tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167493062024-03-19T01:50:08.915-04:00Marimba and IceLorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09065469722074155578noreply@blogger.comBlogger1134125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16749306.post-67520560142481123212024-01-13T11:30:00.000-05:002024-01-13T11:58:33.224-05:00What I Have Learned Along with the Privilege of Aging is the Ongoing Pain of Loss Fifteen years ago was the coldest day of my life. After a grueling thirteen month battle with cancer, you left this earth plane and took a chunk of my heart with you. The scraggly remains of it have since healed and are still beating loud, like the vintage Ludwig snare drum I used to play. It's been a tough tough path to navigate, but I'm in a better place mentally and spiritually thanLorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09065469722074155578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16749306.post-69482004418222225272023-12-31T12:29:00.006-05:002023-12-31T12:29:59.179-05:00123...123... Happy 123123! Someone wrote that to me, so I thought it to be appropriate to add it to the post. So far, it's been a weird day: car battery most likely dead in the street and both Steve and I are home with respiratory illnesses, so we postponed our NYE plans so we don't share the crud. I'm grateful that Steve is here to with me to celebrate in a quieter way. The jury's out whether I Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09065469722074155578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16749306.post-35733587312419269672023-08-31T05:32:00.002-04:002023-08-31T05:33:49.794-04:00 The Longest Pause Hi, there. I haven't been on here since May. It's probably the longest pause since I started Marimba and Ice back in 2005. There were some years, especially when grief hit, I would post multiple times a day. Grief is affecting me differently these days. There are now dry spells like this where it's been radio silence. Radio silence is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as "absence of Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09065469722074155578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16749306.post-75353925844507837602023-05-07T18:02:00.003-04:002023-05-07T18:10:14.760-04:00A Letter to Kim My Dear Sweet Kim, I'm writing this letter because I want to be sure other people have a chance to express how much they love you tomorrow at your funeral service. Honestly, I'll probably be too broken to say anything tomorrow, so I'm expressing my words here. Steve took me to the funeral home today, where we shared condolences and hugs. It's been a privilege to meet and know someLorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09065469722074155578noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16749306.post-29195035650320105562023-03-26T22:22:00.006-04:002023-03-26T22:23:34.255-04:00Sunday, March 26 Hello. I realized that my last post was in February. A lot has been going on. Since January, Steve and I have experienced some losses. We've lost high school/college friends. We've had friends who've lost family members. The latest loss occurred unexpectedly this past Friday. On Friday, our dear friend John Homan passed away. We are grateful to have known John. He was funny, kind, Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09065469722074155578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16749306.post-61224651664331551612023-02-03T01:50:00.001-05:002023-02-03T01:50:34.422-05:00Happy Groundhog Day Musings (This picture was gifted to me by one of my students. It moved me so I wanted to share the sentiment with you-xo.) I learned today that there will be six more weeks of winter no matter if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow or not. I don't know why it took 51 years for me to figure that out, although I was 10 before learning the truth about Santa Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09065469722074155578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16749306.post-74164295380540030062022-12-31T18:53:00.003-05:002022-12-31T18:53:24.433-05:00Courage Hello! It's New Year's Eve. Thank God. That's all I can say while crossing the finish line to one of the hardest years I can remember and not leaving the house tonight. The only thing I will miss in 2022 is our medical deductible, and I think we hit that this past summer. My word for 2022 was acceptance and I'm ready to let it go. My new word for 2023 is courage. It's the third Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09065469722074155578noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16749306.post-685869584449632842022-11-28T15:41:00.006-05:002022-11-28T15:43:20.215-05:00 Zakia's Poems and Book Launch Congratulations, Zakia! Zakia and I met and became friends last April during a poetry workshop I hosted at the Francis Branch Library (South Bend). She informed our group that she will have her first book out this fall. Prior to her reading, Zakia had one of my other favorite poets, Pam Blair, provide an introduction and present some of her own words. A poetry book is meant to be heard as Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09065469722074155578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16749306.post-19607753423885657912022-11-14T11:25:00.003-05:002022-11-14T11:25:58.658-05:00Monday, November 14 Hello there. Tomorrow's a big day. It will be life-changing, for sure. I'm grateful to have Steve by my side and Family and Friends in our corner. Wish we could bring the kitties, but I don't think they would be happy there. Imagine the caterwauling! Yikes! *Laughs* We're hoping the therapy dogs will be there again like they were a couple of Fridays ago. Talk about a triple dose of warm fuzzies Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09065469722074155578noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16749306.post-9611521104470883822022-10-30T09:21:00.004-04:002022-10-30T09:37:54.737-04:00Sunday I look at the time in the right-hand corner of the screen and it's October 30. The month has simultaneously crawled and flown. Northern Indiana did not disappoint with beautiful autumn displays. It's one of the reasons why we tolerate the season that follows. Above are a few fall photos of our garden and the neighborhood. Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09065469722074155578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16749306.post-65718731704775213452022-09-25T09:19:00.004-04:002022-09-25T09:27:07.074-04:00Call, Don't Fall: Autumnal Equinox 2022 Summer ended and autumn made its entrance on an unseasonably cold Thursday. I had no recollection of what the weather was like on the first part of the day because I was residing in a cramped, windowless hospital room in a hopping Emergency Room (ER). Although officially admitted on Thursday morning due to severe stomach pains (more gall bladder removal post-op nonsense), there was no room Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09065469722074155578noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16749306.post-88939633399036757322022-09-19T14:12:00.001-04:002022-09-19T14:13:20.576-04:00Writer's Block and Shopping for Vacuum Belts on a Sunny September Monday After several attempts to write something, I resorted to pen and paper to write the first drafts of this post. Writer's block is so much fun (said no one ever). Since my mind's been scrambled today, I skipped the plethora of journals I have and grabbed a sheet of unlined white paper and started writing. It's messy and scribbly, but that's the point, right? Just get the mind clutter out of Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09065469722074155578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16749306.post-60132611112855643342022-08-01T15:49:00.001-04:002022-08-01T15:49:17.053-04:00August Musings People tend to be sad when the summer season winds down. For me, this time of year rejuvenates and the top of the month is kinda like a big picture do-over. This is how I rank my favorite seasons: Late summer-early autumn Early autumn-late autumn Late springEarly-mid-spring Late spring-late summer Late autumn-early winter Late winter January I may haveLorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09065469722074155578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16749306.post-56354888706982497822022-07-19T22:56:00.006-04:002022-07-19T22:56:33.155-04:00Reflections on 50 Last year, I was surprised and spoiled rotten by friends and family. It was a wonderful birthday. and I am forever grateful by the outpouring of love and well-wishes. Had I known at the eve of the 51st trip around the sun that the past year would be turbulent at best (and your favorite choice of swear words at worst), I would've treasured the fun moments even more, if that's possible. This Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09065469722074155578noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16749306.post-20084529480308871762022-07-17T19:12:00.003-04:002022-07-17T19:12:47.342-04:00Happy Rainy Sunday, Cat Candle Holder, and Gaming Links Hello! Although I don't like the weather disrupting people's weekend plans, I appreciate the rain. We didn't have to water the yard this weekend and it was pleasant to play (garden) in the rain for a bit this afternoon. I adopted some plants (balloon flowers) on clearance today and planted them at the entrance to the garden. Hopefully they will be happy there. I also love that they are perennialsLorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09065469722074155578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16749306.post-20453088358856347332022-07-10T22:53:00.002-04:002022-07-10T22:53:38.205-04:00Gardening and Geraniums I'm learning empathy for people who have limited control physically, because post-op, that is currently happening. This was not part of the plan, but I'm not in charge, so I'm coping as well as possible, trying to enjoy the summer with loved ones, the lake, and the garden. Speaking of gardening, one of my favorite things to do is purchase discounted flowers that are half-dead and wilted to Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09065469722074155578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16749306.post-42578975624529361722022-06-19T14:39:00.003-04:002022-06-19T14:39:52.522-04:00Sunday, June 19 Hey There,I hope you are taking advantage of this beautiful Sunday! I hope if you can, venture outside, smile at the flowers, and take in the sunrays for some Vitamin D. Summer's almost here. Happy Father's Day and Happy Juneteenth! Those are two important holidays to celebrate. For those of you who have lost your father figure, I send you condolences, comfort, and love. I'm Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09065469722074155578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16749306.post-25098730679429052322022-06-05T22:03:00.004-04:002022-06-05T22:06:33.977-04:00Listening to Yacht Rock on a Friday Morning in June (Poem) I love it when my fam and friends inspire me to write. Hope you like this poem. The song "Cool Change" brings me back to the ocean. This is a photo of me taken by Steve in the Pacific Ocean in San Diego back in 2009. Listening to Yacht Rock on a Friday Morning in June
(For LV.)
We listen to
and sing along to
“Cool Change”
First sung
by Little River Band
Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09065469722074155578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16749306.post-22868130181419069302022-06-03T22:25:00.001-04:002022-06-05T12:07:25.481-04:00June 3, 2022: A New Beginning Fridays are usually fun because it's the end of the week and the general vibe is positive. Add in a picturesque sunny June day, and life seems rosier. Life is literally and metaphorically rosier these days. I'll take it. Despite the fact that I'm sore from playing in the garden a couple of days ago, I took the Riverwalk this morning to Chicory Cafe located in downtown Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09065469722074155578noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16749306.post-37276422213798621432022-06-01T00:19:00.000-04:002022-06-01T00:19:03.765-04:00May 31: On the Other Side of Surgery At this writing, there's about a half hour left of May 2022, and then I flip the calendar to June. I still have a large paper calendar, a planner, and use Google to keep my appointments. As many squirrels as I have racing through my head at any given moment, it's a necessity. I guess living in two centuries, there is one Birkenstock sandal in hard copy and the other flat in the electronic Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09065469722074155578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16749306.post-78835721836207192552022-05-04T23:43:00.003-04:002022-05-04T23:43:49.790-04:00Countdown Well, it's 10:20 p.m. at this writing and I 'm chugging down a nutritious chocolate shake. I have a little more time before the dreaded eating cutoff at midnight. Then, Steve will need to padlock the fridge because there's no food until after surgery tomorrow afternoon and I'll be pining for snacks much like our youngest cat Leo does at 4:30 a.m. The little orange baby monster has us trained, as Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09065469722074155578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16749306.post-18805631481508219282022-04-18T11:26:00.000-04:002022-04-18T11:26:14.850-04:00this personal space enduringone ofthe hardest days i've faced in a cold year. the world iscold, and snowing icytears overspringtime. i reciteprayers,asking for relief. issues seemtobe crowding this personal spacetryingto smackice storms away. they spring back tenfold like ice--coveredboomerangs andsting. please make it stop, please,stop the sleetLorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09065469722074155578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16749306.post-80691787659285947642022-04-14T12:29:00.003-04:002022-04-14T12:40:40.724-04:00Double-Feature Poetry on Thursday and Friday! Hey There,As you may or may not know, April is National Poetry Month! As part of the Sunset Home Tour, I'll be presenting and selling books at the following events: Thursday, April 14, 2022 PAN-O-PLY's Pop-Up Poetry and Book Sale Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and Reading Starts at 7:00 p.m.Merriman's Playhouse, Inc. 401 East Colfax Ave, Suite 135 South Bend, INI'll be there Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09065469722074155578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16749306.post-46951564622564239702022-03-27T21:08:00.002-04:002022-03-27T21:08:46.078-04:00The Books are Here! Steve and I have been watching the status of this package like hawks. The poetry books arrived this afternoon! It's been a journey getting this book launched and receiving the books in time to promote them at local events coming up. It's a relief that the books are finally here! I do have copies on hand for $17.00. If you do not live close by and wish to own one of these beauties, you can visit Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09065469722074155578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16749306.post-55676848902316897862022-03-24T00:43:00.002-04:002022-03-24T00:48:11.702-04:00Sludge is Grosser Than Moist I guess Life has a way of showing you that you're not in charge. I'm glad to have the One Day At A Time (ODAAT) routine established, because who knows what the morrow will bring, and if I look into the future right now, I'll probably crumble. The thought of surgery makes me scared. I received the phone call Wednesday morning that my gallbladder was indeed abnormal and needs to be removed. I Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09065469722074155578noreply@blogger.com0