Long time between posts

I've felt still so sapped of energy between friend visits (people I badly wanted to see) , whiplash therapy, and speech therapy that this blog has taken last place. Simply a matter of using my energy to do what I need to do and not much left over.

I do have a couple of poems up at the Outlaw Poetry Network. Click HERE to see them and comment on their site if you like them. For those of you who don't know John Bennett, he's an amazing poet and writes short verse he calls 'shards'. The first poem is dedicated to him. The second is titled 'Virgins'.

Back off to muster my energy. Thank you all for hanging in with me here.

Pris

Back to the ocean on Sunday with my friend Barbara

Another old friend has been visiting and we were able to get over to the ocean , this time on a crowded day, for about half an hour. I was wiped out after that. These weeks of continued whiplash treatments and speech therapy to regain my voice are taking their toll. My stash of energy isn't high and each week I feel more depleted. I'll be glad when even one of these things is resolved.

I'm glad I got to see the sea again...and most of all, my friend, all the way from Washington State.

When you need to relax....

Put your feet up and listen to these two...

Ludovico Einaudi - I Giorni



Debussy, Clair de lune (piano music)

My college archives

I recently discovered that Stetson, where I attended undergraduate school, has been building and maintaining an archive of annuals, school papers, memorabilia, and photos, going back to the early 1900's. I sent some photos from when I attended. They were especially interested in the dorm life photos, so I'm sharing a few here. It was fun scanning and looking back at these old shots taken with my brownie.

This is me outside my dorm senior year

Taken during the Early Admissions Program. We have our dorm adviser locked into her room.

Toilet papering the person and room when engaged! I'm to the right.

A surprise birthday party. It was a black bra, but I'm not posting THAT photo:-)

Hatter Holiday. Contest for Mr. and Miss Stetson. Look at those gowns and gloves!

My college friend was just here for a visit--ride over to the ocean!

As those of you with ME/CFS know already, house guests are difficult simply because of the extra energy needed, no matter how much you love them and vice versa. My friend knows my limitations, making her one of the few people I would invite for a stay. She was patient waiting for me to write notes since my voice has still gone south and we even got over to the ocean for about a half hour one day as the winds churned up the sea. That made it one of the very best times to visit. I'm glad we could get out. I'm glad I could see her, despite the toll it took on my energy.

 Marilyn and me trying to hang on against the gusts of wind!

This is my 'wheeee' photo, taken as my cushion and pillow blew south:-)

A lone surfer glides in to shore!

A shot of the beach and pier.

Speech therapy

I posted earlier that this protracted voice loss I have was finally diagnosed by the head of the ENT department at U. Miami as muscular dysphonia as a reaction to fibromyalgia pain in the throat. Recommendation was speech therapy to take the strain off of the muscles in the throat. I've now been for two sessions and do feel hopeful. Nothing painful in the sessions. She's teaching me diaphragmatic breathing...seems I talk forcing speech through the muscles of my throat rather than from my diaphragm. That only causes more pain and spasms. Right now I'm practicing the breathing and forcing air from there as I sound a few soft words. This part is basic. Once I get this down....and it's a LOT harder than it sounds....we begin to move on to more sounds and louder speech.

I've not been able to talk, other than a few soft words here and there, since Oct 8 when I had a recurrence of the same problem that plagued me beginning two years into ME/CFS (Sept 23, 1990 was when I was hit with the illness). That time lasted for six years and then , by working with allergies, I still could only talk for a little while spacing those times with long breaks. I had to write notes during that time.

It's been such a loss not being able just to freely talk with friends. I really hope this works.

Pris

Notes From the Gean is out with two of my haiga

Hit enter at Notes From the Gean, then go to haiga. I have two, so hit 'next' under my first one to see the second. While you're there, go through the journal. It's a good issue!

Haiku for the day and......democracy moves onward in the middle east

counting
his toes...
little piggies

Challenge: Write a haiku involving children. Your own. Someone else's. Your own childhood.
___________________
Still in the news, and even more exciting, Egypt has become a role model for people power all over the middle east. Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times has kept us to date with his on the scene reporting. Here's the beginning of his recent article:

Delirious Joy in Bahrain
By NICHOLAS KRISTOF

BAHRAIN — There’s delirious joy in the center of Bahrain right now. People power has prevailed, at least temporarily, over a regime that repeatedly used deadly force to try to crush a democracy movement. Pro-democracy protesters have retaken the Pearl Roundabout – the local version of Tahrir Square – from the government. On a spot where blood was shed several days ago there are now vast throngs kissing the earth, chanting slogans, cheering, honking and celebrating. People handed me flowers and the most common quotation I heard was: “It’s unbelievable!”

Read the rest HERE at his blog

I Am Sailing Rod Stewart

This was popular about the time I sailed down the east coast in my 22 foot sloop. I remember when we came down the East River and past the statue so this brings back many memories. In a forward shot you can see Sandy Hook where we anchored that night before going down the Jersey Coast. And the towers are still there.

This is day three of a sodden cold. Tissues are scattered everywhere and the bones of my face ache. This vicarious sail means a lot.

UPDATE: This video was removed from YouTube. I hope some of you saw it before it disappeared!

Beniign!

Eh yi yi...the pathologist has already looked at the four growths taken off yesterday morning and ALL ARE BENIGN. That means no more digging around on my face, ear or scalp, no more appointments on these. Now when I get rid of the headache from being shot up by one of the 'caine' family of meds to deaden, which I can't handle, I'll celebrate!

Now to get through my first speech therapy session tomorrow morning. My busy 'social' calendar!

Half-way through February Haiku a Day

These are my haiku so far. I look at about half of them as drafts to come back to later and make better.


a chill
weaves through my bones
weather or ghosts?
feb 1

mid-winter...
our lawn pelted
by powderpuff blooms
feb 2

one mouse's life
cut short today
cat snack
Feb 3


voiceless again ...
a song in my heart
waits to be sung
Feb 4

the kitchen
seems ten miles away today
broken wings
Feb 5


our lips
still almost touching
that forgotten photograph
feb 6




my mother's scent
almost washed away
her old jacket
Feb 8


piggy-backed safely
down the dark hall for breakfast
the ghost donkey waits...
feb 9

.
the plaintive cry
of a blues guitar...
RIP Gary Moore
Feb 10
Fantastic blues guitarist died Sunday night of a heart attack

fish going to school
in Bermuda today
my bare hook
.
Feb 11-


crying
over her blue pigtails
that naughty inkwell!
.
Feb 12
(I came after inkwells but the holes for them were still in our grammar school desks and we heard many stories of what little boys did with theirs before us:-)


arm in arm
on this bench by the sea
wed three decades today
Feb 13



curly-haired girl
showing off her cards...
you slip me yours
Feb 14

Today is our thirtieth wedding anniversary

Not up to going out but we watched a movie together and ordered a nice meal. It was a good day.

Still no voice so I had to communicate with notes and hand signals yet again today. I was hoping for a change for the better by now, but...

February is Write a Haiku a Day Month

Has anyone else been doing this among my blog readers? Haiku in the comments are welcome!

I'll post my first two and some selected ones again at the end of the month:

a chill
weaves through my bones
weather or ghosts?

feb 1

mid-winter...
our lawn pelted
by powderpuff blooms

feb2

I Was The One. This was one of the first 45's I owned by Elvis and wore it down to the groove!

For any of you who've never seen a 45 record, look below the video for an image on an old player :-)

This was the other one I nearly wore out. It's not live, unfortunately.
I want you, I need you, I love you.