The last pandemic, Hong Kong flu, was all over the US by December 1968. I was 10-and-a-half then and extremely sick with it for over a week, which was a very long time -- neither measles nor chickenpox had kept me so low for so long. When I began to recover, it was early in … Continue reading Memories of Flu
OFF
People with Parkinson's eventually take up the shorthand of "ON and "OFF" to denote states that are in fact complex and very personal. ON is when PD symptoms are as controlled as they get. OFF is when they're not. That's where PD lives. For me, an OFF episode means I can't speak or blink or … Continue reading OFF
10 Brains Are Better than One
A milestone is behind me! A month or so ago I agreed to speak to the local Parkinson's support group about the High-Dose Thiamine (HDT) therapy I've been using since January. Wednesday the 16th was the Big Day! My husband and I were at the Senior Center a bit early, about 15 people filed into … Continue reading 10 Brains Are Better than One
The Buddha of Bees
Unaware, or unworried, the buddha of honeybees... This honeybee-beautiful, on my lavender, curves segmented body in the shape that means reaching, unaware, I assume, how her sunglow of cargo-load nectar lights same-gold within me; a shower of sparks in my visual cortex, my brain made of nitro-gel eager for burning, exploding in sun-stars, igniting a … Continue reading The Buddha of Bees
In the Midst of the Slow-Grinding Desert of Parkinson’s, the Startling Oasis of Thiamine HCL
In 2012, an Italian neuroscientist and practicing neurologist developed a novel treatment for the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease. Not only was his therapy astonishingly effective for all but the most far-gone sufferers, it also apparently stopped disease progression at the stage where the therapy intersected its trajectory. Within 12 hours of my first dose, taken experimentally … Continue reading In the Midst of the Slow-Grinding Desert of Parkinson’s, the Startling Oasis of Thiamine HCL
The Full Cup of Pottery
What I love about throwing pottery has nothing to do with Patrick Swayze or Demi Moore. I’m not going to say anything about the sensuous quality of firm, pliable clay, continuously sliding between hands wet with slip. No. What I love about throwing pottery is the paradox of it: the stillness of my hands against … Continue reading The Full Cup of Pottery
Remembering Sweetness, Tasting Salt
Satyr's kiss is midnight's honey, sweet on the mouth, sweet low laughter in moonlight, a rush of wind in pines... Wild wings beating in a dark forest; twin shadows crossing a lake of sky... The ache of a shooting star. Satyr's kiss is honey on the mouth, the promise of impossibles. Morning always comes. I lick … Continue reading Remembering Sweetness, Tasting Salt
Broomtail
I remember when I didn’t have to take pills every 2 hrs and 45 minutes so I could swallow and smile and speak and hold a pen. I remember galloping around a neighbor’s grassy back yard, imagining my forelegs reaching and my back legs thrusting and my wild long mane lifting and falling, and the … Continue reading Broomtail
Africa
Growing up, I read about Africa in the monthly National Geographic, and in Joy Adamson’s three books about her life with Elsa the lioness. I came to feel that Africa was where real life happened – on the golden grasslands of east Africa under the silent brutal sun, where red dust kicked up behind the tires … Continue reading Africa
Long Lost Family
My brother has made navigating this world his specialty. A SCUBA diving instructor, a licensed small-plane pilot, an inland waterway captain, and past-master of the long-distance road trip, he can find his way on land, in the air, and both in and under the water. Lost on a mountain for three days, he followed a creek … Continue reading Long Lost Family
