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ardysez

~ surrender to yourself

ardysez

Tag Archives: family

all the weather and love too…

31 Thursday Dec 2020

Posted by Ardys in Alice Springs, Life

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

family, life, love

We worked our way through all the seasons in five days over Christmas. Three days before, it was pouring rain, which we badly needed and was an absolute gift. It was also unseasonably cool. My winter track suit even made an unexpected appearance one morning, but the high humidity had me changing again before lunch time. Ok, so our version of seasons is less extreme than most, but it was still quite unusual. We went from the hottest November on record, to almost the coolest Christmas on record. We only missed by about 2 degrees celsius….it was 26C (78F) and the record was 24.2C(75F)

The additions of daughter and sausage dog added their own weather pattern to the immediate environment. When the house that I had tidied within a hair of its existence suddenly looked like a whirlwind had hit, she laughingly swept her hand through the hair and sang ‘I’m home’. I realised I had missed all of the disarray and young energy.

The tiniest among us received the most attention…and got the most rest.

The river flowed energetically for the first time in a couple of years. We’ve had other trickles and teases, but nothing that would lead one to believe the water table was being replenished. This one hinted it might just happen by the time La Niña is finished with us.

The normally dry Todd River five days ago after the last rain of 2020. Today it is dry again.

There are amazing changes that happen when you live in an arid zone and the rains come. First of all the smell is delicious…once you get passed that first shower that highlights the smell of decomposing things. Eew. The eucalyptus and rain trees perfume the air like walking into the soap factory we visited earlier this year. The factory made their own herbal and other essential oil essences and I could feel myself being uplifted with every breath. It is the same here, after a good rain. Driving to pick up my husband from the airport which I hadn’t done in almost a week, felt like I had been transported to another planet—the one with green stuff on the ground and a landscape that has been sharpened by a high definition filter.

Left: newly sprouted bush tomatoes Middle: newly sprouted ferns among rocks Right: I have no idea, but I know they are unusual. I presume they are toadstools of some kind.

Another change that rapidly takes place is not just the growth of plants, but the very appearance of them, where previously had been barren soil and rock. The wild Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) first emerged after a rainfall of only 10ml a few weeks ago. By the time another 80ml had come, it was filling every available space and growing larger each day. Surely I had just missed it in years passed, but it seemed to be everywhere! When we visited the soap factory at Babylonstoren earlier this year, we had taken a tour of the gardens. We learned that our common jade plant, growing with abandon, was edible! I’d seen kangaroo eating the tips of it but until our guide showed it to us and mentioned it was edible, I had not equated the kangaroo experience with a human one. She said, watching what animals eat can often give us a clue to what we can eat, and then there is chocolate which is toxic to dogs. Never mind. Wild Purslane is also edible, and has a salty, slightly sour taste and a slight crunch. It reminds me of the texture (but not the flavour) of Japanese wakame salad.

Left: jade plant in the lower portion of the photo Middle: wild purslane to the farthest reach of this photo Right: Wild Purslane up close, with a yet unidentified smaller leaf purslane in the background. *Notice that all of them have a red stem, which apparently is common in the edible varieties…though please don’t go around tasting them as I am no expert!

As well as the Purslane multiplying, the Naked Lady lilies positively raced toward the heavens with each day of cloud and rain. The day the cloud cleared, they opened their pinkness to the world. Their life is brief but there is no sadness to it. The blushing blossoms nod in the breezes, rejoicing a short, happy life.

These native lilies called ‘Naked Ladies’ were a gift to me 15 or so years ago. One small clump from a neighbour’s garden has been divided and spread all around our garden. We enjoy it immensely.

Once the rain stopped, the cloud cleared fairly quickly but unfamiliar humidity remained heavily in the air and morning dew sparkled on the newly emerged green shoots. Insects flourished too, everything from mosquitoes to flying ants, bees, dragonflies and bush flies, a veritable feast for birds. We’ve already discovered a few intruders, attacking the refreshed garden. And so it goes. Temperatures returned to the more normal range, but on the very tolerant side through Christmas, and headed toward hot for the New Year. It was a wonderful break.

Don trying to explain to Leni that little dogs with bladder infections can’t eat ham. She was unconvinced. Only five days later, she had urgent (but not unexpected) surgery for bladder stones, one was nearly the size of her entire bladder (the size of a chickpea). We would have felt terrible had we caved in to those big pleading eyes. She is resting well and on good pain relievers. But there is no fixing Don’s sock tan.

My usually quiet days turned to a happy mixture of baking and cooking, sausage cuddling, the occasional short nap, tv viewing, drinks with friends, gift exchanges and basking in love. Four days and a hundred photos later, the house was suddenly silent again. Only the orchestra of Pied Butcher birds and Cicadas singing, and the tumbling of the washing machine remained. There was no warm little body squirming into my lap, no funny quips or gorgeous smiles from our daughter, no reliable assistance and generous compliment from my husband. Armed with ham sandwiches and Christmas baking, at day break they slipped quietly out of the driveway and began their 1500 kilometre journey to her home. Faced with a pile of clothes, sheets and towels to wash, only the sheets now remain. Her perfume clings to them. Maybe they can wait until the scent has faded to nothing. Then I will be able to bear washing them. This was the first time in 8 years she had been able to be here for Christmas. Of all the years, this one would have been my choice.

Long may the memory last.

Clockwise from top left: Christmas day on the green in front of our house; a ‘gift tree’ was the only decorating I did; Head BBQ chef doing his magic with ham glaze; It was a tad windy on their drive north as is evidenced by Leni’s ears; My loves; Cheeky Galahs hanging out for their Christmas morning breakfast.

**The long drive happened because the airlines are not yet transporting animals and there was no place Allison could leave Leni while she came home. Her lovely Dad offered his driving services and flew down to drive with her north, and home again, and then flew home from Adelaide. It was a big effort for all of us, but so worth it.

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a path diverging…

27 Tuesday Dec 2016

Posted by Ardys in Life

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

family, home, life, path, wordpress theme

fullsizeoutput_38d3Here, in the heart of Australia I stopped. Three days before Christmas I sat on a bench with a path converging in front of me and a sunrise that was the harbinger of rain for Christmas. Lots of rain. We welcome rain, in the arid lands, whenever it chooses to anoint us. I sat on this bench feeling grateful that my family was home and for all the goodness Life has brought us.

My path has never been very predictable, and I have liked it that way. Life has presented many more amazing twists and turns than I could imagine. I have regretted nothing that has appeared at my feet…on the path. Now, living half a world from where I began life, it seems like there was nothing else I could have done.

Three days ago I saw this path converging. Today I see it was a divergence with a brief intersection only. Our family is gone, necessarily leaving space between the two paths once again. As we parted, it was the reopening of an old wound, a raw and painful aching in the solar plexus, for something you can no longer have. Time, and writing about it temporarily cover over the longing, anticipating a future time when our paths will briefly converge again.

Inspired by the WordPress theme: Path

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the gold and the ring…

10 Wednesday Aug 2016

Posted by Ardys in Family, Life

≈ 20 Comments

Tags

family, life

I have just successfully completed the final hurdle in the track and field event that was the transferring of our internet account to the new National Broadband Network.

I think.

To be perfectly honest, it has been a tedious week at times, but at the moment I am standing on the dais accepting my gold medal for installing our NBN modem and net phone and having everything operational. Advance Australia Fair!

About a week ago I got the news that the replacement skylights for the ones smashed during the hail storm had arrived.

Smashed.

We are still waiting for the second lot to arrive. Immediately following that news I managed to lose my reading glasses out of a pocket on my morning walk. I found what was left of them.

IMG_9975

what was left of my glasses

Also smashed.

Apprehensive that there was an unfortunate pattern developing, I was greatly relieved when I was able to get into the optometrist the next day and order new glasses. I’m waiting for those to arrive–hopefully not smashed.

The day after the glasses incident we had an appointment with our tax agent. We have never resented paying taxes because we know if we hadn’t made the money in the first place there would be no tax to pay. Yes, occasionally we’d like to see it better spent, but that’s a separate issue. It took both of us about two hours each to get all the details and receipts together for this appointment and so far we have not heard from the agent that we have forgotten anything. Could there be another gold medal in the offing?

And just when we were feeling like the week was a bit of a slog, here came a FaceTime chat from our daughter and boyfriend in Greece.

💕’We are engaged to be married’💕

Boyfriend surprised her with a ring in the bottom of a wine glass while overlooking the sea, from a cliff top wine bar on Santorini. Could it be any more romantic? We are very happy for them, and for all of us. Daughter and Boyfriend have been together for 4.5 years, having met two weeks after she moved to Adelaide and having moved in together only a few weeks later. When love happens, it seems it is obvious, at least in our family. Hubby and I spent only 6 weeks together before becoming engaged so we kind of know how it can happen. We enjoy the future in-laws and of course our son-in-law-to-be and look forward to the future together.

walking the Bradshaw trail
walking the Bradshaw trail
along the walk at the Telegraph Station
along the walk at the Telegraph Station
clear sky walk at the Telegraph Station
clear sky walk at the Telegraph Station

The next day we celebrated with a beautiful walk at the Alice Springs Telegraph Station, something we have been meaning to do for years. And then we were back to seeming like we weren’t quite clearing the hurdles again. There was the morning I sat on the toilet and ‘mid-stream’ noticed a very large spider next to me. There was a worrying message from family, flaring of arthritis, and things seemed back to normal.

At times Life feels like preparation for the Olympics. We train and practice and drag ourselves back from defeat and frustration, time after time. And then we have a win. We have a win that makes the rest of it seem worthwhile, or at least tolerable. I’ll accept the gold for the technical win, but the real win, of course, is seeing someone I love accepting the ring.

IMG_0189

our little girl

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pearls of synchronicity…

26 Tuesday Jul 2016

Posted by Ardys in Family, Inspiration, Life

≈ 23 Comments

Tags

family, life, synchronicity, Wisdom

You have probably heard the expression ‘pearls of wisdom’, and to some degree that befits this story. However it is even more than that. It is a story about paying attention to our commitments, the feelings of others, and being in the moment.

We had a visit with Mum in March, tho we have just returned a few days ago from our most recent visit. During the March trip we arrived one morning to her apartment and she presented me with a small plastic bag and the remnants of what was once her favourite pearl necklace. Knowing I used to make jewellery and still had the tools, she said to me “I know it isn’t worth much but it means something to me, will you fix this for me?” To be perfectly honest, I didn’t want to repair it because my jewellery making days are done. I’m kind of like that when I’m done with something. I don’t usually go back to it, though things can wax and wane over the years before I reach that point. But I would do just about anything for my lovely Mother ( just as she has done for me over the years) so I said I would do my best and return it to her.

Mum’s memory is not what it used to be (not sure mine is either, for that matter!). There are days when she remembers things and days when it is a struggle. She told me she had forgotten to remove the necklace before going to bed that night and it had broken in her sleep. She had searched the sheets and carpet for what pearls she could salvage but I could tell from looking at the remains in the bag, some were missing. The cleaner had already come that morning and vacuumed and changed sheets, so any unfound pearls were well and truly gone by now. That would make the task more challenging.

As one does with things about which we are unenthusiastic, I delayed repairing the necklace until a couple of weeks before our return visit. I estimated there were about 20 small pearls missing. Perhaps you will call it luck; I call it synchronicity, that the only pearls I had, other than a few freshwater pearls, were small glass ones. They were the perfect size and near perfect colour to complete the necklace. How did that happen?

When I returned the pearls to Mum, she was visibly happy, and immediately started to tell the story of how she came to have them. It was the first thing she bought herself, with her first pay check as a registered nurse, back in the late 1940’s. I had never heard that before and was so glad I had persevered to repair them.

A couple of days later, my niece was visiting us and the conversation led to my recollection as a small child, probably in about 1959 or 1960. I was watching Mum getting ready to go out for the evening; most children are fascinated to watch their parents do ‘grown up things’. I recalled her putting on makeup, which she seldom wore, and then opening a velvet covered, shell-shaped box to retrieve the jewellery inside it. Mum sparked up as I was recounting the memory, and said

“That was the box the pearls came in, and I still have it!”

“What?” I was truly shocked.

“It is in the bedroom in a little compartment on the bed head.”

Sure enough, when I went to look, it was there. It was an epic, full circle moment, an insight to my Mother’s life that may never have happened–if her necklace hadn’t broken, if I had not kept the tools to repair it, if I had not honoured my word to repair it, if she had not kept the box, if my niece had not visited, if Mum hadn’t had that moment of clarity…if, if, if…

Life is much more miraculous and surprising at times, than anything I could ever imagine.

pearls and box from ~1948
pearls and box from ~1948
trifari-pearls-simulated
Pearls by Trifari
special pearls
special pearls

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every trip has a story…

23 Saturday Jul 2016

Posted by Ardys in Family, Health, Travel

≈ 21 Comments

Tags

family, health, life, Travel

We have been in the USA visiting and, hopefully, helping my Mother and immediate family for the last two and a half weeks. Our intentions were good, but our execution of the plan left a little to be desired. We had booked the trip 10 months ago when Qantas was having a good sale on Business class seats to the USA (two for 1!!). And at that time we had just returned from a trip there and it seemed like two weeks would be long enough. Erroneous thinking on many levels. We are left wondering what led us to this decision, so that we don’t repeat it.

qantas-retro-roo

Our Qantas 737 plane to Sydney, named Retro Roo, painted with old style livery

Mum was good when we got there, but two of the last three days of our visit she was in hospital with an unexpected urinary tract infection. Did you know that this is a very common ailment in the elderly? The doctor who spoke to us was very nice and further informed us how this effects elderly people, and to some extent why. I thought I would share it since you may have someone in your family that is in a similar situation.

The doctor said that elderly patients, in general, have ‘less reserves’ in their system, so when this infection establishes itself it often appears that the affected person is confused and dizzy. He went on to explain why this happens. When a person has a UTI, they feel as if they need to relieve themselves more often than normal, thus dehydrating them slightly. This dehydration effects the blood pressure, so that when they stand, they are dizzy, and often fall. The dehydration also effects the brain function, and people can seem slightly more confused or less sharp than normal. If this is someone who already has some dementia, it can seem somewhat normal, since people have good days and bad days with that as well.

IMG_9542

Members of Mum’s gardening group at the assisted living home.

In Mum’s case she had not really noticed the burning with the urination that is often the telltale symptom, and so she fell twice in three days while getting up in the night. We had spent all day with her both days, and she had not commented on symptoms, or seemed much out of the ordinary. In fact, we did not know about the first fall, until the second one happened. How this can happen in an assisted living place is a very long and involved story that has to do with patient consent and how the issue is reported etc. Regardless, it is just plain frustrating.

The second time Mum fell she was wearing her medical alert necklace, which has a motion detector on it. When it detects a fall, they try to contact the person. If the person is unresponsive, they send paramedics, which they did. Mum was unconscious so they took her to the hospital. They ran many tests and immediately established that she had the UTI and started antibiotics intravenously.

Through what can only be viewed as a snafu of ridiculous proportions (internet not working properly, phone not working, hotel not having us listed as registered guests, despite the fact we had been there for 10 nights already), no one was able to get word to us until we appeared at her apartment the following morning, to find her gone, but the dog there alone. The assisted living place was able to update us and that is when I learned of her fall three nights previously. None of the rest of the family even knew about that one, since she was not wearing the medical alert necklace that night (they are uncomfortable for sleeping and Mum had removed it)

Mum was very confused that day and the following day. It wasn’t helped by the fact that hospitals are lousy places to get any rest! We took her home on the second day, and after a night of sleep, and two days of antibiotics in her system, she was like a new person on the last day we saw her. We spent most of the day with her and then left for the airport to fly home to Australia.

qantas-first-sydney

Sometimes trips are good just to break you out of your normal routine

On the long haul flight coming home, heavy fog was predicted for Sydney, so our flight was diverted to Fiji for refuelling in case we had to fly around a bit before landing, or fly to a farther airport. So, 17 hours in the same seat on an airplane was a new record for us, and not one I care to challenge. The fog did not eventuate in Sydney, but farther up the coast.

Yesterday after we arrived home and went to the grocery, unpacked bags and made some dinner, I remarked “I’m sure I have some idea how Mum must feel when she is confused. My brain has the acuity of chocolate pudding.”

Mum is good and we are exchanging emails already. I am deliriously happy, having awakened in my own bed and now enjoying a really good cup of coffee. The brain is less pudding-y and more protoplasm-y this morning.

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seeing more clearly

20 Sunday Mar 2016

Posted by Ardys in Family, Life, Uncategorized

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

family, life, Travel

It is raining steadily today, having transformed from tiny ice crystals trying to decide whether or not to be snow. It is the last official day of Winter in Ohio, but of course Mother Nature is in charge, so the nasty stuff seems committed to the final hour just after midnight tonight! Robins hop along looking for good nesting material, geese are pairing off and the weather suits the ducks and their frisky pursuits without bother. While the earth is being reborn, the life who gave me life, and has been the repository of family love and knowledge is slipping away.

image

Fine weather for ducks

Every trip we have ever made to the Southern Ohio region, since growing up here and leaving it, has been important to us. But none more so than this trip. On our way here a couple of weeks ago, I checked email messages just as we arrived in Melbourne, Australia. There was word from my brother that Mum had been taken to hospital in an unresponsive state but had regained consciousness. It was with that limited information we departed for the USA the following morning. I knew there was nothing more I could do; we were getting there as fast as was possible. Still, I didn’t sleep a wink on the 14 hour flight, plus another 12 hours before arriving at 10pm that night at our destination. An update in LA told us she was awake, but even after a battery of tests the hospital staff was uncertain of the cause. She had two more episodes in hospital, nearly ‘coding’ and with the electric paddles and cart at bedside, ready.

imageWhen we arrived at the hospital they were prepping her for surgery to insert a pacemaker. There was SO much factual as well as contradictory information for us to absorb. I was the only child/next of kin present when the surgeon asked if we knew her medical history. I knew she had not had a history of this kind of thing but I had not seen her since early November and emails and video chats do not carry this kind of information. Things can change. I try to keep up but there is nothing like being there to inform a person. At least I knew who had the answers and could direct the surgeon to my niece who is a nurse and has good knowledge of Mum’s medical history. Eventually we were able to stop the procedure but not before Mum was on the table, draped for surgery! The surgeon, and we, thought it likely that the medicine she had been prescribed after a stent procedure in early January, was probably the cause of the episodes.

We brought her home to the assisted living apartment where she lives and began to try and unravel the cause of a variety of problems ranging from miscommunication between emergency crew to family response. It was so confusing. Every day there was a new piece of the puzzle to fit into the picture, and most days a new complication as well.

Home again with great grandson

Home again with great grandson

Finally we established the cause of most of the issues. It was a small piece of paper called the File of Life that hangs on Mum’s fridge, in case of emergency. It had not been updated in nearly 4 years! So, in her unconscious state, incorrect information was given to the hospital, which was not even the hospital from where her heart specialist works. Incorrect facts layered upon misunderstandings. The situation surely could have gone a devastating way very easily. That dated piece of paper could have been the File of Death.

Despite our best efforts, we have all learned we must be more vigilant and proactive. Mum is not able to advocate for herself any longer. It is a shock and a steep learning curve when these things happen, but they happen to most of us in one form or another. It is obvious to me we were meant to be here exactly when we arrived, and doing exactly as we have done. I can see clearly now, the rain is gone… even if I can’t see all the obstacles in the way.

Ornamental tree in blossom
Ornamental tree in blossom
Early sign of Spring
Early sign of Spring
Robin feather
Robin feather

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tidbits from the traveler

23 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by Ardys in Family, Travel

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

family, Ohio

Book cover showing Amish style cap

Book cover showing Amish style cap

There are always iconic images I see when we travel, that for one reason or another I am unable to photograph. On Friday when, after 20 hours of airports and flying, we emerged in the busy Dayton, Ohio airport, amidst the frenetic activity sat a very placid young Amish woman. Her attire was the clue–demure traditional floral dress extending to the floor, and white translucent hair cap framing her expressionless face. I dare not intrude to take a photo, but the picture is in my mind. Having come straight from Australia, and having watched The Last Cab to Darwin film on the flight, I could only think, ‘Toto, we’re not in Oz any more’. What a startling contrast, a movie exploring the rougher edges of the Austalian Outback, followed by a piece of America that is steadily disappearing.

Niece and newest member of the family

Niece and newest member of the family

On our second day in Ohio, my niece had organised a family gathering at her house. With a new 2 month old baby, and only a few months in their first house, I thought it was extraordinarily generous of her.

Alter ego Amish farmer
Alter ego Amish farmer
Brother in his machine shop
Brother in his machine shop
Brother's hands showing me photos of the steel parts he has made
Brother’s hands showing me photos of the steel parts he has made
Mom and us, 'crazy uncle' on the left!
Mom and us, ‘crazy uncle’ on the left!
image
One year old niece
One year old niece

Everyone arrived at the appointed hour, even a strange looking Amish farmer–oh, no, wait– that’s no Amish farmer, that’s my brother! (Are we seeing a theme here?) Apparently he had a sort of bet with a friend that he would sport a beard until a new car he ordered in kit form arrived. (Yes, you read correctly, a kit car that he will build by himself) He is normally clean shaven and said he hates the beard but as long as he’s determined to see through his declaration of not shaving, he has decided to have some fun with it. He drove to Amish country, not far away, and bought an every day authentic hat and appeared at the gathering in his alter ego form! He said he felt he was helping awareness of this lifestyle that is on the wane. Later he told me he has realised his purpose in life– to be the ‘crazy uncle’, every family has one! The role fits him perfectly. But he is also an extremely talented machinist and above is also a photo of him in his shop. He specialises in reconditioning old and antique tractors, literally creating replacement and non-existent parts using a computer program and mathematics and then fabricating the parts from a block of steel. He is also a blacksmith and an all round creative guy.

We’ve had a bit of a drive through the country area, near where my brothers live, and where we grew up and it is lovely in the early autumn. Today is the first day of Autumn here. Most of the trees have not yet begun to change colour, but we can tell the change is near. I’ll leave you with a couple of snaps that remind me of my childhood here. It isn’t quite the same now, but I can see from whence I have come.

Golden Rod weeds and grapevine.

Golden Rod weeds and grapevine.

Thistles in 'fluff' stage.

Thistles in ‘fluff’ stage.

(I’m writing in the little spare time we have– to be continued same time next week!)

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a tale of two bears

09 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by Ardys in Life

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

children, family, kids

When our daughter was about twelve years old we had a little retail therapy session while traveling overseas. At that time we frequently still shared a change room in the department stores. On this particular day, I had gone ahead to a dressing room to try on a couple of things and she was going to join me. We didn’t anticipate the problem of how she would know which room I was in, behind all the closed doors. So, as I was deeply engrossed, inserting leg into trouser, I hear ‘Mama bear, it’s baby bear, where are you?’ I recognised her voice immediately and waved my hand underneath the door so she could find me. We have both laughed over this, especially me. She has always had a great sense of humour (can’t imagine where she gets it!) but she got over ‘cute’ at a young age. To hear this out of the blue was at the same time, uncharacteristically cute, and yet, completely her spontaneous wit.

Later on that same trip, she was really sick of travel and wanted a day off to stay in the hotel room and sleep and not be a tourist–to be a twelve year old. We said fine, knowing Edinburgh was a safe place, and especially that hotel, and that I would be checking on her frequently. There is just no joy dragging a 12 year old around a foreign city when they don’t want to go. I would go out and have a look at a thing or two, then find something for her to eat or drink, and take it back to her (there was no room service). We called it my ‘foraging’ in Mama Bear mode.

When giving her a bit of advice, or enquiring after her wellbeing, I often initial my emails ‘mb’. It is just our own special, extra layer of meaning. And love.

This year, for Mother’s Day I received a card that confirmed this quirk of our relationship into a visual affirmation. There will never be another card I will enjoy any more than this one.

Sharing it now is my further way of celebrating how the tiniest things in life can delight us, if we can see them.

Mama Bear Mama Bear Inside

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what’s in a name?

20 Thursday Aug 2015

Posted by Ardys in About

≈ 25 Comments

Tags

blogging, family, pets

It’s a bit after the fact, I know, but I’ve been thinking you might like to know the origin of my blog name. I also thought I’d throw in the origin of my Instagram and Tumblr* names (the same as each other) just for fun.

Before the blog, there was Instagram, and before that there was Amos…

How Amos got his name.

Instagram was my very first social media forum, even before my Facebook page–which I have recently deactivated. When I set up the Instagram account and had to choose a name, I decided to purloin a name I’d been using as the trade name for the jewellery I made and sold in the local gallery–Amos the Magic Dog…or in Instagram-speak, @amosthemagicdog. There is nothing brief about it, which flies in the face of most marketing strategies except, it seems, that it is memorable.

amos-the-magic-dog

Storm-the-rescue-dog, alias Amos

Amos-the-magic-dog was really Storm-the-rescue-dog. We adopted him when he was about 10 months old from the local animal shelter. He was part Blue Heeler (cattle dog) and the vet thought perhaps part Corgi as well, but who knows! He was sweet and smart as anything and lived to the ripe old age of 18 years, 17+ of them with us. When he was about midway through his life, my parents came to Australia to visit us. They stayed for several weeks. Dad and I would go for walks in the mornings and Storm would come with us. We walked on the golf course, which at that time of the morning had few golfers, so Storm could have a run off the leash. Storm would be very busy sniffing and peeing and trying to herd the rabbits and birds (Blue Heeler instinct at work) and Dad would look around and wonder where he had disappeared, but for some reason he couldn’t remember Storm’s name. One morning he asked ‘Where is Amos-the-magic-dog?’ It tickled me so much, the name stuck in my head. Dad’s family had a habit of making up names, the product of their ‘humour gene’. The classic was the woman up the street that my Grandfather called ‘Porch Swing’, because he would always see her sitting in a swing on her front porch. Everyone knew who he was talking about when he said it, and I knew who Dad was talking about when he asked about Amos.

So, when I wanted a cute, funky name for the jewellery I made, Amos the Magic Dog came to mind. The tags even included a photo of Storm, aka Amos. And when I opened my Instagram account I became ‘amosthemagicdog’. I attended an Instameet with other Instagrammers earlier this year, and I introduced myself as amosthemagicdog, and the other contributors immediately knew who I was, er rather, recognised the name.

Amos tags, from Edinburough to Alice, Sydney and Rome!

Amos tags, from Edinburgh to Alice, Sydney and Rome!

The blog name.

I thought I might want to write about more serious matters when I started the blog, so I decided the Amos name might not be quite the right vibe. I started playing around with various names but nothing quite worked, mostly because they were already being used by someone else. So, thought I, no one else will be named Ardys, certainly that should work. But it didn’t! And a couple of years ago a woman named Ardys actually contacted me, having found my blog. Mystery solved. There are a few of us out there! And then I tried adding my initials, becoming ardys-e-z. I realised that minus the hyphens it would either sound like ‘ardys easy'(hmmm…) or ‘ardys-says’ when people read it. Being an optimist, ardysez was registered. Not as creative as it could have been, perhaps, and slightly confusing as it turned out, due to the unusual nature of my name, but not having any better ideas that were immediately able to be registered, it remained. Then a friend gave me a lovely birthday card in which she had copied the following anonymous passage:

There is that which has always been there,

Which has never left your side,

Which has always been present,

Whatever the feeling, the circumstance.

When you turn your attention to trusting that,

You surrender to yourself.

That really said it all to me; what my life and writing was trying to be about. And so the byline for ardysez became ‘surrender to yourself’. I think of the longer version above when I read the byline, and thought you might like to know it too, so that it may give you some context in which to read my various writings.

Wishing you a happy and healthy week.

(I had intended to add another photo and a new feature to this post before publishing today, but for two days our internet and/or WordPress has been very difficult for uploads, so it will wait for another time.)

(*Tumblr is another blogging format. I have not explored it as much as I have WordPress, and I use it mostly to reblog my WordPress posts, and Instagram photos.)

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It’s not about a present, its about Presence.

09 Friday May 2014

Posted by Ardys in Family, Life

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

Adelaide, Endota Spa, family, Graduation, love, Mother's Day

The Graduate

The Graduate

We recently flew to Adelaide to attend the graduation of our daughter upon completion of her Master’s Degree at the University of Adelaide. We had a fantastic few days together, basking in an extended moment of shared achievement.

Mum and Dad, 2001

Mum and Dad, 2001

A few weeks ago when I was organising my photos I came across another graduation. It was just as special but from a different perspective. My 76 year old Dad graduated with his GED (General Education Development), or High School equivalency degree in 2001. I couldn’t be there for that one, but I was proud of him, just the same. Dad had joined the army when he was 17 and had never finished High School. He spent five years in the army during WWII and afterward life moved on and somehow he just never returned for his secondary diploma. I realised many years later this had always bothered him. But it hadn’t kept him from encouraging his children to seek higher education. He was very proud the day he walked across the stage and collected that diploma.

Happy day!

Happy day!

Shared achievement

Shared achievement

Wonderful as that is, he did not do it alone. He had our Mother, helping him study, and beside him on the day. Our parents are often beside us when we achieve great things, if not physically, certainly meta-physically! I am hopeful that our daughter feels our Presence beside her as she reaches goals in her life. (God knows we all hear our Mother’s voices in our heads, often at times when we wish we didn’t!)

Pampered

Pampered

Room for 2 please?Endota Spa, Adelaide

Room for 2 please? Endota Spa, Adelaide

Herbal tea and a decadent snack

Herbal tea and a decadent snack

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The day after our graduation celebrations, I received an early Mother’s Day surprise. She had booked us for a Mother/Daughter pedicure session! It was so fun, and so special. I couldn’t help but reflect, when I was growing up we had no such luxuries, which I could have shared with my Mother. But I know, that she knows, she is loved. We still exchange emails every single day. For a few minutes each day, I focus on her, to share my day with her and she shares with me what transpired in her day. Often it includes our tender thoughts and love for each other.

Selfie with Mom's iPad!

Selfie with Mom’s iPad!

Even if we are half a world away from our Mothers, the gift of time creates a Presence that supersedes the need for a present, though, when it is in the form of pampered toes, is very much appreciated!

-Ardys

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