per·i·pa·tet·ic
ˌperēpəˈtedik/
adjective
  1. 1.
    traveling from place to place, especially working or based in various places for relatively short periods.
    "the peripatetic nature of military life"
    synonyms:nomadic, itinerant, traveling, wandering, roving, roaming, migrant,migratory, unsettled
    "I could never get used to her peripatetic lifestyle"
  2. 2.
    Aristotelian.
noun
  1. 1.
    a person who travels from place to place.
  2. 2.
    an Aristotelian philosopher.

Friday, August 1, 2008

A Cracked Pot Mends Her Ways--Or Confessions of a Clod

We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair....
--2 Corinthians 4:7-8 (NIV)--
The Clod and the Pebble

"Love seeketh not Itself to please,

Nor for itself hath any care;

But for another gives its ease,

And builds a Heaven in Hell's despair."

So sang a little Clod of Clay,

Trodden with the cattle's feet;

But a Pebble of the brook,

Warbled out these metres meet:

"Love seeketh only Self to please,

To bind another to its delight;

Joys in another's loss of ease,

And builds a Hell in Heaven's despite."

--William Blake, 1794--

Encouragement overtook despair for this blogger today, although my joy was tempered a little with some bad news about Micah. I just found out that he has a summer cold and got a boo-boo today from a stubborn door that wouldn't open the way he expected it to. Poor Micah! I hope this Grandma's meanness isn't finding its way to Florida from Illinois to bother you now.

The good news for me came from the specialist (neurosurgeon) we saw today. We had to drive about 90 miles from here to southeast Missouri and back again, but the peace of mind I feel now made the long trip worthwhile. He was impressed with the progress I am making and credits the chiropractor I am going to three times a week with helping me avoid surgery, at least for now (forever, I hope). The two docs think highly of each other and share a common bond. They both pray for their patients. Somehow, I knew that was the case, at least for the DC, when he started treating me two weeks ago. He came highly recommended by several people in town and won my favor by immediately ordering an MRI, something the new (to me) family doc I saw on July 3 did not think was necessary. Little setbacks lately seem to have worked favorably for me, though like a donkey--dare I say jackass--sometimes I kick against the goad.

My pots overflowing with herbs and trailing vines outside our apartment reveal a mixed-lot of textures and smell wonderful.

On Wednesday, I found this lovely little table and plant stand at a going-out-of-business sale in a florist's shop. I was on a mission to order funeral flowers (can't go there) and got sidetracked by the sale sign. I'm sad that the owners of the shop aren't doing very well in this sluggish economy. They did not have any fresh flowers so I visited a shop just down the street from them. I told the lady working there that we had moved back to the area from Florida, and she laughed. She said this area must be like the Bermuda Triangle. It seems to have supernatural powers to pull former residents back to itself. She and her husband have recently come back after living in Texas for several years. Another worker there who returned from making a delivery heard us talking and remarked that she was another one who got sucked back into town.

Before I headed home to the apartment, I picked up a few end-of-the-season, discounted plants at the local box store. I put a Heuchera and a Grosso lavender plant in self-watering, insulated pots so they should thrive until I can plant them in the ground, wherever it is that we end up living next year.

For the flower bed in front of the apartment, I did not spend much time or money and planted mostly annuals, knowing (hoping?) that our stay here should be only temporary. I need to extend that philosophy of waste-not/want-not to all aspects of my life.


I planted this feverfew earlier in the spring. Supposedly, crushing the leaves and/or flowers and smelling them can help relieve migraine headaches. Thankfully, I do not suffer from headaches very often.

The DC seemed pleased with the news I brought from the MD, but he was not really surprised. I should not have been either. I would be hard-pressed to find a better duo of docs anywhere, and I found them in the place I least expected--my own Bermuda Triangle--Southern Illinois/SEMO!


10 comments:

  1. Glad to hear you are getting some good news from your doctors.
    I like the table and plant stands; I've been scouring the end-of-season sales when I have time, but haven't found any bargains as nice as these.

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  2. Thanks, Rose, for returning to my site which has been rather bleak, even "wintry" lately. I never fully understood what chronic pain can do to a person's state of mind. It makes me appreciate what some relatives of mine have endured with similar back issues. It also forces me to turn over the compost of my life, so to speak, and let the air and light get to places that have been hiding in the dark for too long. It has been like the Word in action, "sharper than any double-edged sword" and able to....well, you know the rest.

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  3. How great to finally hear good news! Now you can concentrate on your flowers instead. I hope your grandson feels better too.

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  4. I just discoverd your blog and I can tell I need to go through and read more. I like what I see.

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  5. Hi, W2W. Sorry to have been remiss in my visiting since you came to me blog. I am trying to catch up with your story by reading your blog. I'll come around again. Hope you are feeling ok.
    I also neglected to answer your question about blueberry wine. Did you get some fresh blueberries, by the way?
    I haven't made blueberry wine but sounds like it would be very rich and full-bodies. I use a wine recipe book I got in the kit from the brewery store and in it is every imaginable wine recipe plus some. The only thing is the recipes are fairly in depth. It can look rather daunting.
    There is plenty on the subject on the web, too as you may imagine. Check it out and let me know how it goes.
    Take care.

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  6. Hi, Eve. Thanks for stopping by, and I am glad that you like it here. I hope to see you again soon.

    Greeny, please don't apologize. I know what you are going through. You just remember to take care of yourself right now. We did get fresh blueberries from a local grower, and I froze most of them. I have limited space here at the apartment, so I don't think I will be making any wine just yet, but I will be researching the subject in the meantime. I have even found one recipe for carrot wine. I'm not sure that it will become one of my favorites, but it sounds interesting.

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  7. I' m glad to read your good news from your doctor!!!
    I love your new table in the garden and the flowers. And I hope you have a lot of joy at all.
    Have a great time Wurzerl

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  8. Hi, Wurzerl. I do feel relieved that I can avoid surgery for now, but just how long the "for now" lasts depends almost entirely on me. I have to be careful to not lift heavy objects, build up strength in the "core" muscles that support the spine (which means doing the dreaded abdominal exercises...ugh!), and keep my stress level to a minimum. Really, I think that tension plays a major role in developing and aggravating back pain. I need to visit your garden (blog) regularly and gaze at your meditation garden so I can de-stress. Thanks for your visit.

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  9. There's nothing like a garden to help relieve stress. The great thing about the net is, if you are not able to do your own, there are plenty online to enjoy.
    Wishing you a good day,

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  10. You are right, MN, on both counts. Garden blogging has been a blessing to me lately while things have seemed rather bleak otherwise. It's amazing how many people around the world are so passionate about gardening and also about learning its "secrets." I have decided to look into becoming a master gardener so I can share with others what I love to do and be taken seriously.

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