my two trusty sidekicks in attendance. Actually they are planted and touching on each side of me as they curl - one in a fluffy ball; the other sporting a sweater - sleeping into the next year. I’ve decided they choose to be here not so much as protection of the one that feeds them, as to be protected if anything unusual should occur. These are not the most vicious attack dogs of any century and have no instinct for being so . . . unless one calls attack being the act of licking someone to death. The worst vice either of them have is the bark emitted when someone is leaving the premises. They know the “go” word and waste no time jumping into a wave of activity and decibels at the use of the word.
Watching parts of the ABC, Dick Clark version of observing this new year has not been very thrilling to me. The music is not my choice of music. I find myself channel surfing around and end up watching more of the cartoon channel than any other. I did stick around for the dropping of the ball at Times Square and being glad others were out in the cold taking part outdoors instead of me, myself and I. Who knows? One year I may decide to be there live for the event but it will be a warmer time. Attendance is down for Charlotte’s night out celebration this year because of the cold weather according to late news. Again, better they than me.
I have to note that the city crews did a great job of clearing away all the snow along Times Square before the party began. One has to wonder if clearing away the blizzard of confetti following the party takes longer than clearing away the snow.
No outrageous promises are on the agenda for the coming year here in my household. Tax increases this year mean that I will no doubt have to pay 15% to 20% more for where I live since there has been an audit and update on the pay scale used for all households. That is something I have very little control over other than moving to another spot.
I intend to continue my Quest Adventure. That has been one of my highlights of the year past. It not only has improved my ability to move about better, but I’ve made new friends to share life with. The quandary of my back is yet to be solved. There may be no solution to the problem. Only time and patience will lead me on this journey.
The bottom line this year, I hope to live a satisfying life which is kind to me and those around me. There are no rules being made for this new year only to be broken later on. Life is for living and I want to live it to its fullest with guidance from the Lord Above.
Allan brought Buddy Boy by this afternoon for a short while. He noticed when he drove up in the field that someone got carried away with a new paint gun game they must have received for Christmas. There are globs of paint of many different colors on his trailer, the woodpile, metal oil/gas drum and the side of the shed. We know not if it is waterproof or not. He mentioned maybe I should report it to the police. What would be better would be parents that teach their children to respect the property of others. The woodpile is the only thing that I would not consider as being damaged.
My visit to see Mother was a short one this evening. I got all the Christmas decorations down and put away except the tree. I plan to get it tomorrow and store it here at the house. One of her granddaughter brought her three boys to see Mother today and they brought some leftovers from last night’s celebration. She was wearing the hat when I arrived. I put it and a noise maker in the window and hung up the horn, another hat and a lei on her board to take the place of the cards and things I took away.
Plans are for me to be in Morganton by eight a.m. for the next three mornings. Tbird is teaching a course on Brain Gym and I am attending which means I will miss three days of our water mornings out. Yes, I shall go and I shall learn some new techniques to help me better myself.
January 2, 2001 - Looking back on Tuesday from the following Wednesday, it all seems a day filled with a blur of activities. There were fifteen of us in the Brain Gym Class in Morganton. We began delving into mastering the proper steps and procedures early in the morning. Everything we did was begun with the steps of PACE, which I had been introduced to earlier in the short session at Q4L. Every time we turned around we were taking a drink of water to make sure the electricity was turned on in our bodies and mind. The amount of water consumed for the day by all of us probably would have filled a bathtub or two. Some of the methods I modified enough to be able to do them in the sitting position rather than taking a chance of losing my balance standing. There was the knee thing to consider as well. My ability to bend at the knee deeply and without holding on to some sturdy structure is less than perfect.
During the lunch break I took time to go by the new Belk Store in Fiddler’s Run Strip Mall which was not too far away. I found the Easy Spirit shoes on sale and there was a pair my size. An added bonus for me was when I realized I purchased them on Senior’s Day with an additional 15% off.
Once I started toward Lenoir in my car, I knew if I were to drive home first, that it would be impossible to leave and make my way to the nursing center. I stopped off to see Mother before going homeward. That ultimately turned into a very short stop. The blurring of the day was becoming more acute. Of course, she had forgotten I would be gone all day and the events of the week had to be repeated since this is a three day class. Taking time to take down her Christmas cards and decorations to store for next year was about my limit for this visit. I begged off and left her tree up until later in the week before heading home to crash for the evening.
January 3, 2001 - Before I could formulate and begin recording thoughts encompassing all the additional activities of today, the phone rings. My brother is at the other end of the line relaying messages to me. The good news was the fact he just got home after his long siege within the walls of the hospital and rehab. The next piece of news was upsetting. Some of the worst-case scenario that one would have to endure. I had to assure BJ that I would not relay the news to Mother until tomorrow before he would allow me to hear it. He felt foremost that we should wait before breaking the information to her. His wife’s sister - married to our cousin that had the open-heart surgery such a short time ago - was taken to the hospital on Monday for another condition. The only details he could relate to me at the moment was that she suddenly had some sort of spell. Within a very short time, her blood pressure shot way up and then dropped extremely low. Those attending her were very concerned about what may ensue. Within a matter of minutes, our cousin called again to tell BJ that he had lost her ... she died.
Things like this are not supposed to happen our world. She is the youngest of our age group. Her husband is still mending and building up strength from his open-heart surgery. My brother has been going through his own private sort of hell working to regain what has been lost. This will be hard for him to deal with and at the same time not have a reoccurrence of the blood pressure/stroke problems he has been working to conquer. The triple affect being placed on my sister-in-law and her mother is unthinkable. At a time such as this, prayer is the only constancy to look toward for strength to continue on.
I am thankful that my brother thought to call and talk with me. He was able to be released from some of the buildup of the shock and not remain there keeping in all his thoughts and fears. His son was left at home with him as his wife and a daughter headed toward the hospital to be with our cousin and her Mother. I in turned called my aunt who also was close to all of those involved in the tragedies of the evening. While talking with her, I remember that Mother has an eye doctor appointment tomorrow. She offers to meet Mother at the office and stay with her while she is in the office in Hickory. We plan to meet later in the afternoon tomorrow to visit the families together and find out about funeral arrangements.
The rest of the day pales in view of the shock of the evening. It turned out to be a good day. I paced myself a little better and was not as tired. The morning began slower than usual and only after my meds kicked in was I able to motivate better. It felt good being in the company of fellow teachers. We understood each other. No one has more fun than a bunch of teachers together out of the presence of students. There was a great learning environment and we did some strenuous mental work camaraderie along with the physical movements. We have developed a wonderful within the group which includes more than teachers. All of us have felt that this is an experience which would be wonderful to share and use with others. Through our own trials we know that it works..
NEXT
©2001 by Stormy Jeanne
All of my writings are copywrited and are not to be used by others.
