The Caregiver’s Tales
Tiny essays on life, nature, grief and other things that catch my fancy in the Texas Hill Country. Here’s how it all got started.
Tags
- .River 1
- 290 1
- A Resolution 1
- AAA 3
- AC Unit 1
- ALS 1
- ASCII 1
- Abundance 2
- Abyss 1
- Acceleration 1
- Acceptance 2
- Accomodation 1
- Accomplishments 1
- Aches 1
- Acid 1
- Action 1
- Activity 1
- Adjusting 1
- Adoption 2
- Adrift 1
- Advice 1
- Again 1
- Agarita 1
- Age 7
- Ageless 1
- Ages 1
- Aging 6
- Air-tags 1
- Aircraft 1
- Alexa 1
- Aliens 2
- Alone 3
- Alvin 2
- Ambition 1
- Ancient Seas 1
- Anderson Fair 1
- Android 1
- Angels 5
- Anger 2
- Angles 1
- Animals 1
- Ankle 1
- Anniversary 3
- Anticipation 6
- Antiviral Meds 1
- Anxiety 2
- Aorta 2
- Aortic 1
- Apartments 1
- Applesauce 1
The Process
It happened yesterday. I was driving along and felt surprisingly normal. It was if no one had stuck metal catheters into my arteries through my groin and inserted stents into several other wonky arteries.
Healing
Home. Made it back yesterday afternoon. It was nice to sit on my couch. Look out the windows. Sleep in my bed.
Memory Loss
I spent the first week post-surgery on the first floor of my daughter’s house. No driving or stair climbing. Most of my time was dedicated to walking around, sitting, staring at my phone, and sleeping.
One More Thing
Sometimes I pull a thought and an entire sweater unravels. In the last three days I’ve written about the torture of waiting for an answer, the pain of getting something other than what you want, and my technique for dealing with it. I thought I was done, but lo and behold, there’s more.
Late Start
It is closer to noon than it is to dawn. Yet, here I sit, writing, as though the sun is still to rise and my day yet to begin.
Still Happy
Had a conversation the other day with a friend who had a tough year in 2022—lost his dad and suffered with long covid. He’s feeling better now, and we talked about that journey to better.
A Case for Tomorrow
December 7, 1941. Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. The country went to war and set off a chain of events that reached all the way down to touch a young woman in Ohio and a young man in Texas.
The Sage
The sage is in bloom. I’ve waited all summer. But the sage likes rain to bloom. None came. Now it has. Rain has fallen. Two of my three plants are resplendent in their glory of purple and gray.
Say the Word
Here we are at the end of what has proven to be a long week. One more consultation this morning with another doctor. This one in Houston. Then it’s decision time.
My Fractal Life
Life is full of patterns that are self-similar across different scales.
A Tale of Two Days
The story ends better than it starts.
This is Me
On the ring finger of my right hand, starting at the inside and just below the crease of the middle joint of my ring finger is the beginnings of a scar.
Getting Better
Whatever I did to my poor old back muscles seems to have eased a bit. Yesterday, as I sat here and typed, I could barely sit here and type.
River Days
Went to the river this weekend. Camped in the woods, beneath the big pecans. The trees are heavy and thick with age.
A Long, Slow Walk
Went to the doctor’s office yesterday for bloodwork. Didn’t need it. Got a flu shot instead along with an exchange of words with a patient who thought it was none of my business if or how they were wearing a mask.