Blog Posts - A Cottage by the Sea

Loving May

5/1/2023

May 1st! Second to January 1st, May 1st is the most special first day of a month for me. I was glad to wake up and say 'rabbit' this morning. For some mysterious reason, the end of April seemed to drag. And now May, one of my favorites because, in no special order, the leaves burst forth, my mom was born May 8th, and my daughter on the 20th. May is a hopeful month, with daylight extending a little more each evening. There is no need yet to count the days until darkness take over.
The end of April ushered in Marvelous May (no, were not celebrating "NoMowMay"), with our granddaughter's graduation from college, and toward the end of the month we will celebrate our grandson's graduation. Hardly time to stop for silence and simplicity, but that is more than okay.

Seeing the caregiver

4/27/2023

Today I find myself give a mental shout-out to caregivers, the unsung, the unnoticed heroes of everyday life. Someone is ill, in the hospital, disabled, depressed, needing attention--you name it. They can't function by themselves and so a caregiver steps in. Maybe they didn't know they would be needed until, voila, something happened that changed everything. Or perhaps they saw it coming, as with a scheduled surgery or a slowly evolving dementia.
I have a dime in my hand. Roosevelt, the one who gets my attention, in on the front.
But what is on the back? I must turn it over to be reminded. And likewise I must remember the caregivers, and tell them: I see you. A patient and a caregiver, two sides of the same coin.

Loving other people's dogs

4/24/2023

We had another dog visit, although this time we were not pet sitting. It was truly a visit, which meant we weren't in charge at all. Like Auggie, we love Skye, our friend's sheltie. During our dog owning years we had two shelties, and so we know their ways-- the ways they run and herd; the ways they love to relax on beds and couches; the ways they are super alter when not sleeping. We love Skye, but we don't want a dog.

No solitude with a dog

4/19/2023

My niece's dog, Auggie, spent five nights with us. We love Auggie. Who wouldn't love this independent, undemanding, compliant dog who never barks? Yes, we love Auggie but we don't want a dog. Dogs need to go out at least four times a day; they need to be with you all the time.
We love Auggie, but any dog, even a dog like Auggie, takes away solitude. Even when walking my usual daytime walk, I wasn't walking alone at my usual pace. I definitely wasn't alone during the first walk of the day at 5:30 AM. Nor was I alone in the Angel Room when we returned.
Just saying…. When I am with a dog I am not alone. Maybe that's not true for everyone, but worth considering before you get one.

Peace along the Arno

4/12/2023

I often look at the pictures I have taken of the Arno and Ponte Vecchio during my many trips to Florence. Every time I go I snap anew--the same and yet different. Each photo isn't only a view of a beautiful river and historical bridge; whether in the picture or not, as the photographer, I am there, too, experiencing peace and contentment. (The same is applies to a visual artist).
This specific spot is my go-to place for silence, solitude, and simplicity in Florence; a place where I can be alone--even with the all the others who gather there. Although I may wonder what is on their minds--whether they are alone, with someone else, or part of a crowd--I 'know' that they are finding peace and contentment. That is what the bridge across the Arno offers! Ask anyone who has been there.

Thinking about judgments

4/11/2023

Bust of Cosmic I by Benvenuto Cellini

Lately I've been thinking about judgments. In truth, I think about them a lot, particularly myjudgments, which often aren't way off the wall-- I judge people when they don't act as polite society expects. But that's not the point I want to make right now. I'm talking about judgments I make without knowing the circumstances of a given situation.
I'd like to give a current personal example, but as many of you are aware, I am committed not to betray confidences or information about people I know. Maybe it is enough to suggest that you can fill in your own blanks of times you have wrongly judged.
It often happens when in hearing a story from a friend, I take up her side and make up the story of the person that she says has wronged her. Bad enough, but in the case I'm working with now, I didn't even hear that my friend was wronged. I made that up, too!!!
Again I am reminded of my mother's words when I told her about a situation I had heard about. "Well, I don't know anything about that." End of conversation.

No more thoughts and prayers!

4/4/2023

Two years ago I wrote 'Prayer Thoughts'*, a little booklet about prayer. Originally I considered calling it 'Thoughts and Prayers', but as I looked into the phrase I came to understand that it was fraught with inuendo, and code for all kinds of points of view that were more political than religious. Put simply, the phrase thoughts and prayers did not mean prayers in a religious sense, which was the way I was representing it in the booklet.
Last week the response to the school shooting in Nashville vindicated my decision to
stay away from thoughts and prayers, and go with 'Prayer Thoughts'. Students and parents demonstrated against the phrase, claiming that it is code for avoiding sensible gun control legislation. They may welcome prayers, which is personal, but they want action, which is public.
* Email me if you would like a copy of "Prayer Thoughts" or my more recent booklet, 'Hope Thought'. Bobbifisher.mac@mac.com

Arrivederci Firenze

3/31/2023

Every time I fly out of the Florence airport, I wonder if I will return to my favorite city, or if I am saying arrivederchi for the last time. It's not something I've dwelt upon on over the years, but this trip I found myself looking at the Arno and the Duomo with 'memory' eyes. I'm a realist and an optimist, a combination that has encouraged me to take these trips. I'm also healthy and used to traveling, which is another combo that keeps me planning to go one more time.
As I write this on the plane on the way home to Boston, I'm thinking I have at least an October trip still in me. But I won't make those plans until I return from a week in Edinburgh at the end of May.

Buon giorno from Florence

3/27/2023

Art Institute of Florence

3/25/2023

Here I am, back for the umpteenth time in the park of the Art Institute of Florence near Porta Roman, sitting on a bench, people watching, musing, and writing . I've written about the people, the dogs, the students, the little kids in this park many times. Probably I should reread those past blogs, but that holds no interest. No, I am living in the present moment, considering my current theme--meaning making as the ultimate human endeavor.
Sitting here, I am aware how content, purposeful, and complete I feel, which I have to believe is a life goal of all humans. Is this contentment easier for me, an older person, than for the students walking across the grounds? Probably. The students are searching as was I when I studied here years ago. At the time I didn't realize that I was not only learning independence but was taking it on as important part of my way to make meaning of my life. I trust it also has to do with my faith and with God.