October Challenge -- Day 13

I'm joining Ms. Kwiz for her October blogging challenge.

Day 13: Good at keeping secrets? My own or others'. Quick answer: no. I don't like secrets, as I believe they are corrosive. On the other hand, I do respect privacy (my own and others'). So it's good that many of my friends haven't met. I can complain about Henry to John, and rail about John to Henry, get it out in the open and off my chest, without worrying about betraying them.

 

Sunday Stealing

More than Tuesday Four

This week we're stealing from a meme that's still active! I'll have to remember to visit it and play. We meme mistresses should stick together.


1.   Have you ever known anyone that’s been on tv, including you? My mom was proud to see me on the local ABC news the night Bill Clinton was elected in 1992. I was a campaign worker, cheering when he was declared winner.

2.   What do you find yourself buying all the time? St. Ives scrubs. I use them on my face, decolletage and feet every day.

3.   When was the last time you got a real letter in the mail? Last week. From my cousin Rose. We write, old school, about once/month.

4.   Have you ever lived in a house/apartment that has been broken into? Nope.

5. Did you walk to school with your friends? Take a school bus? Ever have someone carry your books home from school? Walked to grade school, car pooled to high school. No one ever carried my books for me.

6. Do you like pumpkin seeds? Do you carve the pumpkin and roast the seeds? Do you buy packaged, prepared pumpkin seeds? Pumpkin seeds are fine, I suppose. I have no deeply held feeling about them one way or the other. I've never prepared them in any way, and haven't carved a pumpkin in decades.

7. Does your car or did a family car have a name? Nope

8.  The first week of October was National Mystery Series Week. Do you sleuth alongside Nancy Drew or Miss Marple? Fan of Nero Wolfe? I used to read Nancy Drew enthusiastically. In 2015, I visited the Soboroff Typewriter Collection and completely fangirled when I saw this, one of the typewriters used by "Carolyn Keene" to write Nancy Drew stories.

 




And I love Nero Wolfe, too. Or, more specifically, Archie Goodwin. I think he's sexy and very funny.

9. Have you ever spent ages writing something on your computer when it suddenly crashed and you lost it all? Haven't we all?

10. Are you one of those people who can sleep through anything? No

11. What type or kind of art do you like? And do you draw or paint yourself? My favorite artist is Thomas McKnight. He describes his work as "landscapes in acrylic, featuring flat vibrant colors." I don't paint myself, and have no idea what I just said. To borrow a phrase, I just know what I like.

Thomas McKnight's Lake Shore Drive

 

12. If you went to London, where would you go first? Abbey Road Studios!

13.  What is one quote that you love to quote? "What man has done, man can do."

14.  Do you ever at times see the world in black and white? Yes.

15. Do you believe there is life somewhere else in the universe? Intellectually, yes. I mean, why not? Emotionally, no. I mean, I'm not worrying about an alien invasion.

It's been a year

A year ago, Henry downed a few glasses of wine at Phyllis' home, got on his bike, and pedaled square into a Chevy Van. He suffered a shattered ankle, but the more immediate and life threatening issue was his traumatic brain injury. First we worried if he would live at all. Then, would his memory be OK? What about his motor skills?

It was weeks of not knowing. Then he seemed OK, but wasn't. TBI can be tricky. Henry was filled with rage about his condition. He was confused and terrified. He was full of fight and resistance.

He's had trouble distinguishing between reality and flight of fancy. He's suffered through morbid, paranoid fantasies that he has accepted as true.

He's come such a long way. He goes to church each week. He writes for the poetry guild. He misses as few days of work as possible. He still has trouble reasoning on occasion, still gets depressed, but good phone calls outweigh the bad. He's worked very hard, and his courage really is inspiring.

I have not always been as patient with him as I should be. I have fallen short on empathy, because I have no way of knowing what it was like to wake up from a coma and find myself different. I have been frustrated because I've found myself in a situation I am not equipped to handle.

But we're still us, me and Henry. We've worked through this. I am grateful. And we end every call with "I love you." Because his accident has emphasized that tomorrow is not promised.

That felt good

I finally heard from my oldest friend today. It's been over a month since I even saw a Facebook message from her, much less shared a conversation. It felt good to reconnect, catch up, and laugh.

She  has her health woes -- most notably her recurring bladder issues and now a broken toe -- but she's able to laugh about them. She's been incommunicado because her computer crapped out, she had to buy a new one, and the new Microsoft Word had her flummoxed. I was glad to hear that. I was afraid she was battling depression again, and when she gets dark, she can get very dark.

I updated her on me -- work woes, worry about John and Henry, money concerns, and the hole in my heart where Anthony Rizzo should be. I find that it's still, weeks after the season ended, impossible for me to have a conversation without mentioning the Cubs. I think maybe I need help.

We talked about Nanos. She is participating in Nanowrimo, too. It will be nice to have a writing buddy to compare notes with.

I feel so much better for having talked to her. I've known her since I was 4 1/2 years old. She is my touchstone. I am stronger for having her in my life.