Linda Hoye's Blog, page 77
May 25, 2019
Writing
I had hoped to finish the fourth draft of my book-in-progress this week. Instead, I wrestle with the next-to-last chapter for days, fleshing out bones I’ve been tossing around like dice for the past year, and I’m still not ready to move on. It’s good and necessary work. I consider finishing this draft and putting the book
May 24, 2019
‘Tude
I accompany Gerry to an appointment where the practitioner is personable and good-natured, and she appears to love her work. Her manner is one of the brightest points of my day. In contrast, the flag people on the road they’re tearing up for the second time in as many years are a surly, cranky crew.
May 23, 2019
Balsamroot
The week does not unfold as expected, but it falls in a pleasant way, nonetheless. I spend mornings writing, and after lunch and a chess game, we go out and do something together. One afternoon we pack our camera gear and go on a quest to photograph the Arrowleaf Balsamroot—a bright harbinger of spring in
May 22, 2019
Sunrise Service
Another early morning and I’m out in the yard in my pajamas, camera in hand, trying to capture an image of the skies declaring the glory of God. This barefoot sixty-year-old woman, with sleep-tousled hair who is dodging spray from the sprinklers and lifting her Canon in praise, is having church out there. Don’t let
May 21, 2019
Paying Attention
Irises are not my favourite flower. They’re messy, loud, out of control things, that hold little attraction to me. And yet, there is something comforting about this budding iris—maternal, even. In it I see tenderness, care, and hope. I see the hand and heart of God. I am reminded that those judgements I am prone
May 20, 2019
The Wisdom of Chess
It’s become a daily thing—sometimes more than once a day. I haven’t come close to mastering it, and I lose most of the time, but playing chess is a great way to keep our aging brain cells limber. It’s strategic, quiet, and, in my case, a mountain to be conquered. I start the game with a
May 17, 2019
Magazines
I recognize the masthead of a magazine in a tousled pile on the table next to my seat in the waiting room. It’s a publication I subscribed to for the better part of my adult life. I pick it up, surprised at the thinness of it. Once, every month I looked forward to settling in and
May 16, 2019
May Days
The sky this morning is gray, and rain fell during the night. It’s still raining, I suspect, judging by the sweet scent coming in through the open door in our bedroom. It looks much like most of last month looked out there, but it is decidedly different. This particular gray morning comes on the heels
I pull a bag of fish fins and assorted parts from the freezer. I’ve been saving them since last summer when Gerry returned from his annual salmon fishing trip. We work together when my (not so) old man returns from the sea to fillet fish, tuck little packages in the freezer, and stuff some in
It turns out to be a long and busy day. My mind is busy, and I struggle to wind down at the end of it. I think about opportunities and the changing of seasons. I have more questions than answers—that is most often the case. I believe in the wonder of magical things, and I
