2-27-09

Most of my day I am removed from death although I work at a hospice as a bereavement coordinator.  But, that's just it...I deal with the theory of it- the aftermath.  The actual striking of the chime,  the  moment when life and lifeless trade places, that is always a surprise to me. Friday offered many opportunities to contemplate the precariousness of our lives. I went to the wake for one of our home health aids mother.  I was thinking it would be interesting and insightful to see the usual montage of family photographs. It never occured to me her actual body would be there. I must admit there was a moments pause.  Earlier, I got  a call from my colleague sharing that during a telephone intake to set up hospice services for a gentleman, the man shot himself. Pause. Later, in the evening, I was reading a blog I follow  and prayers were being requested for a woman and her family, who, two weeks away from delivering her baby had discovered her baby had died.  In the midst of reading this, my friend called to tell me a nurse who works for her had been killed in a car accident that afternoon. I was moved to tears by the suddeness of all that had befallen these folks.  As a parent, I have an enriched sense of mortality and I gotta say, I don't much like it. But it is this heightened sense of lifelessness that encourages me to live.  So don't just go through the motions.  Decide what are you going to do with your one wild and precious life?

Cabin Fever still hasn't broken

Here is a photo of the bread I made Sunday.  It is a great boule.  The recipe can be found at Mother Earth News (Easy No-Knead Bread).  I also made French Onion soup and peanut butter cookies from the iconic  red checkered Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook.  

We don't actually have cabin fever-it is spirit week at Maisie's daycare and today was wacky hair day.  She came home with it dyed green and purple. We try to get out at least once every weekend specifically to inonoculate ourselves from the fever.  I suffer more during mud season and the rainy days of April.  Three positive things in April are the start of open water season, my birthday and Heather's birthday...but it is often a very gray and drizzly month. 

Looks like cabin fever has taken another

Actually, it may be more sleep deprivation.  Miss Maise has been getting up earlier and earlier and refusing or strongly fighting the nap as well.  It is contagious as we are all seeing fish on the wall.

A Lifetime of Saturdays

I drive a lot for my job.  So, as is often the case when driving, I day dream-a lot.  One of my recent fantastical schemes is really a variation on an old theme.  Faced with the dire employment news of the day, it seems the employer or customer holds all the cards.  Which is a frustrating and powerless feeling place to be. Work already takes up way too much of life, so I was pondering what the antidote to this could be and thought a month of Saturdays would be good. Then, being the abundance thinker that I am, I struck onto the idea of a lifetime of Saturdays.  Imagine it...I don't mean literally "Saturday", but more the feeling of Saturday. You know what I'm talking about.

These photos are from last Saturday. 

What is the sound of one dog walking under winter sky?

These pictures are somewhat misleading as there was really three dogs.