Sometimes it breaks the heart...

Working in the Brain Injury unit, I see many CVA (stroke) patients. Unfortunately, most will never know the lives they knew before. But some come so close. There is a dear feisty lady who has captured my heart. She only wishes to be able to go to her life-time home. Today, she had a "home visit" with one of our Physical Therapists to evaluate her ablility to live alone there. Weak, frightened, trying too hard...it was obvious she would not be safe there alone. Her children are far away and can't/won't help. I wanted to cry for her ...yet it my job to encourage and help her to find the positive aspects of this new life . Most of her happy moments in the future will be in her memories. Yet I heard an interesting quote..."Change is not death. Fear of change is death." I believe that and know she too will find new interests, new friends, new laughs. I think of Roger's poem and it's lovely bizarre brilliance, the Father bringing in sand, making his own sun, and creating his own reality. We can all do that, I believe, and if it differs from that of another, yet brings us happiness...then I say "Where to next, Dad?"

Pets get better care than WE do

First thing this morning it was off to the vets...Kitty's first experience in "THE BOX"...that would be the carrier. Only one scratch for the effort! Got her shots then found out she has terrible teeth & may need abstractions!!! Yikes, pooor Kitty. But that appointment will be after we return from Italy. Darn bill cost more than my doctor's. Arrived home with Jonathan calling to check up on her. He taunts her terribly & needs a swack! But he's going shopping so good eats tonite...lamb chops, fresh corn, & gazpacho made from fresh garden veggies. Checked out the garden and another gladiola had plopped to the ground so rescued & now in living room. Plumbings gone bezerk...having to use a bucket of water to flush. Delightful!!! Guess Mr RotorRooter will have to pay a visit but can't for next 2 days as no one home during day. Back to work tomorrow so will be up at 5 AM. Actually enjoy that time of day watching the sun come up, hearing the birds wake. Tonite choice of Republican convention on the telly...or...FEAR FACTOR! Yeah! Then Coupling...then...zzzzzzz Niters.

Gimme Shelter

Gimme Shelter
Originally uploaded by Sylvia...Sometimes.

Heat wave continues so just a bit of tidying the garden today. Jonathan is with his Plough buddies, and I stayed home to catch a last phone-call from my Brit friend Debi, on her way back home. Flickr tells me I've already used up almost all my space for pictures for the month. Oh nooooooo! But had to show this great little car. Hey, where are me Love beads?! Maybe I need to liven up my car? Oh beware BOREDOM! Think I'll go check out Roger's poetry. Can one laugh & cry at the same time? Hmmm, need to wash the dog. If you don't hear from me again, the little beastie won the battle! So that's my Sunday in Bostontown.

Jon & Red chair 2

Jon & Red chair 2
Originally uploaded by Sylvia...Sometimes.

Well, in Boston, there is possibly the most diverse & "out there" composite of people anywhere! And this is one of those characters I spied at the North End festival. I feel so small...lol.

Doodles

Doodles
Originally uploaded by Sylvia...Sometimes.

Trying not to become a shrinky-dink from the heat here! No energy to do much. This is just one of my doodles...sometimes they take on a personality! May try to blog later when things cool down. Wine spritzer would be nice...will settle for Jamaican lemonade. Til later.

Workday Chaos...but who cares

Lovely, lovely weather here so what to expect? Many callouts at work! Too many patients to give proper care, the care I would expect, so did the best I could. The heathcare system here is so strained. But all my "children" were taken care of and we had our laughs as we each struggled. Now, I collect Popeye & Olive Oyl...and loved Robin Williams & Shelly Duval's portrayal. Maybe not the wonderful voices of yore(Billy ? forget the name), but a rambuncious rendering. Jonathan spoils me with glorious finds & the computor room is filled with them. Jonthan has a collectors dream of LP's but until his player is fixed they lay waiting. Unfortunately, some of them have suffered in storage as Jon moved around but one day we will have a feast. For my part, looking back as I seem to be tonite...British Sea Power was great...and loved Led Zepplin...but admit liking some newer artist. Avril Lavignes' "Nobody's Fool" for example. Think Meatloaf had some of the most powerful songs & deliveries of any one. The Doors...well they speak for themselves. Hate Rap, love Raggae. Anyway, not much to add for tonite...just listening to music...pondering...enjoying Roger's poems. Answering too many emails, but better than the phone! Ordering from catalog for fall...it's WAY too soon but here!

Collage Collaborative

Collage Collaborative
Originally uploaded by Sylvia...Sometimes.

Ha! Thought I HAD just posted so don't know where my comments went & not doing again. Anyway, a collage.

Heigh Ho...It's Off to Italy We Go...eventually

Jonathan managed to secure the flight tickets so now my job was to secure a bed. Talked to New York. Talked to Italy. Talked to Cyberspace God who knows all. See-sawed all around but YES! We won't be victims in some plaza. Then called the kennel for Susan's "vacation". Done deed. All that is left is Monday's appointment for Kitty for shots/vaccinations...once done I'll get her set up then...Voila! er...ciao...let's hope we don't have to depend on Jon's or my Italian. But a new place, new culture. Hmmm, actually old place, old culture. I've seen many countries, many times so I quess what I like is that this is somewhere totally new to us both. Still, all said and done, it always feels so good to be back home. Makes me appreciate my little garden & the sunflowers with the birds; our outrageously piled up space with bits of projects here and there....things we just can't throw away. Just a rented house, but my home, as it is. Could be worse. One thing I have learned in my work is that it could be MUCH worse. So now my cell phone is squawking at me & then dinner to make. Had a very terrible Italian beer & warn all to stay away from them. Uck! Tomorrow, then.

still life white man crop

still life white man crop
Originally uploaded by Sylvia...Sometimes.

Man I encountered walking along the Thames who agreed wordlessly to let me photograph. I cut out the background so the expression would be emphasized and the picture stark.

rock garden 5

rock garden 5
Originally uploaded by Sylvia...Sometimes.

Blah...Blah Day

Work today...bizarre. Starts with terribly obese patient, new, needing IV fluids...only one little vein left as possibility...got it! New blood in urine...have to delve into a cave to place a new catheter for continuous irrigation. Whew...sweated bullets but success. Daughter, a nurse, thought she was the doctor...had to orient her to reality. Grab a fast lunch, only to be asked by another floor nurse to start IV there...no time but did it anyway...try to see my patients again only to be asked if I would start another IV...the patient there said he was "retarded"...told him he wasn't that severe and he knew the routine. New IV started. Finally time for home...freak thunderstorm makes it almost impossible to see. Navigate irregardless and arrive safely...only to see cat & dog are freaked by the thunder/lightning. Jon is frustrated because his printer isn't working...over & over...he finally figured out the problem & "Rests In Peace"...meaning swearing has ebbed. Letter from sister says some of her work has been published by a site. She's talented and eventually her work will make a difference, but for now...hey, she's getting the work out. Trying to come up with new inspiration for mail-art project...not sure whether to work from one of my photos or collage it or paint/collage. Storms over now...somehow each day takes care of itself. If the day was challenging...well, we learned & I hope made the best use of it. If reincarnation exist, my new mission, should I choose to accept it, is...Patience. Cheers.

Psycho Cat

Cat cropped
Originally uploaded by Sylvia...Sometimes.

Hell's bells, says Jonathan, when we finally wake up and see the time. At the time out eyes are cracking open he should be at two places! Make coffee, need the caffeine to start hopping. He's off and I too my garden...weeding, resetting a few plants that have become lost in growth of their counterparts. Kitty spits...that means, this time, she wants food. Jealous dog also gets a treat and encouragement. She's an old fat little Corgie who likes to take off the hand, if offered. Sometimes I agree! Jonathan declared there must be food..what?! Off to the fish market to get shrimp & scallops...will spice them with herbs, saute, and add fresh corn and asparagus. Meantime, Kitty presents the side I don't want to see to me...whatever is she saying? Away kitty. But did catch her some time ago being evil in front of one of Jonathan's paintings and grabbed the camera. Neighbor just returned from cruise to Croatia, Budapest...that scene. Bullet holes..someone was a bad shot he says as they sprayed the side of a building. Beautiful scenery destroyed. Prices way up because now the Euro brings more than US dollar. "It was an experience," he says...and glad to be back. Brought back..sneaked..a salami and some liquor which he says will last him 15 years. He's a Greek artist..very nice work...his wife, Sybil is yelling at him that we have a beautiful garden and they have the jungle...lol. Cat comes and gets in my face...purring. Then leaps through the air...that is supposed to tell me she is hungry, I've learned. Feed the cat...feed the dog...feed the human lunch. Jonathan calls...is on highway between jobs. He's going everywhere today..helter shelter. Home, he again checks with Delta to work out renue for Italy trip. They can't come up with better so we have until Saturday to recheck then confirm for Italy. Whatever, come September well be there for the first time. Appears most in Florence and a day or so in Rome. Trying to make sure cat & dog have all the needed papers for "camp" as we call boarding. When we arrive home, Susan will be sporting a bandana and will be all beautified. Cat...well first time so we shall see. Already I feel fall in the air. Not ready yet to see snow yet...put me in the warm sea somewhere and let me scuba and check out the fish! Back to reality...time to fed her man...and the "kids" stalk us hoping for a handout. Niters, all.

man angel at plough

man angel at plough
Originally uploaded by Sylvia...Sometimes.

Sam, this strange man, appeared outside the Plough. He walks the streets in this huge white wig and wings...wanting a handout but happy to just be acknowlegded...One sees it all here, I think.

I Planned What?!

Well, last nite we were going to grill out & have that fabulous corn. Comes time to do it and we looked at each other & neither was interested in food. Lol...well, we had gotten 2 good movies to watch. One I especially liked was "Osama". About a girl in Afghanistan, who because all the men in the family have been killed, is forced by her Mum to shave her hair & try to work as a man. True story here. She succeeded for a while but was found out and carteled off to an old man and a life distroyed. To think this actually happens today just blows me away. The other movie, a Brit one, was entertaining but also alarming...simply because it told of a young woman's struggle to reaccept the real father back into the family...when long since(real father was in the clink), the new man in her life really made her & the daughter happy. Well, won't tell all or the ending. Moving along, was supposed to meet my English friend et al for lunch at Jon's & my favorite pub for lunch...hey they have an excellent cook. Time passed and we watched everyone feasting...well of course we gave in...I mean the smell was too tempting. About the time I get my plate though, I see our old friend Lincoln warbling with a cane through the front window. God, I saw him a month or so ago and he's aged 15 yrs since. He had been found in his back yard he told me...he was so frail & weak. I offered up my half of the sandwich to him and he accepted but could only eat a bite or two, Jon told me. I just couldn't watch. Scarey to see an old friend disintergrate. Then the friends I was supposed to meet called saying they needed half an hour to "put on their faces" and an hour more to travel there. Sorry, but I wasn't going to do the nite time club scene which they seemed to want. Had to beg away. We'll catch up later, here or there, not my concern. The Plough has to be the best corner in the world to watch life. One sees everything, and even occasionally it involves a friend. Suddenly there is this guy...great white wig and angel wings on...I'd brought my camera and he gladly posed for a quick snap. I'll include it next. Don't have a clue to what he is about...except a hand-out...but even without he is cheery. Back home and tonite we eat..lol...ribs on the smoker...corn ready. A feast for the common folk. Cheers, all...we are more fortunate than we know.

Saturday's Child...

Stayed up way too late last night and paid for it today as Jonathan was all chirpy & ready for us to be off on a host of errands. The humidity had me looking like I had a dip in the pool in no time. But mission accomplished and was treated to lunch as well. And tonight we grill out and have the freshest plump corn you ever saw, from Wilson Farms who grow most of their veggies on the premises. Back home, I hopped to blogs and linked to mail-artist, only to have Rudd Janssen appear. Was thrilled to read his stuff and hear about up-coming projects. Left my comment so hope he will get back. He lives in the Netherlands. Talked to Deb, my friend visiting from England, and she and 2 other fairly local Anglochat friends will drive up tomorrow for lunch at the Plough. Should be great fun! Took some pictures of birds at the feeder located in our sunflower garden-cardinals, chickadees, and a bluejay were lined up. Ornery bluejay wouldn't share but all eventually ate. Thought bluejay would plummet to the ground after being such a piggy. Also found that the midnight varmit had again been digging in garden & had plopped a basil plant right out of the ground. Would stay up to scare the beast away but suspicious it might be a skunk, and I would be the one singing "Who's Sorry Now?". Time to shuck corn now. Happy eats!

Jon dancing B&W 1

Jon dancing B&W 1
Originally uploaded by Sylvia...Sometimes.

Picture I took, cropped, & manipulated for caricature effect

We Have Links!

Hurrah...it worked and I now have a link...working on No. 2. Thanks for putting me on to jollyrogers site, Michael. It's Friday the 13th and what a great day, at least for me. Work was work but not bad, then home to good mail, my Tarot card reading! Encouraged, I walked up to the convenience store to place a bet on the Lottery. If I win, we all win...that's my thinking. Soon, Jon came home...he must be hungry for he's already saying he wants dinner and wants it in time to watch "Monarch of the Glen". Since dinner is usually my job, I quess I shall not starve the man as he is skinny enough. Ugh...found a disgusting furball on the carpet. Funny, at work I see lots of gore and it doesn't affect me, but at home, I am a wimp. And poor Susan, our old corgi, gets worse and worse. It's time to consider putting her down but I just can't do it yet. Guess we will all just get old & contankerous together in our little home (Jumpy Jon, Snapping Syl, Psycho Kitty, & Mopey Sue). My favorite lady, Julia Child, died. What a delight she was. Still, the blog thing has got me going...addictive indeed! So much to learn but what a great way to share news & pictures/projects we work on. Interested to see Hazel's next metal project! Ha! Jonathan brought home an Italian grammer book...E un'ottima idea! Let's hope they speak English, I'm thinking. That's it for now.

Tuesday....a bit bizarre

Jonathan shakes my bones...time to get up! He's off to work and I am up to cleaning. Old friend from England arrives today so sprucing up and making ready. Meantime, some varmit keeps digging in my gladiola bed, making them fall to the ground. No way, so snipped that pretty bugger and enjoying in the house a bright red flower budding. Yikes, appears we had little visitors over winter...making a nest in the sleeper sofa! Threw everything into the wash so fresh again. Meantime, I am checking out "protrait" photos and some I have manipulated...Will send one..maybe two of interesting people. I love watching people...how they react to the moment. We are so diverse...and yet alike, if we admit it. Last night had a wonderful night in Essex with an old artist friend visiting from California. Funny thing, he needed to tell us about his depression. Glad he felt safe enough to talk...but thought how vulnerable we can be. Still lots of laughs...a lovely sea view...good eats. And good conversation. Fulfilling. Other quests charming...artists or teachers. Think Jonathan's work is equal to any I've seen compared to theirs. He was modest. So that was my day and a half. Til tomorrow.

art in a bowl 2

art in a bowl 2
Originally uploaded by Sylvia...Sometimes.

Saturday...Up, Down, & Chasing 'Round

Off early this morn to work as Charge Nurse on the Brain Injury unit. Stressfull, challenging as always...even bizarre. But all ended well so back to our home to find my partner Jonathan had been trying to "firm up" our flight arrangements for holiday to Italy. Usually our vacations are spent trekking around England to see art and friends...so this is something different. We decided everyone needs to see the old masters work in Florence at least once. Hope to spend a day or so in Rome also...just because. Meantime, the birds needed feeding as did Susan, our Corgie mix, and Cat was running around being her ever so weird self. A quick check on the garden...bejeebers, some nite creeper keeps digging in the gladiolus! The rock garden looks grand though. We made the front just garden and no grass which didn't grow anyway. Then time to concoct dinner...chicken with rice and veggies from neighbors garden. No recipe so...surprise...lol. Then computer time. Made some postcards from photos I've made & designed using Paintshop program. Always taking pictures, sometimes to make rubber stamps or play with for various projects. I'll probably include some copies here from time to time...maybe Michael can compare with his postcards.? Britcoms on tonite...can't miss Keeping Up Appearances. Is Onslow a hero or what? Tomorrow...we shall see what's up.

Woman collage 2003

Woman collage 2003
Originally uploaded by Sylvia...Sometimes.