Small and annoying, buzzing
nuisance multiplies within
minutes.
I am armed with apple cider vinegar,
citronella candles, and patience,
yet I cannot defeat them …
A concoction: honey, water, and
red wine vinegar, microwaved
for twenty-five seconds is their
burning bed.
The dog watches me as I
run around my apartment placing
little cups of this trap in
certain spaces.
I never thought I would
be so happy to witness
the death of a fruit fly.
Today, I had lunch with a writing friend of mine. We planned this a few weeks back, and I am glad it actually took place.
I was afraid I’d get too anxious and back out or far too afraid to even go. This was actually my first outing to sit down and eat at a restaurant (outside on the patio) since the pandemic began.
We decided on a place called Relish in Raleigh, which is about an hour and thirty-five minutes away from me. We had a delightful time. The food was great. The service was excellent. And it is a pet-friendly environment.
These days, I pretty much have to have Jernee with me if I venture away from home for too long, so this place being all it was and so much more, was definitely a Godsend.
All work and no play
Makes Jernee a grumpy dog
Today we had fun
Outing with a friend
Delicious food to savor
A pet friendly place
We will go again
When I’ve gathered up the strength
It had been too long
The imagery alone for this piece made me want to read it again and again.
For bite-sized morsels of creative excellence about nature, life, struggles, growth, and everything in between, Elancharan’s blog is the space for it all.
baby snake imagines itself as a coiled root unearthed and then an autumn twig and finally transforms into a locomotive slowly sliding across the tar into the dark belly of the undergrowth
the workday ends just
before the rain beats
down the window panes–
loud plops shake me from
a drowsy state.
trying to get through the
last hour of the day
before a power outage is
an act in dodging anxiety
when working from home.
the dog tilts her head and
lifts her ears at attention–a
thunderclap announces its
presence followed by
a lightning strike.
my fingers tap away at
the keyboard–thankful for
the cutoff time of the
day at just the right moment.
lights flicker but manage
to stay on.
these weird weather days
have me shaking my head,
but there has been no
levels of drought, and
I will be grateful for
whatever form of minor
weather inconvenience
comes our way.
it could be a lot worse.
Originally shared via LinkedIn after a long day’s work.
three sit peacefully
looking down on the
passersby as they
speed down the highway.
what do they vaticinate about
today? what do they see?
I am cautious as I sneak up
behind them, dog in tow,
eager to catch the shot,
yet wise enough to
keep my distance.
this is their church,
we are their congregation.
I wonder what they
expect as tithes.
I had one rollercoaster of a week. Work was hectic until Thursday afternoon. We had major issues with our phones and there had also been some connectivity issues which made our jobs extremely difficult. When your main priority is to answer phones and schedule patients for radiology scans and invasive procedures, not being able to effectively and efficiently do this for nearly a week had been mind-altering … and not in a good way.
I don’t know what had me on the verge of breaking down on Wednesday afternoon— it could have been the frustration of dealing with the issues with the phones and software or the weather (it has been raining off and on here for nearly two straight weeks), but I felt a weight overcome me that I just couldn’t shake.
Thankfully, I was keying in contact letters for unresponsive patients and had a moment to allow the tears to flow.
When this form of emotion hits me out of nowhere, the first thing I want to do is … text or call my cousin. It is still hard for me to force myself into the action of not thinking about her to call or text — I am trying but it is far too hard to remove from my mind.
I often wish there was a switch — one I could flick off — one I could use to remove the thought from my mind so that it never occurs again because when it happens, the sea of sadness becomes my wading pool.
I am moving through it all as best as I can. One thing is for certain, I am glad the workweek is behind me.
One thing that did help me through this week had been taking pictures of various things that make me happy or cause me to pause and reflect on life’s happenings for just a moment. The following photos are the results from this past week.
To shake some of the “stank” off me from this past workweek, I took a trip to Greensboro, North Carolina, to spend some time with my mom. Visiting my mom allowed both me and Jernee to truly kick back and relax at her place while we gave her our utmost attention.
After dealing with everything that took place this past week, seeing her face and listening to her talk 100 mph did my entire being some good.
I think Jernee agrees too.
Now that the past week is behind me and a few emotional moments have been curbed, I am bracing myself for whatever is to come for the rest of this weekend.
I don’t plan on doing too much for the rest of the day, and the only things I intend to do for tomorrow are to wash my hair and cook dinner (I am still thinking about what I will make). Aside from the normal little things I do on Sunday, these will be the only two add-ons.
I have enjoyed looking up, around, and within my line of sight to capture God’s creations, however major or simple. Sometimes we need pictures to tell the stories we cannot seem to share. I think the photos above have epic tales to tell. Don’t you?
“A good snapshot keeps a moment from running away.” ― Eudora Welty
Welcome to The Grieving Room. I am here. You are here. We are not alone in this.
©2022 Tremaine L. Loadholt Originally published in The Grieving Room newsletter via LinkedIn.
A Cornered Gurl 
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