Category Archives: make me smile

Make me smile…

–feeding the growly bottomless belly that is Lola-Kitty, our neighbor cat that we’re watching while her mama is away for the holidays.

–putting the finishing touches on several gifts 😉

–getting a present from Bonny and then the elation at finding that it’s like the one (tho even better!)that’s been on my amazon wishlist for soooooo long!

–dropping by my favorite plant nursery while John was on a super-secret mission at the GameShop adjacent to it. Finding poppies and roses and sweet peas and so many other plants begging to take them home with me. Restraining myself mightily and just enjoying the thrill of so much beauty (ok, so a few of them did find their way into my basket…)

–feeling better. My neck and back are still sore, but the pinching nerve pain is dissipating quickly.

–giftwrapping. It’s actually one of my favorite parts of the holiday, but only when I can do it with a bit of creative flair. In years past I’ve hand-aged paper with tea, reproduced vintage photos of Paris landmarks, wrapped with maps from my travels, sewed reusable cloth bags, stamped designs on butcher paper, etc. I like it when the giftwrap hints at the type of gift that lies inside or when it connects in some meaningful way with the person I’m gifting.

Make me smile…

John & kids met a bunch of new folks at Friend D’s birthday party this afternoon. When John was introduced to them he learned that said folks had already been to our house…at a party when we were out of town and our Friends were cat-sitting for us!

Me, I’m glad to know that our Friends took me seriously when I said mi casa et su casa. And I’m just hoping that I remembered to clean the bathroom well before we left town!
🙂

a bit of lovin’

I shot the following video a few days ago and have debated since then about whether to post it. But after I saw Sara’s cat vid for today, I knew I had to share a bit of my own kitty-love with all of you!

In this clip EllyCat is playing hide-n-seek in some strips of wool roving. She is laying on her very favorite dark purple ottoman. After a few moments, Lil’ sister TobyJoy comes over to investigate.

Warning: you will hear me speaking in my special ‘kitty voice’ in this video. This is not something I usually do in front of anyone except for close friends and family….

What I like best about this clip: you can see the difference between the personalities of our two cats. Elly likes to lounge and play and is a totally kicked-back relaxed kind of girl. Toby, OTOH, is curious and composed. She likes to sit daintily upright with her tail curled over her front paws. Her petiteness (she doesn’t even weigh 5 lbs) makes her almost irresistible.

on my feet again…

For most of the summer I had some sores on my right leg that made it painful to wear my prosthesis. I wore it anyways most days, but only for a few hours at a time. And the sores were awful and raw and oozy. And so painful to walk on–I’d say it was akin to hiking with 2″ ulcerated holes on both the heel and ball of your foot while you’re wearing sweat-drenched scratchy wool socks. And then add into that the discomfort from the toes I broke at the beginning of the summer and it was just a painful few months. Painful, I say.

So just yesterday I marveled at how easy it was to walk around my garden. The 30 ft walk from my gate to the hose had seemed pretty torturous for a few months there. And it was just effortless yesterday. No pain. And everything else has been so much easier, too. Cleaning house, walking to class, my daily routines.

I’d like to think that I don’t take walking for granted. And it’s sure nice to have the realization of how lovely it can be. I’m hoping for many more pain-free months ahead!

🙂

Make me smile…


-Some Friends throwing a party for me and other recent ABDs in our Meeting. With dinner, a tasty cake, shiny balloons, petite baskets of flowers, and a card signed by everyone. I loved the casual table conversations–good books, eating local, families, games, etc. What more could a girl ask for?

-Oh, I know: how about Friends who drop by after said party for a few rounds of ‘Apples to Apples’ and some stimulating conversation.

-A spot of rain yesterday and today. And the smoky smell is clearing.

-New garden neighbors, one of which used to run her own organic farm!

-Riding my bike home from class and spying a hottie on a bike heading my way. Stopping to chat for a moment even though it’s only been 4 hours or so since I awoke in his arms. And the sweet kiss he blew towards me as he rode off in the opposite direction.

-EllyCat insisting on curling up on my totebag for naptime after a few snuggles and scratchies under the collar.

-My kiddoes’ homecoming from school today. Because some days I just miss being apart from them–even for a few short hours…

Make me smile…


As a historian of 19th century medicine, I spend a lot of time reading grody accounts of diseases and botched surgeries. Believe it or not, I love it. Here’s a tasty little bit of history for you–an account of a c-section performed in 1857 (which was back in the day when they thought inflammation and oozing pus was a good thing in wound healing and not a sign of infection….):

“The first three days a single thickness of domestic [linen] moistened in cold water is applied to the exposed abdomen over the wound to get the refrigerating action of evaporation. As soon as suppuration is established [a discharge of pus], this dressing is replaced by a warm poultice of bread and milk, which is continued until she is well. A weak dilution of chloride of soda was several times injected through the vagina into the womb, from which it issued at the abdominal wound, and did not return by the natural passages. These cleansings diminished very much the almost gangrenous foeter of the days of suppuration. The abdominal flatus was drawn off by an esophagus tube per rectum. A silver catheter remained constantly in the urethra by which the bladder was kept nearly always empty. The bladder was incised first accidentally, then purposely, during the operation, before the womb was reached. These slight opening closed kindly, by first intention.”

Bleh. The gangrenous foeter? How’s that for a flowery way to say nasty stench?

people, I am tired….

Travel is such delicious hard work!
Today we spent at Concord & Walden Pond with Sara, the world’s most hospitable tourguide. Right now I am headed for a shower and bed. My body is oh-so-achy from the walking.

I have pictures to share soon–including some gorgeous flowers from the Alcott and Emerson/Hawthorne homes.

PS: John is updating his flickr feed more quickly than I am. Enjoy a few photos from today.

PPS: I met several of the rodent denizens of Boston Common as we walked home in the dark tonite. To say that it was more than a bit traumatic for me is a mighty understatement–that park is like full of rats. Full, I say.

PPS: to GS~ we did the Fine Arts Museum yesterday. The Sargeants absolutely blew me away. Loved it!

celebration


wedding day, 1992, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

Soon we will be leaving for another anniversary adventure together. It’s a big one (15 years married!) so we set our sights high and are going cross-country. And I can’t wait! Traveling together with John is just SO FUN! He knows how to find the best food, the funkiest bookshops (with kitties!), and the most charming streets. Best of all, we will be encountering all of this together. (Oh, and we will be hanging out with some of you, our loyal friends and readers, along the way–woohoo!)

I came across this Yeats poem today and it touched me–I especially love the lines that read:
“But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face.”

I’m so grateful that John continues to love this pilgrim soul of mine, and that I continue to delight and revel in his as well. 🙂

Make me smile…

Have been road trippin’ for the past few days and now am settled in a cozy basement room with Aunt Suz’s big mancat purring at my feet (and counting myself quite lucky!).

The adventures of the past few days are too numerous to recount here, but a few highlights:

-flash flooding throughout southern Utah. Mud. And rivers of water. And the heady heavy scent of rain in the desert.

-fresh peach pie (heavy on the fresh part), so good that it melted in my mouth

-giggling neices and nephews. Seeing GameBoy and CatGirl watching over their young cousins.

-the familiarity of Mom’s new home, our old futon couch, and looking into a sibling’s eyes and seeing so many years of shared experiences reflected back at me.

-taking pictures of the sunset over the mountains as we drove through Sardine Canyon. Loving the wind blowing in my face as I held the camera steady in the window.

-Clouds. The ever-changing splendor of the Cache Valley sky.