Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

My friend had a pacemaker put in two days ago and I just dropped by a bouquet of flowers for her. She's doing great. What amazing things the medical world can do these days. She is loved by so many, including her large family and mass of friends. She lost her wife a couple of years ago, and her recovery from that grief is inspiring to me. She has a new partner now, who seems wonderful. I have another friend who has to go into assisted living for thirty days, but she's 92, so there is a question if she will ever live in her house again. Her daughter lives next door, but works full time, has two teenage sons and a new husband, so that leaves my friend alone a lot and the situation seems unwise. Her daughter will do the right thing, I'm assured of that. So we are getting fragile, and health issues are going to arise frequently. We fight the good fight, and support each other, but as my best friend says, "it is what it is".

Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

We had a little earthquake last night, and my daughter texted about it. It's comforting to know we live close to each other and can help each other. My four year old grandson felt it and talked about it this morning. He said he was shaking in his chair. We were on an early morning playground outing, so early the fog was all around us and it was chilly. The big excitement for both boys was a large crane and tree people taking down three enormous trees by the playing field. Free entertainment. The trees hadn't been drought affected, they were leaning and the park service was afraid they would fall on the parking lot. They are beautiful trees, but the park service has to be vigilant about safety, so I understand. We've just lost so many trees in the west these last few years - a billion - that each loss is sad. Our cabin has probably had twenty five trees removed due to safety, in the thirty plus years we've owned it, and this spring a huge tree branch came down and tore our powerlines right out of the box, so we had to have it repaired to have electricity. Last year a sugar pine cone fell on the nextdoor cabin deck where my friends were staying and hit my friend, whom I was sitting next to, on the head, face and arm. The force broke her glasses and there was blood at each place, but luckily nothing that needed medical attention. We have five umbrellas on our deck to deflect any cones or branches from hitting us. Like water, trees are heavier and more lethal than you would think. Yet they are the main reason we bought the cabin and love being up there. The cedars, firs, pines and oaks make the atmosphere calm and peaceful, and without them it wouldn't be worth coming up. I like the trees in Lord of the Rings, and their sadness when fellow trees fall. They are a community, and one that enriches our lives.

Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

I've been talking to my family and two close friends suffering in the north with 100 plus temperatures. This is supposed to be the last day of super high temperatures, but it has been stressful for them. They don't have air conditioning and are concerned about their pets if they have any. Strange days. The weather here is perfect right now, but we are bracing for fires and jumpy. No climate change?! I beg to differ. I am afraid it will excelerate and turn out like an end of the world movie. We need to wake up, but changing are habits and consumption and greed seems impossible. We need to feel RESPONSIBLE. And there is so much distraction and now the pandemic, that we're closing off from others and not seeing our interconnectedness and interdependence. I pray it changes before nature shows us what real change can be.

Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

I am so grateful that the baby shower went well. Everyone was friendly and joyful, and the honoree seemed so happy. She got a ton of presents, and everyone stayed the three hours plus, which made the event celebratory. I was proud of my daughter and myself, and exhausted after. We let the little grandsons play with the balloons, and the adults flopped on the patio, then my older son and his wife and son and my younger daughter and her husband and two boys, all ate pizza delivered to the doorstep and drank leftover prosecco from the party. Putting your heart out has such rewards, and this event was so special because it was the first party any of us had attended in over a year. I got to see my friend's sister from New York, and my daughter's friends from all over, and they are an amazing group of women. My daughter has been so lucky to have them as friends. And my friend, whose daughter we honored, and her friends are dear to me. I love seeing them, though it's infrequently. It takes a village to care for a new baby, and we are gearing up to aid the honoree in any way we can. Being part of a village, for me, is life sustaining.

Wandering ALong the Path: Right Speech

My daughter and I are making a good team preparing for the baby shower we are hosting Sunday. Before, it's been my younger son and I, for our joint holiday party, but this time it's us. We are on the same page about everything, and work around her two little boys quite well. It helps she lives close, and we can store drinks and decorations at either place. Her husband will help her pick up platters and deserts Sunday morning, while I watch the kids, and tomorrow afternoon she is coming over when the younger one naps, to set up the tables. This party is outside, so we have to hope there is no strong wind or sudden fog. We have no fear of rain, as that would be a miracle. When I work with her, I see how we are alike. It makes me slightly disconcerted, but is touching as well. Neither of us can confront anyone, so the friend of hers who is helping but not really gets a pass. Both of us don't have the confidence we would like, and tend to hold things in and be self critical. When I see it in her it drives me crazy until I realize where she got it from. Then I have to laugh at myself. But she's also generous, thoughtful and kind, as am I, so I can take proud credit as well. What I hope is that we manage to have FUN during the shower, and that the dear friend of hers whose shower it is does as well.

Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

This morning I went to a friend's house for coffee. I had not seen her since before the pandemic, though she lives two streets away. It felt great to catch up, and also hear again her experience when her wife (we were at their wedding) died suddenly, as she was about to come home from rehab after surgery for her knee. She was able to have a candlelight service and also a big memorial service, which I could not attend because I was helping my daughter in another state. It was painful not to attend, just as it has been painful not to have a service yet for my daughter. Happily, my friend has a new partner, who is delightful, and her large family is amazingly supportive. My friend just draws people to her with her love, compassion and generousity. She showed me her one year old dog's tricks, which include everything from playing dead and rolling over to jumping through a hula hoop. Though she is a retired pediatrician, she is a skilled dog trainer as well. We talked about the covid year, and it felt great to see each other, maskless, and in the kitchen with a cup of coffee.

Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

I babysat my youngest grandson today while his mother got a break. He's a perpetual motion machine, but very amiable. I basically follow him around as he circles the downstairs. We walked with him this morning, and after his nap and lunch we pushed him in the stroller. He ate a big lunch of half a banana, lots of blueberries, some blackberries, peanut butter on rice crackers, shredded mozerella cheese, chicken and a sweet potato squeezie. He pronouces everything yummy. He has a favorite truck, big and blue and gold, and a noisy school bus he pushes around, as well as a harmonica, which he can play quite well and a tamborine. He loves my collection of laquered boxes from Kasmir. So did my granddaughter when she was little. He takes every top off but cannot put any back together. He says "caw, caw" when he sees any birds and likes to stand in the sunroom to watch them at the birdfeeder. Hopefully, he wore himself out enough to take a solid nap when his mother took him back home. I myself am exhausted.