Category: Home Life with Dad
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heat
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Read more: heatI didn’t want to get up at 4:45 am this morning, but I did. The heat is defeating me once again. This is my third summer in Tucson and I get a Lyme relapse for weeks every time. I’m never quite well until it cools off, usually in late September or early October (and by…
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cook
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Read more: cookI am a good home cook. There is a vast difference between home cooks and professional cooks. They have a sophistication with spices and ingredients that I don’t have. Chefs would laugh at my chopping and plating skills, and my dining room could be out on the porch or in the living room, but I…
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oatmeal
Read more: oatmealAfter a few heavy blogs, I decided to wade into a controversial topic: Oatmeal. I am team oatmeal. I love oatmeal. Oatmeal pancakes, oatmeal muffins. A bowl of steel cut oats cooked in an InstaPot. Oatmeal cookies. Oatmeal with fried eggs, chard, and onion. Oatmeal with leftover meat and veg. Fried leftover oatmeal with maple…
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delusions
Read more: delusionsCaretaking is a tricky business. One minute it’s simply doing the housework, making sure things run smoothly, cooking, and going to a few doctor appointments. This scenario doesn’t mean that the caretaker is on easy street, but it does mean that you can be in a state of denial about the future. Last month, I…
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my house
Read more: my houseOh yeah, I don’t really have a house that is mine right now. This fact was made clear when I had some friends over last week. This is my Dad’s house. Of course it’s familiar, some of the things I have known virtually my entire life. The pictures and furnishing are intimately familiar to me,…
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prescience
Read more: prescienceTwo years ago I sold my big house, bought a smaller townhome with Katie, and left for Tucson to live with Dad. I did it with somewhat vague intentions, influenced by COVID, my own health, and my dad’s health. I spent zero time wondering if I was doing the “right thing” logically, and trusted my…
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holidays
Read more: holidaysJuly 4th is tomorrow. I asked Dad if he wanted to do anything and he gave me the look that said not only “no,” but “HELL no.” I am okay with that. In fact, since Lyme, I don’t celebrate most holidays very much, certainly not like I used to. My theory is we celebrate most…
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baby steps
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Read more: baby stepsIn the past 7 years I have made many attempts to get “back to life.” “Life” was defined as a regular job, keeping up the house, paying the bills, an active social life, and a return to health. Each effort lasted until a flare-up, and then I couldn’t juggle all of those things. After most…
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balancing act
Read more: balancing actI got my booster shot yesterday. I’d forgotten how much each vaccine stirs up my immune system. It’s not major, not in the context of Lyme, but it is just one more insult to my body. Sometimes I get sick of always monitoring my health. Not in the “I take vitamins, exercise, eat right, and…
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solitude
Read more: solitudeMy social life has changed radically in the past seven years, and it’s hard to distinguish how much is due to Lyme, and how much is due to COVID. Now I’m trying to figure out why I like the quieter life so damn much. “There is a difference between solitude and loneliness.” ― Maggie Smith This…
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holidays and opinions
Read more: holidays and opinionsI hate it when people don’t believe what I say. When I say something I don’t fuck around with double meanings or hidden codes. Sometimes I do tell people what they’d like to hear, especially about my health (sure,I feel good right now) or how they look or feel. This rant pertains to other things. If…
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crosswords
Read more: crosswordsI love crossword puzzles. My friend Kathy Fernandes got me hooked way back in 1978. Ever since then they have served as faithful touchstones in my daily life. The Daily Texan, the Houston Chronicle, Austin-American Statesman, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Winston-Salem Journal, Raleigh News and Observer, the Rocky Mountain News and Denver Post, for years I worked…
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decompression
Read more: decompressionI think I may be decompressing (or falling apart) after an incredibly busy and stressful summer. Now that I am healthy more than I am sick, I chose to cash in on my home and simplify my life. Sounds good, right? Well, I know moving. I have moved forty times in my life (this was…
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Michael
Read more: MichaelMy brother Michael died of a heart attack Sunday, August 29th in Lafayette, Louisiana while Ida banged through the state. He was sixty-six years old. His death was not a surprise, he had been in poor health for the last five years or so. The surprise for me was the depth of my mourning. We…
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