Today’s Prompt Health Madlib Poem. Go to : http://languageisavirus.com/cgi-bin/madlibs.pl and fillin the parts of speech and the site will generate a poem for you. Feel free to post theMadlib or edit it to make it better.
A big break for the normal health talk, and such….
My husband got the biggest laugh out of this, and we felt it went great with Edward Gorey so here it is:
slovenly i have never go, quickly beyond
any doctor, your wife have their mad:
in your most loving home are things which stay me,
or which i cannot change because they are too loudly
your wanting look eagerly will unresist me
though i have fight myself as carpet,
you love always window by window myself as dinner hate
(expecting easily, quietly) her hurting egg
or if your garden be to hope me, i and
my chicken will do very lovingly, longingly,
as when the illness of this doctor don’t
the sunshine hopefully everywhere jumping;
nothing which we are to bounce in this birds cut
the dog of your cautious girl: whose cat
blow me with the house of its grass,
runing hospital and food with each walking
(i do not fall what it is about you that sleep
and believe; only something in me adapt
the money of your wife is callous than all dinner)
insurance, not even the work, has such nurturing noise
I thought and thought about this prompt and could think of 5 people, but realized after I invited 2 of them it wouldn’t be fair to the other 3 to have them in attendance, unless they just wanted to talk among themselves.
The first person I would invite would be my mother. She died in 1993.
The second person I would invite would be my husband.
The two most important people in my life, never met.
This is the dinner party I would like to have, I’d like the man I love, to meet my mother.
Of course, now I’m crying and have no idea what else to say in this post…..I’ll try and muddle through…
Let me tell you a little about my mother. My mother and I were always very close. When I was a child we played together, as I got older we told secrets, she always knew when I really needed to talk and she’d take me for a day trip to the beach. I didn’t realize if until years later, but those trips were huge bonding experiences for us. Never did we leave to come home without me unburdening to her whatever was on my mind. She was the kind of mother that all the kids wanted to be around. I often came home to find a friend talking with her. They hadn’t come to see me, they wanted her advice.
I think back over the past 19 years and for many of them I simply can’t believe she wasn’t here. I actually remember her at different events. I can almost hear us planning my wedding. But alas, she wasn’t there. My husband’s mother died just months before we were married. We had an empty seat for both of them beside our fathers. We walked down the aisle together, when we reached our parents I gave one of my flowers (I carried Calla Lillis) to my Stuart for his mother, and I had one for mine….we put them on the empty chairs, and kissed our fathers and continued up the aisle to become joined as husband and wife.
The next day we came back to the park we were married in to have photos taken, they were catching and tagging humming birds. Both of our mother’s loved humming birds. So much so we included the theme in our reception to include our mother’s presence. While they were tagging the migration they allowed me to hold 2 hummingbirds. Yes, I actually got to hold them. You see after they are caught they have to give them sugar-water and they sit in your hand a moment to warm up before they can fly away. We took this as a sign that our mothers were pleased with our union….a little hello if you would.
Can you blame me for wanting my mother to meet this incredible man who has taken care of me so unselfishly, so lovingly for so long now? My mother was my hero growing up, my husband is my hero now!
I know they would adore each other. But to have one dinner together, can you imagine?
All the stories about me growing up? The silly stories Stuart would share with my mother?
The proud moments a mother likes to share.
To share our wedding photos with her….to tell her all about it….
My mother finally seeing me stable (I had been diagnosed with Bipolar I before she died, but I was not completely stable until after she passed away.)
My mother seeing me happy, finally very happy, in spite of what my body is going through, I am happy most of the time……that is if I could stop crying!
and to have my mother hug me and tell me that everything is going to be alright…..oh what I wouldn’t give for that.
I know many of you will say she does see me, and she is always here with me….yes, I know.
But to have my mother and my husband actually meet, and have dinner with me…..that would be the ultimate dream for me.
From the moment I saw you as a gangly little dog who had been abandoned in a dumpster you stole my heart.
It has been over 19 years since that day, and I’ve loved you every moment. You have listened to me in good times and bad. You gave me a reason to live when I thought there was no other. I knew you depended on me, and many times I depended on you.
You have always been much more than a dog in this family. From the moment Stuart first walked in the door, you gave your approval. You met him at the door, this stranger, as if you’d known him all your life. It was love at first sight, and he instantly loved you. I knew from the way he greeted you with such affection, this man might just be a keeper.
When were got engaged, you were part of the celebration. We had pictures taken, of course you were a part of them. You would have been in our wedding if it hadn’t been so far away. However, you were not forgotten. My maid of honor gave a most touching speech mentioning how she was so lucky to be present when I met my first true love – you. Yes, you came before Stuart in our wedding toast. My dear, dear Sandy you are so very loved, and always will be.
Over the years we’ve been through a lot together, you have persevered through so much. But this last attack on you was more than your little body could stand. Since Friday you have had such a hard time. The seizure was hard on you. You seemed to be better when we brought you home. The next day you were tired, but seemed to be coming around, back to yourself. We started you on the seizure medication, and you got worse, and worse. For the last 2 days it has been very hard on all of us. It seemed you didn’t know us, or know where you were. You had to pace, fast, you kept running into things….it was a pitiful sight. We tried to calm you, but it made you more anxious. After 3 trips to the ER Vet yesterday we decided to stop the seizure medication, hoping you were just having side effects. You had a peaceful night at the vet’s office, and this morning they thought you looked much better, until you got home. The pacing started again. You had no idea who we were. We took you to our vet, hoping for some help. We didn’t know how long it would take for the medication to get out of your system. We were heart-broken to find out it was already. We knew then that it was time. Your quality of life was not as it should be. You couldn’t go on as you were.
They don’t know if the seizure caused your temperature to go too high, or if the cancer had metastasized in your brain possibly causing the seizures in the first place. All we know is your brain wasn’t working properly. You were not happy. You were miserable.
I hope it helped that we were with you, holding you as you drifted off. I hope you could understand just one last moment how much we love you. How much we hated to see you go, how much we will miss you. Both of our hearts are breaking. But we thank you for bringing us together. If you hadn’t approved, Stuart and I wouldn’t have lasted. But you accepted him in our little family. He was one of us. Thank you for making sure I wasn’t alone.
You have been my friend, my first true love, and my constant companion for 19 years. You have been a special part of Stuart’s life for over 11 years. I hope you will always know how much you are loved, not just by your family, but by everyone you met. You are a special dog, who will be missed very, very much.
Goodbye my dear sweet puppy dog, there will always be a place in my heart that will belong to you.
Today’s Prompt: Open a Book. Choose a book and open it to a random page and point to a phrase. Use that phrase to get you writing today. Free write for 15-20 without stopping.
I’m always reading. One book I’ve been reading on and off for a while is I Know What I Like (a visual autobiography by) Vincent Price. (one of the coolest people who ever lived!!! Just saying!!) I’ve had the book for a few years now, and normally I fly through books, but this book I’m savoring, and enjoying every morsel of it.
I just opened the book closed my eyes and pointed to a phrase…..
local thrift store interior - Pennies for Change, Durham, NC
“The junk store still holds a ghastly fascination for me.”
I’ve always enjoyed shopping in thrift (or junk) stores. Yard sales were also a fascination for me. I would go with my friend and her mother to scour the neighborhoods for the best yard sales, my friend would begrudgingly go, I eagerly awaited the search for the newest treasure. Some days I may find nothing of interest. Normally I found at least a book I just had to have! Often I came away with treasures I just knew others would love and hold dear, often to be disappointed when they were less than impressed by my “used” gift.
As I got older I depended on the thrift store to supplement my wardrobe, and I loved it! No I couldn’t afford the fancy clothes many of the kids wore at the private school I went attended, I was lucky to get a few fundamental pieces, then I discovered thrift stores! Why would I pay $50 for a name brand sweater I could find for $2? Having used clothes never bothered me. I was picky about what I bought, and no one would have known if I didn’t tell them, but I bragged, and still do. Someone will complement me on an outfit and I’ll say, “I paid $12 for this whole outfit, including the shoes!! In high school it wasn’t cool, but in college….times changed.
A photo of a chair close to my favorite chair, but mine swiveled!
I was an art student. I bought all my clothes from thrift stores, loved to create my own look! (wonder where that ability went?) I often bought old paintings and white washed them and painted over the old painting. Cheap canvas!! I found many things to use for art projects! For the artist, a thrift or junk store is a paradise. My furniture was mostly thrift store items. I loved them. A bright yellow half circle leather chair from the 1970’s – that was my favorite. I remember needing storage and an end table so I bought a bunch of old suitcases, cleaned them up, stored things in them, stacked them up and that was my table! I still think that was a cool table.
Ahhhh, I remember my roommate bought a mink coat for $10. It was such a wreak, and we were all a thither over the idea that someone would kill animals for a coat, but they had, and she felt that she was saving this poor pelt. What a mess. I don’t know what she ended up doing with it, I hope a good burial, but I’ll never forget that poor, poor mink coat we found.
I’ve found some gorgeous art books, I have a huge collection of old art books that have the prints in them. They are gorgeous.
Now, before we buy anything new we go to the thrift store first. I still buy a lot of my clothes used. Little house hold gadgets….
I have found that most thrift stores are not the treasure houses they used to be, it’s more “trendy” to shop in thrift stores now. I haven’t seen good used furniture in our local thrift stores in a long time, and when I do, the prices are way too high.
Still, I love to go on a treasure hunt in a junk or thrift store, I do not believe the fascination will ever die for me. (as long as I take an allergy pill first, whew the dust will get you!)
“Ummmmm, honey, think we can go thrift store shopping this weekend?”
Today’s Prompt: Writing with Style. What’s your writing style? Do words just flow from your mind to your fingertips? Do you like handwriting first? Do you plan your posts? Title first or last? Where do you write best?
Is this my style??...What's my style???... (distorted image of Mona Lisa by W. Holcombe)
I was recently talking with a friend about STYLE. People who have it, those who don’t….and really, does it matter? Does it change a person? In writing, does it change the end result? I wonder?
I have noticed the way I write has changed over the year. Not where I write or how I start, but the words I use, the way I express myself..those things have developed I think.
But that wasn’t the question.
My writing style. For the most part, when I have things on my mind I want to talk about I sit down and just write. Straight on the post.
I guess I plan a little, I always know some of what I’m going to say but usually my posts just flow from me. I don’t normally hand write anything down first, unless I’ve had a lot on my mind, or I’ve been writing poetry.
The title is often the hardest for me. For some reason I seem to think it needs to go first, but sometimes I change it before I post.
I always like to include an illustration.
I normally write in bed….or on the couch. Always on my laptop.
When I’m writing a usual post I just write as if I were talking to a friend or group of friends sitting here with me. I try to always be open and honest and write from the heart.
Night before last I didn’t sleep well. By 7pm last night I was ready to go to bed. I couldn’t sleep. We decided to watch a show on the computer curled up in bed together. Then about 9pm, it happened.
Stuart jumped up, “Oh no, Sandy! Wendy she’s doing her thing again!” I was very confused, what is “her thing”? I jumped up and turned the light on, she’s having a seizure.
No coughing, no signs anything was going to happen, nothing. She’s lying there with her back straight, legs straight out, and mouth tight. She has already wet herself. But she’s breathing. Hard. I keep talking to her, no response. I keep petting her and talking to her, and trying to get her to respond, nothing. I’m very good in a crisis, when I can do something, I started to panic a bit this time. What am I supposed to do to help? Finally I did get a little bit of a response by touching her tongue. She moved her head a bit with that, annoyed, but that was it, but it was enough to show me she was still in there. Stuart’s calling the Emergency Vet telling them we’re on our way, and getting dressed. I’m not leaving Sandy’s side. He’s all ready, I’m going in what I have on, sleep pants and an over sized t-shirt. I grabbed a sweat shirt because it was chilly, and threw on some sneakers. Out the door. I was a mess and reeked of urine, and did not care.
Sandy on the couch.
We get there, and were so sad because they were a bit busy. Not something you want to see at an Emergency Vet on a Friday night….a lot of people, most of them crying.
Sandy was acting a bit better, but she was still very lethargic, and confused acting. They took her right back.
This was the worst seizure she’s had, and they seem to be getting closer. They did blood work, but couldn’t get a urine sample. (I don’t know why, but Sandy hates to pee at the Vet’s office.) She was dehydrated, so that could have been the reason for no urine. They give her fluids, but wanted the urine to be before they diluted it. The blood work showed signs that she was dehydrated (this is typical after having a seizure), but it did have a couple of red flags about her kidneys. However, her potassium was normal, and the vet said if she was having major kidney problems the potassium would not be in the normal range…..whew. She thinks most of the tests that were out of range were because of dehydration. They monitored her body temperature. When dogs (I don’t know about humans) have a seizure their core body temperature rises. Since Sandy’s seizure lasted so long, or at least her coming out of it lasted a long time (it’s very hard to tell when her seizure’s stop and her recovering, but not being able to move, starts), they were concerned her temperature was too high for too long. Soon they gave her a lot of fluids and sent her home with the instructions….”Keep her calm tonight and keep an eye on her.”
At 12:30am we were back home, Sandy was so excited! You never would have known anything was wrong with her!!! She wanted to run everywhere! “Keep her Calm”, when a vet tells me that I really should ask, “how?” We did out best, but she had to see every inch of the house, and tried to run everywhere! Normally, if she’s excited we can go outside for a little bit and she will calm down. She starts getting all those good smells she has to slow down for, but last night? Nope.
Sandy playing in her bed.
Today, she’s acting fine. It’s so hard to believe I was sitting with her last night in tears telling her I understood if she had to leave us, that I never want her to be in pain. I kept telling her how much I love her, and that everything is alright. Trying so hard to sound calm. But just dying inside.
We talked to our vet today. She is starting Sandy on a seizure medication, and a special diet for renal function. She does have bladder cancer, we need to keep her urinary system running as smoothly as possible.
Watching someone you love get older and change is so hard. There is so much about her that is different from the Sandy she used to be. I’m glad the Alzheimer’s medication works, but it hasn’t cured it. She paces a lot. Around and around the house. Since the first day I got her she hasn’t wanted to be in a different room from me when I’m home, that’s different now. She often will go to bed in the middle of the day. Just leave us, and go to bed. She is much more of a loner dog, I’ve wondered if she is trying to prepare us in her own little way for a day when she won’t be here.
Last week, I was looking at her and thinking….she’s not the same dog. Don’t get me wrong, I still love her dearly, and she’s still MY dog, but there is so much that’s different. I miss my Sandy. I swear she knew I was feeling this way because she started to do little things that were more from her normal personality than she has in a long time. Cuddling up with me, and I’d love on her and when I’d stop she’d jerk her head back to look at me, “why’d you stop?”, it is such a cute move….so Sandy. She’s been more affectionate, and lying in the sun more….. oh just young Sandy things. Not old dog, Sandy things. I love them both, really!!! I’ve just missed my young Sandy a bit….because let’s face it. She’s 20 years old. That’s 100 years old for her. She can’t live forever. (but don’t tell her that!!!)
Today’s Prompt: My Dream Day. Describe your ideal day. How would you spend your time? Who would you spend it with? Have you had this day? If not – how could you make it happen?
My dream days now are much different from they used to be.
Today I take one day at a time. If I have a good day, I try to make the most of it.
The other day is a good example. I woke up not feeling the greatest, but I rested, and in the afternoon it was nice and warm and I felt better. So I asked my husband if we could take a ride that afternoon. (I’m a very lucky person, my husband works at home and can work flexible hours.) We decided it would be a nice day to take an afternoon ride with the top off my little yellow VW bug. (even though I can no longer drive, we decided to keep my car as the family car because it gives me such joy.) We went for a ride by the lake, and I saw a huge hawk which flew very close to the car. It was a beautiful sight. We drove through a little town and had a drink and snack and came home. I got a bit too hot and we had to put the top up and turn the air on, but it was a lovely afternoon. I didn’t feel well on the way home, but I hated for our afternoon to end.
Later, after we got home and I rested a bit, I was delighted that I felt better and was able to help with dinner. Something I so rarely get to do, and I love to cook. This day I was able to make nearly the entire meal with minimal help. A good day indeed.
So this was a wonderful day. A “dream” day.
photo from Hilton Garden Inn, Kitty Hawk, NC
It doesn’t have to be the perfect “dream” day to make me happy. However, I still dream of going to the beach with my husband, I love the ocean. Smelling sea air, feeling the ocean breeze and the warmth of the sun on my face, having long walks on the shore, and sitting on a porch reading as the sun disappears over the horizon. Eating fresh seafood caught straight from the ocean, and return to our place with naughtiness on our minds… Hopefully, days like that will happen again. However, if they don’t, we are very determined to live every good day to the fullest.
Who knows on my next good day, it may be a day he has off, and we can actually take a picnic down to that lake, and take a little walk. It may not be the ocean, but it would be a pretty body of water (and hubby loves the woods more than sand I think.)
I may be having a rough time with things right now, so I think it’s even more important to make sure to acknowledge every good moment, and celebrate every day…no matter if it’s a perfect “dream day” or not.
**warning to readers….this is a graphic letter. Things I really wish someone would have told me and helped me with, some may be offended by the frankness. There may be some major mistakes in the writing, I tried to read it over, but just couldn’t.
Dear 16 year old me.
Hi Wendy….You won’t believe it, but I am now almost 50 years old.
I know you are confused. I know it’s hard to believe that I could be writing you from the future, but please just sit back and listen. I hope to help make these coming times just a little bit easier. Please know, I love you, with all my heart. You will go through times that you don’t like yourself very much, but know you will. I’m just hoping you can start a bit sooner.
Recently you have been very depressed, and confused. Some days you are very happy, a bit euphoric even, and other days you don’t think you can carry on. Everyone thinks you are going though normal teenage hormones, just growing up. You are, but you are also dealing with a bit more. You need to make someone listen. Your mother has always been your best advocate. Sit down with her, talk honestly. Tell her just how depressed you have been and that you need to see a mental health professional. I’ll be blunt, you have Bipolar disorder. Don’t worry, you can be treated. But hopefully, you can catch this much earlier than I did the first time around. In my time line you went through many hard years and many heart breaks. You still live with the fall out from those times. If you can get help now perhaps your life can go much smoother. (much easier.)
If you can’t, there is one thing I suggest…STRONGLY. Be careful with your sex life. You will feel, once you are “soiled”, it isn’t worth the fight. It is. YOU ARE! You will lose your self esteem. You will lose so much. When you get into therapy, finally, you will have a good therapist, but she will not understand. She will acknowledge your past problems with abuse and see you think a man will only care if you give yourself to him. She will say. Sex is ok, but only if you really want to do it. You will often feel that you really want to do it. Please Wait. Wait many times. Wait until the relationship is so much more. Do not jump into a sexual relationship until the relationship is more than just sex. Please take this more seriously than you can believe. It will change your life!!!
Stay close to your mother. Give her a break much more often than you do. Take her off the pedestal. She can’t read your mind, STOP being so passive aggressive. It carries on to other relationships and you don’t need that. You lose her much too early. She encourages you and stays by your side through everything, but unfortunately she doesn’t live to see you completely stable. Savor the years you have. You will be so very close, but you do put her through many worries. Try to lessen those for both of you.
You will start to have some health issues. Hearing issues, vertigo….you think you are having food poison many times…there are many breaks between these sicknesses. You are heading toward a hard fight with a hearing disorder that will cause a lot of balance issues. There really isn’t anything they could do if you found out earlier. So don’t sweat they you don’t find out until later. But if you find out earlier, it might help you in your career.
Dare to be braver. Work harder on your art if you REALLY want to. Don’t be so scared to fail. You will only have a few years to be able to work at this. So if you fail, it’s not a big deal. But if you succeed, and I really think you could, think of how you would feel about you! I believe in you. Looking back, you could have done so much more. Work on your muse! Find what inspires you the most! (oh and in college…start out as an Art Major. add in Art Education, but don’t waste time, if you do you will run out of financial aid before you know it and will not get the education you deserve.
You will have some health issues that change your life….so you change your life to go along with it. You still have a good life. You have a wonderful life, even with everything that you go through, you find a way to make your life meaningful.
You do meet the most wonderful man, and have a joyous life with him…but it won’t happen until you are in your late 30’s, you marry at 41. Do not worry. It happens. Don’t fret. And don’t think there is something wrong with you. Focus on your happiness. This man will stand beside you through all your health issues. You will have a better relationship than you ever thought imaginable. He is worth waiting for.
Focus on YOU.
Study things you want to learn.
Dive into your ART.
Study Yoga…you will love it.
Become as healthy as you can, you will need it later.
Take care of you…And trust your heart…don’t listen to those who are just looking for fun for the moment.
Hopefully, if you listen to this, and get treated early, you will have an easier life.
Don’t take things so seriously….however, when you believe in something, don’t let others pull you away from your beliefs. In that same vein….do not get too caught up in other people’s beliefs without really looking into them. Make sure they are what you believe deep in your heart, and the that the facts are sound.
Question everything.
Love Deep.
Laugh Often.
And Cry Less.
Look for Beauty.
And appreciate Life.
From your future self, who hopes things turn out a bit differently.
KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON a poster that was made to during World War II in Britain but was never used. It was to be put up if full-scale invasion happened. It never happened, so the posters were destroyed, well most of them. You can read all about how a poster was found and the Calm-O-Matic was started here http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/guide-to-keep-calm/
This prompt is very interesting. We are asked to make a poster of our own, and possibly make it about our own illness. Well, I have so many illnesses, I decided to make it more about a motto.
We all have bad days, and we all have good days, I think we should make sure to not take the good days for granted. Every good day you have, do something you really want to do! That doesn’t mean you have to run off and do something adventurous or over tire yourself. If you really want to just relax and watch a movie, Do It! If you want to sit in the backyard and enjoy the sun, Do It! If you want to go for a ride with your husband and just enjoy being out of the house, as I often do, then do it! All I’m saying is, do not continue to lie in bed on those days when you feel like you could move to the couch. Do not stay on the couch when you feel you could walk outside. If you love to cook, and think you could that night, go for it! Make sure you have a back up in case you feel you are over doing it.
I promise even on those days you do a little too much, and you are a bit more tired or sore the next day, you will feel better that you accomplished something, and felt free for a little while. (if you are as isolated as I often am, you know what I mean by feeling free)
Today’s Prompt is Best conversation I had this week. Try writing script-style (or with dialogue) today to recap an awesome conversation you had this week.
I had an entirely different post written for today….then Saturday afternoon Stuart and I were out running errands and decided stop in a fast food restaurant for a drink and a snack. (not the best place for a snack, but dinner was a long way off and we were both hungry!)
We ordered our food, got our drinks and sat at our table. We were just chatting and planning the rest of the day waiting on our fries. An elderly lady who smelled of Channel No. 5 walked up, she was dressed in a floral dress, with a bright sweater, costume jewelry that was stylish many years before I was born, and lipstick that mostly covered her lips. She was delightful!
She smiled broadly and asked, “Are you married?”
I looked at Stuart and smiled, we both shook our heads yes, and answered, “Yes, yes we are.”
“Oh! I thought so! You just look at each other as if you are! My husband and I have been married for 58 years!”
Stuart, “Oh, my! That’s admirable, I hope we can make it that long!”
Me – “How amazing, you look so happy!” “We’ve only been married for 8 1/2 years.”
Dear Lady – “That long?? I thought you just got married the way you look at each other! You look like you are still on your honeymoon!”
We looked at each other and smiled, then looked at her and both agreed, it still feels like we just got married. She was thrilled….and so were we.
there was a bit more gushing, thank you’s and congratulations and she disappeared as mysteriously as she arrived. I never did see her husband, he was behind me. I kept thinking, I wonder what it was about us that made her come up and do that…..now, I keep thinking…I don’t care. I’m so happy for such a chance encounter with such an amazing woman.
For that moment…I was not a sick person. My husband and I were simply sharing a moment, acting as we normally would, and it sparked something so deep in this marvelous woman that she felt compelled to come and tell us how in love we looked. Stuart said that I can never tell him that he doesn’t show me how much he loves me, but I wouldn’t. He does, every day. And on a normal day, we do hold hands, and gaze in each others’ eyes. We laugh with each other, and sneak a quick pinch on the butt….is the honeymoon over….truthfully, we never had a real honeymoon. I can tell you, when we talk about our wedding we still feel like it just happened. We get all mushy about it. I can also tell you, every day I love my husband just a little bit more.
Picnic with Ants 