blessings

Bernie by the succulent garden ~ 7.29.10 ~ Storrs, Connecticut
Bernie by the succulent garden
7.29.10 ~ Storrs, Connecticut

As difficult a day as Wednesday was, Thursday I started feeling less flustered and more grounded. And a bit sheepish.

Before I went up to Dad’s I stayed home a while to watch The View to see the interview with President Obama. I came away from it with a restored feeling of hope… I won’t go into politics, but listening to him talk without the pundit filter reassured me that he is still the same man who I came to trust, respect and admire while reading his two books, Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope. I like that he is so even keeled and doesn’t lose sight of the big picture. It set the tone for a much better day!

We had a good visit from Dad’s “baby” sister. Aunt Em is 81. She’s a vivacious widow who lives in Maryland near her children and grandchildren, and still drives by herself on long trips like the eight-hour one from Maryland to Connecticut. Her presence is a tonic to Dad and Auntie. Together, they are the three surviving siblings of a family of eight children.

It was hot and humid, perfect weather for Papa who, like many elderly ones, always seems to be cold. There is a space heater in every room he occupies, and they are used often, even in the summer. So he wasn’t a bit hot in his flannel shirt! We wheeled him out to the landing on the wheelchair ramp and got a chair for Aunt Em, and left them to have some time alone together.

I went for a non-walk with Bernie. It was too humid for him to move around, I suspect, but he decided to soak up some sun on a stone wall. Cats are solar-powered, you know. But he could do without the humidity, being a cat hailing from arid New Mexico! It fascinates me that to the naked eye, Bernie’s blind eyes look a dull solid yellowish-gray. But the camera reveals all sorts of colors, each shot making his eyes look like multicolored marbles.

Since Bernie didn’t seem to be going anywhere, I snuck around the side of the house and surprised Aunt Em and Dad. “Paparazzi!” I announced, while climbing up the outside railing of the ramp, aiming the camera between the bushes. At first Dad didn’t understand the joke but Aunt Em found it hysterical. She stopped laughing long enough to explain the humor to him and then he started laughing, too. Got two snapshots – it’s been such a long time since Dad has laughed out loud!

paparazzi shot, Dad and Aunt Em ~ 7.29.10 ~ Storrs, Connecticut
paparazzi shot, Dad and Aunt Em

Aunt Em treated us all to a take-out dinner in the evening after Auntie and Larisa arrived. Spending a few moments catching up and making plans with my daughter was wonderful…

When I made it home, tired after the hour-long drive, I found a tube of natural progesterone cream on the kitchen counter. After work my darling husband had made the trip through heavy summer tourist traffic to the nearest health food store. (The progesterone already seems to be helping!) I am grateful and blessed.

4 thoughts on “blessings”

  1. Hi Barbara. Love your comment, “Paparazzi!” Love Aunt Em. Love the progesterone cream (although I have stopped using mine in the last year or so.” Don’t you love it when we feel more grounded? Blessings to you, Barbara.

    1. Hi Kathy, I’m so pleased you stopped by and enjoyed my post! Feeling more grounded makes things “go” so much better… It’s amazing, though, how strongly our outlook can be affected by hormonal shifts. Blessings to you, too, my friend.

  2. Barbara, I just read your home page and today’s posting as well. Your ramblings feel so natural and comfortable, as if I were walking with my sister, a close friend, or even perhaps myself. My happiest childhood memories take place in Cape Cod, though I grew up in Connecticut, and the sweet man I live with now and hope to end my days with, also comes from Cape Cod. You and I probably have alot in common. Your writing is warm, light and funny, while it touches on the realities that we all live with. You also have lovely ways of seeing things (solar-powered cats and paparazzi) that make me smile and apparently make Aunt Em LOL along with your Dad. Thanks for such a wonderful read. I enjoyed every moment.

    1. Thank you, brokenpenwriter, for your very kind words! Our Cape Cod and Connecticut connections are exciting, and I suspect we do have a lot in common! Tim and I hope to retire on the Cape some day. We were both so happy visiting our grandparents there in our respective childhoods so long ago. I can’t remember how I stumbled across your wonderful blog, but I meant to get back to it and comment on the “Blue” poem. Blue is my favorite color and the picture and your poem sang to me! But… today I was sidetracked by your son’s poem! I think both of you are very creative and observant. It’s so nice that you can share the love of poetry. I’m looking forward to reading some of your older posts when time allows… Thanks again for stopping by here!

A box for your thoughts...

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.