My 2023 Ubiquitous Winter Solstice Letter to YOU! Ho! Ho! Ho!

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I know, many of you  consider yourself Christian, but there are many more religions out there that celebrate sacred and holy days at this same time of the year, and I don’t want to slight anyone who may be reading this. I hope you’ll click the link above and check it out. 

This has been both a very full year for me, and a very empty year. I spent a lot of time in Kirkland WA the first couple of months, and then moved in with my newest Sister of Choice and my Elder Brother of Choice the last 3 months of my EBOCs life. The last few months of his life, I could almost see the decline from one day to the next. ALS is not a disease to live with, and especially to die from. Fortunately, Washington State has medical assistance in dying (MAiD) if desired. My EBOC used MAiD and died on May 30th. He fell asleep 4.5 minutes after drinking the cocktail. I am honored to have been one of his caregivers, and that I was able to hold his hand for the three hours it took for him to die. I hope it brought him some comfort.

When I came home I was met by a small dog who came as close to crying as I’ve ever heard a dog come. He was sooooo happy. He was my shadow for a couple days, and he did not like it if I left. He still doesn’t like me to go away, but he’s not quite as clingy. But he is so happy when I come home.

I lost two more friends within 3 weeks of my EBOC’s death, then three more friends in the last 7 months. I don’t have that many friends that I care to lose more especially by dying, so NO MORE!! Are you listening?  You’d better be!!

Hope holds that the chapbook of poems I wrote about EBOC’s death (and no, they are not all tear-jerking!) will find a home with one of the publishers who now have the manuscript. I’ll be sure to let you know when it comes out. 

Of course, I wrote poems about my EBOC’s passing. I shared a couple with some of his other caregivers, and two of them suggested I might consider becoming a Death Doula. A what? I asked. A death midwife, the explained. You know, like the gal who mixed and gave him the drink? The gal who came out and answered all our questions about death, especially EBOCs. I came home did some research, talked to a few people, with the upshot that I am now a Death Doula, having completed the course through A Sacred Passing. I will take the class through End of Life Washington to be able to administer the cocktail myself. That will prove a bit of a logistic problem as I’m required to shadow someone for a few times as they mix and administer. There is no one in the area where I live to shadow. I’ll probably have to commute to the Seattle area.

Grief Brain has struck again. I’m able to get a few things made for gifts, but can’t, yet, handle cards.  Which is weird as they are so much easier to do. Maybe it’s self-preservation so I don’t have to see in my mind’s eye, all the people I’ve lost this year. So, this is my card too all of you, my Favorite Readers and Goodest Friends. I should be able to function by next Winter Solstice. No promises, though.

Leaving you with a bit of happiness, I will spend Christmas with Favorite Daughter, Favorite Son, AND Favorite Grandson. Housemate Dan is going to visit his Favorite Daughter and family, so he’ll be with some Favorite Grands, too. I just don’t yet know what day we’ll be celebrating. It depends on Favorite Grandson’s work schedule. But, my family is used to not always being able to being together for the 25th of December. We’ve actually celebrated on Eastern Weekend. But, we’ll be together, whenever it is.

Photo of the Week:
Pulled the ice tray out for a couple of ice cubes and two of them were constructing a rocket launcher (?) or whatever. They were over an inch in length. (Did they know I bought Margarita mix? Were they going to launch themselves into my glass?)

The Big Chihuahua and Auntie Lenora wish all of you, my Favorite Readers, the Bestest Ever Happy Holiday you’ve ever had. Eat dessert first (who wants green beans baked in mushroom soup, anyhow?), drink your Favorite Libation–responsibly, keep the Pink Bottle close, give out hugs every chance you get, kisses too (if appropriate), and laugh, and laugh, and laugh!

Auntie Lenora is taking some time off to hopefully get a few more things made for the Winter Solstice; she and the Brave Dog will be back January 8, 2024. Wow, already yet and it’s gonna be 2024. How time flies when you get old. It ain’t fair. It should go along at the slow, plodding pace it did when we were young.

May your new year be the bestest 2024 you’ve ever had!!! Auntie Lenora sends hugs and love, and Sammy sends pupkisses to you all! 

A World Religion Holiday Season Calendar should be looked at. Be sure to scroll down the page a bit.

It’s so good to be back!

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Weather Forecast for the Tries:
Gonna dip into the high 29-low30s for the next few nights. Probably until the horny hare makes his appearance next spring. The days will all be in the 40s. The rattlesnakes, and others, are by now either in a ball underground hibernating, or on a heat rock in some kids bedroom. Hope his mom is okay with that. We’ll have a flake or two of god’s dandruff, and more than a few hours of his tears. Otherwise, it will just be overcast. There is a possibility, regardless of how slight, it’s still a possibility, we’ll have measurable white stuff for the Solstice and or Christmas. The Pass (Snoqualmie) is getting lots of snow as I write this on Saturday. 

It’s so good to be back:
No, I haven’t gone anywhere. Our internet provider did. Or at least the wire that leads from the junction box to our apartment did. We lost service Friday night, had it intermittingly Saturday, and Sunday until about 6 in the evening, and then it left for good. The tech was here yesterday for about an hour, in the afternoon, and got it reinstated. By then I had two zooms and….

It’s amazing how much we use our computers. It’s also pretty amazing (to me, anyhow) how quiet it was without them. Housemate Dan and I share an office, and we’re both pretty good about using headphone so our computers don’t compete, but we’re both guilty of reacting, verbally, to what we watch. With nothing to watch, we were quiet. It lasted 5 minutes beyond our reinstatement, and then he was growling and I was howling.

I’m not big on podcasts, but methinks that’s about to change. When I first discovered MSNBC years ago, I started watching because of Keith Olbermann. I liked his style, but I really liked how on Fridays, he would read us a James Thurber story. He told us about his dad, and how he always read a Thurber story to him. And then he (Keith) was gone, moved somewhere else. When I found him, I couldn’t get the station he was on, so I watched his replacement. Well, the other day, I was listening to some news on YouTube, probably Glen Kirschner, and was in the other room, sewing, when his show was over and the old theme song for Countdown, Keith Olbermann’s old show, and I’ll be hornswoggled, he has a new (to me) show on YouTube. It’s a podcast, but it’s interesting.

Countdown was on last night as I had a few minutes between zoom meetings, and it didn’t take long before I was howling with laughter. Especially the story about meeting Mr. & Mrs. Carlton. And I agree with the Mrs. that I don’t care much for sports but she and her husband watching him every night and thoroughly enjoyed his show. Oh, Mrs. Carlton was a Brit, and that is the name he heard, not the name she gave, and by the time he was through with the story (it comes toward the end of the show) I was almost falling off my chair as I laughed. 

Photo of the Week:
This is from last August, the Brave Dog was in our office sleeping on the floor. Doesn’t he look brave? I’ll have you know he hasn’t run from a single Zombie Leaf this season. He actually stomps on them and raises his hind leg! He’s showing them who the Big Chuhuahua is! Grrrrowl!!

From the Paws of the Big Chihuahua:
It looks like the Weather Human finally listened to my human and sent the rain away. My human said we got rain because Seattle got a pineapple express, and some of the clouds made it over the mountains and we got leftovers. I usually like leftovers, but not leftover rain. I don’t like rain at all, it’s wet. Wet only belongs in my water dish! But my human tries to keep the rain away, and I love her for it.

Do Humans Hibernate?

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Weather in the Tries:
I have a new electric blanket. Not sure who loves it more—Sammy or me! He does sleep on top much of the night, but he starts out snuggled to me.  Oh, you want the weather? ‘Scuse me. It’s mostly going to be in the high 40s and low 50s. With the lows from 31 to 46. In other words, good sleepin’ weather.

Do Humans Hibernate?
In a word, no. Our ancestors from way back when, may have but there really isn’t any evolutionary reason why we should. There’s a very interesting article on human hibernation here. All quotes in this post are from the article.

Hibernation, or prolonged torpor are not, as of yet, beneficial for humans for several reasons, including:

            Isn’t conducive to reproduction.

            If we aren’t reproducing, competitor species are.

            If your snoozing in deep torpor, you can’t defend yourself.

But since I’ve retired, I’ve noticed something. I live slightly south and somewhat east of Seattle. We are above the 45thParallel. Once the Fall Equinox passes, our nights get longer, our days get shorter. Noticeably. Not like Canada and Alaska. The closer you live to the equator, the more your days and nights are likely to be about 12 hours light, 12 hours dark. When I lived in Florida, as I recall it was 11/13 then when we went to Daylight savings time it was about 12/12. Or maybe the reverse. I’m old. So is my memory. I have blackout curtains in my bedroom and keep my bedroom as dark as possible. Unfortunately, there are a couple of things that need to be plugged in, and they throw out a mild amount of light, but not enough to disrupt my sleep. So, I get very little light coming in from outside.

In the summer, I get about two hours less sleep than I do in the winter. Around the Fall and Spring Equinoxes, my sleep adjusts about an hour. I go to bed at the same time most nights, and turn my light off about the same time each night. But still I get about 2 hours more sleep at night in the winter than in the summer, in a blacked out room. I know I’m an old fartess, perhaps I’m closer to my ancestors than I thought? Oh, I don’t open my windows in the summer, either. The wind blows the blackout curtains and lets the light in,.

But–what if we could hibernate? Possible torpor/hibernation may increase our resilience during transplant surgery, with some additional medical uses, but what grabbed me was the possible uses in space exploration:

  • “cut down on the use of life support and other resources
  • reduce water and food intake by up to 75%
  • reduce waste production
  • protect against radiation         
  •  ease psychological concerns associated with long-term space flight”                      

Unfortunately, there are a lot of things that pose problems in people coming out of torpor. Apparently it isn’t just as simple as waking up from a long nap. Possible problems include “blood clots, bleeding, infections, and fatty liver & liver failure.” 

But, it seems I’m off to a start. Wonder if I can volunteer for their study….Be paid to sleep…..

Photo of the Week:
Yes, the snowflakes were about the size of a silver dollar. The snow lasted a couple hours then disappeared.

From the Paws of the Desert Chihuahua:
My human made me go out this morning IN THE RAIN! We live in a desert, why is it raining? Water belongs in a dish, not outside falling on humans and dogs and ducks. Shouldn’t fall on cats, either. Doesn’t she know I dislike rain? It’s cold and painful when it hits my furs. I don’t have any fat like other dogs do. But I sure like her new blanket.

HOUSER

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Weather in the Tries:
Hoo Boy!! It’s gonna be in the 30s, and below, until Friday, with next Monday reaching 53F.It is, literally, too cold for little dogs’s feets on the concrete. He goes outside first thing in the morning, runs out to our ‘yard’ and warms up some of the crunchy, frozen leaves, then scoots back into the house, and the bed. By then, I’m up, and have my first cuppa in my hand. No way am I going back into bed so he can stick his cold feets on me to get warm. 

HOUSER:
Was listening to some political tid bits this morning while working on Winter Gifts. They were on the computer and I had my ear phones on, when all of a sudden I realized there was some of the most delightful cello playing on that I’ve heard since the last time I watched Departures.* I had to come in and watch this morning instead of working, it was HOUSER – Rebel With a Cello – Live in Budapest (Full Concert). It’s taken me most of the day to watch it as I had some interruptions. If you like cello music, check him out. Houser.

There are several clips, as well as the whole concert at this site. From movies, tv series, the old masters, and some of the new ones. And besides, he’s easy to look at, as well as listen too.

He used to be half of 2 Men With Cellos, and tried to bring cello to rock n roll. Here’s a clip of the two guys and Thunderstruck [Official Video]

Thanksgiving Dinner Report:
Housemate Dan and I went to Friends for dinner. Housemate volunteered to cook the turkey, but She Who Had Dinner Covered said she had under control. He could bring Salad, and I could bring my usual Pie. That threw me, I don’t bake pies. But, there’s a first time for everything, eh? So, Housemate and I braved the madding crowds at Costco and bought one of their Pumpkin Pies big enough to feed the Eighth Army! I didn’t bring any home. I did bake some pumpkin bread to take, though. Had some leftover walnut pieces and what I thought were dried cranberries, so tossed them in, too. Imagine my puckery surprise when I tried a piece of one of the three loaves and discovered they weren’t dried cranberries, but dried sour cherries. Good, but a bit of a puckery shock. 

She Who Had Dinner Covered, ordered a precooked turkey and sides from a local store. What they neglected to tell her is, she would have to reheat everything. She waited until the last minute, made a mad dash to the store, and came back with an extremely cold turkey, with directions to reheat in 350F oven for 3.5 hours, frozen mashed spuds, very cold gravy, and cranberry sauce. Housemate to the rescue, he put the cooked turkey in a roasting bag added sparkling cider, tied it, and put it in the oven. 45 minutes later it was hot, and delicious. We all just ate a few more chips and things until dinner. Which was very good. Someone brought slaw, someone green beans, roasted Brussell’s Pouts, and someone brought before dinner snacks. A total of 8 of us, and a good time was had by all. 

An interesting tray to serve snacks in—the gal who brought them put them in one of those pans that bakes 8 mini loaves at once. She filled each one with good things to eat. She also brought chips and a container of Mexican Sour Cream. Oh, yummmmmm.

This Week’s Photos:
Finally figured out how to get the photos from my phone. I didn’t even need to find a kid to do it! Anyhow, here are a couple from Saturday when we had freezing fog. Actually, we still have it but it’s cleared a bit. Thursday we may even get snow.

This was taken about 11am, the sun was trying to burn through. The frost on the tree was about gone.
Here you can see a bit of the frost on the trees.

From the Paws of the Cold Dog:
(Please, do not confuse the Cold Dog with the Cold Duck.) The ducks are in the other pond, it isn’t all frozen, yet. But they aren’t happy. It’s gotta be cold on their feets when they’re in the water. It sure is cold on mine when I’m on the walkway or the crunchy leaves. I don’t know why my human doesn’t spend more time in her bed, after all, I’m in there, and it’s nice and warm.  

*Departures is a Japanese film with excellent subtitles, and some of the most beautiful cello music ever. If you’re interested, check and see where it’s streaming now. It used to be on Netflix.

Happy Thanksgiving

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Weather in the Tries:
Looks like we’re gonna be coved with clouds a couple days, and then Thursday, we get sun for a couple of days, then play hide and seek a day or two. Phone is subject to change, as is the weather. As I write this, it’s 33 outside. I’m Thankful I have a warm bed, a warm dog, and a warm apartment in which to be. There’s gonna be frost on the unpicked pumpkins this week. Brrrrrrrrrr!!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving:
Many, if not most, Indigenous Peoples do not celebrate this day. African Americans celebrate it but for slightly different reasons. It is, primarily a holiday for the Euro Americans. Truth be told, I think the day should be celebrated as a National Day of Gluttony, but no one listens to me.

I’m thankful for a whole lot of things—far more than things I’m not thankful for. My partial list of Thankfulness contains the above mentioned things, but also for Libraries who allow the homeless in to get warm, the restaurants who put their edible ‘leftovers’ out every day at the same time so the homeless/unhoused know to come and eat. I’m thankful for the internet, and the ability to use it, well at least sorta use it. I’m thankful for my plethora of friends, and those friends I haven’t met yet but know that I will. And I’m thankful for things like modern sewing machines, people who make quilt patterns, people who teach quilt patterns, and people who make fabrics and threads to use with quilt patterns. And restaurants and their workers and…well, you get the idea. I’m not thankful for wars, but am thankful for those who go to treat the wounded, report on them. I’m not thankful for diseases, but am thankful for those who develop meds, etc, to treat the diseases. And I’m so very, very, very thankful for groups like End of Life Washington. They do a tremendous good. (And my EBOC Thomas is turning over in his urn at all the ‘very’ used above! He’s raising his hands to cover his ears and groaning that he taught me better. I’m also thankful for memories.)

I hope you have an even longer list (aren’t you glad I didn’t list everything?) of Thankfuls as Thursday approaches. And do, please, remember those who may not have such a long list as you, maybe slip a few dollars in your pocket before you head out the door to shop for Auntie Lenora’s Winter Gift, offer a bill or two to a homeless person you see. That’s the bestest gift you can give Auntie Lenora this year. Oh, one more thing, if you haven’t already read The Wizard of Pigeons by Meghan Lindholm, please get a copy and read it. Oh, Auntie Lenora is gonna have a great winter this year!! Thank you, so very much!!

And, if you don’t really celebrate Thanksgiving because you’re Native American, or African American, or just don’t want to, you might like a poem by my EBOC Thomas, Hey Columbus! A copy is published by Tuesday Poem on Tuesday, October 29, 2013. If you go to the page, you can see and hear Thomas read the poem. The video is at the bottom of the page.

From the Paws of the Brave Dog:
Bet I won’t get pie, and dressing, or turkey. I’d whine, but I know I’ll get pumpkin and brown crunchy brown bits. I am thankful my human chose me out of all the dogs looking for a new home. She says she is thankful I chose to come live with her. 

Addenda:
And I’m thankful that although I didn’t have a life of sex, drugs, and Rock n Roll, I’m still looking down at the grass at my age—and though I may be on a diet I can still look at the menu—and Mick Jagger. Hmm, wonder when his birthday is…maybe I can call and sing him the birthday song. Yes? (not sure who sent me the meme below, but many thanks!)

And I’m sorry to be so late in publishing this post. I was busy working on some of my Winter Gifts and totally spaced that yesterday was Sunday! I’m thankful for a, a, … well whatever it is, I’m thankful for it.

Cafés

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Weather in the Tries: 
Oh no, Mr. Bill! We might get some rain on Wednesday. It’s going to take the clouds that long to finally decide to spit at us. As long as we have a cloud cover, the lows will be above freezing. However, once they wring themselves out, and we have some sunshine during the day, we’ll have freezing temps overnight. I’m so glad I’ve got a sheet warmer above and beyond my puppy! He likes it, too. 

Cafes:
I’m not talking about places to eat, though many cafes are, in fact in a café, or other eatery establishment. I’m talking about Conversation Cafes. When I moved to Florida, I was introduced to these delightful programs. I attended two, on a Café Philo (Philosophy) and a Café Theo (Theology). It took a while to find one when I moved to Kennewick, but I did, finally find one, Reflection Café. And, for the most part, I attended just about all of them. Then, I moved to Albuquerque where I couldn’t find any, then I moved back to the Tries and then, before I could re-connect, Covid came, with the lock down, and etc. 

You cannot imagine my excitement to find that the Café is back! Maybe not as often as before, but we’re getting there. And I was at the last meeting, where we talked about Loneliness. It has become a National Problem. A short paper, easily read and digested is here. The longer paper, the actual full report by the Surgeon General is here. This morning I found an interesting bit in a WaPo  article that says: “It turns out only children are not more selfish than others. They aren’t lonelier than others,” Falbo said. “Ironically in many ways, they’re less lonely than other people because they’re accustomed to being alone.” from: Millennials aren’t having kids. Here’s why. by Andrew Van Dam, November 3 at 6 am. I am seldom lonely. I tell people I’ve got a skull full of characters to keep me company. But what I never thought of before is I’m an only child! I’m used to being alone.

And, there’s more! Yes! For a limited time only, you too… I have been invited to speak at one in February or March about being a Death Doula. I’m also hoping to talk about a Death Café. I just checked and we may have one here in the tries. Alas they have a Facebook page, with dates of month/day but no year. Or meeting place. I have sent a message, now to wait for an answer.

Death Cafes are a little different, I understand from my reading. There is no agenda, people just talk about death—their fears, their questions, whatever they want to discuss about death. Very laid back. If they meet in an eatery, they buy and eat something, have a cuppa or glassa, and just talk and ask questions. Whereas Reflection Café, we meet in a pizza place, order dinner, a drink, and maybe desert. We eat and converse from 6pm to 7pm, then hold our meeting with a leader, and maybe a bit of a talk then questions, or maybe just talk, answering questions that come up from the group or a leader.

Here is a photo of one of my brothers of choice Dave, taken at Ciudad, the Portuguese restaurant I told you about last week. Isn’t the mural great? 

From the Paws of the Big Chihuahua:
My human has been home for a whole week. I’m not sure how long that is, but she tells me it is many, many days. She’s talking a little funny, she can’t say all of the words she usually says, and she blames a hitchhiker she picked up on the way home. That concerns me, that she’s picking up strange dogs, but she said it was a germ or a virus, that I shouldn’t worry about her picking up strange dogs. She promises she won’t ever do that. Though, I guess, if one was injured, it would be okay. I’m just glad she’s home and taking naps with me every day. Or most every day. How long is a day?

Dreams are messages from the deep. Dune 10-minuteTrailer 

I’m Home Again, Home Again

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Weather in the Tries:
Lots of wind today, which means the Zombie Leaves will be out to attack the Brave Dog. Will he show them he’s no longer afraid, that he is, after all, the Big Chihuahua??? We shall see.  This week will mostly be in the 50s with lows in the high 30s/ low 40s. With perchance a shower or two now and then. Mostly then, according to my phone.

I’m Home Again, Home Again:
Had a great visit with my Sister & Brother of Choice (SOC & BOC) Lee and Dave at their beautiful house in South Seattle. We went out to eat a couple of times, once to a Portuguese restaurant, Ciudad, that was to die for. We had grilled octopus, grilled chicken, and I should have written everything down, because it was to die for. Especially the octopus! The mural is delightful. If you’re in Seattle, or planning a trip, you might want to check Ciudad out!  

On Sunday, we went to Jude’s, a neighborhood bar and restaurant, for eats n drinks. The guys who own it are master mixers of great cocktails. Lee & Dave had something truly liked, and I went for a Smokey Salve that could easily become habit forming. Rye, mesquite bourbon, crème de cacao, ginger, & bitters. Oh, yeah, so glad Jude’s is not in my neighborhood. Oh yes, I could develop a habit for that.

The specialize in Cajun cooking, and I had their Grits Plate. Made me homesick for the deep south. Their menu all looked good, it was difficult to choose. Everything I looked at looked better than the one before. The blackened catfish was to die for. So, yes, you must go to Jude’s, too.

Watched the first episode of Foundation. If you read the 4-book trilogy by The Good Doctor (Asimov), the series is based on the books. I read them so many years ago, I can’t remember that much about them to know how close/far the tv show is from the books, but I was hooked, for sure.  Now Housemate Dan and I can watch.

We got caught up on gossip, and I left on Monday. I arrived on Thursday pm, left Monday am, so the 3-day rule of company wasn’t too badly stretched. And, on Friday, they drove me to, and fetched me later, my last class of:

Doula Training:
The last class, was a two-parter. We learned how to wash a corpse and shroud a corpse. Sinch we were doing this in a home, we used real live corpses, and the class was divided into two groups. One washed, one shrouded, then we ate and reversed so we all got to see everything. Yes, we did have real live corpses. They were delightful young men, who volunteered, and played dead. Until we got them to laugh. Indeed, their resurrection was a miracle. 

In between the first class and the second, when we all traded, we had a feast of a supper. The two corpses joined us to eat. It was fun meeting them, and those of the class who could come. A lot of our cohort is located on the east coast, or otherwise just too far away to come. 

I am signed up for the A Sacred Passing class on Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD). Then I will take the class from End of Life Washington (Death With Dignity) if it’s different. I will need to shadow another doula a few times, which may be a tad fun this winter, as I will be the only one in the Tri-Cities. I’m hoping there is someone no farther than Spokane. That’s a trip I can make in the winter. But getting across the Snoqualmie Pass may be dicey. I had to drive from Seattle to Portland to Kennewick one time. It was not a particularly fun drive at double the distance, double the time.

I need to get all my forms filled out, both to know how, and to have them available for when (if?) needed for my death. If you live in Washington State, I strongly urge you to check out End of Live Washington, and go to their Wonderfile, read and download the forms and instructions you need. If you live in another state, I suggest you find the equivalent in your state. There are even forms you can fill out now, leaving instructions for what happens if you develop dementia, if you are in a same sex relationship your bio family doesn’t like, but you do. Some need to be notarized, many do not. Then, every year, on your birthday, go over them, and make any necessary changes. As End of Life Washington says, “Plan now, die later, do a lot of living in between!

From the Paws of the Brave Dog:
My human came home yesterday and the first thing she did, well, almost the first thing, was to come to the bed and snuggle me for a really long time. It’s so hard to snuggle her when she isn’t here. Housemate Dan is good, but he doesn’t snuggle like she does. She didn’t even read her books or anything. She just snuggled. Oh, happy day, happy day. My human came come. My human is home and I happy danced all the way to the bed. Did you see me happy dance?

Duck, Death and the Tulip:
This is a delightful book about a duck who meets Death, and the friendship that develops. It’s a children’s book, that I bought after seeing the video in one of our classes. The words and drawings are from the pen of Wolf Erlbruch, a German writer and illustrator. It is a marvelous story about a duck who sees Death following him and they become friends, until Duck dies. There is no religious theme to the story. Or the death of Duck. The only think I would have liked to see is one more comma in the title, so it reads Duck, Death, and the Tulip. But the Oxford comma is not in high favor at the moment.

Listen Up, Buttercup!

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Weather in the Tries:
We’re in for a warming trend, and possible rain. Most of this week will be high 40s and up to high 50s. And the lows will be mostly in the low 40s. As I write this (Sunday Morning) It’s 25 degrees outside. And the dog wants me to feed him and take him for a walk. Yeah. Right.

Listen Up, Buttercup!
The tease says Rena just got her first job. She’s 18 months old and gets paid in free diapers and ice cream. Whoa there, Trigger. Is that ageism? I don’t need diapers (yet) but plenty of old farts and fartesses do, and a lot of us would work for free ones, and ice cream. Especially the ice cream. I’d take the diapers now and hold them for when/if I do need them.

Okay, then I read the article. Yeah, it is ageism, but I guess I won’t complain. The little tykes (about 70 of them) work one day a week spreading cheer at Japanese nursing homes,  accompanied with a parent, bringing smiles and joy to the residents.

One of the nursing homes Daddy was in before he came to Portland was an re-purposed one-floor elementary school, and the large wing was for the nursing home residents, but the other wing was a day care, and the residents were encouraged to go to the cafeteria to get their own coffee and meals and interact with the kids. The kids picked a Grandpa/Grandma for the week. The nursing home residents really perked up around the youngsters. And tended to go home sooner than residents of traditional nursing homes. And those who couldn’t go to the kids, had kids coming to them. Daddy almost didn’t want to leave. He had been alone too much, I think, and he just loved those kids. Somehow, I don’t think I’d bring the same joy to the elders as the tykes do.

I also don’t have the least inclination to start/manage/work in/stay in a new nursing home-child care facility, but it sure sounds like a good idea to me. Japan has such a problem with loneliness “that in 2021 the government appointed its first ‘minister of loneliness,’ charged with helping people of all ages connect, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic.” Read the article here, and look at the cute kids and happy people. (The quote is from the article by Janis Mackey Frayer and Arata Yamamoto  and Mithil Aggarwal.)

Two photos from a couple years ago, when I lived on the river. Doesn’t it look cold? you can see the fog rising in the smaller photo, if you look closely.

Death Care:

Moving into the final week. I’ve lost a week. I thought this was Week 7, but it’s Week 8. It’s been a fascinating time, and I’m really looking forward to meeting several of my cohort face to face this coming Friday. There is an in-person class on washing and shrouding the deceased. I doubt I’ll ever do it, but it will be nice to know how, just in case.

Now I get to write a piece about why I decided to become a Death Doula/Midwife. About 5 minutes worth of reading. So, guess what I’m gonna be doing today (Sunday) in between two Zoom Room sessions. 😉

From the Paws of the Brave Dog:

I really didn’t want to walk this morning. It’s too cold, so when Housemate Dan insisted, we went forth. And I delivered the desired response in a hurry, and then we came back. My other human is very pleased that not only did I produce, but I’ve also started tromping and peeing on the Zombie Leaves. That’ll teach ‘em to mess with the Big Chihuahua! Now, I’m going back to bed. It’s nap time!

Chansons Innocents II by e.e. cummings. Read it here, and have a Happy Halloween by whatever name you call it.

Some things of possible interest …

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Weather in the Tries:

According to my phone, the next week the highs will be in the 50s dropping into the 40s. Today, Monday will be 71. The lows wll be in the 40s and 30s with one day, next Monday, at 29. Yep, Fall has done fell! Ka-Booom!! Of course, the weather is always subject to change at a moment’s notice. 

Some things of possible interest…

I think I’ve mentioned before that I subscribe to Jerry Coyne’s blogs. He publishes several a day, I tend to read the Hili Dialog when it comes first thing in the morning, and the Caturday Trifecta every CSaturday. Jerry is a cat lover, and a duck lover, and a scientist, and is extremely prolific. This past Caturday part of the Trifecta was a story from Spoon & Tamago, a blog about Japan, and the story Tan Yamanouchi’s New House Speaks to His Cats’ Desires. 

I went to the website and was delighted with the story of Tan Yamanouchi, an architect who designed and built his family home to accommodate their two cats. The photos of the home are great. I had so much fun I started reading other stories, and subscribed to the blog.

Another story that fascinated me is: You’ll Soon Be Able to Stay in One of Japan’s Most Beautifully Designed Prisons .  The architecture of the prison is every bit as interesting as the article. However, I found this paragraph particularly interesting:
Japan incarcerates its citizens at a far lower rate than most developed countries: 37 per 100,000 people compared with 132 in Britain and 629 in America. And the inmate population in Japan has seen a steady decline over the past decade, which helps explain why Nara Prison was shut down in 2017.

I have not done any research on the topic of why we have so many in prison, but my opinion is it is tied to privatizing the prisons and using prisoners/slaves to do the work of the companies who own and operate them. Ah, Capitalism. Ain’t it grand?

Another newsletter I subscribe to is MEDPAGE TODAY. I started reading it during Covid, and though it’s meant for those in the medical field, I can still understand most of the articles, and find several of them fascinating, and always well written. The other day, I found one that I’ve read about now and again over the years, but this one gives us all the good parts.

The ‘PinkTax’ Wake-Up Call for the Healthcare Industry—All genders should have equal access to care. The good news is that (white) women are now earning about $0.82 for every dollar a (white) man makes. That up 4 or 5 cents since I was working for a living. The bad news is Black and Latinx women earn a whole lot less. And yes, medicines and treatments cost women of any color more than men for the same thing. I remember when Washington State removed the sales tax from prescription drugs with the called-out exception of birth control pills. We still had to pay tax to keep from getting pregnant!

It’s a very interesting article. I hope you’ll grab a cuppa and sit for maybe 5 minutes and read it. Frequently the responses are interesting. They are limited to those working in the medical field.

Death Care:

We have finished 5 weeks of our 8. A lot of grief work, and much of that is cross-cultural/race work. Truly fascinating, but I don’t plan on doing a lot of grief care. We have a wonderful system for grief support here in the Tries through Chaplaincy Hospice and their Grief Support Groups. I may be wrong, but I think most of my grief care will come immediately after the death, with some anticipatory grief ahead of it.

One of the videos I watched was Megan Devine on Grief. It’s a 48:12 minute long, and fascinating. She is an excellent speaker. Do a search for her, and look for that video. Or watch a bunch of the shorter ones.

At this point I have no idea how busy I’ll be, if at all. When the class is over, and I know more, I will talk to the kind person who does my Taxes, and a lawyer. Because I plan on doing my work without charge, or minimal if I spend money for my client, do I need to have things like liability insurance? What do I need, what do I not need, do I need to become a business? So many questions, that I’m not quite intelligent enough yet to know what they are and who to ask. 😉

I’ve known for some time that I live in a white bread snowflake town, but didn’t know HOW show white my town is, until I did a little research just to find out. I will try to put the table I made in here. Not sure if I can get it to translate, but                 

Race                   Kenwck     Richland    Benton Cnty    Pasco   FrankCnty

European60.7%87.0%65.0%38.2%60.7%
Hispanic30.9%7.8%25.0%55.1%53.0%
African1.8%1.4%%2.0%2.4%1.9%
Asian2.4%4.7%3.0%2.1%2.0%
Native Amer0.7%0.8%0%—-0.8%
Other3.7%2.62%1.0%0.5% 
Hawaiian—-0.1%2.0%0.5%0.8%
Multi—-7.18%—-—-29.8%
Mixed—-3.2%4.0%1.7%3.9%
Euro alone,Not Hispanic or Latinx  —-  83.0  83.0%  —-47.0%

Pasco is one of the Tri-Cities, however it is in Franklin County

These figures come from Kennewick: https://bestneighborhood.org/race-in-kennewick-wa/ , Richland: https://www.biggestuscities.com/demographics/wa/richland-city Benton County: https://censusreporter.org/profiles/05000US53005-benton-county-wa/ Pasco: https://statisticalatlas.com/place/Washington/Pasco/Race-and-Ethnicity  and Franklin County: https://www.homefacts.com/demographics/Washington/Franklin-County.html

*Pasco is in Franklin County, Kennewick & Richland, and several other small towns are in Benton County/ Kennewick, Richland, and Pasco are 3 cities separated by 3 rivers. (that’s not quite true but darned close. We do have 3 cities and 3 rivers—Yakima, Snake, Columbia.)

Humor:

So, I decided to let my hair grow, but it was thick and needed a trimming and cut to go with the curls and waves. I called a stylist and asked if anyone in the salon enjoyed cutting naturally curly or wavy hair. She said she loved to cut it, so I made an appointment and went in. The first thing, of course, was the shampoo. How I love to have someone wash my hair and give me a head massage at the same time.

Then it was back to the chair where she dried my hair and turned me so I couldn’t see the mirror. Hmmmmmmm… Then she started messing around with something hot and pulling my hair through it. Odd, that. But she clipped and she cut, and gave me more than a trim, and then started messing around with that hot thing again. The end result is here:

I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. I settled for laughter. She was worried I might not like it, but if I’ve learned nothing else in the last 8 decades of my life, is it’s only hair, and it will grow out, and a shampoo in my own shower helps a lot. Of course, wearing headphones didn’t help, they took away my cute winglets. So, the next morning I got up, took a shower, and played with it myself. I don’t have all the curls in back that I had, but I think some more of the extra hold gel will help with that. And a spritz or two of pink and or purple and voila, the next day:

From the Paws of the Big Chihuahua:

It’s Fall. It’s turning cold.  I’m busy. I’m napping. Naps are good. Either nap with me or go away.

Happiness is:

2 Replies

Weather in the Tries:

Trust me when I say that Fall has Fell. Leaves are yellow and all over the ground, but so far, none have resurrected to zombie statehood. Days are much cooler, nights even more so. Love it! Days will be in the high 60s to mid 70s. Nights mostly in the high 40s to mid 50s. Not coat weather yet, but a sweater or light jacket isn’t amiss, especially with the sun goes down.

Happiness is:

I found a photo the other day I don’t remember taking, but it is now one of my wallpapers. It was taken about a year ago when I was with Thomas. Sheryl and I were obviously talking, and one of us said something and she looks like she just said a word she never, ever says, and Thomas looks at her as if to say, You said That??? What a funny disgusted shocked expression on his face. I look it it during the day and can’t help but chuckle. It certainly helps the grief go away. He must have been getting ready for a shave with the towel around him. Sent it to Sheryl, and she can’t remember what we were talking about, either. Anyhow, enjoy.

Not Happiness is:

Sammy Brave Dog was sick for about three days, and I couldn’t get him in to see his regular doctor, and the office suggested if he was really sick, to take him to an urgent care. Huh? Urgent care for animals? Well, I looked them up, and they exist, and are just down the road maybe a mile. He’d been dancing the green apple two step for 3 days, maybe a tad more, so they called his regular doctor and got his chart sent over, and we decided it was a good time to update a few things. They have him a fluid injection, drew blood and tested him for the regular stuff as well as some things like pancreatitis (he free of that), and sent us home with a fecal collection kit. Well, I guess he didn’t like all the poking and prodding, and indignities heaped upon him, because he didn’t do anything until this morning. It was normal. I took the sample in, and he has nothing wrong with him. So, I’m to continue giving him some stuff and not worry about the antibiotics.

The worst thing is, Housemate Dan can no longer give him Costco Chicken with Sammy’s dinner. Both he and Sammy love that, but the Doctor said NO more people food, except for sweet spud or pumpkin. But he can give him sweet spud with his dinner, and Sammy really loves sweet spud. 

Deathcare:

I am quite confused in my poor little mind as to what we learned through A Sacred Passing on Mon & Wed night, v. what we learned during the first four of five Buddhist classes on Death, Love, Wisdom Summit classes. Worth getting up at 0530 to be at the computer by 0600. I’ve got pages of notes I want to transcribe and put in my notebook. Tomorrow (Monday, so I guess it’s today) is the final class, which I think will be heavy on meditation, but that’s okay. So far the classes have been on Making Peace With Death, End of Life Care, Right here With You: Care at the Time of Death, and Grief and Bereavement Support. All good stuff.

Our pond with a few of the none zombie leaves.

From the Paws of the Big Chihuahua:

My tummy wasn’t feeling very good and my human took me to a new doctor. She poked me, but was pretty nice, and ran some tests which was funny because she didn’t run at all. She walked. Anyhow, I no longer get chicken. Housemate Dan and I are both sad about that, BUT I get all the sweet potato or pumpkin I want. Well, the doctor said something about 4 cubic inches a day, but that sounds like a lot to me. And my tummy feels much, much better now.