The Caregiver’s Tales
Tiny essays on life, nature, grief and other things that catch my fancy in the Texas Hill Country. Here’s how it all got started.
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Two Gloves
I have a pair of leather grilling gloves I have repurposed to become thistle gloves. The invasive musk thistle that I am removing from my grounds is fiercely protective and the gloves are the only way I can handle the thistles as I dig them up. The other day I lost the right glove.
Odds and Ends
We had another good rain last night just as I was falling asleep. But these little pop up thunderstorms are deceptive. While I got rain, I’m pretty sure it missed a lot of my neighbors.
Today and Tomorrow
I forget sometimes that the spring flower season is upon us. The pasture behind the house is covered in the golden blooms of tickweed. The miniature crape myrtle is festooned with pink. The sage is gray and lavender. The lantana is yellow and red.
Memorial Days
It’s a melancholy weekend. Memorial Day. For ages it was our time at the river. The Nueces. We’d go with family and friends.
Blowing Wind
Ah, the winds of change. My son who lives with me is considering his own place closer to nature. I’m replacing my 20 year old golf clubs. I sent my big BBQ pit to Houston to live with my oldest son.
Back to the Past
Something occurred to me yesterday. I never heard my parents complain or talk about current events. When the Mass went to English. Not a word from my mother. When the schools integrated, or Emmett Till was killed. Not a word from either parent.
Morning Thoughts
It’s a cool May morning. We had a good rain yesterday. The ground is well wet. The rain gauge shows nearly 1.25 inches, but I have no idea when last it was emptied. So, that could be several days worth of precipitation.
Springy Things
I had a talk with the machine yesterday. Here’s how it went. I took the cowling off the gas tank. Disconnected the two fuel lines. Blew into one of them to clear any debris. Reconnected the lines. Turned the starter. Fuel flowed into the filter.
Machine Day
Here’s to the mysterious ways of the universe. We find love, unexpectedly. Children come into our lives. The mower that worked fine four days ago is now a sputtering pile of metal.
Bible Verses
Here’s something else I noticed in my youth. We weren’t really bible people. Sure, we had readings from it in church, and we had one at home. But my mother never sat around reading it. And it hardly ever came up in school.
Sounding Gong
Over the last several days, I’ve written about the gospels most affecting my life. But there’s also an important epistle, First Corinthians, chapter 13 1:13.