Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Dis 'n Dat

A lovely bunch of flowers from Daughter in a jug from my mother.

I'm starting this post, knowing I won't be completing it for a few days.

I entertained for the first time in my apartment. A brunch. With a brunch dish that I've made so many times I no longer need a recipe. It was fun making it. Daughter was here for the weekend and we made it together. It needs to sit overnight in the fridge for maximum fluff and effect.

I am very fortunate in that my interests and activism and support groups have me meeting the young. One of the guests on Saturday was the same age as my granddaughter and she was amazing, her breath of knowledge took my breath away. So well read and educated and on an artists' bursary programme here in Newfoundland. She had thought she was applying to Halifax and was shocked that "Atlantic Grants" included Newfoundland. But loving it here and surprised that our winter is so mild - it's the first time in anybody's recollection that boots have only been required once or twice this winter. Climate change having positive effects on this wild island, if we can call it positive. We bonded over textile work and she loved the prints of my work I have framed and hanging on the walls. The youth of today give me enormous hope. They clearly see where it all went so horribly wrong (capitalism and patriarchy run amok) with politicians and the 1% and their puppeteers valuing excessive stuff more than humanity. Most recent case in point being Florida and those young people massacred and their dreams trashed alongside their forever traumatized relatives and friends. No one ever recovers from these multiple massacres. An endless arsenal of machine guns de rigeur versus the lives of children.

I found a woodworker who is converting my designs into actuality. One is for a corner desk unit with an awkward shape to fit into the office corner of my bedroom. The other was for a mobile cart to match some bookshelves to hold my flat screen and the few precious DVDs I couldn't give away. His prices are a joke. Wait till you see. I will be supplying photos of the entire downsized place when complete. It is all coming together so nicely.

A follow-up to the theatre contract I received was more consulting which pleases me no end. Good to keep my hand in, particularly in the creative field. Other jobs came my way but I turned them down. I'm realizing my own limits, my energy is great in the morning but I can be unpredictably wiped in the afternoon which annoys me no end. I'm working on acceptance of this and planning accordingly. Sometimes.

I lost a 30 year friendship today. A good man who will be missed. A cancer that wouldn't leave him for the last few years. He had a cabin in Newfoundland and lived in Ontario and New Brunswick. He will be missed. The second loss this month. The real penalty of growing old, isn't it. The mixed blessing of survival.




18 comments:

  1. At almost 59, I don't know that I'm considered old though my body and soul feel that way more often as the catalogue of losses grow. Hugs to you...

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    1. I lost friends starting quite young, age 5 was my first loss, Geraldine from meningitis then Eithne at 9 from a house fire. I think death has a profound effect on the young and I'm seeing this on the news in Florida and the other survivors. Life becomes a very fragile thing indeed.

      Thank you E.

      XO
      WWW

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  2. If you had been reading my recent posts, you would have seen the presence of some young people about the same age as my son and daughter in love. They make me come alive with their presence in my life. There are others like them too.

    A classmate of mine from Business School, of my age has been hit by dementia and when I asked his wife if I could come over to visit she said that he will not recognise me and that would be difficult for me to handle!

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    1. Yes I read your posts Ramana, it is a privilege not granted to many to be friends with the young, I count myself extraordinarily fortunate.

      XO
      WWW

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  3. Sorry for your loss. Having lost a great friend last summer, I know what you mean by the mixed blessing of survival.

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    1. Sorry for your loss Tom, it has a ripple effect these dear friends leaving us. Not a day goes by and I don't reflect on them and the shared memories which will vanish with me.

      XO
      WWW

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  4. Knowing still that you are all there and having the body fail versus not knowing you aren't all there and having the mind fail. I think the former is what i prefer to the latter.

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    1. Oh for sure Gemma, then again I often think about those with dementia who are unaware of their "failures" you know what I mean.

      XO
      WWW

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  5. I'm always happy to see you've updated your blog.
    Sorry to hear about your friend. Everywhere I turn, someone is dying of that f'ing cancer.
    When my mom was diagnosed with it, terminal, she said "We all have to go sometime. This is how I'll go."
    Her acceptance gave me some comfort, and I still think of her words when I want to rail against reality.
    Waiting for the photos around your new place ...
    xoxo
    Kate

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    1. Thanks for the words Kate, yes it's a pall hanging over us all, and the wondering of who it will grab next. It's definitely a global health crisis and I try not to believe the tin hat brigade who insist the cure has been found but Big Pharma bought up the patents.

      My own belief is environmental, the compromised food and soil and animals.

      XO
      WWW

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  6. I'm curious about your "fluffy" brunch dish, WWW - do tell!
    Sorry about your loss of another friend. My own Christmas card list has shrunk - again - but there are still a few of my generation clinging to the wreckage, albeit by their/our fingernails.
    I shall look forward to sight of your newly minimalised home environment, once pics are available. :)

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    1. I did type it up for a friend, so anyone who wants, send me your email to wisewebwomanatgmaildotcom

      It's an excellent dish prepared the night before and is extraordinarily tasty.

      Clinging to the wreckage indeed!

      XO
      WWW

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  7. Hello WWW, I'm am back with an ice pack, I was out a bit again today and my QL is fussy both sides (Quadratis Lumborem). CP is shorthand for cerebral palsy.

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    1. Thanks E, not so good with acronyms myself except when it comes to my own stuff, LOL. I hadn't realized you had CP.
      I hope you're on the mend now.

      XO
      WWW

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  8. I always love coming here to read. I feel as if I'm sitting in a chair in your home and we're just chit-chatting (a happy thought). Glad you are meeting and enjoying some young folk. I have a 17 year old granddaughter and it's wonderful to be with her and her friends, listening to them talk and plan. They're so full of life and hope they make me hopeful, too.

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    1. thank you for the kind words Pauline, I am so heartened by the young of today they have such a handle on everything.

      XO
      WWW

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  9. I'm sorry about your friend - never easy to lose someone you care about at any age.

    I have an older patient (late 70's) who told me she tries to make sure most of her friends younger than her because it keeps her young. I thought that was wise and I realized I need to attend to that myself.

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    1. So very true, I am astonished at the number of people around me who just stick to their own generation, they are missing so much excitement and stimulation.

      XO
      WWW

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