Celebration of a birthday
laughter sprinkled through
all the chatter around a table.
different backgrounds,
varied beliefs.
good food and birthday cake
never too old to celebrate each other.
“Celebrating what we hope for together is better
than fighting over what we believe separately.”
~ Steven Charleston, Ladder to the Light:
An Indigenous Elder’s Meditation on Hope and Courage
“Learn to listen.” His pipe clenched firmly in his teeth, he rocked back in his chair and looked like he was falling asleep! I had been told he was a wise old man, but “learn to listen”? I failed to see where the wisdom was in that. In retrospect, he was right.
In my careers, I had always managed to get some kind of managerial position. I thought I was fairly personable, always polite to whoever I was supervising. It all started out well. Getting to know as many employees as possible, usually at a welcome party. Slowly, rumours circled that I was hard to get along with, I didn’t pay attention to suggestions no matter the money that could be saved, wasn’t concerned for any family crisis that may occur. After a time I was let go or moved to a different department. I blamed it all on the gender disparity that most of the companies displayed. Starting out with determination to break the supposed glass ceiling, I was sure that I had failed to represent women. “What am I doing wrong?” My best friend and I had gone to lunch. She always lent me her ear, patiently listening to my woes. On this day, I think she’d heard enough. She sighed, put her fork down, dabbed her mouth with her napkin and sat back. “Melanie, I can only tell you to go see a good friend of mine. He’s not a relative but everyone call's him Uncle. He may have the answer you’re looking for.” Almost offended, I took the slip of paper from her, prepared to ‘lose it’. “And don’t lose it. Of everything that you’ve told me over the years you have one problem bigger that the ‘glass ceiling’ thing you talk about. Tell him your story and see what he says.”
It took me two months to go see this ‘Uncle’. I thought about what Melanie had told me, I drove past the man’s house, almost called his number a couple of times. My ego felt badly bruised and when I finally lost the last job, I called him again. A woman answered. When I stammered out what I wanted to do, all she said was “Come on over, he’s been expecting you.” and hung up. I was as nervous as a new hire. Parking a block away, I walked to the tiny stuccoed house on a quiet street. Uncle and his wife greeted me and offered me a chair on their little porch, lemonade and two glasses on a small table. “I’ll be inside if you need me, dear.” Nodding to me she said: “Pleased to meet you.” The screen door closed quietly behind her. Uncle and I talked for two hours; I did most of the talking. Then there was silence, only the birds and the creak of the rocking chair ruffled the air. I sipped on my lemonade wondering what I should do. Leave? Just wait for him to say something, his wife to come out? Just as I had decided to leave, the squeak of the rocking chair fell silent. “Birds are happy today. Do you hear that wind rustling to trees?” I could have shaken him. And Melanie was going to hear from me! She sent me over to have a glass of lemonade and hear not a drop of advice from a stranger! I was furious. Then he looked at me with his old blue eyes and said. “Learn to listen.”
It took me a long time to hear what he said. It wasn’t that day or even that week. It started the birds and the wind. Then it was the noises of the street, the music I played, the conversations behind me in a coffee shop. I started to hear the voices of all my employees and my own replies and began to understand.
“When we listen, we hear someone into existence.”
~ Laurie Buchanan, PhD
What was special about today?!
I could say: absolutely nothing.
I woke up in the morning.
it was grey, dark and calm
I ate breakfast
later, the sun shone
I walked to the book store
on the way, I met an old friend.
Returning home, I bought groceries.
I’ve eaten my supper
I’m writing this muse
I could say: absolutely nothing,
but today was especially ordinary.
“You can find something truly important in an ordinary minute.”
~ Mitch Albom, For One more day
I plan to attend Brushworks Art Guild Show and Sale in June. Fortunately, it is within walking distance (or bus if I feel like it) from my home.
Aurora Art Guild Show and Sale
The Terrace Rotunda
Innovation Place
#10 Research Drive, Regina, Sask
(South of University of Regina)
May 11 - 13, 2023
Brushworks Art Guild of Regina, Inc.
Neil Balkwill Civic Arts Centre
2420 Elphinstone Street, Regina, Sask
Art Show and Sale - June 2 - 4, 2023
“The purpose of art is to lay bare the questions
that have been concealed by the answers.”
~ James Baldwin
In a friend’s garden
a delicate spider
posed in the shade
resting
til my camera clicked.
“To sit in the shade on a fine day and look
upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment.”
~ Jane Austen
Thought a light-weight theme for January would be good..........“Realism”
Rescuing his friend……..
Everyday gets a little closer……
Alternatives are never……
Leaving behind…….
Inside jobs…….
Suspicions of nefarious……..
Magical and mysterious……
“Utterly bleak and black is not the sum of realism.
All the other colors are real, too.”
~ Lois McMaster Bujold, The Hallowed Hunt
Into the great………
Surprised?………
This author's apologies for the serious mis-spelling!
With a friend
I strolled in the late summer sun
along a winding path,
wind tousling our hair.
We leaned against the railings watching
mallard ducks and common loons lining the shore; listened to geese squabbling
on this election day.
As I walk, I wonder: Do those geese have their own political agendas or do they just squabble, flap their wings, waggle their long necks and peck at each other ~
they miss out on the colours
that change and shimmer
in the winds of autumn as they
ready to take wing and fly.
“Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better. ”
~ Albert Einstein
Out of the Muck
Matt wasn’t much for flowers, but he did love his hydrangeas. They seemed almost shy to him. The whites especially so, but the blues and pinks were a little saucy. Always a little sad when they lost their blooms, petals dried up and turned brown, he had been dead-heading them to keep them fresh. Hearing a vehicle coming into his yard, he looked up from his work. Setting his shears down in his wheelbarrow, he pulled his gloves off. “Dez? What’s she doing here. Seems to be on a mission.”
~~~~~
On her way home from lunch with Emelina, Dez was about to turn down her street when the light turned red. Her thoughts settled as she slowed and stopped the car. “Matt…. That’s who I need to talk to. He’s not involved in this weird situation……..Yes, I’ll go see him.” She didn’t make the turn, but drove on through the intersection. It was a short trip out of the city. Driving into Matt’s yard, she could see him at his hydrangeas. There were no other cars in his driveway. Dez breathed a sigh of relief. “He must be alone so maybe he’ll have time to talk…..This seems so silly. Silly that I feel caught in the middle of such simple things that really have little to do with me. Martha’s party and Em’s honeymoon!” She pulled her car up beside his truck, stopped and got out. “Dez! Where have you been?” Matt was glad to see his friend. They had not seen or heard from each other for several weeks. She looked great. Laughing Dez said “Do I have to drive all the way out here to see if you’re still alive?” She was as glad to see her good friend. “Go ahead and finish what you’re doing. I’ll just watch. But I do want your advice when you’ve time to talk.”
“I can finish this up anytime, Dez. It’s hot and I’d like a beer. What about you?” Lifting the handles of the wheelbarrow, he walked his tools under the car port. “We can sit in the back. It’s cooler back there and there’s good shade under the grapevines.”
“A beer would be great, Matt. What I’ve got to talk about is kind of odd, but I need an objective opinion. I thought of you because you’ve got little to do with Em and what’s going on at the Estate.” She held the door for him, helping him with bringing a small load of wood into the house. “You’ve got me interested now, Dez. What would I know about Estate business?” He laughed. “I told you it was odd.” She accepted her beer from him and followed him out to the backyard. “This is so lovely out here, Matt.” She stepped down into the yard and under the grape ivy. “Do you think you’ll get many grapes this year Matt?” Looking up into the thick leaves, she could see some clusters of grapes. “Oh, not many. These are pretty old vines and they’re not fruiting as much as they did before. Now what’s this odd thing you think I can help you with?”
~~~~~
Throughout the afternoon, Dez told Matt the three stories: Em’s plans, Jeremy’s plans and Martha’s plans. She told him she had managed to get involved in each one. She was keeping secrets for her sister and for Martha. Somehow they were all coming together, and she felt trapped.
“Well, here’s the way I see it. From everything you’ve told me, it sounds like you know what you should be doing - or saying. Stay out of it unless someone asks you to do something.”
“But I’m the go between for Martha and for Em. Martha has tried to get the party for Em and Jeremy going for weeks now. I just don’t want them to go away on this honeymoon Jeremy has planned before she gets it going again.” Her brow furrowed, she was tapping her fingers on the arm of the patio chair.
“But why is it your responsibility, Dez? You don’t even live out there. I know you really care about everyone, but that doesn’t make it your stuff.” He was amused but kept a serious look on his face. “And you also want to help - or maybe you want to control it all?”
Dez took a deep breath and sighed. She really didn’t like hearing that last bit. Control. She could say that about her sister, and maybe even Martha, but never herself. Now she was amused, her face relaxing into a smile. “You’re right, Matt. I have thought of that before, but just keep getting drawn into their little plans and ideas.” She slapped the palms of her hands on the arms of the chair. “Their plans are their plans. I guess if I’ve got any role at all it’s just to listen. Thank you, Matt.”
~~~~~
They spent the rest of the day and into the evening, talking and laughing about their lives. Both were fully vaccinated. They talked of the line up’s and the anti vaxxer’s. Matt took her into the orchard, giving her more tips on how to maintain her orchard. He was pleased that she would have the opportunity to be out at the Estate for the three weeks that her sister and husband would be away. “You could really get to know the trees, Dez. And you might get to know the others that live and work out there as well.”
~~~~~
“Remember always that you not only have the right to
be an individual you have an obligation to be one.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Altering the shape of my day began when I stepped out my door at 7:30 am. Air, barely cool, the sun was already melting the morning. Around the lake, from shade to shade, geese and growing goslings fed and squabbled over food and territory. I walked, talked and laughed with a good friend, discussing fanciful things and wandered through more serious issues.
With iced coffee in hand, we continued to a long snaking lineup of cars, trucks and SUV’s - a drive-through vaccination site. Air-conditioning and our iced drinks kept us as cool as possible. Second jabs for both of us, it was home for each of us.
Returning to normal comes at a price. We have all experienced alterations in our lives: distancing, isolation, and masks. Restrictions on travel, on gatherings, jobs lost, school interruptions and so much more. As we confront this virus with restrictions and with vaccines, those of us fortunate to have escaped the virus, can slowly begin to rethread our lives.
“I miss that. I want….I need things to go back to normal.”
~ Melissa Hill, Keep You Safe
Review, Revision, Edit and Update
To review In a Tizzy, I read it out loud to myself. I found a few sentences, in several paragraphs, that either were awkward to read or were just lacking. My writing challenge was to restructure the sentences in question and maintain the intent. I find that when I have left a revision for period of time, I am not as invested in the words. If I leave it too long, I may not even know what the intention was!
In a Tizzy
Nibbling at the edges of her intention to stay as far away from exposure as possible from the Covid19 virus was her worries about this new situation. Ever since the episode at the hospital with Em’s long lost daughter, Dez Eliot had been more wary than ever. It was certainly not Jeremy’s fault that he just happened to be a doctor working on a Covid unit and he just happened to marry Em and she just happened to be her sister. But that’s what it is! Dez knew she could have hidden in her apartment, slammed and locked the door, hiding from everyone, including her sister, until the viral pandemic dust had settled, but she wasn't willing to give in to that wretched feeling of claustrophobic isolation.
Her intention really was to stay safe, not get sick and keep her relationship with her sister solid. Otherwise, Dez was alone in the world. She hadn’t even seen her good friend, Matt Hamilton for weeks, hadn’t even heard from him. She wanted to think it was because it had been winter and he was busy doing winter things for his orchard. Dez practically shouted. “Orchard! I haven’t done a thing about the Estate orchard and spring is around the corner. Now that I’m letting Em stay here and she’s going to be in contact with Jeremy, even if with masks, hand washing and distance, I've been nervous about going out to the Estate very often. But I’ll think about that later.” Dez went to the desk in her bedroom cluttered with books and papers, some from the orchard workshop at Matt’s last summer. She gathered them all up and took them to the living room.
Dez’s television was on low for Public Health updates for Hartley and the Island. A commercial just ended as she sat down on her couch in time to hear “……vaccination rollouts on the Island……” Relief flooded her. Picking up the TV remote, she turned the volume up. She knew that Jeremy, a health care worker and physician on the Hartley General Covid unit, would be one of the first to get the vaccine. The Channel 4 reporter had continued “….will not prevent the disease but will prevent serious illness……” Dez, not a woman who scared easily, had struggled this past year. Usually she stepped right into the fray, but this viral thing was one she chose not to take on. This invisible virus! Why, even in her own building with people she had come to know over the six years she had been there, the halls were usually empty. No gathering in the foyer or middle of the halls to visit. If it did occur, everyone wore masks and kept their distance. Nods and the occasional attempt at conversation had made her apartment building feel like a tomb. It would be such a relief to have Em here…… The Public Health Officer’s voice broke through her thoughts “family members of health care workers may also be considered in the first roll out...”. She sighed and smiled to herself, clicking off the TV, glad that Em would be taken care of as well.
“I hate being in such a tizzy or muddle or just feeling….. a real mess. lf I want to feel comfortable having Em here, my apartment needs a good clean and I need supplies. I love her, I love her, but it’s pretty risky right now. What do I need? More masks - the disposable ones, I’m out of hand soap almost - so that goes on the list - and hand sanitizer for when either of us come through the door. - I suppose we could carry some - no, I do that already and always forget it. A mat for our shoes so we don’t track anything in….” She tapped frantically on her cell phone. “Oh, and a room divider so I can set up a sort of guest bedroom for Em - I think I have one in my storage unit. The building has a cot I can rent….. I’ll have to think about that one. Now, I’d best clean my house and choose a corner for Em’s ‘room’. Worrying about all this stuff won’t get any of it done.” Dez picked up her cell phone and called Your Pharmacy and Grocery Basket and ordered hand soap, hand sanitizer, some Lysol spray and wipes, and two boxes of masks for pick up later in the day.
Scribbling a note on a stray piece of paper, she stuck it on her bulletin board: “Call Matt - see if he’s ok” She was about to put her mask on for her trip to her storage room, when her phone rang and Matt’s name popped up on the screen. Reaching for it, she knocked her cell phone on the floor and scooped it up in one, almost graceful, movement. “Matt? Is that you?!” “Hey Dez how are you?” “Matt! I was just thinking about you. How are you? Where have you been?” A quick chat, they decided to meet in the park. It was a beautiful, almost springlike, day. Matt would bring coffee. Two hours later, after catching up on all their news, their worries, and of course, Emelina and Jeremy’s elopement, there was a pause in their conversation. Dez checked her watch. “Oh, Matt, I have go! I have to pick up some supplies at the grocery store. Can we meet tomorrow for lunch out here? If it raining we can eat over there in the gazebo.”
“It’s OKAY to be scared. Being scared means you’re
about to do something really, really brave.”
~ Mandy Hale, The Single Woman: Life, Love, and a Dash of Sass
Supervised by a very patient tenant,
assisted by a good friend from across the way
The Cat Tower is up and ready for occupancy -
scratching posts and corrugated cardboard ramp,
enhanced by catnip, prepared and ready for claws.
“Cats are connoisseurs of comfort.”
~ James Herriot, James Herriot’s Cat Stories
Just Plain Corny
Romantic liaisons and Claire had not always been simpatico. Some relationships were absolute non-starters. Others were unpleasant. Some just did not have any staying power. With this relationship, Claire was enjoying herself truly and without guilt. Through all her previous relationships, one person had been with her. Tears, anger, frustration, even the flush of a new love. It hadn’t mattered. Cornell had always been there for her. It was strange that she always turned to him. She had never really liked him. At least that’s what she thought. His hair was too long and unkempt. His long narrow nose and wide-set eyes kept him from being attractive. And the colours and patterns he chose for those horrible bellbottoms that he wore. Right out of the ’70’s!
Because Cornell was so good to Claire, she never said anything about them, keeping her smirks to herself. He wore them with such confidence. Then came a day when she lost that control. She had lost control of her most recent relationship - a particularly disastrous one. She had called Cornell crying, blubbering about what a fool she had been, how could she show her face ever again, who would ever be good enough for her, and on, and on, and on. “I’ll be right over Claire. You put the teakettle on and make us some tea. I’ll stop at Sandies & Snickerdoodles for a big bag of cookies.” Claire blew her red raw nose noisily, grabbed the last tissue from the box and, dabbing at her eyes, went to the kitchen.
~~~~~
Tea kettle on the boil, Claire chose two mugs from the cupboard. They were a set. Two pottery mugs Cornell had bought for her at a pottery show after the last mess up. Blue and green swirls, the mug’s belly fit warmly in anyone’s hand. Her reverie about pottery was broken by the door bell, followed immediately by a cheery voice “I’m here. Tea ready?” Claire turned from the cupboard, as if coming out of a bad dream. She just about dropped the mugs and burst out laughing. “Those are the most gawdawful pants!” Brilliant orange and day-glo green bellbottoms entered the kitchen before Cornell did. “You don’t like these?” Cornell looked stunned. “I do not like them and don’t know how you can wear them. ……Oh, Cornell, I’m so sorry. You are so good to me and here I am laughing at you and criticizing your slacks.” With that she started crying again, but not for long. In mid nose blow, she stopped, and stared at Cornell. The teakettle was demanding attention. Ignoring the teakettle’s loud scream she stammered. “I think I love you. You are my best friend and always have been - well since we met - oh, never mind. I’m just so upset and those pants…….”. Cornell, calmly, put the bag of cookies on the table, took the mugs from Claire and set them beside the cookies. He guided her to a chair and, sitting her comfortably, handed her another tissue. He leaned forward and whispered in her ear “It's about time.”
“I will be calm. I will be mistress of myself.”
~ Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility
**Author’s note: Two parameters for this post, one set by this writer: “Romantic liaisons” and the other set by the Victoria writers group: ‘Claire was enjoying herself truly and without guilt’.
