Wednesday, February 23, 2022

My Little Snowman


 I made a snowman. The snow wasn’t ideal for making a snowman. It was a bit too cold. But I patted the snow into place, added stick arms, a stick nose, and a stick mouth. I used sweetgum balls for eyes. It was a skinny, pathetic snowman. Aside from the problem of getting the snow to stick together, I wanted a small snowman because I created it for my granddaughter. She is far too young to understand much about snow or snowmen. She touched the snow but didn’t look very enthusiastic about it. 

My snowman didn’t last very long. The weather grew warm and he melted. But like any other artistic endeavor, the joy was in the making. This old grandma remembered all the fun of snow in the past and all the enthusiastic energy that goes into creating. While a handcrafted project may not wind up as the artist envisions it in her mind, the doing is the important part. It’s the same whether you are trying to bake a chocolate cake, paint a seascape, or write a book. It’s important to turn off your inner critic and just do it. 

It will make you feel younger. 😄

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Heartbreaking


  I took this photo on the day I knew my mother-in-law would not be celebrating her 101st birthday. It was the day the hospital called to ask for a Do Not Resuscitate order. 

A few weeks before, my mother-in-law had contracted COVID in the facility where she lived. She had been vaccinated and boosted, She was asymptomatic and felt fine, but she was put in a quarantine room for two weeks. After the two weeks were up, she went back to her own room.  Several days later, she complained of chest pains and was whisked off to the hospital were a blood clot was found in her lungs. Since COVID can cause blood clots, she was given an MRI to check for other clots, but there weren’t any. She was put on blood thinners and expected to return to her facility. 

But something went wrong. We were not allowed to be in the hospital with her. We received messages from the nurse. Suddenly, my mother-in-law was to be returned to her facility on hospice care. I don’t know whether she had a stroke, but that’s what it looked like to me and it was heartbreaking.

She died on what was her husband’s birthday. 

She lived a very long life with many blessings, but we will miss her.  ❤


Wednesday, February 02, 2022