A favorite tribute to Dolly from Pink...

 

Rest in Peace Dolly...

 I found myself shocked at Dolly Parton's passing, announced earlier today. I've loved her voice and music since girlhood and respected her philanthropy. Part of the shock included learning Parton had been a cancer patient. 

Pondering...

 In memory of Joanne and all of the loving, brave fighters...

Goodnight...

It feels like this...

 The Daily  Cartoon courtesy of Ellis Rosen

Mercy and I...

 Have lost our favorite pet sitter to the demands of a degree in microbiology and a busy family life. I have another from the cat hospital coming next month and have high hopes based on remarks from Mercy's vet. I miss L but hope she is happy and successful regarding her future plans. This is going to be yet another adjustment for a cat that does not like strangers, hides and is suspicious and anxious about any change.

As for me, I am coping and dreaming of salad and fresh veg and fruit amid increasing recalls and rising cases of cyclospora. 

Happy Friday...

A post from 2011

 

Dream girl: Moments In An Afternoon

The whoosh of rubber against the hospital floor was uncharacteristically the only sound in the corridor as the woman propelled forward, her gloved hands resting lightly over battered rims, slowing her descent down the deserted hallway. Hitting the carpeted surface of the lobby entrance provided an automatic break. She stopped just long to roll neck and shoulders, adjusting her grip for the more powerful pushes needed to get to the waiting bank of lifts.

Rumbling, and a series of clicks announced a lifts' arrival, its opening releasing a woman with an infant on her hip, another with a gangly teen following behind and a man of indeterminate age, clutching two large envelopes in one hand and the top of a cane in the other. No-one said anything as the woman rolled into the newly-emptied gaping maw beyond the lift doors, turning herself around to face the row of buttons within and pressing the one which would get her quickly to the floor below.

Shooting through the hospital's automatic doors, the woman felt a slight rush of air as the mid afternoon heat hit her face. Brilliant blue sky and a slight breeze greeted her exit, just before her eyes fell upon the image of a bird. Woven wool, black strands accented its wings and beak, causing the woman to recall similar images from her Central American childhood. Looking up, she caught the profile of a young girl. Lithe and long limbed, dark hair held in a pony tail, the girl turned, and smiling, said, "My grandmother got this for me on one of her trips."

A slight conversation ensued before the girl, perhaps twelve or thirteen, introduced herself and proper greetings were exchanged.

Regarding this girl silently for a moment, the woman flashed back to a memory of herself as a preteen. All legs and arms and awkward reserve, she too had been tentatively curious about many of the adults she encountered. It did not startle her when this girl ventured beyond polite bounds and asked why she used a wheelchair. Carefully choosing her words and abbreviating the answer, the woman stopped, surprised by an enthusiastic high five against her hand. This was followed by a hasty, "goodbye, Miss," as the girl spotted her mother, and disappeared inside their car

Remembering...

Today

The solitary practice of making tea by the cup…

A prelude to our late morning phone calls

Started when your girls were in diapers and down for naps

You always began with a joke or a funny story

Our natter quickly turning to the world beyond our doors or

Some book neither of us could put down

Your treks into the desert, telescope in hand

Looking for the perfect night’s sky, filled notebooks

Now in a box, closeted in a city apartment, far from the landscape you adored

I sip my tea alone, the only sound

Your voice in my head...

This commemorates the passing of my friend Pauline  ten years ago. Knowing someone from college to  death is a rare privilege, and I think of her and the family that included me often.

Many thanks for the birthday salutations and my apologies for spotty blogging.

Another Birthday...

 

A favorite post from, 2009

Do you remember where you were in August 1973???

I was in Paris...My parents decided to show me all of the well-known hallmarks of the city one day, then the Louvre the day after. This was followed by a trip to Versailles and its Palace.

The whirlwind of these events remains in memory to this day. I was a gawky thirteen-year-old who spent much of my time craning my neck at paintings, in awe of towers, arches, speeding cars and growing crowds. While the Hall of Mirrors fascinated, it also repelled, as I could not imagine myself beyond what I thought of as the "ugly duckling phase" or walking in such a place routinely.

The day of my fourteenth birthday found Paris clear, bright and beckoning. I did not learn until then that London awaited yet another trio of tourists. Travel to England was so uneventful that I dozed until our arrival at the flat we stayed in that week.

The flat was near a park, and across the street, a Wimpy's, England's answer to the now ubiquitous McDoos. Never a fan of fast food, I nonetheless made Wimpy's acquaintance when my parents announced one evening that they had plans and I was to remain in with the telly. My dad said my dinner was in a bag in the kitchen, piping hot. I have no idea whether the Wimpy's creations of today bear any resemblance to those, but I do remember them as fresh and better than any burger I had thereafter. My choice to become a vegetarian in adulthood is no reflection upon Wimpy's.

It wasn't long until telly and burgers were supplanted for all time by a trip to the Piccadilly Theatre, featuring a production of Gypsy, with Angela Lansbury. It was my first opportunity to view professional actors on stage and I remained transfixed the entire time.

Sadly, the cherished playbill from that occasion, along with other mementos, have been lost. You can find out more about the theatre here: http://www.london-theatreland.co.uk/theatres/piccadilly-theatre/history.php.

The postcard you may have seen during a previous post. While this entry is of no historic importance to anyone but me, I wish every kid could have the chance to experience the London stage and the sights of Paris.

Have a happy day...

Nothing abnormal and 67 today...

 Hoping all of you have a great day. Though it is rainy and humid here, I plan to enjoy some cards and treats and a visit from a friend later this morning. My recent exam revealed nothing abnormal...An excellent gift, I think.