Well, hello there!

 Here it is, Memorial Day already! I was working in the garden this morning -- pruning, tidying, cleaning off the patio, and suddenly the thought crossed my mind that it is time to start blogging again.

It's been a long time. Almost 5 months, in fact. And I'll confess, it's been a rather difficult time. In November, my mom fell and broke her hip and shoulder -- ouch, two big breaks that would be difficult for anyone, but for someone in her eighties, well, it was a rough go. The very good news is that my mom has made a miraculous recovery. She's up and walking and being her feisty self, and we will celebrate her 88th birthday in the next next few weeks.

The very bad news is that my brother died in March, after a battle with metastatic colon cancer. His decline was swift and not easy to see -- but I will always remember the strength and hopefulness and good spirit that he exhibited the whole way through. One of the silver linings to that very black cloud was that I spent a lot of time with him over the last 6 months, and we talked about so many things -- deep, superficial, silly.  It was quite a gift he gave me, allowing me to share that end of life time with him. So, now, there's just a big gap, but I think of him so often and feel him in so many experiences. It's kind of like I'm getting him used to being here in another way, if that makes sense. Anyway, it's another one of those getting-used-to-the-new-normal things for my family. It's a relief to think of him pain-free and running around with his beloved yellow lab who I have no doubt was there to great him.

Anyway. I'm finding that it's taken lot of energy to just get back to normal life. Work has clamored for my attention, so I've been immersed in that pretty much full time.  Creativity has felt like a background presence, instead of the usual front-stage necessity.  I've done a bit of sketching, a bit of sewing, a bit of collage play.  But really, I've been more inclined to sink into an escapist novel or binge-worthy thriller tv series, something that takes me away from my daily life to -- who knows where. 

Working out in the garden today gave me that feeling that summer is just around corner -- or maybe it's here already. It's almost 90 today, and I've already given Starlie Pup the first backyard bath of the season. I'm not sure why, but suddenly it feels like it's time to lift my head up and look AHEAD again.

And blogging is part of that, some how. So stay tuned!