The past weeks unloaded upon the blogger a host of responsibilities and reasons for reflection: reams of student essays to read and grade, piles of snow and the resultant delays and work closure leading to backlogs, and such usual complaints. In addition, the dropping-of-everything while attending to the death of our no-longer-resident nonagenarian, not to mention the bureaucratic heaps of forms and notifications that follow a passing.
I’m writing poems. It seems to be what I need to do at present, despite the state of my household environment and the backlog at work.
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The blizzard put my gardening on hold, though I remembered to purchase some seeds and thus can get to the tomato-starting process within a week or so. Before the snow came, I did get outside to prune and deadhead a bit while the weather was unseasonably warm. A little at a time. Such things are sustaining to me, emotionally.
And watching the birdfeeders has been soothing and delightful. Today a small nuthatch joined the party. My youngest cat spends large segments of his day crouched by the window, as fascinated as I am (but for different reasons, I suppose).
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I am thinking of a friend-in-poetry who has need of special care and financial assistance while going through and recuperating from some extremely painful, delicate, dangerous and potentially-disabling surgery-&-rehab. She will need more than the initial $4K this GoFundMe portal suggests, so if any of my readers feel inclined toward a random act of (financial) kindness: Jessamyn’s Medical Fundraiser. Thanks.
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Addendum: Yes, I’m sticking to my determination to read more poetry. And it is helping. Most recently, re-reading early Li-Young Lee, Mark Doty’s Deep Lane, Dave Bonta’s Ice Mountain: An Elegy, and a really wonderful new collection by Kim Roberts: The Scientific Method.
So sorry, Ann. I’m glad you have the not-inconsiderable consolations of cats, gardens, and poetry.
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Reblogged this on World4Justice : NOW! Lobby Forum..
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My deepest condolences and thoughts are with you. Also sorry to hear about Jessamyn and will respond.
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Thanks so deeply for checking in, Lou. Sending healing to Jessamyn. Doing okay here. ❤
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Spines aren’t easy. Mine was fused in 2012 and I blew out the adjacent disc last year. Just getting back to “normal.”
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Ouch–sorry to hear. Maintain wellness! Namaste.
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The problem with vowing to read more poetry: Very hard to race through it, to “catch up.” Not so, Google news, or the NCAA tournament. Maybe you should switch polarity from slow/meaningful to fast/inconsequential?
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Ha. Doesn’t suit my nature, even though basketball can be fun to watch. 😉
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