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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John W Wilson 10/25/21 John W Wilson 10/25/21

Here He Comes

Not much doing in the old garden at the moment. We’re in that long slide toward winter.

John W Wilson 10/24/21 John W Wilson 10/24/21

Uncertainty

Got back from Houston yesterday and the house was clean. It used to mean one of the kids had a party while we were gone.

John W Wilson 10/23/21 John W Wilson 10/23/21

The City

Ah, Houston. Moved there in 1962. Left in 2009. Sort of. I still went back to work, for a while. Eventually, however, I came to call the Hill Country home. But I doubt it will ever outshine the bayou city.

John W Wilson 10/22/21 John W Wilson 10/22/21

A Gathering

Had dinner with a group of local friends last night. Met someone new.

John W Wilson 10/21/21 John W Wilson 10/21/21

What I Say

Deer. They certainly have minds of their own. Several weeks ago, I had a little lost deer in the yard. She’s gone now. Found her way out. Her replacement is a fair-sized buck with one antler.

John W Wilson 10/20/21 John W Wilson 10/20/21

Still Life

Got a massage and played golf yesterday. Good combo. Ate lunch at the course.

John W Wilson 10/19/21 John W Wilson 10/19/21

Garden Lesson

I was out for my pre-dawn walk about, saying goodbye to the night, when a thought came to me. I enjoy walking under the outstretched limbs of my trees.

John W Wilson 10/18/21 John W Wilson 10/18/21

Moonlit Pasture

It is fine to see the neighbor’s pasture at night under the light of the moon, even at a glance.

John W Wilson 10/17/21 John W Wilson 10/17/21

Garden News

45. The temperature this morning at my house. This seems right. Winter is coming. To Texas. It feels good.

John W Wilson 10/16/21 John W Wilson 10/16/21

Wanted

I had a good day yesterday. The elephant in the room, my new spouseless life, went with me.

John W Wilson 10/15/21 John W Wilson 10/15/21

Something Good

It’s easy, as I stare at a blank screen, to think I have writer’s block. But upon further examination, the case is usually more mundane. Generally, it boils down to this.

John W Wilson 10/14/21 John W Wilson 10/14/21

The Sweet Bit

They’re stringing the lights in the trees at the courtyard of the headquarters of the Pedernales Electric Co-op.

John W Wilson 10/12/21 John W Wilson 10/12/21

The Card

Hint you might not be focused: A debit card arrives from a bank you don’t know. Slight panic. I’ve been hacked.

John W Wilson 10/11/21 John W Wilson 10/11/21

Good Day

It’s a new day, but aren’t they all? Last week was sort of weepy for me.

John W Wilson 10/10/21 John W Wilson 10/10/21

My Little Friends

I have a monkey. Actually, it’s an orangutan. And it’s ceramic. And it’s old.

John W Wilson 10/9/21 John W Wilson 10/9/21

The Visitor

Our little compound is fairly resistant to deer. It’s a combination of fences, vegetation, and location. We get occasional visitors, but little of our plant life is conducive to nibbling so off they go.

John W Wilson 10/7/21 John W Wilson 10/7/21

A Look Inside

Here’s a secret. I have an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Its better known as the silent killer.

John W Wilson 10/7/21 John W Wilson 10/7/21

Gone Friend

My friend Jim Tobin passed away this past Sunday, October 3. He was a victim of ALS.

John W Wilson 10/6/21 John W Wilson 10/6/21

Observations

Went for a late-night walk the other evening. Not a long ramble. I confined myself to the porch. Got to the east end of the south porch and discovered an orb weaver had set up shop.

John W Wilson 10/5/21 John W Wilson 10/5/21

Carrying On

Home, again. Home, again. It feels good.