Frogs

Flower

Behold, this glorious flower.

Picture copyright 2019, Mediocria Firma. All rights reserved. 

Used with gratitude.

What If

Herself speaks.

One of my Facebook friends posted this article from the Washington Post today: "Lifestyle guru B. Smith has Alzheimer's. Her Husband has a girlfriend. Her fans aren't having it."

I did not read the whole article and thus can't comment on that particular situation. If we put the heartbreak (and the economics) of the situation aside, it's an interesting philosophical exercise, to contemplate what one would want in such a difficult situation.

I will say: I have, on multiple occasions, told my friends and colleagues to please find my husband a new wife if I die. By extension, with all things considered, if I were afflicted with a memory-devastating disease like Alzheimer's, I would also want my husband to have the companionship that I would no longer be able to provide. I have faith that he would ensure that my medical and emotional needs, whatever they might be in such a situation, would be met; and I would want him to have the support he would need.

Is that idealistic? Perhaps. I have the luxury of hoping I could be magnanimous in this way. I do hope, though, that it never comes to that. 

Aging: not for the faint of heart.

Picture copyright 2019, Mediocria Firma. All rights reserved. 

Used with gratitude.

Leaf

Herself speaks.

This past weekend I went to visit Cherished Friend in his corner of this desert land. It is always a pleasure to spend time with him; his company is like rainfall on creosote bushes. It was a much welcome respite from Work and Responsibilities and Everything.

Saturday, we spent time in a picturesque botanical garden. We have visited this place before, and as we walked, I remembered the moments from the photographs he took last time -- there was a bird on this stone statue; there was a spiderweb there; there were butterflies in the path just here. Strange, how the location spurred all those minuscule memories.

I sat briefly on a park bench to look at some purple leaves, that interestingly turned out to be a low-growing ground cover. Then I spotted a well-formed leaf. I picked it up and thought about summer camp eons ago, when I learned how to identify trees by their bark and shape of their leaves. A campfire song popped into my head, and I found myself humming it.

So many things that I thought were lost to the sands of time, resurfacing in that quiet garden.

It was lovely. 

Sunset

Offspring the Third goes out into the desert specifically to capture the sunsets. And seeing his photos, I understand why. 

Photo Copyright 2019, Offspring the Third

Used With Gratitude. All rights reserved.

Mountains

It looks almost like a painting.

Photo Copyright 2019, Offspring the Third

Used With Gratitude. All rights reserved.

Caterpillar

Chain-link fence. Prickly bug.

Photo Copyright 2018, 2019, Offspring the Third

Used With Gratitude. All rights reserved.