Mimi’s Garden of Love: Some Good News and Maybe a Little bad

Mother’s day weekend.. So while you may never have become a biological mother I’ve seen you all mother other women and men and fur babies. It’s a tough time of year when preachers praise mothers and swear it’s our solemn duty/honorable duty to stay home abd care fior our kids.

What do you think we working-outside-our home mothers do!?! We made lunches, walked the dog, got together breakfasts, supervised crisis to determine who was sick and/or have to call in sick to work—all before we go to work exhausted, (I only called in sick twice for 30 yrs teaching). before the day began). Then we had to be perky, and agonize about the pitiful childcare in this nation. Then once we were there,we had supervisors, other teachers, and students making sure we were doing a good job. But I am proud of myself for teaching and learning along the way and still ended up with amazing kids. It wasn’t easy and sometimes my sitters earned more than I did even when I worked 2-3 jobs—especially when Dan was in med. school. But it taught my kids tenacity too and “the lonely offices of love” as Hayden writes—all of this brings me to my Mother’s day presents.

These presents are from 3 families. The tulip vase reads “mimi’s garden of love” with names of each of my grandkids etched down the side—Henry, Hugo, Madeline, Thomas, and River.

The other garden is my high rise planter garden which is fantastic because to get produce I have to go to lake house from my bigger garden. I love that it’s waist high bc it’s easier to reach with my ailing body!!!!

More good news, according to my latest ct scan my liver lesion is down to 1 cm which was up to 4! So The liver biopsies, radiation to my lesion, and high doses of trodelvy all worth it.

The continual bad news are various. One chromic thing is that my (12!) fragile, badly healed fractured ribs hurt when I sneeze & cough Also doc drained 600 ml off my lung lining 2 weeks ago i(called pleural effusion) last week, although baby (River) who is a joy for us and her family, and her birthday started the week well.

That week was radiation Monday and new baby, chemo tuesday, thorancentesis Wednesday and cataract surgery Thursday. and a uti Saturday. The body does keep the score. And then my rough antibiotic gave me tachycardia which i’ve never had but uti gone. I have follow up pulmonary doc Thursday to make sure fluid not coming back.,

Fortunately Dan ran into a posse of his oncologist friends while he was working and they all agreed I need a sandostatin shot every month to control for terrible GI symptoms. it won’t help with the long lasting nausea but wil help with the big D. So that was good news. My oncologist doc is on leave.

But overall I feel good about many things. With my new love—River—photo below and that I’ve gotten to hold her for hours at a time..

And my peonies are coming out! Below is Jane Kenyon’s peony poem.

And last but not least, despite covid, my national org Together Women Rise (open to anyone) has collected over $50,000 over 9 years for women’s projects all over the world to help them start businesses, grow food, educate themselves and daughters at schools, have taught them the problems with child marriage have given them proper sex education (and even menstrual pads bc many women were confined to huts til their bleeding stopped). and especially important, the programs to reduce young pregnancies, They are also given proper therapy for sexual abuse—so many things. And all programs led by the ppl in their own villages. No religion involved or discussed. The women ask fior the financial help and 💯 of funds go to that month’s project. So even on the days i didn’t want to show up with pain or nausea, I did. All of this info made my heart happy. And thanks to all the women who help me get that month’s program ready!

❤️ ❤️❤️❤️❤️to you all! Hope you have a happy and healthy heart this week!

Peonies at Dusk (by Jane Kenyon who also died of cancer too young)

White peonies blooming along the porch
send out light
while the rest of the yard grows dim.

Outrageous flowers as big as human
heads! They’re staggered
by their own luxuriance: I had
to prop them up with stakes and twine.

The moist air intensifies their scent,
and the moon moves around the barn
to find out what it’s coming from.

In the darkening June evening
I draw a blossom near, and bending close
search it as a woman searches
a loved one’s face.