On Mothers Day.

Firstly, I'd like to extend a warm welcome to anyone who has found their way here via the MND Newsletter & thank you Heather for listing it. Please come in , sit down , take the weight off, pour yourself a hot or a cold one & make yourself at home. Feel free to make your self known via the comments option.

I had planned to take herself to Albany today on a day trip so that she could celebrate Mothers Day & her eldest son's birthday all in one. Sadly, I had a recurrence of a rather nasty stress symptom that i thought I had seen the last of. It really left me with no option but to cancel out, because God I'm tired. Fortunately, Herself's daughter stepped up to the plate & offered to come down collect her & take her up for an overnighter. In retrospect, that was a very good idea.

I have had a totally selfish day. I curled up & had a snooze for an hour or two after they left. Then I watched the 1st DVD of 3 in The Ice Road Truckers set. Then I had a nap just for a change. There's nothing on TV till 7.00, so here I am on here & listening to the first of 3 discs in the Dylan Bootleg series. Good classic vintage stuff from his early years.

When I was granted 12 respite days a year, I didn't think for one minute that I would need them, but I must admit that a little time out where I'm not straining to understand what Herself is saying, or worrying about her choking is an absolute blessing. I will be very glad when the coming week is over & done with & I can concentrate on caring for her full time. I love her dearly & its very difficult to walk out the door every morning to go to work. She really is finding winter hard, more because of the arthritis than her MND. I have located an acupuncturist in Thames that has been trained in Beijing, so I am hoping that he can offer her some pain relief. Until then, its warm open fires, hot spas with plenty of epsom salts in & an excellent liniment that I found for her at our local health shop. Its that good that poor old Tiggerpuss can't tolerate being under the blankets after I have used it on Herself's back.

Well, thats about it. I will leave you with the lyrics to a Dylan song that I find especially meaningful at the moment. It's called, "Let Me Die in my Footsteps."



I will not go down under the ground
"Cause somebody tells me that death's comin' 'round
An' I will not carry myself down to die
When I go to my grave my head will be high,
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.

There's been rumors of war and wars that have been
The meaning of the life has been lost in the wind
And some people thinkin' that the end is close by
"Stead of learnin' to live they are learning to die.
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.

I don't know if I'm smart but I think I can see
When someone is pullin' the wool over me
And if this war comes and death's all around
Let me die on this land 'fore I die underground.
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.

There's always been people that have to cause fear
They've been talking of the war now for many long years
I have read all their statements and I've not said a word
But now Lawd God, let my poor voice be heard.
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.

If I had rubies and riches and crowns
I'd buy the whole world and change things around
I'd throw all the guns and the tanks in the sea
For they are mistakes of a past history.
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.

Let me drink from the waters where the mountain streams flood
Let me smell of wildflowers flow free through my blood
Let me sleep in your meadows with the green grassy leaves
Let me walk down the highway with my brother in peace.
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.

Go out in your country where the land meets the sun
See the craters and the canyons where the waterfalls run
Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Idaho
Let every state in this union seep in your souls.
And you'll die in your footsteps
Before you go down under the ground.