Another First

Another First

first anniversary

without him makes me

pine for what is gone

years of happy memories

sunlight dispels sadness

(Daily Haiku Prompt: pine)

Stream-of-Consciousness Saturday Prompt: "May your..."

Trying this Stream-of-Consciousness Prompt

Begin to write without editing, using the prompt, "May your..."

https://lindaghill.com/2026/05/22/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-may-23-2026/

Like Debbie D., from whom I borrowed this prompt (which originated with Linda G. Hill), I find it hard not to edit as I go along. Maybe doing this will encourage the freewheelin' side of the brain. (Yes, I'm tempted to Google whether that is the right or the left side, but that's a no-no. Ha!)

What I came up with is

May your long-term memory store lots of good stuff, so if you get dementia sometime in the future, all the bad stuff will disappear and be replaced by the good stuff.

Which makes me think about the various people I've known with Alzheimer's and dementia.

Especially my mother-in-law, Deborah, who got Alzheimer's after a bout of flu with a high fever, during which she spoke a lot of nonsense. That went away after a day, but eventually bad signs started to appear: poor judgment, moodiness, forgetfulness about grooming, inability to do buttons and to cut meat. 

Eventually, we thought it best to have her doctor tell her it was time to stop driving. She didn't take it well. She had been a doctor herself and was brilliant and very independent. She also had a phenomenal memory. She did all the right things they tell you to do: read a lot, do crossword puzzles, exercise (she walked to work in the good weather).  But none of that prevented her from getting the unlucky number.

But getting back to the prompt. Deborah had always been a super-serious person. She just didn't get jokes. Which was quite difficult for M and me, who loved joking. Also Deborah's great memory meant she could indulge her grudge-keeping habit. 

Well, once she got Alzheimer's two good things happened: 

She got a sense of humour. 

And she forgot who she was supposed to be mad at.

Alzheimer's was a tragedy in many ways for her and for those who knew her. But it actually improved her personality!

Happy birthday to

 Stevie Wonder!

Original digital painting, "Apple of My Eye,"  (c) by Kevin Slattery.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbenaOqv4yQ

Mother's Day and My Two Mothers

Here's a double haiku for my mother.

although we sometimes

saw her optimism as

unrealistic

a glimpse of light

when no one else can see it

brings hope, not deception

Besides remembering my own mother, I want to honour my unofficial second mom, Frances C., a good friend of my mother. When I needed dating advice or a good easy recipe, I knew I could call her. She was a Virgo, and had common sense and objectivity. She also had the cooking and baking skills that my mother and I lacked. What a great lady!

 

Wardrobe Warning

trudging through puddles:

long camel hair winter coat

is sprayed with mud dots

Daily Haiku Prompts:  winter, coat, spray

August Moon

you bask with delight

in the August moon's glow and

I get drunk on the sight

Daily Haiku Prompts: summer, moon, imbibe

Moving Day

when the movers bring

new people and furniture

the sad  house ghost leaves

Daily Haiku Prompts: new, ghost, leaves