Oswego
Entries 580
Page 19 of 24
Stages of grief — loneliness in Daydreaming on the Porch
I get up late. I have my bowl of oatmeal, fruit, orange juice and coffee. Strong coffee. I need it. I’m sitting on the sofa in the den, the same sofa Mom spent all her waking hours on in her ...
An anthem from the 60s in Daydreaming on the Porch
One of my favorite songs from the 60s was a critically acclaimed hit by The Youngbloods in 1967, the year it was released. But the group itself remained relatively obscure, despite the success a...
The subject of masks in the age of the pandemic in Daydreaming on the Porch
First, the surgeon’s mask is designed to prevent the wearer’s viral-laden aerosols spreading to others. The moisture droplets “impinge” upon the inner lining. When you inhale, most of the air is ...
This is one of those entries I can’t believe I’m writing as I read it over. Like fear of grocery stores in this New Age plague time, who in the world would have ever thought it would be danger...
Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, a...
This day, this hour, this moment in Daydreaming on the Porch
Look to this day! For it is life, the very life of life. For yesterday is already a dream, and tomorrow is only a vision; But today, well-lived, makes every yesterday a dream of happiness, and ev...
The stages of grief: four months in Daydreaming on the Porch
This Thursday will mark four months since Mom passed from this earth. After taking care of her for so long, I still can’t believe she’s gone. But I have to correct myself. She may be gone in a...
Yes, I watch a lot of YouTube videos. I would not say I’m addicted, but if all the multiple universes of places on the Internet, YouTube is probably right at the top or near it for go-to informa...
Newspaper Days in Daydreaming on the Porch
(Note: This is a continuation of a series of entries in OD and PB over the years, dealing with my career in journalism.) A tropical storm off the coast of Florida has moved out of sea. It was t...
Travel, backroads and memory in Daydreaming on the Porch
Deep in the stillness of another night of the coronavirus quarantine, my mind is relaxed and wandering off into the past where the present has taken me. So many things are different now that I...
Mother’s Day in Daydreaming on the Porch
May 10, 2020 I have a confession to make. I didn’t remember it was Mother’s Day! I woke up this morning (actually it was 1 pm because I stay up all night) with a dull headache. I felt slightl...
Pandemic survey in Daydreaming on the Porch
I haven’t seen many surveys on the pandemic, so I decided to create my own. Here are questions I ask myself and which I have answered here. For the most part these questions don’t lend themsel...
Mom’s memorial service would have been today in Daydreaming on the Porch
April 25, 2020 My dear mother passed away on January 28 after many years of struggling with diabetes and vascular dementia. I thank God I was able to be with her and take care of her all those ...
First of all, let me say that I am more thankful than ever in my life to have enough food to eat and to be able to purchase more if I run low, which I am now. When I read about food banks natio...
Elvis: An appreciation in Daydreaming on the Porch
The days are passing quickly for me because there are so many things to occupy my mind. Week after week goes by in these days of mandated stay-at-home edicts and social distancing, and it’s all ...
Life’s completely upended in Daydreaming on the Porch
Life is so quietly surreal these days that lying here in bed tonight I wonder if I’m even truly conscious of how different everything is now, entering the fourth week of isolating myself at home ...
It’s all too real in Daydreaming on the Porch
I can’t believe I’m writing this, but the worldwide virus pandemic has really come home to Charleston. Stay at home. All but essential businesses closed. Restaurants closed. Tourists gone. ...
Spring lets the soul soar and gladdens the heart in Daydreaming on the Porch
The virus is now a pandemic, the stock market has tanked, schools are closing and were all supposed to be practicing good hand-washing routines and social distancing, which I am, as best I can. ...
Grief, love and remembrance in Daydreaming on the Porch
(My mother passed away Jan. 28 after many years of struggling with dementia and diabetes. She was 96.) “Goooood morning! Time to wake up, sleepy head.” I always reluctantly headed for Mom’s be...
Lights of Magnolia in Daydreaming on the Porch
The other night I visited the Chinese Lantern Festival at Magnolia Gardens called “Lights of Magnolia.” It was spectacular, a sensory experience that was both magical and surreal. I went with m...
The next chapter begins in Daydreaming on the Porch
It’s a strange and quiet new world since my mother passed from this life in the early morning hours of Jan. 28. I can hardly believe I’m writing this. I thought I was prepared for the day, but ...
Dementia Journal, February 2, 2020 in Daydreaming on the Porch
Mom is at rest now, her more than decade-long struggle with dementia and diabetes is over. She passed away in a deep sleep early this past Tuesday. It surprised me, and yet it didn’t. All I c...
Dementia Journal — hospital bed — January 17, 2020 in Daydreaming on the Porch
This is probably the most difficult entry to write up until now. I’ve done a lot of thinking and soul-searching but could only come up with vague ideas that didn’t deal adequately with the grav...
“Retirement,” loss of friends, and the true meaning of life in Daydreaming on the Porch
Jan. 3, 2020 It’s been 2 ½ years since I retired, and that momentous milestone was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I, of course, am far from free to do what I want since I am t...
Dementia Journal, Nov. 27, 2019 in Daydreaming on the Porch
How can I even describe what things are like now? I struggle to find the words that even begin to approximate the surreal world of advanced dementia. Not only is Mom increasingly anxious, fearf...
