Lens-Artists Photo Challenge- Colorful April

This week, Amy has chosen the Colors of April as the theme for our Lens-Artists Photo Challenge. Here in our garden I mostly associate April with pink, blue and yellow although there are one or two other colors that appear here and there.

NB. Some of you may have noticed that I haven’t been posting quite as regularly and have been rather slow to respond to visits and comments, for which I apologize. For the past month or so I have been suffering from what I can only describe as some kind of severe anxiety disorder which has left me struggling to keep up with correspondence and sometimes even the common normality of life. At this time of year, when I would typically be rushing to photograph daffodils at the Morton Arboretum, tulips at Cantigny Park and Lilacs in Lombard, I can’t even drive myself to the local grocery store. The process of constantly fighting to control how I feel has sometimes left me exhausted but on the few occasions when I’ve been able to whack up the enthusiasm to get out in the garden I have managed to capture a few of the colors that April means to me. Needless to say, this has hit me like a bolt out of the blue but with the amazing support of a very understanding family, things are slowly improving. Even though I may not be on here quite as often, I hope you will stick with me until things are back to full strength. Thank you for your patience.

Pull Up A Seat – At The Chicago Botanic Garden

It may be getting a little too chilly to be sitting about outside now, but when I was at the Chicago Botanic Garden recently it was perfect weather for Pulling Up A Seat and enjoying the view.

And of course, the wildlife don’t really mind where they sit. Any convenient spot in the sun will do.

It may be a while before I get to take pictures like this again. Things are getting so bad in Illinois, with the virus, that they are asking us to voluntarily stay at home whenever possible for the next three weeks. It would be easy to ignore the warning, goodness knows we all dislike being cooped up indoors for any length of time, but if using our common sense now means that we may be able to relax the rules when Christmas comes around, then let’s make the effort now. And this means wearing a mask when you do have to go out. Most people here in the Chicago area are pretty good about doing that, but it only takes the few who aren’t to really mess things up. So stay well, keep safe and PLEASE spare a thought for others.

Autumn Curtailed

Owing to a painful case of shin splints (or possible stress fracture) which has seriously curtailed my walking activities for the past few weeks, I have not been able to get out and about to enjoy the Autumn season as much as I would have liked. However, the weather in October was really not that great and looking back at the last trip I made to the Chicago Botanic Garden, it was probably one of the few really nice days that we have had recently so I’m glad I was able to at least capture some of the Fall colors before I was reduced to hobbling around on crutches.

I was able to get a good view of what looked like a young heron (his feathers still seem rather downy) from the bridge. I hope he hasn’t left it too late to start heading south for the winter.

This was the scene outside our back door recently so I think we’ve seen the last of the warm, sunny days of autumn in the garden.

The Power Of Family

 

Last November, my 92-year-old mother-in-law was admitted to hospital with a serious medical condition. Let’s face it, at that age any medical condition is serious and we were becoming accustomed to receiving calls to come to the hospital, but this time things really didn’t look good.

After several tests to determine the problem, it was clear that surgery was definitely not an option so the plan was to stabilize her, treat her with various medications and hope for the best.

Normally mother-in-law lived at home with one son, and at least three more of us visited her regularly every week so it wasn’t surprising that once the word got around, everyone showed up at the hospital.

I hate to sound the alarm unless things are really dire but eventually there came a point where we really believed that she wasn’t going to survive this latest crisis, and I sent the message out to our three daughters, two of whom live quite a distance away, that now might be the time to gather round. Other family members had done the same and before long there were sons, daughters, in-laws, grandchildren and their husbands and even a great-grandchild at her bedside.

Now, I’m in no way religious, but I have to say that the effect of seeing all those caring faces surrounding her was nothing short of miraculous! The joy of knowing that there were so many people who truly cared about her well-being was unmistakable. Some people may have frowned at our numbers and the sometimes-raucous joviality no doubt engendered by a nervous concern for the patient, but I truly believe that the power of family brought her back from the brink.

Over the course of the next couple of days she perked up! She sat up and started eating. She made jokes and even managed a few steps with the physical therapist. However, this progress was short-lived and over the course of the next few weeks she was shuttled between ICU and a standard hospital room with startling regularity. It was like being on a roller coaster ride, for her and us.

Eventually it was determined that nothing more could be done and the decision to send her home under hospice care was taken. Once again, everyone came to grips with the fact that this probably was the end. But this tough old bird was not going to go down without a fight, almost literally as it turned out.

Winter came and went and spring brought hopes that once again things might be looking up. Mother-in law rallied to the point where she was able to walk a few steps with some assistance. And then the unthinkable happened.

Answering a summons from the doorbell one morning, my brother-in-law was lured out of the house by a man claiming to be there to cut down some branches that were overhanging a neighbor’s yard. While he was outside, another man entered the house and started rummaging through drawers and cupboards. Mom called out for her son and when he didn’t answer she knew there was something wrong. She managed to get out of the hospital bed that had been set up in the living room and, filled with righteous indignation, came steaming out of the room unaided and without her walker, shouting at the intruder to “clear off!” And he did, along with his partner in crime. He must have got the fright of his life when she came at him shaking her fist.

We laughed about it afterwards but things could have turned out a lot differently. Despite her claims that she “wasn’t afraid,” this by now 93-year-old, who also relied on a pacemaker to keep her heart functioning, could have suffered a fatal fall, or even been attacked by someone who could have quite easily knocked her down. But neither of these things happened and the episode became the topic of conversation for several weeks thereafter.

Summer arrived and things settled down. Although she wasn’t in great shape, Mom continued to show signs of improvement. I suppose, realistically, we shouldn’t have expected this trend to last and it didn’t.

Last week she took another turn for the worse and once again family arrived from different parts of the country to be by her bedside. This time, rather than rallying her will to live, I think she took comfort in everyone’s presence, knowing that now she could finally let go of life and eventually, on Monday morning, she slipped away.

We didn’t always see eye-to-eye on a lot of issues and I certainly found her infuriating at times but her loss has certainly left a void in our lives and, for some, her leaving will be a difficult thing with which to come to terms. Still, the power of family will keep us strong and together we’ll face the future with some fond memories of a woman with an indomitable spirit.

Note; – The rose images were captured at the Chicago Botanic Garden. It became increasingly difficult to coax mother-in-law out of the house when she got older but one of the last places we visited together was the Garden.

I’m still catching up with posts and replies but be assured, I will get to all of them eventually.

A Different Light

A few days ago, when 2018 was rapidly drawing to a close, the sun finally came out so I decided to take a break from the routine that we have settled into these past few months and go to the Chicago Botanic Garden for a much needed long walk and a breath of fresh air.

Usually, when I go to the Garden it’s early in the morning but on this particular day I wanted to catch the last of the Christmas lights so I waited until later in the afternoon which enabled me to see things in a slightly different light.

The air was crisp and clear but there was little or no wind which made pleasant conditions for walking. It’s been a while since I went around the garden in Winter and it was interesting to see the stark lines of the trees and shrubs and the exposed walls amid a light dusting of snow, especially in the English Garden.

Heading over towards the bridge that leads to the Japanese Garden, I passed some geese pecking away at the grass. I’m not quite sure what they were finding to eat there but evidently it was enough to hold their interest.

Two bridges, both leading to Evening Island, cast long shadows in the afternoon light, and the bells rang out clear from the Carillon Tower.

The sun caught the top of the new copper sheathing on the roof of the Regenstein Center and as it dipped below the trees, the Christmas lights began to appear. Not only was I seeing the Garden in a different light but life in general. Now that my mother-in-law is in hospice care at her house in Chicago I have come to realize how lucky I am to still be able to get about and visit places like this. To have the ability to come and go as I please is an extraordinary gift and one that I hope I never take for granted.

The Silent Stalker

Up until recently I have always enjoyed what I considered to be reasonably good health. Admittedly, the blood clots in 2009 threw me for a loop. I wasn’t expecting that, but once I had recovered I felt pretty good so when this year’s annual check-up revealed high calcium levels in the blood it came as something of a surprise to learn, after several blood tests and scans, that I had a silent stalker, namely significant osteoporosis and something called hyperparathyroidism.  Go figure!

I had no idea that all this was going on inside me.  I felt fine!  So it was a difficult call to make. Should I go ahead and have the recommended surgery or leave well alone.  For better or worse, after much soul-searching and weighing up the pros and cons, I decided to go ahead and have the op on Tuesday.

Things apparently went very well.  The surgeon seemed pleased with the results and if I hadn’t had rather an unpleasant reaction to the anesthetic I probably would have gone home the same day.  As it was, I languished in hospital overnight and was sent home the next day.

Naturally there have been some severe restrictions on my activities for the past couple of days and taking short walks around the garden has me itching to get back to work, pulling weeds and tidying things up. No! Must not!

So what do you do when you can’t get your hands dirty, get down on your knees and get in amongst the flowers?  Why, you take pictures of them, of course!  Hopefully in another week or so I’ll be back to somewhat normal.