Lynn Flewelling's Blog, page 7

A sense of meaning can also ameliorate the fear of death. Elders can be assisted in exploring their lice in the context of their relationships and actions.

So I'm sitting here at Panera writing. Just looked out the window in time to see a little old white-haired lady go zooming by at high speed down the sidewalk on one of those motorized chair things, which was a very cool metallic red. My first thought, "May that be me when I'm 99." In Pacifica (my depth psychology grad school) terms, the metaphor of Pegasus comes to mind, or the archetype of the goddess Artemis, still running with her sacred hounds or Gaia still pulsing with the energy of Life.

Since this may not make it into final draft, I give you . . . The Fart Scene.

Thero was still in his tent when they returned. Alec and Mika sat outside by a watch fire, eating something from bowls.

“What’s for dinner?” Micum asked.

Mika made a face. “Bean soup. I hate bean soup!” Then with a giggle, “It makes me fart.”

Micum laughed and ruffled the boy’s hair. “Me, too. Could be a noisy night.”

Seregil smirked. “I don’t think I’ve ever known Thero to fart.”

The others dissolved into laughter at that.

“The level of discourse seems to have devolved considerably today,” Thero observed dryly, pushing back the tent flap.

“Sorry,” Alec said, then broke out laughing again.

Thero sighed and waved them inside. “I shouldn’t complain, I suppose. There was a time when Seregil would have made several comments on the condition of my sphincter by now.”

“’Better up than down. Saves wear and tear on the—’ Well, on the sphincter, my old gran used to say,” Micum offered.

“What’s a sphincter?” Mika asked.

“Where the farts come out,” Thero replied, deadpan. “Now, can we get to the business at hand, please?

Author's Note: It was actually my maternal grandmother who used to say "Better up than down, it saves wear and tear on the asshole." As I may have observed before, I come from earthy stock. And the word 'fart' makes me laugh like a 10 year old boy. I am smirking as I type this.

I don't think I've ever used the word "sphincter" in my fiction before. It was Thero, btw.

For once it's not suggestive. Sorry.

"Night had fallen and they had only their slight stones to see by."

This morning my son Matthew made (homemade!) excellent bagels, maple pecan cream cheese, and blackberry honey cream cheese. He's an amazing cook and especially good at baking.

At the moment I'm at Panera working and listening to my new favorite album, Dispari,by Remo Anzovino. Favorite song: Marcetta dell'Inconscio, which I first heard at my new favorite Facebook site, The Macbre and Beautifully Grotesque: https://www.facebook.com/grotesqMB

You can hear/view here.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=1743058689593&set=vb.121612214525796&type=2&theater

I'm delighted to report that Doug is much improved. He's still weak and needs painkillers, but not the Deladin he was on, which made him confused and zombie like. His white cell count is too high, and he keeps spiking a fever, but the doctors seem very pleased with his progress. He's hooked up to IVs now and then, but not all the time, so he's less claustrophobic and is sleeping better. No word of when he can go home but at least he is not suffering the way he did for the past six days. I'll take that for now and so will he.

I want to share this video we watched for my Geropsychology class. It's pretty amazing.

Update for Dr. Doug: The doctor is taking him off the heavy duty IV painkiller today, along with most or all of the various tubes, wires, pipes, girders, C clamps, and other hardware that have severely limited his mobility. He is making steady progress and has moved from agony to awful to miserable to very uncomfortable, exhausted, and grumpy, but don't tell him I said that. He's under orders to walk, sit up, and eat solid food. Doc gives the orders; I'm the enforcer.

Doc says he still has a lot of excess fluid in his body and a high white count so gall bladder surgery will have to wait awhile, but hopefully soon. It will be done laproscopically so the recovery time shouldn't be too bad.

Once again, thank you so much for all your support! He and I both really appreciate it.

Lynn