Happy Birthday!

I love this photograph of my daughter taken last year by her boyfriend ~ her happy, strong spirit shines through. In my previous blog, I posted a baby picture of Desirae and now here she is all grown up. HAPPY 27th!!! and many, many more glorious years.

Momentous Month

February is a very important month in my life, filled with important events and poignant memories. Two of the most important people to me were born in February. My mother was born on February 28th and my daughter Desirae came into the world on February 23rd. I'm not sure how it all started, but each of us have spirit birds. My Mom was nicknamed "Bluebird of Happiness," she nicknamed me her "Little Chickadee," and Desirae became my "Feisty Little Hummingbird." Our namesake totems fit us all very well, too.

February 8th will be the two year anniversary of the kidney transplant when Desirae donated one of her kidneys to me so that I might go on to live a long, happy life and keep my eye on my feisty little one :) What an experience the transplant was to share with my daughter!!!

On Ground Hog's Day, February 2nd in 2009, my beloved brother Jeff passed away ~ certainly a sad day for us all, but, especially for Jeff and his love of sunny summer days, a fitting day for his departure after the Paxutauny Phil's prediction for 6 more weeks of winter. It could be said that Jeff maintained his sense of humor to the end by exiting the physical world when he did. It would be just like him to go out giggling. It somehow eases the pain to think of things this way. Jeff would have wanted to provide comfort to others at his passing, too...so, who knows? Life is a mystery!

And, of course, February 14th is Valentine's Day, a day I will celebrate forevermore because of and with the love of my life, my husband Kevin.

My "Feisty Little Hummingbird"

How Do You Climb a Mountain?

One step at a time...


With patience and fortitude we reach our goals...

We look forward to becoming fuller, healthier individuals in this new year. It's tempting to make grandiose resolutions and big plans for change, but almost all positive, lasting results in life take time and perseverance.

For many reasons, 2011 was a difficult year for us personally. Health issues, changes in friendships and activities, and the loss of loved ones posed challenges and affected our feelings of well being. Lessons already learned in life were revisited and coping skills put into play. Between the two of us, Kevin and I have over 100 years of wisdom gleaned from our life experiences, but there is still much to learn and many ways to better ourselves and expand our horizons. It's made all the difference to have a loving, supporting partner to journey together through life. We feel so fortunate to have one another!

The start of 2012 provides us all with the opportunity for a fresh outlook...and new ways to make it up that mountain step by step.

HAPPY New Year!!!

Tis the Season

Our Picture Window

The cabin feels festive and bright with its assortment of holiday decorations, a mix of old and new, some handmade, others cherished gifts and special keepsakes. Winter just doesn't seem so chilly and cold with the warmth the holidays brings.

Happy Birthday!

For so many years, I've set up this manger scene. It's grown a bit as I add a piece or two. Desirae made the mini-grapevine wreath that adorns the front top of the manger stall in a "Holiday Magic" craft class I taught about 15 years ago. Each year, her wreath brings back a special memory and it adds a special sparkle to the manger!

"All is calm...all is bright"

My favorite tree ornament is this "four seasons" ball I purchased the year Desirae was born. Each side features a mother and child in each season of the year. The little mouse asleep atop the moon is one I made the Christmas prior to Desirae's birth. Seems a lot of my Christmas memories are connected to my daughter ... hmmm :) Christmas time spent with children is very magical.

Cabin Christmas Tree

What would the holidays be without the tree!?! ... always my very favorite part of decorating for the holidays. This year, our star needed some repair. The star is the only one I have ever had for our annual tree. It's been with me for every Christmas for almost 30 years now. It's a wonder it's made it through every move and every year of celebration. It was originally purchased at a dime store for $1.99, but it's priceless to me.

Enjoy the special beauty of the season, no matter which holiday, if any, you may celebrate!

In Memory ...

This year marked the passing of my two uncles, two kind and gentle souls and courageous men, my mothers beloved brothers age 95 and 91. They died within a couple of months of each other after having spent a lifetime together.

The Victorian house that they grew up in was their home from birth until death. The house, pictured above, will go with them, too. The new owner plans to demolish it and build a new one on the property ~ very sad for those of us who carry memories of the family who called this house their home and such a loss of a beautiful, one-of-a-kind historic structure. It's fitting though that it go with them, as no one but my uncles and their family could ever quite belong here or make this house the home it was when it was filled with the love of those who cherished it and made their memories here.

My eldest cousin gave a moving eulogy at our uncle's memorial service that concluded with the following words by an anonymous author. These words fit our sentiments for both of our uncles so well ...

No farewell words were spoken,
No time to say good-bye.
You were gone before we knew it
And only God knows why.
You left us peaceful memories.
Your dedication is still our guide,
And though we cannot see you,
You are always at our side.
Your life was full of loving deeds,
Forever thoughtful of our special needs.
Death leaves a heartache
No one can heal.
Love leaves a memory
No one can steal.
Those we love don't go away,
They walk beside us every day,
Unseen, unheard, but always near,
Still loved, still missed, and very dear.

Through the lives they led and all they shared our uncles taught us many wonderful qualities ~ kindness, concern for others, strength and fortitude, loyalty, faith, and love. We all felt esteemed in their presence, and, more then they could ever know, we valued their steady constancy in our lives. It's so hard to say goodbye to such selfless, good men, but, to know that at least in some small measure they carry on within us, is a wondrous gift. It's a reminder, too, that we all can choose what kind of legacy and memories we want to leave simply by how we choose to live our lives and how much we truly value one another.

Hopkins Revisited

Halloween Night at Hopkins

It's been a while since I've posted a blog about my transplant experience and related health issues, so I thought I'd share my latest news. My Johns Hopkins nephrologist admitted me to the hospital on Halloween. I'd been having inexplicable fevers about every three weeks for several months which had her very concerned. Random fevers are atypical for post kidney transplant patients to experience. My only other on-going symptoms were occasional headaches along with a stiff neck. I loathe being in the hospital, but agreed to be admitted for the rounds of testing that we both hoped would get to the bottom of what was causing the fevers.

It was an odd day to be admitted to the hospital. While my husband Kevin and I waited for my room assignment, we saw all sorts of people, mostly adults, go by in various flashy costumes. One woman who rushed past us was dressed up as a giant Crayola Crayon.

Kevin took the above photo of me in my "Halloween costume," my very unattractive hospital garb. There was concern I might have the flu (which I didn't) so my "costume" came complete with a face mask that had to be worn whenever I was wheeled off for various tests. Everyone entering my room was required to wear a full body protective gown (bright yellow), gloves (purple), face mask, and eye shield ... making them all look like clowns :)

On the second day, I was interviewed by the Johns Hopkins infectious disease team headed up by a very impressive physician with a "total recall" memory. After meeting with me in my hospital room, he stepped just outside the room to confer with his colleagues. I could hear him repeat almost word for word our discussion, which had been quite lengthy and detailed. There were giggles among the team when he repeated a time or two that Kevin and I lived in a cabin in the woods ... an amusing detail for them that actually was a useful clue.

Fortunately, I did not have to stay in the hospital long, in fact, was able to go home the next evening. Much of the testing could be continued at my local lab, so I was discharged. Kevin and I were ecstatic to be on our way back home to our cabin in the woods!

All of the early tests results for what were considered the most likely causes came back negative. It wasn't until the second tier of test results came in that it was discovered I had acute Lyme's disease ... thanks to the bite of a nasty, little deer tick. Even though I was not pleased to find out I had Lyme's disease, I was happy the root cause of my symptoms was no longer a mystery. I was also relieved to find, since it seems to have been caught early enough, that a three week course of antibiotics should do the trick to quell the disease ... a real treat :)

It was indeed a ghoulish Halloween for us this year ... but the spooky mystery of the random fevers was ultimately solved and no longer haunts us!

Bright & Beautiful

It's been a sparkly fall week with bright sunshine lighting up the leaves that still remain on the trees surrounding our cabin home in the woods. The squirrels, chipmunks, and deer are actively foraging and stocking up for the coming winter season.

Yesterday, our small herd of does came up to the goldfish pond for a sip, unaware that I was sitting quietly on the porch observing them. They look healthy and are so beautiful. No matter how common whitetail deer are or how pesky they can be to our gardens, they remain one of my very favorite forest animals. I love being in their graceful presence. The deer can be very comical, too. A couple of the summer fawns, now almost as large as their mother, were tussling the other day, head butting and prancing about while the older members of the herd simply ignored their antics and kept on feeding. They often get up on their hind legs to reach the tastier leaves from the lower branches of our young trees and are quite acrobatic in their efforts to stretch as high as there legs can lift them ... and they have a tendency to stick their tongues out, too! Often, when I walk down our long drive to retrieve the mail, several deer will be close by. They stand alert watching my every move. Once in a while, one of them will stomp it's front hoof as if annoyed. Rarely, do they run off, and they seem as curious to look at me as I am to look at them.



Love the photographs that capture light just the right way. Notice the sun star coming through the trees in the photo above. The colors in this segment of woods were simply awesome, too. This lovely weather we've recently been experiencing won't last long, nor will the remaining colorful leaves ... so I'm enjoying it all to the fullest until winter sets in and the snow creates its own special beauty.