Waiting at Desert Springs Hospital

I spent the morning in the waiting room of the outpatient surgery area of Desert Springs Hospital. I took my mother in at 7:00 AM for surgery to open the tear duct on her left eye. We did not get home until around 1:00 PM.

While I sit in the waiting room I did a Sudoku puzzle, worked on a poem, begin an essay, read a poem, ate half a peanut butter sandwich, ate a piece of chocolate candy, drink some water and slept. I also watched the sky from my seat in the waiting room. The clouds gathered above the northern range of the Muddy Mountains as I watched.

I am weary, but I doubt I can get to sleep before 10:30 or 11:00 PM. Even if I do get sleepy, I think I will take a nap on the love seat rather then go to my bed. I still have to go out to the car to lock it and make sure the windows are rolled up. I am going to have to check all the doors because sometimes I forget to lock a door. The problem is that I think the door is lock when it is not, so I am need to check all the car doors to make sure they are locked.

Tomorrow I have to pick up some prescriptions and Mom has an appointment with the surgeon at 9:45 AM to have the stitches removed. After that, well I am not sue just yet what we will do. Perhaps go to Food 4 Less to get some groceries for the picnic on Saturday. I could also go to Home Depot for a cloths line, cloths pins and light bulbs.

Midweek Reflections at the end of April

This is the last week in April 2009. Today is Wednesday and time for a writer's midweek reflections. So far this week, the cloths dryer stopped drying cloths; it did not stop running it just stopped drying cloths. I have to decide whether it is worth paying $55.00 to have a technician come in and tell me I need a new dryer or start pricing new dryers.

In the mean time, I am going to be using an old fashion solar dryer. Friday afternoon or Saturday morning, I have to go get a cloths line and more cloths pins. I did have a cloths line once, but it was made of twine and it broke. Now all I have is a patio with a drying rack and patio chairs. Most of the small items I can hang on the rack or put on the backs of patio chairs.

The sheets will be a problem though because they do not dry wrinkle free unless hung properly on a line. If sheets wrinkle, you have to iron them and I have never ironed sheets. It would be a new experience and something to blog about, so I should not reject it without due consideration. Ironing sheet cannot be that difficult, my mother and grandmother both ironed there sheets before wrinkle free sheets and dryers were invented.

I suppose if I am going to have to iron sheets I need to check the iron and see if it works. If it does not work, then when I get the cloths line and cloths pins I will get an iron as well. I think that is all I will need, at least until I can get a new dryer.

Writing on a windy spring day

The wind is blowing today.
When I look out my living room window,
I can see the limbs of the stone pine tree
waving above my garage.

The wind is blowing at a constant rate,
it isn't blow fast
at least not fast enough to carry trash
down the street,
which is good
because tomorrow is trash pick up day
and I have to take the trashcans to the curb
this evening.

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Things I have to do in the next nineteen days

Fidál (Grace), 1 Jamál (Beauty), 166 BE – Tuesday, April 28, 2009 about 10:22 AM Pacific Time

A new nineteen-day period of achievement began last night at sunset. We attended the Feast of Beauty last night. We arrived safely at the location of the Feast and returned home safely. In this nineteen days, Mom has out patient surgery to open a tear duct on Thursday, April 30 and I have a dental appointment on Thursday, May 7.

In addition, I have to determine whether the dryer is fixable or I have to get a new dryer. In the mean time, I have to go to Home Depot and see if I can get a cloths line of some type. Perhaps I'll just stick with the cloths line for a while, at least this summer. I like drying cloths outside in the spring, summer and autumn, but winter is a different story. In winter, the neighbors use wood burning fireplaces and the scent of the smoke gets into the cloths.

I think there is a Home Depot on Lamb, which isn't very far from where I live. So I'll go there and see what they have as far as cloths lines are concerned. If I don't get a cloths line then I have to either get the dryer fixed or take the cloths to the launder mat to dry them. Going to the launder mat is a hassle and a dryer is expensive, besides if I dry cloths on a line outside it saves electricity.

There are probably other things I have to do in the next nineteen days, but I haven't decided on what they are yet. Mother's Day is May 10, I have a gift card for Chili's so perhaps Mom and I will go there for desert. I like there sandwiches as well. However, if we order sandwiches then Mom can't eat desert, which is made of ice cream.

Writing about That in Between Time in Las Vegas

It's that in between time in Las Vegas when it's too cold to have the cool air on and too hot to have the cold air. My central air unit is off right now. The hottest it's gotten in the house the past few weeks is 80 degrees. This morning it's somewhere between 70 and 75 degrees, nice and cool almost cold in the house. The good thing about the weather lately is that the power bill is under $200.00.

Right now I'm sitting at my computer looking out my living room window. The limbs of the stone pine tree in my front yard are swaying gently in a slight breeze. This is better then the past few days because the wind got up to 15 and 20 miles an hour a couple of times. In fact, there were a couple of time I thought the wind would blow the pine trees down. Fortunately, the only thing that happened were small branches in the driveway and yard.

The wind in the trees

shout at the birds shivering

in newly built nest.

I lay in bed a couple of nights ago listening to the oleanders brush against screen around the patio. I realized that I'm going to have to have those flowering weeds trimmed. It's bad enough that the oleanders are as big as trees. Weeds should not grow as big as trees. Actually, that doesn't sound like a bad idea for a story. Weeds (other then oleanders) growing as big as trees and destroying the forest. Gigantic weeds invading a big city and destroying the sky scrappers.

Writing at the end of an educational week

This is Friday and the end of an educational week. I suppose educational is just as good a word as stressful or depressing, anyway it sounds better then either of the other two words. On Monday, I took Mom to another eye doctor, another specialist for a presurgery consultation.

After going to the eye doctor, we went to the hospital where Mom is having surgery on April 30. We have an appointment to go back on Monday, April 27. to preadmit Mom in for out patient surgery. Mom's appointment is at 9:20 AM. I have an appointment that afternoon to give blood at 1:40 PM.

I seem to have had some difficulty writing this week and I'm not sure why. I don't think I'm depressed but I've been going to bed early because of being tired. Perhaps my iron count is down, if it is I won't be able to give blood on Monday afternoon. Of course, I do have time to get my iron count up, so I'll cut down on the dairy products and increase the veggies and stuff that has iron in it.

I know being tired is no excuse for not posting, especially since I did post to my writing.com blog. I just don't know what's been the mater with me lately, maybe I'm worrying too much about finances or something. Well, I'm going to have to get over it because worrying doesn't do any good.

In fact, in my case worrying causes more problems because my ulcer acts up more when I worry. I don't enjoy my ulcer acting up because I can't focus on anything else. I think I'll close now and go get me something to eat. My ulcer also acts up when I don't eat properly.

A Beautiful day to write in Las Vegas

Good morning Bloggers, Writers and anyone else reading this entry. It's a beautiful day in Las Vegas. The sun is shining, there is a wisp of a cloud across the blue sky and there is no wind moving the limbs of the stone pine tree in my front yard.

I have the first load of cloths in the washer and I just heard the washing machine go into the rinse cycle. I'm on my third cup of coffee this morning and I'm in a good mood. All right, I'm normally in a good mood of a morning. After I get up and stop worrying about my financial situation, my mood changes.

Of course, to get into this hopeful and optimistic mood I have to say my morning prayers. I discovered long ago that I need to say prayers to change my mood of a morning. Happiness is a spiritual attribute, which means that prayers help to generate a good mood.

My mood affects the way I write. When I'm in an optimistic mood then I want to write more. I don't like to write when I'm depressed or unhappy; I do write in those moods, but I don't get as much written. I struggle more when my mood is dark and down, then when I'm bright and joyous.

Since my mood is good this morning, I'm going to get as much writing achieved as possible. The only way to complete a word count goal is to write; therefore, I'm going to write.

The Way to Tell a Good Day from a Bad Day

Sometimes it is difficult to determine if a day is going to be good or bad. I got up before dawn this morning and the sky was still dark velvet black. As the slipped above Sunrise Mountain, the sky transformed from silk ebony into a cloud gray blanket. I did not know then whether the sky was actually cloudy or clear.

I wrote two poems this morning about dawn, so I know it is going to be a good day. It does not matter what happens the rest of the day because I wrote two poems. Everyone needs to have hope when a day begins. We all look for omens to tell us how the day is going to progress.

I know today, Monday, April 20, 2009 will be a good day because of two things, which occurred this morning. First, I said my morning prayers before sunrise. Second, I wrote two poems. True the poems were short, but I completed them before dawn and one of them mentioned coffee.

Those are the things that this writer uses to determine if the day goes good or bad. Prayers cause the day to progress smoothly. Poems commemorate the passage of the day. Everyone needs to have hope renewed each day, so the individual must determine for him or herself how to find that hope to continue living for another day.

This present crisis

We are living in a world on the verge of change, on the verge of transformation. This present crisis is only the birth pangs of a new age; a new civilization that will embrace the entire planet. Humanity will come through the present difficulties and be united in the process. We are so close to the problem that we can't see beyond the present darkness.

I realized this several months ago, but I haven't written too much about it. Today I realized something else that I am much like the rest of humanity when it comes to looking at the present darkness without attempting to look beyond. I'm having difficulties in my life and I seem to be on a down escalator attempting to climb up. That's how my life seems lately, I'm moving but I'm not getting anywhere. (I think I may be mixing my metaphors here).

This morning before sunrise, I lay in my bed looking out the window at the darkness. As I watched, dawn came slowly almost invisible at first. However, as I stared into the darkness I realized that the darkness seemed to fade, almost like bleach being poured onto a smoke colored sheet.

As I watched the darkness fade, I realized that in my own life I can see a change in the difficulties confronting me. The situation in my life is slowly changing, but the change is so small that sometimes I can barely see it. Then I realized that is how the situation is with the rest of the world, the change, which is occurring is so small that humanity can barely see it.

(All right, I know this needs some work, but I'm posting it anyway. I'll revise it later. That's the beauty of rewriting, you can always rewrite a story, a poem, or an essay. The trick is to leave it alone for a few days and work on something else.)

Evening Approaches

Sunday afternoon and evening approach
the street outside my house is silent
only the cars of neighbors decorate the curbside.

I heard a nightingale this morning
singing his joyous song,
proclaiming a bright new day,
foretelling a prosperous week;
he didn't have a care in the world
he was happy with his nest,
happy with his mate,
happy in the tree he built his nest.

Evening approaches and I remember the nightingale singing,
I remember standing in the driveway smiling
at his joyful and carefree song;
I remember thinking that he made my day
happier with his song.

Evening approaches
and I wish that I could be as happy and carefree
as the nightingale I heard this morning.

All Day in Doctors’ Offices

I spent all day Friday in doctors' offices
and learned
that I'm going to have to start taking
peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with me
when I leave the house.

I ate breakfast,
but didn't eat anything else
until Mom and I arrived back home
after 2:00 PM.

My ulcer protested the empty stomach
and I started getting irritated at traffic lights
on the way home;
Las Vegas traffic is always irrigating,
so I can't use it as an indicator of my irradiation level,
but when I start getting irritated at traffic lights
I know I have a problem.

I spent all day in doctors' offices yesterday,
not because I had appointments,
but because my mother had them
so I wasn't alone in the offices;
still the waiting is tiring,
and apparently raises the blood pressure
because Mom's blood pressure was up slightly
after the first wait.

This is life
after the age of 60
the blood pressure rises
and ulcers act up
when one doesn't take precautions.

Let's face it
old age isn't for wimps.

Where the elm tree used to be

There is some sort of tree or bush growing where the elm tree used to stand. It started growing there last year after the elm tree blew down. It grew into a bush and then it died off. Now this spring I noticed another bush growing where the elm tree used to be.

I don't know what type of a bush it is, I don't think it's an off shot of the elm tree roots which are still there. It's growing again this year, the leave appear to be elm leaves. However I am not an expert when it comes to identifying leaves. The only leaves I can identify are those that are unusual or stand out in some way.

I think there could be a story in this experience with the elm and the plant that's growing by the elm's roots. Nature is wonderful and mysterious at the same time. We're having a drought here in the La Vegas area. We haven't received a lot of rain this year. Yet there is a bush with leaves growing beside the dead trunk of and elm tree. There has to be some sort of lesson to learn. Maybe it is just that life survives no matter what the odds against it at any specific time. Life will find a way.

The same thing is true for human beings as well. Humans are survivors; humans will survive no matter what the odds against the human race. Humanity will survive even its own stupidity. We will get through this present crisis and on the other side of it, we will be united as a single species. Together humanity will survive, but we need each other to do that. Even as the bush in my yard seems to need, the elm trees roots and trunk for its survival.

A cloudy Tuesday Morning in Las Vegas

It is a cloudy Tuesday morning in Las Vegas. The firmament is covered with dirty gray, charcoal, and white clouds. Small patches of blue sky peeks from behind the clouds at random intervals. This is a good day to write about the beauty of the clouds and the droopy stone pine limbs above my garage.

No wind plays through the stone pine boughs. Occasionally a slight breeze moves the tree limbs. I catch this movement from the corner of my eye and look out my living room window. When and if I move my office into the spare room, I'm not going to be able to look at the wind play through the stone pine limbs.

The window in the spare room faces the backyard. The only things I can see from that window is the fence, oleanders and blue or cloudy sky. However, there are other advantages to making the spare room my office. There are income tax advantages and and I am able to close the door, I do not think I can lock the door, but that is not important. The ability to close the door is more important then anything else.

It is a cloudy Tuesday morning in Las Vegas and I am thinking about changing my office from the living room into the spare room. Of course, I am going to have to clean out the spare room first because right now it is a junk room.

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It Rained Saturday

It rained Saturday,
just before dawn a cold spring rain
descended onto the street in front of my house.

It rained Saturday
the rain lasted long enough
for me go outside
and stand in the cold shower,
which sent chills through my body.

Poetry Forms are Intriguing

I find the various poetry forms intriguing. Using a poetry form to create a poem is like using a pattern to make a dress. A poetry form will, in many cases, have specific syllable counts per line and specific rhyme scheme. There are Welsh, Irish, English, French and a multitude of other forms, which have specific line meters and rhyme scheme.

There are officially 24 Welsh meters (Lewis Turco in The Book of Forms, page 153). One of these Welsh forms is the clogyrnach (clog-ír-nach). A clogyrnach stanza consist of six lines with a syllable count of 8 8 5 5 3 3 and a rhyme scheme of aabbba. The poem can have as many stanzas as the poet feels are necessary.

You can find some examples of this form at Clogyrnach and Clogyrnach, Welsh form. Each of these web pages also includes an explanation of this form.

Using a specific poetry form is a good way to wake your muse up and write poetry. Sometimes a poet needs to get out of his or her usual way of writing and try a new form to get a fresh approach to writing poetry.

Using a specific form is a bit stressful sometimes, especially if you want the rhyme scheme to sound natural rather then forced or artificial when the poem is read aloud. However, completing a form poem is rewarding and spirit lifting. Once a poet gets the poem completed then reading it before an audience is a good idea because then you can see if the rhyme scheme sounds natural.

Happy Monday

All right, most people consider Monday a blue day rather then a happy day because it is usually the first day back to work after a weekend. However, for me today is a happy day and the only thing blue is the sky.

I have a good reason for being happy today. I decided this morning that I will continue to write poems. Last night I decided I would never write another poem again, I even wrote a poem about the decision. I called the poem (appropriately) My Last Poem, but that as last night.

In my 62 years on Earth, I have learned a few things and gained some wisdom. One of the things I have learned is Never Say Never because the minute you say it the universe focuses on you to change your mind. I have changed my mind, without too much prompting from anyone except my muse. I started the Sudoku poem this morning while I was praying and meditating. Obviously proclaiming to my muse through a poem that I would never write a poem again woke my muse up.

The end of a long week

It's been a long week
and since I can't think of anything to write
I'm going to bed early tonight,
say a few prayers
and get a little bit of sleep.

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