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.
Select a category from the drop down menu:
Old Friend
I forgot to take out the trash yesterday. That never happened when my wife was alive. Even when her brain went wonky, the schedule was still there.
Tiny Things
Had a fine day yesterday. Wrote a bit. Did some website work. Played a little golf.
How Happy Feels
Here we are. Another day another dollar. Can’t tell whether the latter is coming or going. Probably going. That pretty much defines retirement and fixed incomes.
Standing Up
It feels strange sitting down to write at 11:30 when I normally wrap things up by 6:30 or seven, but here we are, nearly noon.
More to Come
It has started. At first it was a trickle. Now, its more or less a steady stream. The clothes of my departed wife are leaving. Hardly of their own volition, of course.
Public Service
If something is bothering you, get it checked, waiting almost never pays. An early fix may be hard, but it beats a catastrophic failure later.
My Drive Home
I felt like one of the three little pigs last night, and the wolf was at my door. The wind howled, screen doors banged, and chairs rocked on the porch. There was a low moan from the dog run. I expected rain, but none came.
The Long Row
Duck. This is about grief. The recent cold spell put a real freeze on the house, literally and metaphorically. The cold came and it seems as though it never left. There is no warmth in the house at all. Just a dark chill.
Dinner Date
Home again. Home again. Made the long slow drive west without incident. I traveled on a road I once disdained as too slow and tortuous.
Playing Fields
I went to a high school junior varsity track meet yesterday. My varsity grand-daughter was running to post some times and warm up for district.
Arranging Bones
Memories are the skeletons of our lives, the things that build the present. Some are good, some are bad, and some are nothing really at all. And interesting enough, with perspective, they move around.
Wanna Buy a Bridge?
The other day I went searching for information on what happens when the earth’s magnetic poles flip. I found it. It didn’t really fit into the essay for the day. So, I moved on. The internet, however, has not moved on.
Origin Story
Welcome. Stay awhile if you want, but they’re short so they won’t take up a lot of your time.
The Visits
A crescent moon hangs low in the sky on this crisp winter morn. There are deer in the distance and nary a cloud in the sky. The horizon is gold and pink as my piece of earth turns toward the sun.
Calves at the Fence
The other morning the heifers gathered along the back fence to eat dead cactus and lounge in the winter sun. It was cool but not cold.
Vac Day 2.2
I felt deflated yesterday. Which is appropriate, I suppose, since I had a needle stuck in my arm on Friday. Up until that point it was all excitement, and I was pumped up like a balloon. Then the deed was done.