In February, I bought an ukulele. The long winter depressed me. Furthermore, I’d become addicted to the dispiriting politics of our new president. His “amateur hour” buffoonery impairs reasoning. Like many Americans, I could not turn away. Music, I hoped, might help me kick the habit. Early on, my fingers ached. But a friend gave me advice … More Child’s Play
“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.” Omar Khayyam Morning: I wash dishes. In front of me, through a window opening to the east, I watch a nuthatch spiral up the trunk of our lilac bush. Rays of sunlight pierce the trembling leaves, and the bird’s eyes wink like sequins. Later, I’d … More Buying Time
I tried to get ahead of spring in late January. I prepped my flower beds with bags of topsoil. I stirred the mucky surface saturated with winter rain. Then, I got sick. One acute upper respiratory infection after another slowed me down. These, paired with a harsh treatment regimen for my cancer, made yard work difficult. Spring … More The University of Cancer, Part 3
I Am With You is the title of a book of cancer essays, edited by Nancy Novak and Barbara K. Richardson. The collected authors are all veterans of cancer. Most live with it directly, while a few caregivers found eloquence within their experience. The editors chose a version of one of my blog posts, Where … More I Am With You
I ran when I was younger the county roads of Hood River. From Trout Creek Ridge to Cooper Spur and Lost Lake to Lolo Pass, I crisscrossed the valley, high on endorphins, at 140 heart beats a minute. I ran loops around the rectangular blocks of apple, pear, and cherry orchards. I noted the seasons as … More Heat Wave
I’ve been taking dexamethasone for my blood cancer, multiple myeloma, since 2007. The synergistic effect of this steroid with myeloma therapies is undisputed. They work, they are inexpensive, and can be taken orally. My cancer continues to wobble without direction, seemingly unable to focus its biology. I attribute much of the myeloma’s poor power of concentration to … More Dancing with Savvy
“Our house is a very, very, very fine house. With two cats in the yard, Life used to be so hard …,” Crosby, Stills, and Nash Actually, there’s just one cat in the yard. At 16 pounds he has the heft of two, but Spanky, our tiger stripe rescue, prowls our new property alone. The … More Schrodinger’s Cat, Pandora’s Box, and a Pet Cat (Scan)
“Instructions for living a life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.” ― Mary Oliver My mother passed away in the summer of 2007. She was 91 years old. It’s been nearly six years since she died. So, it surprised me when recently, while out walking, my thoughts turned her way. I’d left my home … More Walking With My Mother
Way back on January 20th, a rare sunny day loosened the grip of winter. While out walking, I noticed the year’s first robins exploring the fruit trees. Within 24 hours, colder weather returned and forced these scouts back to their sea level outpost. The early arrival, however, portended winter’s retreat. The days began to lengthen. … More Robins
“There’s a reason you can learn from everything: you have basic wisdom, basic intelligence, and basic goodness.” Pema Chodron Autumn arrived. Outside, the maple trees turned from green to crimson and gold. Their coat of leaves drifted with the wind and tumbled to earth. Undressed, the bare branches revealed damage from last winter’s ice storm: … More Raking Leaves
Good Blood, Bad Blood 