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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In My Opinion
It looks as though it might rain, which is just the weather being flirty. Nothing will come of it, I’m sure. If it does, of course, I’ll be happy. We need rain. .
Birds in the Sky
We had a fifteen-minute cold-front yesterday. It was fun. The sky darkened, the wind blew, a little rain fell, and the temperature dropped, ever so slightly. I guess you could say it was a pale blue norther.
For Old Time’s Sake
I did a strange thing yesterday. I ported over the number from my wife’s old iPhone 5 to a new phone. It’s now the official number for Gatewood Press, which is fitting, I guess, since it’s the publisher of my new book about our experience with her dementia.
Right For the Job
Big day today. I’m scheduled to get a new tool. It should be here this afternoon. It’s a tree puller. Well, little trees to be more specific. The kind that sprout up because birds poop their seeds in bad places.
The Way to Look at It
Went looking for beauty yesterday. Needed to flush some adrenaline from my system. Started on the back porch in the morning.
A Long, Slow Walk
Went to the doctor’s office yesterday for bloodwork. Didn’t need it. Got a flu shot instead along with an exchange of words with a patient who thought it was none of my business if or how they were wearing a mask.
Saying Goodbye, Saying Hello
I closed a bank account the other day, actually a credit union account. Seems an inconsequential and rather ordinary thing to do.
A Sign of Spring
I like little things, the minutiae of everyday life. Take yesterday. I found a possum foraging in the garage for food.
The Thing I Know
I’d like to write about something other than my wife but given that its only 90 days since she died, you’ll have to excuse me, maybe even forgive me.
The Odd Companion
A friend, who lost her husband once told me, nights are the worst. I listened and gave whatever comfort listening gives. But inside, I thought perhaps it was an individual experience.
The Day We Danced
It’s maudlin time. I was looking at a picture of me and my wife. It was taken on the occasion of a friend’s birthday. It was outside. There was a band. A table with tequila.
Beneath the Passing Birds
Yesterday, from high in the clear blue sky, came the sound of Sandhill Cranes. A deep throated bubbling call that is unmistakable once you see the cranes and hear the sound.
Oh, What a Year
2020 seems to be the year of death and dying. Wives, aunts, fathers, friends, people we knew up close and people we knew at a distance.
A Note of the Season
Set out the winter beds for the cats yesterday. Two old dog kennels, one old sleeping bag, one old packing blanket, two old small, bedding blankets, put out by one old man.
Down By the River Styx
It’s 38, raining, and there’s a hurricane in the Gulf. Seems pretty normal for October.
Just One of Those Things
Went to bed thinking I had a subject for today’s essay. Woke up with no subject in mind. That’s a little disconcerting.
Marking a Place
I’m starting to enjoy my two-stage nightly sleep. Go to bed. Dump all the day’s troubles.
No News is No News
Inconsequential factoid. I slept in the center of the king bed last night on what shall now be known as the hill between the valleys of the two bodies.