Can you stand a few more orchid photos? We have two more plants blooming. The yellow-green one above is one of the five orchids I found in a neighbor's yard waste bag last fall -- you may remember I brought them all home and repotted them. One died in short order but the others are still with me, and three of the four have flower stalks, though this is the only one with an actual blossom so far. I think they're all the same color.
And then there's this one, also a rescue. It's bloomed before but I'm always happy to have another round of flowers!
Yesterday I did more inventory in the Lower School. I'm slowly whittling down that tally of 50 missing picture books as I find some of them here and there. I think we're down to 40 now.
My health is still a bit of a mystery. Remember that calprotectin test I took a couple of weeks ago, the one that was high, indicating inflammation in my gut? Well, I took it again, as recommended by my doctor -- and it was still high, though slightly lower than last time -- around 250. (I have no idea whether these variations are significant.) So there's still something going on. I've received confirmation from the NHS that they've taken me off the "28-day pathway" -- a fast track that lets them assess possible cancer cases quickly. So whatever's happening they've concluded it's not that, based on the endoscopy. But I still don't have the CT scan and biopsy results, and though I feel better I'm still feeling weird. I won't rest completely until all the results are in. I'll talk about it all with the doctor when I consult with her again in another month.
Dave and I have nothing planned for this weekend. We're going to get out in the garden and tidy things up a bit -- it's looking a little overgrown and crazy out there right now. I also need to power through my stack of New Yorkers, which is weighing heavily on me.
I read a piece yesterday about a guy who took a Polaroid photo -- only one -- every day for about 20 years, until his untimely death from cancer in the late '90s. His friends have used that body of work as inspiration for a performance piece, and the article mentions Psalm 90, apparently one of the oldest of the psalms and one that reminds us to appreciate life and "number our days" to gain wisdom. Taking a daily Polaroid is a way of numbering days, and it occurred to me that blogging is too. I'm numbering my days here, though the jury's still out on whether I'm accruing wisdom.
Here's Olga, our old girl, sleeping soundly on the couch last night. Both she and her pink blanket are looking pretty tattered. But this morning she's watching me expectantly as I write, waiting for her walk, so I guess I should get that underway. Olga numbers her days in trees sniffed and cats chased -- or at least glared at.
The tattered photo is so endearing. And I will never tire of your stunning orchid photos.
ReplyDeleteI hope your weather is kind for your weekend without plans. Isn't there a walk to do on your list?
ReplyDeleteI love sweet Olga under her pink blanket.
ReplyDeleteI am still waiting for my orchid stalk to start growing but nothing is happening...
ReplyDeleteI read that exact article just this morning! You are exactly correct about numbering your days through your blog.
I love the photo of Olga resting with her blankie!
Oh, and also, do you get the AARP newsletter? In the latest issue, they have a good article about "gut health" that you might find interesting.
ReplyDeleteDear Olga! I think she's become our mascot. I hope you get some health news to work with. It's hard to wait continuously.
ReplyDeleteI don't see Olga as being tattered, but her pink blanket has certainly seen better days!
ReplyDeleteMy little purple orchid has failed to bloom this Spring! I love seeing your blooms!
Hopefully you will soon have a reasonable answer to your health issues!
Olga and her blanket look LOVED. 🥰
ReplyDeleteYour orchids are beautiful. I need to tidy the garden too. The grass is growing fast with all the rain so that will be my first job. Good to get all your answers from the doc. Until then, try eating some quinoa. It is nutritionally beneficial and supports wellness. (I like it warm with almond milk, walnuts and cinnamon.) Olga looks very comfy with her pink blanket.
ReplyDeleteAt one time every teacher in our system was give a polaroid to use for projects. I remember doing one project. It was to make a collage of something.
ReplyDeleteOlga rules the roost -- she deserves a good nap! I love the idea of a poloroid project like that. Blogger Carola Bartz does a 365 day thing -- one photo every day. I like your interpretation of that connecting to your blog.
ReplyDeleteI'll keep thinking good thoughts for your results. I wish you didn't have to wait so long for the biopsy results.
Beautiful post, Steve. Truly.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful thought, that we are numbering our days to grow in wisdom through blogging. I hope it also applies to those of us who don't post every single day, especially since I DO think of my blog friends and how they're doing every single say. I remain in awe of how real the relationships we form in this virtual neighborhood feel. I'm grateful for them, and the way they broaden my perspective, and indeed my life. Olga looks a whole lot better than that blanket, and there are plenty of trees yet to be sniffed by her. Enjoy the garden clean-up, although I don't think it counts as "having nothing planned for the weekend." And whatever is going on with your health, I hope is resolves quickly and painlessly. Good for you for staying on top of it.
ReplyDeleteOlga's sweet resting face will have me smiling all day.
ReplyDeleteI don't blog every day, but I still think it's a record of my life's events, feelings and emotions for the past 20 years. SO many changes! I would hate feeling weird; I hope they can figure out what's going on. Glad it's not cancer though!
ReplyDeleteWhen we were in Arizona between November and April, the USPS stopped forwarding NewYorkers, December 11 was the last one we saw. So, the magazine habit was broken, I still haven't re-subscribed. We don't seem to miss it.
ReplyDeleteThe orchids are beautiful. I like that theory of blogging as a way of "numbering our days".
ReplyDeleteThe only warning I got from my latest blood test was to watch my sugar intake. Easier said than done for me.
That last photo of Olga is just fabulous. So much love in one picture.
ReplyDeleteI hope they figure out what's going on with your gut. It's disquieting to have something not feel right & not know what it is.
Orchids are always beautiful. So is Olga, another "O". Try not to obsess over your health. We all live until we die.
ReplyDeleteYour orchids are beautiful. I need to tidy the garden too. With all the rain, the grass needs mowing. Good to get answers from your doc. Until then, consider eating some quinoa - it carries many health benefits. I like it warmed for breakfast with Almond milk, cinnamon and a few walnuts.
ReplyDeleteWhat a thought provoking post…numbering our days. Olga is so very adorable! I hope you get some answers about your health soon.
ReplyDeleteAm I in spam?
ReplyDeleteMitchell: We actually just cut that blanket in half, because it had a gigantic hole in the middle and she kept getting caught in it!
ReplyDeleteAndrew: Oh, I always have a walk in the back of my mind.
River: So happy and comfortable!
Ellen D: I'm not sure how old your orchid is, but it takes a while -- sometimes a year or more passes from one blossom to the next. I don't get AARP stuff, I assume because I'm overseas, but I'll see if I can find that article.
Boud: Yeah, living in limbo is no fun, but the silence is also something of an answer. If they found anything urgent they'd be calling me.
Marcia: She's actually still quite healthy, all things considered. Don't tell her I said she's tattered. :)
Kelly: Yes, that's definitely true. :)
Susan: I do like quinoa, and we have some, but I don't eat it very regularly. Maybe I should!
Red: What an interesting idea. I bet the kids loved that!
Jeanie: Digital photography has really freed us to take more photos. Taking a picture a day would have been much harder when we had to buy film! (Good reason to admire the Polaroid guy.)
Ms Moon: Thank you. Re-reading it, it seems a bit morose, which I didn't intend.
37P: Oh, I think we're ALL numbering our days, even if we're not posting daily. Even when you're not posting you're probably thinking about your next post and gathering possible material.
Bob: She does have a cute snout.
Margaret: Absolutely, you're still numbering your days. I don't think a daily post is required!
Allison: I don't think I'd miss it much if I stopped, even though I do enjoy it and often read things there that I don't read elsewhere. It's also freaking expensive to subscribe from the UK.
Sharon: Well, at least sugar intake is relatively easily controlled!
Bug: It would be nice to get a definitive answer. "Gastritis" seems so non-specific. WHY do I have gastritis?!
Catalyst: You're right. That is the best approach. Just live each day as best we can.
Susan: Thanks for the quinoa advice!
Pam C: I thought it was such an interesting idea, and so relevant to what all of us do here in blogland.
Boud: You were, but I freed you!