Writing

 I once thought that writing was a painful process.  When the first day of school came around and I was old enough to realize that the first assignment of the year would be the inevitable “What I Did This Summer,” I would dread it. I just didn’t like to write about what the teacher assigned.  If I had to go through the process of writing I wanted to choose my own topic. Mostly I didn’t want to go through the process of writing. I didn’t want to do it especially if we had to go back and edit the outcome of this painful process. That would mean one had to actually read what one had written! Ugh!

I have no idea what it was that made this so painful. When I could write about what I wanted to write about I found it to be pretty interesting.  I especially liked research and writing. 

Then I became a teacher and received my certification which boldly stated that I could teach Music K-12, Foreign Language, and Language Arts. Language Arts! Please, I pray you, any administrator that sees this don’t see the part about Language Arts. Then came the assignment, this year you will be teaching Advanced Language Arts! Well it was only one class per day. I could probably live through it. After all,

Mrs. Robert Brydon in full bloom

gifted kids who would be in the class (because I had an additional endorsement for the education of the gifted and talented) are pretty verbal, naturally. However, the pretty verbal kids, it turned out, didn’t like writing any better than I did at that age. They also really didn’t like editing. Many of them who had not attended the Challenge Center (Sioux Falls elementary school for highly gifted kids) had sort of coasted through school and editing was work. Middle school students seem to have some sort of aversion to work for the most part.

What to do?  I thought back to my days in what was then junior high school and to my own thoughts about writing at that age. So, my first assignment was not to write about “What I Did Last Summer,” but to write about something.  What came forth was very interesting. Fantasy pieces, favorite pop artists, time with grandparents, the variety was incredible. And the writing was really quite good. When told that there was a possibility of having their worked published they didn’t seem to mind editing.  In other words, and it’s about time I got to that point, as long as the writing was theirs it meant something. I learned a lot about the students and they hopefully learned to enjoy writing.

In my email this week was this meditation from Henri Nouwen:

“Writing is a process in which we discover what lives in us. The writing itself reveals to us what is alive in us. The deepest satisfaction of writing is precisely that it opens up new spaces within us of which we were not aware before we started to write. To write is to embark on a journey whose final destination we do not know. Thus, writing requires a real act of trust. We have to say to ourselves: ‘I do not yet know what I carry in my heart, but I trust that it will emerge as I write.’ Writing is like giving away the few loaves and fishes one has, trusting that they will multiply in the giving. Once we dare to “give away” on paper the few thoughts that come to us, we start discovering how much is hidden underneath these thoughts and gradually come in touch with our own riches.”

It has been a good week. I’ve felt really well and have met my exercise goals. I’m ready for another week of chemo.

It turns out that the Parks and Rec department doesn’t know how to count! There are actually 83 parks on their list and as of today I have visited 78! 

The Spray Park

I discovered I’d missed a park in the “north end” of Sioux Falls in the area called Riverside. It is an area of small houses, may of them rentals, and the school in that area has been known as a “tough” school.  Those who teach there, on the other hand, love the children and would do anything for them including buying clothes, seeing to it that they have food to eat. They wouldn’t teach any other place. Just a few blocks from the school there is a park with a rather curious name of Monsor-Pioneer Park.  More intrigued by the name than anything else I went to see it.  It was more heavily populated than any park I’ve visited. There were lots of children and their parents enjoying the day.  Why? There is a spray park. Since all the public pools are closed for the summer due to Covid 19, the spray park was a great attraction on a 90+º day.

The historical marker satisfied my curiosity over the name.  Monsor was a Lebanese immigrant who set up a grocery business in Sioux Falls.  It was what we might refer to as a Mom and Pop store.  It was in the Riverside neighborhood which most businesses would choose to ignore. Near the beginning of the 20th century there was a wind storm which totally destroyed Mr. Monsor’s little store and scattered groceries hither and yon. Mr. Monsor was known as a very kind person, buying birthday presents for children who would come to his store, providing food for families in need, often selling groceries on a hand shake. The neighborhood got together and rebuilt his store with donated labor and scrounged supplies. He continued in business and when he died he left what he had to the neighborhood. So, this park which was christened Pioneer Park had his name added to the title at the request of the neighborhood.  Nice!

Late August and Mrs. Robert Brydon has come into her own full glory. She is a bush clematis that is bent on taking over the neighborhood. She has to be kept in tow through the growing season.  This time of year she is in full bloom with a mountain of tiny blue flowers adored by the bees and butterflies. It’s a sight to see.

Thanks for reading, and your thoughts and prayers.

I’ll write to you next week, I promise.

Some days it's too hot to even roll over!

Tomorrow is Sunday!

That we have schools in the Harrisburg District within the Sioux Falls city limits is one of the results of the growth of the city. School district boundaries and city limits seldom coincide.  School districts receive the bulk of their operating funds from property taxes in South Dakota. The result of the city growth is that the districts surrounding Sioux Falls are doing quite well. As new developments are being built, they are generally (not always) involving larger houses on larger lots and in many cases are more costly. Hence, the tax base rises. Harrisburg is the fastest growing school district in the state and that is because Sioux Falls is the fastest growing city in the state. Sioux Falls can annex property but they can’t change the school district boundaries. So it happens that there are seven different school districts within the city limits of Sioux Falls.

 I think I’ve mentioned before that my Sunday’s have become a marathon of how many church services I can attend and how many sermons I can critique in one day. There is a kind of limit my mind has and it goes into shut-down mode after so many. I do think it’s wonderful that so many churches are streaming their services. Not only can one usually find their “home” church and tune in to stay in touch. We can also go to far off places and experience how others worship. Rather than being “quarantined” we have a whole new world opened up for us. Yes, we miss our own community and the sight and touch of the people there but our world has opened up to us so much more. So there is good and there is bad all in the same pandemic.

Beautiful morning sky

The week has gone well.  The antibiotic that was prescribed has done its job and the skin around the port is no longer inflamed.  Hopefully it will stay that way and can be used again in a week’s time. 

Friend Marty came over to weed on Monday while I was out and when I returned I got to announce triumphantly that I had done battle with Aflac and prevailed!  That victory was affirmed today by the arrival of a check!  I send in quite a pile of papers every few months so I can be reimbursed through my cancer insurance. I know it’s a lot to go through so I check carefully to make sure nothing was missed. I did find that I was reimbursed for one infusion in May but not the other four. I resubmitted that bill and received a notice that my appeal was denied because Aflac had already paid. So, papers in hand, I went to the Aflac office here and spoke with a real, live person. She agreed with me, called some main office and assured me I would receive a check and I did!

The amaryllis have faded and are just lonely stalks with drooping, dry, brown flower petals atop.  It’s sad to see them go.  They are here so briefly but bring such beauty for the short time they are in bloom. Their coming and going is like so many of our relatives, friends, acquaintances that are no longer here. Many brought such beauty into our lives it would have been lovely if they could have stayed forever. Alas, it is not to be.

The “visiting the parks” project has gone well.  I am now up to 71 out of 80. That means I visited 15 parks in the last week.  Some I’ve known about forever. Some are totally new to me.  One park visited today was Platinum Valley Park. I had no clue whatsoever that we had a Platinum Valley in Sioux Falls, but we do and I now know where it is. The park is rather nice with some extensive walking paths all lit artificially.  I do believe there are more lights on that path than there are street lights in three square blocks in my neighborhood. The park is adjacent to one of the elementary schools in the Harrisburg District. They have already started school. The Sioux Falls District will begin next week. There have been COVID cases already reported which involve members of football teams already practicing. I pray that the children and teachers will be safe, somehow.

"If I recline under the glass-topped 
table, I can rest while my beauty is
being admired."

Aside from victory over Aflac the rest of the week has been mostly uneventful. I’ve been busy but I’m not at all sure what the busyness was all about. The days have been warm, some really hot, but the evenings have cooled off. It is such a pleasure to be able to sleep with the windows open. It is a pleasure, that is, until the train passes through!

Thank you for reading, for your thoughts and prayers and good wishes and for being. Without you none of us is complete.

It’s Amaryllis Time, Again

 

Some of the 2020 crop.

I remembered posting a picture of the amaryllis in my front garden sometime towards the end of last summer so I went back to look at past blogs.  I was kind of surprised to find out that this particular pilgrimage began just one year ago yesterday when I received my first infusion of chemotherapy. 

I remember that the oncologist broke the news to me of my cancerous condition and told me that without treatment I would no longer be present on this earth in 3 to 5 months. I chose the treatment option and here I am 1 year later hardly the worse for wear.  It is not only the drugs that have made this possible but all of your prayers, good wishes, and moral support that has helped me along. With all of that I look forward to each new day and what it will bring into my life.

Given to me by my Parish several years 
ago. It's been on my deck since I 
received it.

Now those amaryllis in the front garden will remind me each year of a life-saving event. Though they appear to have died in the spring when their leaves turn all brown and beg to be trimmed back, every mid-August they send up their long stems and bloom profusely.  An old, dear friend would refer to them as madonna lilies. That’s an interesting title since we are celebrating the major feast of Saint Mary the Virgin today. It’s lovely to have that reminder each year.

My week of chemotherapy has gone well.  Wednesday the nurse was nervous about using my port because it appeared inflamed again. She contacted the doctor who, after a few delayed communications, agreed with her and ordered an IV instead. So I had to have that inserted daily for the rest of the week.  The port is more comfortable because one can use both arms. The IV disables one arm for the duration. Putting on headphones must be a true comedy act accomplishing it with one hand and arm. An antibiotic has been added to my menu in order to clear up the infection, if there is one.  If it’s not that then further study will be needed to find out what is triggering the allergic reaction. Given the side effects many have whilst enduring chemotherapy this is really, really minor.

The park visitation score is up to 57 out of 80.  I do have to admit that I am experiencing parts of the city I did not even know we had! Navigation in the car is invaluable when one is in totally foreign territory and hasn’t a clue as to pinpointing the location.

Reading the historical markers in several of the parks has been very interesting.  I’m very happy the County Historical Foundation has put these up.  Today I learned about a journey some Native Americans made from the Niobrara finally ending up in the Flandreau vicinity.  One very aged lady had walked 90 miles in a few days and could finally go no further.  She froze to death during a blizzard in what is now the Hayward Area of Sioux Falls.  

From this vantage point Sophia
manages the goings on in 
the front garden.

I also learned that the part of the city known as West Sioux Falls was the creation of the first president of the University of Sioux Falls who bought the land in hopes of selling lots to home builders. He then used the profits to help out the ailing institution which was strapped for funds. A few of the first buildings including Beulah Baptist Church are still standing 100+ years later.

Last Sunday evening as the trash bin was being hauled to curbside in preparation for Monday’s collection there was a very loud crash. It turned out that one part of the two-trunk tree at the back of a neighbor’s property decided to not stand up anymore.  In its progress toward earth it took out a part of the neighbor’s fence and ended up with its topmost branches on the deck of the group home next to their back garden. Excitement in the neighborhood that was not gunshots for a change. Ufda!

That’s about all that’s gone on around here for this week.  Again, I am grateful for all you do for me.  Thank you.

Is It Really August?

The first week of August is drawing to a close. This week we had two nights when the temp sank to the lower 50s. It’s almost unbelievable for that to happen in the heat of summer. It was however pleasant. The air-conditioning didn’t even come on for three and half days. Having the windows open is very pleasant.

View from upper Sherman Park

The time passed swiftly. My park visitations increased so that I am now up to 51 out of 80 visited.  Some parks I’ve visited before but it was years ago so I’m making a point of visiting those again. One of the stops today was at Sherman Park. The number of years that have passed since being there is beyond remembrance. It’s on the top of a hill and really is two parks, upper and lower. There are prehistoric Native American burial mounds there at the top along with some other places of historical interest.

Another visitation was to Emerson Park. It’s located on the site of the former Emerson School. I can remember being in that building for something. I vaguely remember the Alternative School was housed there for a time but it was after my assignment to that school. When I taught at Alternative it was in city center. That is gone now as well as Emerson. The historical sign marking the place where the school once was noted that it was renowned for its active PTA. The men would put on a pheasant feed each year. The mother’s chorus was famous for its performances throughout the city.  My fear is that “active PTAs” are no longer. Sadly, for too many, parental involvement in the education of their children is a thing of the past. The exception might be this past spring when many parents had to become the teachers. There were a lot of humorous stories and jokes made about those situations. Maybe the onslaught of COVID-19 will see the revival of the PTA! I know it has caused a new admiration for the challenges teachers overcome each day.

I’ve discovered a new Farmers’ Market. It’s just a small one located in front of a grocery/restaurant on the south side of

town.  There are just two vendors. The produce is beautiful. The corn I purchased last Wednesday was so good I went back for more today. It will be on the menu this evening, I promise.

Love this color!

I fondly recall my dearly departed friend and attorney who commented at one point that “city planning is an oxymoron!” There is evidence of this all over the city. Southeastern Drive from 26th to 69th has been a disaster for a couple of years.  I can understand delaying its repair because of the huge project on 26th street which includes raising the street some thirteen feet.  All last year the curb and gutter was replaced in several places.  Millions of dollars of equipment was virtually parked there while no one seemingly worked on the street. Finally the street was resurfaced from 26th to 49th, and 57th to 69th. Does that missing portion need resurfacing? Yes. Why was that omitted from the project? It’s a mystery. But to make things more interesting now three huge pieces of the brand new road have been cut out. These are at least a quarter of a block long and one lane in width. Is anyone working on them? Not that I’ve seen. There you have it.

This past Friday I had my MRI and CT scans and my visit with the doctor.  The scans reported good news. The lung lesions are virtually invisible. The liver lesions have become smaller by about .3cm in dimension. The chemotherapy which I receive can be continued indefinitely. Some therapies have a limit as to number of doses. This one does not. The MRI showed nothing. By that I mean that there is no cancer in the brain.  It does not mean my head is empty, although there are days when that appears to be the case.

Beautiful petunia

“There are times, especially during this pandemic, when we wonder about our lives and just what our purpose might be when we must spend days and weeks in our homes and yards.  This meditation from Henri Nouwen’s works might resonate with you as it did with me.

“I suspect that we too often have lost contact with the source of our own existence and have become strangers in our own house. We tend to run around trying to solve the problems of our world while anxiously avoiding confrontation with that reality wherein our problems find their deepest roots: our own selves. In many ways we are like the busy executive who walks up to a precious flower and says: “What for God’s sake are you doing here? Can’t you get busy somehow?” and then finds the flower’s response incomprehensible: “I am sorry, but I am just here to be beautiful.”

How can we also come to this wisdom of the flower that being is more important than doing? How can we come to a creative contact with the grounding of our own life?”

I hope your week went as well as mine. Thank you for being.

"Excuse me! Was there some question about who is in charge?"

Summer Advances

The front garden was a riot of color one morning.

This first day of August after reading the news reports I gave thanks that my school district career is over. When I read about all the unknowns plaguing parents and school districts and teachers concerning the current pandemic one could throw up one’s hands and say “it’s not my problem.” I’d like to be able to do that but my concern is for the students and teachers who will be dangerously exposed to the virus once in-person instruction begins. My concern is for the households to which those children and teachers will return and the people they live withwho face possible exposure. Myconcern is also for the relatives with whom those students and teachers and parents will visit and who will also be exposed. The numbers right now are bad enough. The potential for millions of cases of those infected is right around the corner.

This past week brought news of a student who tested positive on the first day of school. A sports training camp at Northern S.U. in Aberdeen had several participants that were exposed and tested positive. A Bible Camp in the Black Hills had several participants that tested positive.

Ivy geranium post beetle visitation!

Then we have a sports star who thinks the whole virus thing is a hoax. We have a doctor who promotes a drug which does not work amongst other crazy ideas she emits from her mouth. Plain nuts!

A friend of mine from college days was speaking of his grandchildren and what wouldhappen to them when school begins. They will begin school at home, along with their father who will also work from home. Their mother teaches in another district which is opening its doors. He pointed out and caused me to think about the fact that a teacher who is exposed and needs to quarantine will effectively exhaust her/his sick leave by going into quarantine.  This could happen at the beginning of the year. Who is going to cover the sick leave for the remainder of the year or will the teacher be docked? There is a perpetual shortage of substitute teachers here. If the district has no subs for a particular day, what will happen? It really is everyone’s problem.

And then we have a governor who refuses to require masks. At least the district will require students and staff to wear masks The glimmer of hope is in those persons locally who see the danger and make wise decisions.

I hope things go well but I’m certainly happy not to be going back to school.

This is my languid pose.

This week off from chemo has gone well.  I’ve felt good. My port site has healed. It is still somewhat red but doesn’t feel weird anymore. Next week I can stay away from medical facilities untilFriday when I have lab work, a CT scan and an MRI. The doctor will reveal all that afternoon. Then the schedule for the next week will be presented.

It’s wonderful when a friend comes by to visit. When said friend is an excellent cook and brings tidbits along to share it’s even better. The days fill up with a variety of tasks, interesting things to read, and short trips out provide variety.  Not a lot of progress on the park visitation project this week (up to 39/80).  Getting  busy  on that project is on the agenda next week.

All the plantings have gone crazy this past month. The heat and the constant watering this householder has provided have caused great growth.  The beautiful ivy geraniums seen in a previous post have been attacked by the Japanese beetle and are no longer beautiful.  They are in need of an extreme trimming. Maybe they will make a comeback. 

I hope and pray you have a wonderful week. Thank you for reading, sharing, praying and being you.

The deck corner on August 1.