Upcycle

You remember I talked about these lunar/menstrual what-have-you cycles?

Laird, but ain't it happening right now, I'm on warp speed.

First of all: I glue things. The cappuccino part of my coffee machine needed fixing, that flat plastic piece that sits under the wee espresso jug. It languished for months riven in two and unusable. Now patience, plastic gloves, a small tube of glue, and it's cappuccino time again. Next on the list was a very old spatula with a carved wooden handle. The spatula part had loosened itself off but I was very attached to the piece as it had a tiny rim around 3 sides to hold the egg tight once it came off the pan. And it was ornate. So bingo. Functioning again.

I tackled a long gorgeous scarf that Daughter brought me from New York. I wanted to make it into an infinity scarf so that I would wear more of it without ends dipping into the sweet and sour sauce. So I hand-stitched two long ends together and now it's stunning and I will wear it all the time. Like today.

And the afghan/sofa blanket for a loved one is racing along too.

Then news came of a puppay. Yes. Seriously. A pair of sisters. One for Daughter, one for me. This weekend. Brace yourselves. I'll become a woofy bore but I promise to put a time limit on it.

Ansa's having up and down days. I've put her on two low-dose aspirins a day now rather then the one. She has a bad limp, arthritis getting worse I think, she limped up the meadow last night as if on her last legs and then turned around and raced back down to the house. Grinning.

Not for the first time do I think: If only animals could talk.

Cycles

I noticed this cyclical thing quite a while back in my post menopausal years. My menstruation years numbered 44. I know. Unimaginable. The only reward being a symptom free menopause. Even though I was braced for night-sweats, drenching hot flashes and losing my mind. Crickets. A good thing.

BUT. These hormonal/lunar cycles continue. Consisting of days of high energy followed by days of sluggish ennui. Only the slug days now involve a dead weariness in the bones. Like today. I worked this morning and then took off after my lunch and lay comatose in my bed for a couple of hours. I honestly felt I couldn't move a muscle.

I've tracked these episodes and wonder if they are specifically female but Daughter tells me her father went into a rigid sleep at the dinner table when she was staying with him a week or so ago. Mid-sentence kind of coma with a clatter of cutlery on the plate and his eyes closed and out of it for a while. She was very alarmed and mentioned to him that he should take care of his tiredness like I do and just go to bed.

So I wonder. I don't expect this to happen to me again for another month and it sure puts me in mind of the exhaustion around my periods but of course a younger body can counter-balance that by burning through it, like I used to do.

Not anymore. I obey the signals from my body.

It's the only one I have and the longer I live the more I love it.