Physical Therapy and Stories

I have physical therapy twice a week. I really look forward to it as I think it is just one step in getting back into my old life.

I chose to go to the local hospital for therapy because it was close, and I could walk if I wanted to. Most of the time I walk, have the therapy, stop at the local coffee shop, and then walk home. It is great! Karen put money on my coffee account so it is almost like a 'free meal.' Well, coffee anyway. Karen also took my picture in front of the hospital on my first day as well as she told me to do really well in school!

My therapist is Robert who is from Poland, as is his wife. Robert is very studious, follows the programs, even when I ask him to give me more 'homework.' I am also a good student following all his workouts and advice.

Today was different at therapy. After we got the heart rate up and settled down to the exercises, he said to me, "Do you want to hear a good story?"

Ah-hah, I thought. He is on to me and knows my love and gift for story. I know my head shot up and my eyes popped out. How could I refuse a great story? He spent the rest of the time (as we did all the workouts) telling me about the history of Kosciusko County. I had no idea, the stories flowed and soon the time was up.

I am thrilled, now I get double for my money...therapy and stories!

Concert on the green...sort of!

Last night our town of Angola began the first of the summer concerts on the green to celebrate our revitalization project. These concerts are scheduled to be on the green behind the courthouse. I love this idea and was so excited to support this concert series, and although the weather turned quite volitile, the concert went on.

Our local coffee shop, Cahoots, opened its door to the band and the attendees. It was a great evening with doors wide open, rain pelting down and rumbling thunder, to sit with friends drinking coffee and enjoying music to wind down the week.

Next week another concert on the green behind the courthouse, or back at Cahoots, either way, come on down! The music begins at 5:00 so bring a lawn chair and enjoy another evening in our small town.

Three Pennies

The other night two of my school friends brought pizza (and beer) over for supper! It was great to see them, catch up  and hear all the school gossip that I am missing!

We sat in the dining room eating as the candles dripped down and the lovely day began to fade into twilight.

I still had one more walk to do for the day so I invited them to go with me. We blew out the candles, left the dishes and headed out into my neighborhood. I felt as if I was giving a tour as we meandered up one block and down another. They all live in the country so this was a bit of a different outing.

As we were walking we found three pennies, in different locations. They were all heads up and, of course, we picked them up to make wishes and put them in our pockets.

I was reminded of an event on Ocracoke a couple of summers ago. Several of us were sitting on the Community Store porch when a teen age girl came out of the store with a bag of groceries. She was putting her change away in her purse when she spilled several coins onto the ground. She looked at the coins, looked at us, looked at the coins and then shrugged and went on her way.

I couldn't believe she left her change on the ground. Didn't her grandma always tell her, "A penny saved is a penny earned?" Well, my grandma did.

I also always quote: Find a penny, pick it up all the day you'll have good luck. Find a penny, let it lie, you'll have trouble by and by.

So, I guess my friends and I are in for good luck.

May gardening and waiting to heal...

This May morning is the epitome of all Mays that I can remember. I woke up as the sun was streaming in my Eastern window with a promise of a beautiful day. 

I took the traditional early morning walk around my garden, only this spring is different as I cannot pull a weed or set a seed. My hands are literally itching to work the garden soil, bring in the compost, till up the new garden, gather more herbs, split bulbs and, at the end of the day, put away the gloves and hoe, and let the sun set on a sweet garden inside the white picket fence.

Until I am given the OK to work the land, I dream on in books of gardens. The books are piled high on a table. Some are practical, most are whimsical in content. I love them both.

So on this beautiful May morning, here are a few tidbits for you:

the full moon in May is known as the Corn Planting Moon,

other folks know it as the Flower Moon,

cold spells often occur in mid-May known as Blackberry Winter,

avoid planting on the first day of the new moon,

leaf vegetables should be planted on the waxing moon,

and

plant the rest of the garden during the second quarter.

These are just a few tidbits to help your gardening, especially in the northern gardens. Enjoy!

 

Dear Katie....

Dear Katie,

With the help of my neighbor girl, Morgan, I finally opened up the suitcases that I took to China. It was over a month that they sat occupying a cozy corner of my house waiting to be opened and explored and tucking things away.

The truth is, I could not bring myself to open them up...emotionally or physically. But the time had come that I needed to take care of that chore. It was painful to open them up, to see the clothes that I never wore, to see that all the gifts I had put together...power point, maple syrup, seeds, an album of photos from my photography students that I painstakingly put together were gone. They had been handed off to Kimberly as if I were just handing her a pencil or a tissue.

My journal had three pages of entries...all had stopped when I stopped. There were folders of Dr. reports and hospital paraphernalia...all in Chinese. I found the two empty soda pop cans. I remember you laughingly put them in my suitcase as my only souvenir. I was wrong though, because I found my jade bracelet in the small case, the one you gave me, remember? It made me cry as if we were back in the hospital. You bought it for me so I would have one treasure to take home with me. I will cherish it always.

There were also pencils and curlers (I still use them for my bangs!), small shampoos and lotions...all untouched.

Deep in the bottom of the large suitcase, I found a card addressed to me. It was unopened. It had a giant "L" on the front. It was a letter from you with inspirational thoughts and challenges, and, even though you also missed your China trip, you felt lucky that we spent this time together.

I also found a beautiful cache of postcards you purchased for me from the trip. Thank you for those.

It was fun to find our black-market videos, you know, the ones I watched at night over and over and over...

I found all the notes you left when I fell asleep late at night. You laid out the movie for the night, knowing I would wake up at midnight. When I awoke in the dark, in the lonely place that I found myself, there were your notes to cheer me through the night.

Katie, your grace and sweetness will always be treasured. You never complained, you worked endlessly with your company to get me home, and you brought me good coffee every day.

Maybe we can both try the trip again, and actually see what we both missed.

From the depths of my heart, Katie, I thank you.

Here is a picture of Katie before everything happened.

Note to readers: It was very cold that morning in Beijing

so we were all dressed in layers, Katie is really very

little in size!! (Aren't you glad I added that, Katie??)

"Little Orphant Annie's come to my house to stay..."

Being a born Hoosier, I grew up with the poetry of James Whitcomb Riley. My dad knew so many of the poems and the ones he didn't know he would read to us from his poetry books. I learned them by absorption, not by anyone making me learn them. I know Little Orphant Annie, The Raggedy Man, The Fishing Hole...and on and on. There is not one Halloween show that I do in the fall for children (and sometimes adults) that I do not recite Little Orphant Annie.

I have spent some time in the Riley home in Greenfield, Indiana. I burst into tears when I walked through the doors trying to imagine Mr. Riley living there as a child and then writing about it. Originally Annie was Alice, but the publisher could not read his writing. When the publication came out, it was Little Orphant Annie.  Mr. Riley got ahold of the publisher in N.Y. and they promised to change the name to Alice for the next publication, but it was too late. Little Annie was already in the hearts of the Hoosiers and others who loved his work.

Every Saturday my neighbor girl, Morgan, comes to clean for me. She does exactly what little Annie did. She scrubs, she sweeps, she changes flowers in the vases, she dusts, she cleans closets...well, she does everything. Only this Morgan does it all with her ipod! I am so grateful to have Morgan in my life to keep my house shining and clean until I am able to get it all done myself!

So cheers to my Annie!

Morgan cleaning my house on Saurday!

A new beginning...

Philip left yesterday taking a flight back home to his Island. The house seems very empty without him. He has been my caregiver and friend for four weeks now. I will always thank and appreciate him for all he has done to get me well!!

Now it is back to my own beginnings...hmmmm...how to manage living on my own again. I am so fortunate to have friends and neighbors and family who are really at my beck and call. Karen, my daughter in law, is in charge of bringing groceries, Alia (a great friend and part relative) is doing laundry, Larry (from next door does the yard care), Lee, my neighbor and friend, is coming over for morning coffee and checks in periodically, his daughter, Morgan, sweeps and cleans up for me....

Actually the list goes on and on. Since I am sleeping in my little bed downstairs, I have clean clothes and such in the library for two days. All in all, it appears to be OK. I even walked without the stick today, carried my camera instead as a safety net. This photo is looking up at the crabapple tree in my yard! It has been so beautiful this April!!

The crapapple tree in my front yard!