Well….this happened

On Friday I decided to wash an 8 x 6’ rug outside. That went very well and when it was dry I rolled it up and carried it inside. I’ve been having trouble with my left hip with bursitis. I had a Cortizone shot in both hips but it wasn’t time to get another one yet. As I was carrying the rug in somehow I lost my balance and my left leg wasn’t strong enough to hold me up and I tipped forward and I tipped forward. unfortunately my whole body weight tipped me right into the sharp corner of my China closet. As soon as my head hit the corner I knew it was going to be bad and when I reached up and had blood who’s out my fingers I knew.  But when I looked in the mirror and saw the 5 inch cut from my forehead top to between my eyes which was deep and wide I knew it was really bad. I put ice and pressed on it as I called my friend Joan who came and picked me up and took me to the emergency room. Four hours later I came home after having a CAT scan and 10 stitches and 10 stitchesBut when I looked in the mirror and saw the 5 inch cut from my forehead top to between my eyes which was deep and wide I knew it was really bad. I put ice and pressed on it as I called my friend Joan who came and picked me up and took me to the emergency room. Four hours later I came home after having a CAT scan and 10 stitches.I’m going to have a very large scar right in the middle of my forehead. And my eyes are almost swollen shut. I look like a bad raccoon. I guess since I have 79 I need to learn my limitations.

Amazing

How lucky am I? This is Rose, my mother in law who celebrated her 101st birthday on Sunday. She is in amazing health and has a mind that is so sharp. She still plays cards daily with her family and lives at home under the care of her daughter. We are so fortunate to have her. 

Fall,beautiful fall

September is here and with it comes cold, crisp mornings where the air is so refreshing. As I drive by the location where West Branch school used to stand I see the young wannabe Josh Allens practicing their throws and hits. Now that its cooler people are out walking with their children or dogs along the trails. The leaves on the tops of some trees have felt the change and are showing a different color of leaf. 

  September has always been an exciting new adventure for me when I was teaching. I entered the classroom after a long summer break to the smell of newness.  Everything was fresh and clean. As I opened the supplies I ordered in the spring it was like Christmas as I anticipated how I would use these new materials. I prepared lesson in anticipation of a brand new class. It may be one of the few jobs where every year is a new start. I was the kind of teacher who never did things the same way year after year. I loved putting up the bulletin boards welcoming the students into the classroom.

      It’s a little different now. I retired from elementary teaching in 2006 and it is in the far distance of my memory. Put I still walk down the school supply isle in Walmart just to look at the notebooks and pens and markers. 

      Here are some pictures of my 2003 fall decorations.

Sunshine

This is what it’s like to have such a thoughtful sister-in-law. She knows I’m going through a rough patch and she gave me a box of goodies to cheer me up. They were all wrapped in yellow Tissue paper and all follow the yellow theme. She’s a very clever girl and I’m so appreciative. It came on a day when I was really having quite a bad time. Thank you charlotte. 

Like a flower

I feel like these flowers. There is a big beautiful sunflower reaching for the sun. This is the me that wants to shine, the happy me for the world to see.  The crumbled sunflower is the me inside who is full of hurt that I won’t recognize. Withdrawn and sad.  The dying roses represent my lost love who will never hold me in his arms again. Never talk to me and tell me words I want to hear. Grief is real and is expressed in a lot of ways. 

And so it begins

And so it begins. My life without him. We met when I was 16. We were high school sweethearts, then fiancés.  We dated during the four years he was in the Navy while I was going to college. We married right out of college and spent 57 wonderful years with each other. And it ended. When you live that many years with somebody he is part of your soul. He is there in the morning and he is there to say good night to every night. There will be a hole in my heart that could never be filled again. He struggled so to breathe and his life was taken away from him piece by piece. Till he had nothing left. I don’t know what my life will be from now on but I know I will miss him terribly.