Introductions

You've been introduced to Alex, our drummer, when I gave everyone in the family a Mohawk, Paige, when I posted her outstanding poem about the environment and now the blog light is on Sarah, our future fashion designer.

She recently went with her class to see African dancers at the Hopkins Center at Dartmouth College. From what she tells me, it was a wonderful show and an education in dress, drumming and dance. I am quite envious.

In addition to attending this spectacular show, masks were made in art class and the children learned some authentic African dances to preform on their own. Sarah is a terrific dancer and treated me to a show, which I enjoyed tremendously. Bravo!

Night and Day

Eyes open to darkness

The room, heavy with silence

Bears down

In the murky hours before dawn

Tentacles of fear creep up the spine

Breathe...breathe...

Dawn breaks

The room, filled with light

Opens the eyes to promise

Fear retreats into dim corners

Resolve returns

Breathe!

Spring!

The sun is shining and the air is balmy, spring is calling. I can't concentrate and subjects for blogging elude me. I've been shut in all winter and all I can think about is getting out, basking in the warm air and breathing in the first fragrances of the season.

I am a creature of nature and the great outdoors, and spring in my Vermont mountains is a time of rich sensations. The heady aroma of damp earth mingles with the intoxicating scent of burgeoning green and fills the senses with the beauty of rebirth. Ahhhh...

While I've been waiting for the sun to reach my porch I have been going through pictures of past seasons. This picture was taken last spring when my daughters and their daughters took me to the Maine coast to soak up the smells, sights and sounds of the ocean while I was still able to get out on the beach. If I close my eyes I can hear the hiss of waves around my feet and feel the tickle of foam. The sharp cry of seagulls resonates in my mind as I recall the prickly tang of salt air.

To quote the Beatles, "Here comes the sun," and I am out of here!

Game Night

The weekend before last my family got together at our house for what we call "game night." We start the evening with food for our bellies (this time it was pizza) and continue on with food for our souls.

There is much conversation and laughter as we gather for the game of the night, "Scene It" being the choice on this particular evening. We always choose a kid friendly game so that everyone is included in the fun.

Teams are picked and we are off and running. There are many good natured jibes, much cheering and the occasional "booing." My family is populated with very funny people and tears from laughter are not uncommon. We are all early risers so by nine it's time to fold up the board, put away the pieces and say our good nights.

There are warm hugs all around as children and grandchildren depart and I am left feeling complete, happy and loved. I have my husband and our incredible family to thank for making me rich beyond measure.

Dynamic Duo

This post is for Tammy (The Daily Warrior...I don't know how to link, so your on your own) one of the most remarkable people I have ever known. Through our mutual fight against ALS and the friendship that has bloomed because of it, Pepek (My Uncle Pepek's Journal) dubbed us "The Dynamic Duo," and it struck a cord.

Tammy possesses enormous strength, faith, humor and a caring heart that runs true and deep. She has been fighting her battle for 17 years and has been an inspiration to me and many others.
She has taught me much about how to deal with ALS and how to fight back and I am grateful, every day, for the path that led me to her and her presence in my life.

We are a continent apart but it doesn't matter, we have formed a bond that is forever and we are family. We email every day, often, and have talked on the phone. We share the good, help each other through the challenges and have taken to calling one another "Batman" and "Robin."

I love you, my dear friend and thank God, every day, for you...to the Batcave!

Thanks

I wish to thank everyone for your kind words and good thoughts. I'm sore as hell from my misadventure but OK, and have recovered my lost pride. Oh, did I neglect to mention that I was in my skivvies when the paramedics came? Oh yeah...

The chicken, however, did not fare so well. It was kicked by a size eleven boot as my saviours departed, left to be found later in the day, crumpled up against the baseboard. CPR was preformed and said chick is now resting while it awaits a ride home. We're skipping the chicken soup!

Rescue 911, the toy chicken and humor

I have been down with a stomach bug for the past couple of days and am, because of it, weaker than usual. This has made it a bit more difficult for me to move from my power chair to the lift chair I usually sit in unless I'm on the move or outside. I knew a little extra height would make it easier for me to vacate the power chair and decided that putting my 2 inch wheelchair pad on my power seat would be a good solution. In my efforts to make my situation easier, I lost my balance and fell down between my power chair and the dining room table.

Once I've fallen I'm down for the count, and, after catching my breath, I tried to reach for the cell phone I always carry with me in the lower basket of the chair. I couldn't seem to reach it and as I felt tears start to form and panic creeping in, I turned my head and found myself staring straight into the button eyes of the wind up, toy chicken my young grandson, Ryan, had left behind. Thanks to the efforts of my granddaughter, Sarah, the chicken had been sporting a cape and although it wasn't wearing tights, the humor was not lost on me.

I began to laugh, and with the laughter came a release from the building anxiety. I was able to relaxe some and managed to reach my phone. Since my husband hadn't reached work yet and my family were all still asleep, I called 911. As the paramedics entered the door, calling to see if I was OK, I informed them that I was lying on the floor next to a chicken and shouldn't be too difficult to find.

Truth

The Children's Quest

I am dedicating this blog to my grandchildren who's commitment to a healthy environment is inspiring and absolute. They are painfully aware of the desperate condition of our planet and are applying their energies, both physical and spiritual, to a cleaner and healthier home for us all.

The following is a poem written by my granddaughter Paige, now thirteen, expressing the depth of her feelings about the devastation left to her generation. She asked me to say that I have inspired her but I feel that all of my grandchildren, with their keen intelligence and sensitivity, would have come to these conclusions on their own. I am so very proud of them all.

I painted a picture

But the colors didn't go

I wrote a song

But the words didn't flow

I had a dream

But I didn't know

That polluted skies

Terrified cries

Trashy parks

Presidential remarks

And a dying world

Was what I got

Left behind to fix the mess

I felt like this shouldn't be my quest

But i will try and fight

To make this earth right

By Paige Charland

The Mirror

A mirror appeared at the end of the hall

A whisper of time, a beckoning call

*

The glass looked old and mottled to me

And more than reflection it seemed to see

*

Who was the woman just standing there

The warmth in her eyes shining through her despair

*

With a knowing look, quelling all rage

I understood then that the mirror was age