March 20, 2026

Happy Happy Birthday, Clara Witty!

Happy Spring.  Oh yes, we're ready for it.

The difference between the rookery today and yesterday was big.  I was hoping a photo from each day would show the difference, but it doesn't.  There was much more open space today, but it showed mud not running water.  The running water continues in this stream across the whole thing.  

So last night I did begin to think about starting a thread about preparing for death.  In our society that's such a negative statement, but in reality its positive.  Learning to talk about this stage of life, the stage I have just entered is healthy and helpful.   What has brought all this up for me is that I went through a series of tests looking for the cause of the pain I am in and the results are frightening.  They are not immediate, but they show the beginning of the deterioration of my body.  We're not supposed to talk about this stuff, but I had had a great conversation with Dina a couple of weeks ago about making sure things were in order sooner rather than later.  By not talking about it and putting it off to when I am older I jeopardize those I love and myself.  It is possible that I will have a stroke.  I do everything I'm supposed to to avoid it, but I am 72, overweight, diabetic with a family history of stroke.  So when I went into AFib last week I got really startled and scared.  And then I found out that something may be up with my right kidney and my spine is fusing, (I'll get the right terminology) so all of a sudden I'm looking at meeting a new cardiologist, a kidney doctor and a neurosurgeon.  I have so many appointments in the next six weeks, it's a full time job.  And it is scary.

So I decided to do 2 things immediately, make Sarah my Executor and Diane my health proxy and begin the work of building a will, filling out all the " in case of "documents and making sure things are in order sooner rather than too late.  I am working on my Advance Directive. I think I said something a couple of weeks about Dina sending me a workbook on how to do all of this.  It has been so helpful.   At the end of today's blog I have posted Dina's website for those who are interested in learning more about life. By beginning this process some of the sting is removed from the fear.  Today in the pool I was talking to 3 women, 87, 70 and 47 or so and all of them had the same trepidations and the same instincts about it being healthy.  So I think I am going to share my process with the blog.  I'd love it if people would comment in the blog itself.   

Enough, here are some photos of the rookery today.  42 degrees and raining. 

See what I mean about the mud and the floor of the wetland?

Signs of Life Dina Stander.com

Give it a look see.  Dina's my hero poet, but she's a really knowledgeable and articulate death coach. This is important work.  When I first started focusing in on my poetry in 1996 it was the grief work I was most interested in accomplishing.  I think I've done a lot, but here's the next step.