Tag Archives: about me

Part 77. Been There, Done That

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It has been almost a year since my mother was brought back to her hometown, New York City. She has spent many of the subsequent months adjusting emotionally and physically. She spent about four of those months of adjustment ill and she always manages to make a comeback. She’s been been through a bunch of aides and is currently in transition again. This is the first time since March of 2013 that she hasn’t had twenty-four hour care. Paying for someone for round the clock care has depleted her of almost a whole life-time of her savings and her funds … Continue reading →

Back To the Future For Me

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  I thought I’d stop by between migraines and visits to doctors. I had check-ups and annuals from head to toe, a visit for virtually every body part over the last week, plus a tweak at the orthodontist; the week ended at the office of a new acupuncturist.   I spent two visits over two days at an ear, nose and throat specialist who specializes in vertigo at the request of my internist. After hours at Dr. S’s office including a full battery of tests (the final one launched an ocular migraine) the diagnosis was: “everything is normal.” Never mind … Continue reading →

Carry On

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Next stop on the migraine trail was, at the recommendation of the neurologist, a visit to an opthal-neurologist who declared my optic nerves were fine. He was a busy doctor of stature, serious, maybe too serious. I wanted him to smile, to make light of it all, to tell me he had the key. He didn’t. No smile, no key. A healthy optic nerve is a good thing, we know that. So the migraine story continues and hits the wall. There are two kinds of ocular migraines going on and there is from what I can see, read, learn about: … Continue reading →

1964, When All Was Fair

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    Welcome to the past: The fiftieth anniversary of the World’s Fair is the background for memories that I will share in a subsequent post. I was a High School student at the time, and the 1964 World’s Fair, housed in Flushing Meadows Park in Queens, was the thrill of every visitor. The fair’s theme was “Peace Through Understanding,” its icon was a 12-story steel model of the Earth called the “Unisphere,” and it ran for two six-month seasons, April 22 – October 18, 1964 and April 21 – October 17, 1965. Admission price for adults (13 and older) … Continue reading →

C is for … oh so corny

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  C is for cat, who is still at the vet … he’s “agent orange,” a mighty fine pet C is for cancer, it took poor Play’s leg  … now an infection keeps him in bed C is for carrots, they go in the juice … with six pounds of other stuff you can really get sluiced   C is for Christmas cactus, it bloomed on November 5th, right on my birthday … I’d say that’s a gift!   C is for carnations, chrysanthemums, too, in a big bouquet … my loved ones said, “these are for you.”   C … Continue reading →

Part 20. Thoughts on Breast Cancer: A Mere Trip to Italy

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This morning as I was dressing, I chose jewelry that I hadn’t worn in a while. I am partial to dichroic glass, I love its depth and variety of color and “inner” texture and the smoothness of its surface is calming. As I put on the pin and earrings you see above I realized that my mind had been working in its own subconscious right. After fastening the pin, my mind traveled back to the day I bought it. Sunday September 19, 2004. It was brilliantly clear as it is today; the sky was blue, there was a touch of … Continue reading →

410. A bleary-eyed update: angels among us

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I have been home for less than a week and have some nice things to report; things are falling into place. I was able to set things in motion while in Florida with mom and from here at home. My phone has been glued to my head since Tuesday. Mom and me in front of our building in NYC photo by dad Mom was transferred to the assisted living facility on Friday. I truly believe that if she had to stay in the lousy rehab much longer she might have died; it was that depressing. The food was that awful … Continue reading →

409. My mother, my child; a Grundig radio and a Singer sewing machine

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I’m back…too tired to talk…got a lot done but it was endless running and I didn’t even have that much time to spend with my mother as so much had to be done and resolved. First as you know, before I even went down, mother’s money was stolen. The next day her clothes were missing (they were found after I screamed). The last straw was Sunday morning before 8 a.m. when the phone rang (I was just getting up after not having slept for 3 days and a nurse told me of a mishap: my mother’s partial dentures were tossed … Continue reading →

372. Something to share: the editor’s critique of submitted manuscript

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I wanted to tell my friends who have been following me: My manuscript submission was reviewed by an editor, just a once over, and I was sent a critique. Suggestions were made that I can use or not. I will probably take heed. Most are about organization, and a few mechanical tweaks. But the main thing is the manuscript was favorably reviewed. Here are a few comments:       Comments: The author establishes a strong voice in these poems, so much so that it’s clear when a poem is in the voice of a character, like “Love: Lost and … Continue reading →

377. NYC Photo Journal: A visit to Katz’s: Send a salami to your boy in the army OR I’ll have what she’s having

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After our visit to the new High Line park last week, we ended the day perfectly; got back in the car and went from the Lower West Side of Manhattan to the Lower East Side of Manhattan. This was the area where many immigrants (Jews, Irish, Italians) began their life in America. They found themselves living in cramped railroad-flat tenements with little air or light, but lots of street life. They shopped form pushcarts below, children played in the streets. When they had the money they moved “uptown” or left Manhattan for The Bronx or Brooklyn. [photos can be viewed … Continue reading →

376. NYC Photo Journal: The High Line: abandoned rail in the sky becomes a park–a little poetry for Wed

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Welcome back to New York City; here’s what’s happening: the first section of the High Line park has opened this week. In the 1930’s an elevated freight rail cut through parts of New York City’s west side as part of the manufacturing industry’s method of getting raw materials from factories and taking the finished products to their destinations. From the brochure:”The High Line delivered meat, milk, produce and raw and manufactured goods into upper floor loading docks of factories and warehouses. The last train ran on the High Line in 1980, carrying a trainload of turkeys.” The High Line sat … Continue reading →

423. Friday Fixations: On mothers, cats, books, and Loretta Young

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Some of the great people I am connected to have asked how things are going, so here is a synopsis. And a warm thank you to my Multiply mavens who have been kind and generous in comments and personal messages. I may never meet you in person, but your spirits are real and uplifting. Some thoughts: Mom: I took out this photo and thought: Would this lovely young woman ever imagine whether she would live to be ninety-one years of age? She is now as good as ever, no live-in help. Loves her new place in the assisted living. I … Continue reading →

377. NYC Photo Journal: A visit to Katz’s: Send a salami to your boy in the army OR I’ll have what she’s having

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After our visit to the new High Line park last week, we ended the day perfectly; got back in the car and went from the Lower West Side of Manhattan to the Lower East Side of Manhattan. This was the area where many immigrants (Jews, Irish, Italians) began their life in America. They found themselves living in cramped railroad-flat tenements with little air or light, but lots of street life. They shopped form pushcarts below, children played in the streets. When they had the money they moved “uptown” or left Manhattan for The Bronx or Brooklyn. [photos can be viewed … Continue reading →

376. NYC Photo Journal: The High Line: abandoned rail in the sky becomes a park–a little poetry for Wed.

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Welcome back to New York City; here’s what’s happening: the first section of the High Line park has opened this week. In the 1930’s an elevated freight rail cut through parts of New York City’s west side as part of the manufacturing industry’s method of getting raw materials from factories and taking the finished products to their destinations. From the brochure:”The High Line delivered meat, milk, produce and raw and manufactured goods into upper floor loading docks of factories and warehouses. The last train ran on the High Line in 1980, carrying a trainload of turkeys.” The High Line sat … Continue reading →

435. “The Clock Downstairs Was Striking Four, I Couldn’t Get You Off My Mind…”

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Is it backlash stress? Is it the change of seasons; do I have to take my S.A.D. lamp off the shelf pronto? Maybe it’s the change of me. The last few months I have been having trouble getting to sleep, then staying asleep. The mind chatter just keeps going on and on and on….stuff. Nonsense. Not nonsense. People. Unresolved issues. The state of affairs on a large and small scale. Replace the dishwasher? Call the elder lawyer? Does the cat need to go to the vet? Why are some people the way they are? Disappointments. Why can’t I find peace? … Continue reading →

428. Car Tawk: from nostalgia to shake, rattle, and roll. My life with cars.

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I just sat down to the computer after finishing what seemed like a million chores and errands. I have a lot of work to do, a real lot— hours of manuscript review. So, while I procrastinate, because I really, I mean really can’t face sitting here for hours with this pile on my desk, my car came to mind. This is just about the first anniversary of my car, which was a well researched and happily received milestone birthday present. Even if I know what I want, I belabor the issue and beat it until it is horse paté. It … Continue reading →

83. Well, That Stinks!

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I was ready to sit down and start my blog; I knew what I was going to write about and I was preparing my accoutrements—music and visuals, when I clicked on Photoshop; it started to load, and then—nothing. I repeated the steps. Nothing. I got error messages indicating that Microsoft would inform me as soon as a solution to the problem was found.Not good enough.The program worked yesterday, and it was hiccupping as it was loading fonts. I tried to install the program again and was unable to. Well, that stinks! The computer is 5 months old and Vista, the … Continue reading →

30. It’s Automatic: NY Phenomenon: Fun Fast Food

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One of my fondest memories of growing up on East 14th Street in Manhattan was the Horn & Hardart, Automat, near Union Square. My mother would take me on the Avenue B bus for a 10 minute ride, and the excitement would build. We’d often go shopping first at S. Klein on the Square, where one could find bargains galore; great stuff and everything at low prices. After some heavy shopping, we’d round the corner and pop into the Automat. It was a chain that started in Philadelphia by Joseph Horn and Frank Hardart, and became most popular in New … Continue reading →

24. Part I: In A New York Minute: Underground Birthday

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    The way it used to look: Thoughts pull me back to my New York subway days. New York City is a public transportation town unless you live in the borough of Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island or the Bronx, where there is more breathing room and a place to park. I lived in The Bronx for the 7 years I was married to my first husband; it was hishim.It was a long commute for me to get to Manhattan to get to college, and later to get to work. Buses, trains, transfers, pushing, crowds.This particular train line, the (fitting … Continue reading →

Part 10a On a Formerly Feral Feline Family and the C Word

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original post 4/7/07/Yahoo Last night at a Passover seder, I was greeted by a dog. It came bounding down the hallway of the apartment building, barking, bonking, raising one helluva reverberating racket. I had made its acquaintance last year, and most likely it didn’t remember me; barking, bonking and raising one helluva racket is what dogs do. All night long, I thought my hostess’s father was playing footsie with me, but it turned out to be the dog. The dog, kept time with its tail knocking against the table as we read the Haggadah. The cat, on the other hand, … Continue reading →