78

Is upon us

Never expected

To see the day

My other half

Experiences it first

With me following

Two weeks later…

Never noticed the

Other years passing

But the bone on bone

Creaks when walking

Hair color changes

Hearing bordering deafness

Cataract removal

Children over 50

Grandchildren

Graduating college

A few falls here

And there…

An old

Year ending and

A new year beginning

one wonders

What life altering

Surprises

Will appear with

Every sunrise…

Praising God

That we get to see

Another….

Some times

Are really trying

Seeing her struggle

With each chore

Yet she continues

Til its finished…

Taking so many

Pills to keep her

Moving

Yet she smiles

And laughs through

It all…

Me crying knowing

I’m aging 24 years faster

Probably

Gone when she needs

Me most

Thank you Rye

My heart and soul

Loves you

Keep my baby

Safe and happy

With those three

Boys always

In tow…

Pain

Is aching in every beat

The heart is breaking

With each repeat

Sounds of love

Seldom slip

When days of mama

Flow off the lips

Its painful to watch

The ending days

Everyones been there

They never see

Only their ache

Do they perceive

This ache runs deep

And extremely long

As the body

Deteriorates underground

What an odd routine

For one so dear

Underground and far away

Never to be seen

Never heard

But the pain in the heart

Goes on and on…

Playing

second fiddle

Was never my chair

I’m beginning to see

You no longer hear…

I have to stop playing

It’s been over 10 years

I don’t want the spot light

But part-time anything

Just Isn’t my gig

You aren’t pulling me

Forward as I fade to the back

You’ve made your choice

Not by voice but by act

Of leaving my side…

I’ve been trying so hard

To make you see

But I’m finally realizing

It’s her

And not me..,

Life is

Coming to an end

I feel it creaking in my

Bones

Spasms in my neck

And jaw

With me daily now…

Wondering where

It will end.,.

Wondering if my

Heart and especially

My soul are ready for

The next life

Or if the fear and

Anger of this one

Will let me move on…

Most my age don’t

Have the saddness

Of a poor soul hanging

On to cause me strife

As promised…

Where are they…

That sister and brother

Of mine

Always only a call or a

Scream away since

The beginning of my time…

We’ve been apart for

Many years as we each

Began our own families

And life…

Yet their voice and

Name on my caller ID

Always brought B street

And home back to me…

Now that childhood

Memory is mine alone…

My younger sister was

Born 6 years after we

Moved…

Our separation of

Living our lives has

Cushioned the loss

But not hearing their

Voice or seeing their

Name on my caller ID

is 💔 heartbreaking…

Plastic

Not the way to go

At cemetaries

Yes, plastic flowers

Last longer

But are they placed

There for the dead

Or for the living…so that those

Driving or visiting know

You were there…

Today…clean up was

What was going on

At my favorite cemetery…

I drive passed daily

Making the dead belong

In the community still…

There was a dumpster

And all the debris

Plastic, And dead flowers

In pots were removed…

No doubt getting

Ready for the Christmas

Season right around the

Corner…

This is what cemetaries

Should be…

Activity daily

Part of the living they

Left behind…

I love to go and sit

In the Afternoon with

My Ice tea and just

Absorb the quiet

And holiness of this

Sacred ground…

I know very few buried here,

A babysitter Jill and My son’s

High school friend Meghan…

The older section has

Very few flowers ever…

As they have been here

So long that most of

Their families have passed too…

Yet the Masses and

Other activities that are

Planned here affect all…

This cemetery affects

Me more than

Any other….

24 hours…

What can happen in 24 hours?

Lets see…

My mother died about 10pm

By 11 was taken by ambulance

To the funeral home

Neighbors and aunts

Took down the Christmas tree

And light outside, mom died

Under the tree…

All family were called including

Me…

Her burial clothes were gathered

Dad made a new will as the Dr.

Didn’t think he would make

It through the night…

Being from a small town

Everyone comes to help…

By early morning our car,

Kids, dog and all were heading

Home, eight hours away

To be there even though

She was gone…

Food arrived from all over the

Valley, along with flowers

And well wishers…

When I arrived at 4pm

She was beautifully dressed in

Dark aqua…

Although pink was her color

Her hair was curled and combed

Her cheeks rouged with a

Tint of pick matching her lips

Yes it was the body and face

Of my mother laying in the

Beautiful box, but the mother

I knew was not laying there

She was hovering, I felt her

Presence but the body no

Longer contained her…

It was like the day after Christmas

When the beautiful tree and

Wrappings underneath had lost

The glow!

Seeing her was a punch to

The stomach that still hurts today

So in 17 hours

Not 24

No not even a day

My life had changed

In a way I can’t explain

And remains so today..:

Moodiness

Is hard to deal with..

Taking offense at anything

I say…

Is this something

I should worry about

The intensity has increased

His obsession with his mom

I fear for when she finally

Passes…

Heaven knows she’s not

In the best place as their

Kind of care puts her in

Jeopardy

Every three weeks…

10 lbs weight loss in

3 weeks

Continually

Two emergency hospital

Admission for severe

Dehydration

They don’t have the time

To feed her

She’s in skilled care

Not assistant living…

If he’s not there

She has little care…

My heart is

Both sad and happy today!

We had a slow leak

From our kitchen faucet

For a few weeks and didn’t

Know it!

Anyway today 36 years

Of our basement has been

Gutted and tossed in

A huge dumpster…

The dumpster is full and

Carpet and paneling

Hasn’t been removed yet…

Since I have bone on

Bone knees I don’t travel the

Steps and the leak followed

The ceiling and carpet

So it never got near the sump

Pump in the back left corner

Of the unfinished part…

We will put alarms in the

Basement when we rebuild

So this never occurs again…

No rain, no tornado

Just a leak in the 20 year

Old Faucet…And it has a lifetime

Warranty…

Great the faucet company

Is paying for the $200+ faucet…

And I’m sure our water bill

Will go down…

And my basement will be cleared

And cleaned of all problems

But 36 years of fun

Kids, parties, are gone

Gotta make sure they

Saved the pictures…

Still wonder about the treadmil

And Victrola! An original

Edison with a crank and allot of thick

Records from the early

1900… should they stay

Or should they Go???

Need an antique dealer…

At this age I never expected

To be dealing with this…

Maybe its time for us to move

On except we have two attics

And umpteen closests that store

Too much…

Time for death cleaning

As the Swedish call it!

Or getting rid of everything

That doesn’t bring me joy!!!

Like the kitchen!!!

Left handed

People must communicate

And receive communication

In a totally different way

Than right handed people…

Dealing with 2 right handed

Brothers gives me pause…

Questions take longer to

Get answered with more

Than necessary wording…

The thought process and

Delivery of the final

Answer baffles me

It has to be the difference

In the wiring in the

The brain that delivers

And processes information..

More slow with more

Thought process than

Needed…

Yes, I’m the lefty and

Require an answer quickly

And move on…

ESPN+

And comcast are driving

My RG crazy this week

At least 5 hours on the

Phone and no results…

Then while he’s out hitting

Golf balls I sit and ask

My remote to find ESPN +

And low and behold it

Clicked on…

Talking to 3 different people

With heavy accents make

It hard to understand but

As I was listening to

The girl last night I understood

She said give it time

It takes awhile to upload

After I hit subscribe…

Patience, not understanding

And electronics aren’t a big

Hit with my RG…

Around the neighborhood…

On my way to McD’s

mailboxes caught my

Eye…

A new family moved in

And took everything out

From windows to shrubs

And I’m sure the inside

Was also totally updated..

The mailbox is new nothing

Special just new..

Others in the neighborhood

Are worn, along with mine

As they have weathered

Many years with us…

Some are over the top

Others serviceable and

Some need replacing…

Some lean

Some are totally erect

Most are metal some plastic

Other are cover in wood…

They are all doing their job

Or would be replaced…

Like me

Mine needs repair

It leans, missing a couple

Shingles scratched and

The flowers around it need

Spruced up…

I guess I look passed it

Most days as its aches and

Pains mimic mine

Glad like me it’s standing

I walk to it

open it

Get the mail and standing

Another day…

The turn-signal click

Might

Over Right

Is never the way…

One should always

Err on the side that

One could be wrong…

It causes great fear

When the scream

Of being right causes

Great safety issues…

And one fearing

One safety is not

Of the greatest

Importance

Make one realize

To keep onself

Safe

and

Avoid the conflict…

Visitation of my sister…

This little piggy

Went to market

This little piggy stayed home

This little piggy had roast beef

And this little piggy had none

And this little piggy

Went we we we all the way home

I saw my toes moving

Not by my hand

And the sound of the voice

Brought back the memory

Of me in my crib

And Maury standing behind

Bars or maybe the slats of the crib

But I was in bed last night

Watching Lawrence (the last word)

When this happened

And felt something or

Someone

touching

My toes…

Was it a dream or a wonderful

Memory of childhood

With my sister

Or was she actually

Letting me know

She was ok and happy

By sharing this wonderful

Glimpse of a long forgotten

Time…

I sit

And watch as he

Cleans the kitchen…

I’m not lazy or embarrassed

To watch him do it…

I no longer cook

And haven’t since we

Retired…

He grocery shops too

Why

He loves it…

He spends more hours

In grocery stores than

On the golf course

Although spread over days…

I hate grocery shopping

Unless I’m baking…

Anyway…his cooking

Affects the whole of the

Kitchen

A simple peanut butter

Sandwich will cause him to

Touch all surfaces

So…

Cleaning up after

Is to me part of the

Cooking experience but

Not mine!!!

Unique one

This time he

Saw an ant on counter

Sprayed repellant in his eye

So got the sprayer

from the sink

And sprayed his eyes

Now the oven

And micro

Won’t work…

So I get pulled out

Of bed at 8 am

To fix…

I come down water dripping

Off Cupboards

Obviously the

Stove wall

Etc. are soaked

Including outlet box…

It has to dry out

Before it will work…

Just another early

Morning with my

Retired Groom…

When your

Older sister passes

You begin to realize

The days dwindle down

To a precious few…

realizing that

The time clock is now

Ticking in your pocket…

You’ve gone from

Being the youngest

To the middle

Now to the oldest

the next in line…

Which is fine

As these days

Dwindle to a prescious

Few…June, July……………

But I’m going to see

Leanne Morgan

In Fishers first…

We lived

With my grandpa

All of our youth

And he was always

The peace maker

Between sisters..

My sister had a large

Collection of vintage

period Dolls and

Our great- grandmother

Crochet beautiful

Outfits for some…

When Maury cleaned

Our room every Saturday

She would put out different

Dolls to depict the season, holiday

Month or color…

I loved the dolls but wasn’t

Allowed to touch them

According to my sister…

But when Maury was at school

And mom got sick of trying

To keep a 4/5 year old entertained

She would say go play with

The dolls in your bedroom

Closet…

When Maury got home she

Would find the dolls out of

Their boxes on the floor and

In various disarray of

Undress…

She would’ve

Run screaming to mom

At what I had done…

Mom would just say…

To take me upstairs and show

Me how to redress them and put

Them in the boxes and put

Them away…

Upon coming home from

Work my grandpa

Heard his HoneyGirl ( Maury)

Upset and crying and Me his

(Honey Bunch) being berated

And threatened…

Grandpa sat on the floor and

Helped Maury get all the

Dolls back together and put away

And told her that on Saturday

He would show her how

To solved the problem…

By the end of the weekend

Only the few dolls that decorated

Our dresser that I couldn’t reach

Were visible…

I could never figure out where

She hid them… there must

Have been 30/40 altogether…

One night when I was older

Maury told me that she and

Grandpa took his hats out of the

Hat boxes and keep all the dolls

In there on his higher shelves…

Out of sight out of mind…

And he bought me a Betsy wetsy

Doll that I loved…

Maury said they never told

Mom where the dolls were

As she didn’t honor Maury’s

Ownership and the care she

Gave to the dolls…

I’m sure grandpa told mom

But she never let on…

I looked everywhere

For those dolls but

Finally lost interest!!!

Yep Grandpa always had the

Best ways to keep peace and

Always had candy and cupcakes

To quiet the yelling…

Saturday

Nights were always

Date night

Once my sister

Met Tom, she

Always managed to

Talk mom into a new

Outfit…

So when Tom picked her

Up I hurried and put

On the new outfit from

The weekend before…

I was about 15

When I walked into

The kitchen in her outfit…

Mom would just say

Make sure you get home

Before her and hang

It up in the right order…

My curfew was much

Earlier than her’s

Plus she never

Made a curfew…Never

I sit here

Again tonight

Wondering if you’re

Okay…

If all we believe is true

Hoping you can

Let me know your ok

Happy and with Tom,

Mom and Dad and Billy…

For 77 years I’ve known

Where you were

And could call you at

Any moment…

The torment of not

Knowing is an act of Faith

I’ve been taught to believe

But right now

Not being able to reach

You is gut wrenching…

I’m so scared

Worrying that you might be too…

Faith is a scary thing

For me…I believe

But I’m scared

You never were

Never doubted and

Were ready…

Help me find the

Peace that I know

You have…

Freckles

Brought me to tears today

As I sat in line waiting

For my chicken sandwich

At Bueno…

Looking at the age spots

On my arm remembering

How my sister growing

Up hated the freckles

She had on her alabaster

Skin enhanced by her

Strawberry blond hair

I loved her freckles

I had none she therefore

Deduced I must have been

Adopted teasing me

Constantly…

When she went to college

She became our sunburn

Queen scorching her skin

Into the color of a red lobster

Thinking the freckles would

Disappear or fade to Tan…

As time moved forward

My sister Turned into

A beautiful swan…

She always kept her beautiful

Shape and sprayed silver

Into her hair to change

The strawberry to Platinum

Found make-up

And was soon voted the best

Dressed at college…

I continued on with my

Tan skin and dishwater blonde

Hair and she finally admitted

As she became a 3rd grade

School teacher that

I wasn’t adopted…

Today

I’m praying that planet

Heaven is alot bigger

Than Planet earth

And my sister is not

In a waiting room…

I also hope they need an

Organist because she

Was the best…

Her feet would move

The wooden peddels

Underneath as fast

As her fingers would

Play the 3 and 4 levels

Of the organ

At Sacred Heart Church…

I had a birds eye view

Since I would sit in the

Balcony after school

As she practiced…

In 2nd grade I became

Part of the choir

And sang As she played

For the next 5 years…

For most of the time

I remember her stawberry

blonde sausage curls

Bounce and sway to

The loud and majestical

Music she performed

Under a little caplet veil

Bobbie pinned to her hair

As the head had to be covered

In church in those days…

She was a stickler for rules

And would put a piece of

Kleenex under my headband

In compliance..

On the way home from

Practice we would stop

At the convent that sat

A few blocks over from the

Church and a few blocks down

From our house to get any

Last instructions from

Sister Charles on any new

Music for weekend masses…

Sister always had new sheet

Music for Margy as sister

Liked to call her

And Maury would always

Sit down at Sister’s baby grand

And play the new song

Then she would take it

Home and memorize

It before bedtime…

Our grandpa was an Irish

Tenor and would sing as she

Played and then he would finish

Supper dishes so she could

Keep playing…

She never seemed to

Tire of playing…

I used to go to sleep

To her music and then

Wake to it if she had a

Recital that day…

She always had recitals

We traveled all over the

Diocese on the weekends

With a penguin or two

In the back seat with Maury…

Billy played too but never

Loved it like she did…

I did too but my passion

Just didn’t like the discipline…

She going

peaceful

And painless as she wants…

Hospice and her kids

Are there

She’s sleeping more and

Eating little

Fading away

In her home she has shared

With her husband and

Kids for 57 years..,

Birthday tomorrow 6/21/42

83 is a long life

18 without Tom

The crush of her life…

I’m sad but prepared

Aging changes hope

Into reality

at some point we all

Go…ashes to ashes…

What are they doing…

My father would ask

Sitting there all alone

Either withering

Or artificial…

They only serve to

Make the placer feel better

And are a show piece

That they were there…

Whether delivered by guilt

Or love is never really the point

You can knock but no one

Answers…

You can talk but again

No one speaks

You come to find answers

You’ll never get or

Never hear…

Why?

They aren’t there…

Find

Doing any improvements

In our home over the

Last 20 years has been

A nightmare…

A kitchen redo

Took 1 1/2 years including

Fraud…

Then new siding and

A new roof taking half

A year because the insurance

Company hired a bad

Couple of contractors…

Now family room

carpet…

A month of having our

Home upset as the carpet

Has stain and lines of

Darker colors making

The carpet looks like the old

Carpet we pulled up

Hoping this gets settled soon…

This aging process

Is driving me crazy

My RG

Speaks everything he thinks

And does outloud

Making my thoughts

Intertwine with his

Constant updates

On Medicine, Trump,

Mulch, Treasury bonds

Food, grams uti’s,

Home a half hour

Car parts, Kureg and all

His phone calls and I’ve been

Up an hour

Now “did I take my meds

And what was I doing, did

I pay Nationwide…

He is using my memory

To keep himself going

As he’s using up my mind

To back up his…

I need ear plugs

Not hearing aides….

Belief

It’s hard to believe

All I’ve said

It’s hard for me to..

To have said it

I should have called

This all out when it occurred

But never thought

You’d believe

There’s even more…

And tonight I feel you don’t…

No one has caused me more

Harm, hurt and humiliation

And I know no-one

is on my side other than

The 4 who have lived it

With me…

This type of love is not

What I was brought up on…

Tonight I feel alone

And while your head

Hurts my heart is dying

With the love I thought

I had…

But guess never did…

Importance

To go first

Is something to wonder

When the time spent

These last 10 years

Were split

During a time

Meant for

who…

Being alone

Is a learned habit

From being left

So many times…

Giving one space

Has not given the other

The required acknowledgement

Needed to continue…

always waiting

Waiting now to go home

Intime for golf tomorrow

Not for me today…

Importance is always

One way

Never flowing in the other

Direction…

The one track mind

Drives me crazy…

We’re never on the same track

Wondering if we’re

Even going in the same

Direction…

Our conversations

Boggle my train of thought

As we are both

Wondering what the other

Is saying…

Think the trains of thoughts

Just can never jump the tracks

Or travel at the same time

Line or speed…

These trains need

Tune ups or

Are becoming obsolete…:

I’m not crazy about

March Days

In this area…

Mostly grey and cold

Making the landscape

Look dreary and old…

Every piece of junk

Around a home makes

The outside

Look messy and unkempt…

As I take small rides around

To get a glimpse of of what’s new

But not today

It’s…

just too darn dreary and blue…

He’s a great cook

But enter the kitchen

While his masterpieces

Are coming together

Is something you do

At your own risk!

I stay out…totally away

And if kitchen

Looks like a bomb exploded

I don’t eat what looks so good

For fear he thinks I’m

An explosive engineer and

Cleanup organization…

I retired long ago

And will head to Bueno Beef

For a grilled chicken

Sandwich rather than

Feel obligated to clean up the

Mess and all the grease

Like I always did in our

Youthful days…

Funny how living together

Through old age

Has turn the tables…

It’s hard

Communicating with others

As you begin to age

Needing help

Yet not wanting to accept

Or ask…

Things I no longer

Want to do or even can do

Work on my mind daily…

Then things hubby wants

Me to do bug me more…

As my time ticks down

My thoughts go into

Dismal places as to what lies ahead

For me…

Gone a month…

Left to simmer on back burner

Never put first and foremost

Not even for the first hour home…

Life is important

Drowning in remnants of

Bits of time make for a sad life…

Someone else calls

Who gets the boot

One starts to feel unneeded,

Unwanted, in the way…

Other’s birthdays so important

This one not so much

The heart gets heavy

The heart slows down

Wondering who will go first

And will this one be missed…

The test today

Did not go well…

Because of my coughing

They had to stop

As my numbers

Plummeted and soared…

BP over 200

Oxygen 0

I think the tight strap around my

Necked that wasn’t explained

But just strapped around

By male nurse

Before proceeding

Elevated me into panic…

And my body went to flight

Or fight mode shutting down

My airway…

Sounds like the Jaw thrust

Had to be used for 4 minutes

To get an airway opened…

Explains welts on neck and

Swelling and pain as if dealing

With swollen glands…

Happiness

And sadness resides in my heart

One feels so good

The other…

Tears me apart….

My daughter’s test was good

My best friend’s

Not…

God is my go to

I’m giving this to Him

To keep my heart beating

With Good News

And holding it all in His Hands

So the bad news

Resolves

With His Will

In His time…