Well, friends, it has been quiet, strangely quiet and my mother has been back to her previous, more stable “old-self.” I was on the phone less and basking in the knowledge that things seemed to be going smoothly, that the supplier of Ensure took it upon itself to trust that my mother’s benefits were reinstated and they sent over three boxes, reinforcing me to believe that all was cool.

So, I began to relax and trust in the Universe. I got very involved in my monthly iPhotography group, Macro, and, I began preparing a workshop I will be giving with a partner for the group in June; it is a lot of work but will be fascinating–I hope–to the 120-ish members of our group on facebook (which has turned out to be a great venue for groups despite all the hoopla lately on privacy.)

These photos were taken with the iPhone 8+ and the Moment Macro Lens

The elements in this collage include:

• b/w carnation with water droplets
• rose with water droplets
• golden glow orchid bud with water droplets
• an aphid with 2 larvae and 2 eggs
• tiny succulent detail
• African violet bud
• top of a tomato
• top of “Bishop’s Hat” succulent

The elements in this collage include:

• pignoli cookie (thanks to my neighbor)
• center of a jeweled mandala
• newsprint
• bracelet charm of little cat in a dust bin
• seashell
• ring
• Himalayan sea salt

On a lovely day this past weekend, Saturday was Spring. I did some digging in the dirt and yanked out an old tomato plant. Up came a surprise: Sheldon! I took my new friend inside for a bath to de-schmutz him and as he warmed up he poked his head out for a photo-shoot. After crawling over the table, leaving a little slime trail and poking at a lettuce leaf, I returned Sheldon, the Escargot, back to a flower pot and subsequently hoped he survived a rain storm. Funny how we can get attached to little living things, and how macro photography opens a new world.

The following is my Sheldon Collage. The upper left corner shows how small the little guy is.

I’ve also been spending time on Ancestry.com and constructing a family arboretum and researching cousins through DNA. It is a fascinating process if not overwhelming; I found three second cousins, the children of my first cousin. Then there are lists of third cousins to eighth cousins, but it is not so easy to make contact as many folks are not accessible or responsive. I did find a first cousin whom I hadn’t spoken to since childhood, via facebook and he shared some super family photos which are bittersweet.

Two cousins, my grandfather and me, the oldest grandchild, of a family that would grow to ten grandkids.

Brooklyn, New York ca. 1953

I spent a few afternoons in museums, I’ve been generally diverted. And then, the phone rang today: it was my mother, informing me that there was a ton of mail to be picked up. I had the aide open a few envelopes and the upshot was that my mother was being informed that the papers that were submitted by her managed care in mid-February, papers that were allegedly deemed insufficient that I scurried to resubmit, knowing that Medicaid already had EVERYTHING needed on file to re-certify my mother, papers that delayed her nutritional supplements but that were supposedly going to be reinstated in forty-five days—meaning NOW, were … DENIED. Her services that she has been getting for several years have been denied. And stuffed in with the form letter were the instructions for applying for a fair hearing.

I have been down this road before, skipping over the rocky pavement, the ruts, the cracks, treading the sidewalk to nowhere, for years. Why should this round be any different?

Back to the future we go. Back to the rocky road and the ineptitude of agencies that can drive you mad. And that’s what they want: they want you to give up and go away. And that’s how the poor are treated.

My mom is one hundred years old. I feel like I am following close behind.

This series starts here:
Part 1: And The Band Played On … a mother’s life, a daughter’s journey

The previous post is here

The next post is here