Thank You Joe

I Love Horses.
Horse Crazy since about age three
and fascinated by horse books
plastic Breyer horses
playing imaginary horses with my friends, Lisa and Kathy;
three little girls running through the yards and neighborhoods...

... with cowgirls on mustangs jumping cactus somewhere out in the old west
or strong horses carrying packs across windswept snow-covered mountains
or draft horses with heavy carts on cobbled roads in 17th Century England
or regal Arabian stallions running across foreign deserts
(with horses of every size, color and breed;
Pintos, Palominos, Appaloosas, Shetland Ponies, Wild Mustangs, Morgans -
the list was everlasting),
and running free
everywhere.

My room was filled with horse books, 12-inch tall Breyer horses,
horse statues, horse bookends, horse posters, horse-covered clothing...

And when I was nine;
Joe, a friend from my tiny elementary school
(who had always known of my "horse-craziness")
moved with his parents and four brothers
from a tiny house in our tiny town
to a lovely farm
big enough for all those boys to grow and play and thrive.

Telling his parents and mine,
"now Martha can get a horse and keep it here".

When I turned ten; my parents brought a big wonderful Appaloosa
to the McBurney farm.
Shadow had a new home and a little owner.

Joe and I
were probably more like brother and sister;
and over the years
I would come to the farm twice a day
to brush and curry and spoil and ride
my big gentle horse,
Joe would stand on the other side of the stall,
and practice feeding carrots to Shadow
and talk about his day
or tease (but in a nice way),
and was always careful not to scare or startle the horse.

He helped load hay into the hayloft in the fall
and sometimes would help to muck the sloppy stalls in the spring.

We went to the same tiny elementary school and the "big city" high school,
and would wave as we passed by each other
along their long driveway at the end of the day;
he was probably headed to work or playing basketball with friends,
I was on my way to see my horse.

He went to college and moved out of town,
and I continued to go to the farm
every day to see my horse
and enjoyed chatting with his mom and dad and brothers.

I went to that farm for more than 25 years,
(Joe's dad had NO idea how long a horse could hang around a farm!)
And sometimes I would house-sit for Joe's parents
and sometimes they would babysit my horse.

A friend of my named John
bought a horse and kept his horse with mine;
and the two horses became friends
and John and I became husband and wife.

I don't think I ever thanked Joe
for offering his parent's farm.

And a few years ago he died of cancer.

It is belated, but no less heartfelt:
Thank You Joe.

Verbal First Aid

The traffic in front of me had slowed to a stop, and I noticed a tow truck driver ahead had turned on his flashing lights got out of his truck and began directing traffic around the car accident.

As I passed the three-car accident, I noticed a few teenagers talking on their cell phones near their totaled car, an older man getting out his crumpled large truck and walking to the tiny compact car that had been folded nearly in half; a young man was getting out of the passenger side of the tiny car, limping to the center curb area, and an older woman was sitting in the driver’s seat; her airbag had gone off, and the haze from the powder within the airbag was blowing through her open windows.

No one was with the older woman. No one was comforting her.

I immediately pulled off, parked, grabbed my first-aid bag, (rubber gloves, alcohol wipes, bandages, tape, CPR mask), and ran to the tiny car. The older man was standing about 10 feet from the car, telling the older woman “don’t move, just don’t move!” Her door was open; putting on my gloves, I knelt near her, introduced myself, asked for her name, explained that I’m trained in first-aid and CPR, and I would be happy to stay with her until rescue personnel arrived. The older man yelled, “don’t move her, I didn’t move her and neither should you!” I explained I was not going to move her, but I would help her stay still and check her vitals. The lady, who introduced herself as “Clara”, said “thank you dear, yes, I would like it if you would stay with me”.

“Clara, I want you to stay as still as you can. I can see the airbag probably hit and startled you, and I need for you to hold your head still until the medics come and can protect your neck further. Will you do that for me?” Clara’s eyes got wide and she began to nod; I told her – “Clara, just tell me yes or no; that way we can talk over how you’re doing and I can get a clearer picture of how you are feeling , OK?”

She said yes, and I noticed her right arm had bruises forming from her wrist to past her elbow, she had blood on her face, and she was breathing rapidly. She did not have on a seat belt, but her windshield was not cracked; indicating she may have been wearing her seat belt and may have injuries from both airbag and the seat belt.

“Clara, were you wearing your seat belt?” She replied, “Oh yes; my grandson and I always wear seat belts, I just unhooked it after I stopped my car because I thought I should get out of the car”. “Clara you did everything right; the seat belt probably helped you stay safe, and the airbag probably kept you from hitting the glass of your windshield. Can you breathe OK?” Clara noted, “It hurts a little bit when I try to take a big breath”. I nodded, “well let’s just take small easy breaths together first, OK?”

“Clara, does it hurt anywhere else?” She paused, and looked at her legs, “my legs feel like they hit under the dash, a little stiff, I guess, and it is hard to move my right arm”. I directed Clara to look at me and asked “how about your left arm; does it feel OK?” She looked at her left arm, moved it without difficulty and reached to hold my hand, “yes it feels fine”.

I held her left wrist and explained I would take her pulse and see how her heart was beating, and told her, “Clara, I need your help; I want you to begin thinking about how well your heart can move your blood to help you to heal any areas that are injured, and I want you to picture your healthy blood moving to your legs, the area where it is hard to breathe when you try to take big breaths, to your right arm, and to anywhere else that you notice pain. Will you do that for me while I’m checking your pulse?” She smiled and said, “of course I can help you with that".

I began the conversation trying to match the speed of Clara’s breaths, and during my conversation I was slowing my breaths and noticing that Clara appeared to slow her breaths, too. Her pulse was a little rapid; and I asked her, "can you think about making your heart beat with a slow powerful rhythm to help pump your blood more effectively to those areas we talked about?” She agreed and continued to watch me.

“Clara, is there someone we need to call, or anyone I need to check on who was with you?” At this point Clara seemed to remember her grandson had been in the car. “Michael! My grandson; is he alright?” “I need to call my daughter!" I calmed her and explained, “Clara, I saw Michael get out of your car and walk to the curb, he should be fine; there are others there who are keeping him safe and checking on him”. I called to one of the teenagers standing near Michael, “did he have you call his family?” The teenager indicated she had called Michael’s mom, who would be arriving soon. “Clara, your daughter will be here soon, and Michael is being cared-for; he will feel better knowing that you have already begun healing the areas that have been injured”.

I could hear the sirens of the ambulances and police, and soon paramedics arrived. As the paramedic walked up I was able to let them know Clara’s name and that she had been doing a good job of holding her head still. I reviewed her pulse rate with the paramedic, and that Clara indicated having some breathing difficulties. The paramedic approached Clara as I stepped away, and said, “Clara, my name is Jane and I’m a paramedic, I know this lady has been helping you and now I’m going to continue to help you”.

Clara smiled at me - I waved at her and said a silent prayer as I walked away.

"The Worst Is Over"

Read it and consider helping more when help is needed.

Melancholy

April has been melancholy:
Looking forward to new life and regrowth
for the too many close friends;
I know the heaviness in my heart is from my hundreds of prayers
going out all over the country.
Tears spill as I remember; I remember so many great friends,
and I try to smile while calling back in my memories
to the many times we smiled together.
To Janet,
and Mojo,
and Chick,
and now Armin...
Hoping it was a comforting and painless move to a better place.
I send continued prayers to other friends
who are in current struggles;
in the hope they will know of my prayers and my smiles
when I think of them and wish them...
Peace.





-M

Surf's UP!

"The sea was angry that day, my friends
- like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli.
I got about fifty feet out and suddenly the great beast appeared before me.
I tell you he was ten stories high if he was a foot.
As if sensing my presence, he let out a great bellow.
I said, "Easy, big fella!"
From George; speaking of the ocean and whales...
"Seinfeld"







Classes,
surfing lessons
and a few sailboat trips
while in San Diego;















Yep that WAS a submarine
off our port side...






Great welcome home sign, John!
Thanks Trish - you are a great action photographer!
Enjoyed the stay!

Filling the Bucket

I watched "The Bucket List"
and enjoyed the concept
of making a list of things to complete
a "filling of the bucket of life"

I have adjusted the premise to
get-it-done-before-you-get-too-old/set-in-your-ways/grumpy-to-try...

My
Fill-Up-The-Bucket-List.




Because I don't plan on kicking the bucket anytime soon.

So here's my draft version of
the the first ten of
Filling the Bucket:

1. Ocean Surf
- Lessons are NOW booked on Monday 4/18/11.
http://www.alohasurfergirls.com/
I saw "Soul Surfer" this weekend, and STILL want to surf.

UPDATE! Did "OK" for my first try,
and will take an additional lesson
with a friend-of-a-friend
when I'm back to San Diego this June.
I laughed the whole time I was trying
(except, of course, when I was spitting out sand/sea water)
and realized
THIS
is the importance of "My Bucket List":
I will try to
keep a "Beginner's Mind"
remain relaxed
smile and play
and enjoy experiences.

2. Meet more people from Santa Fe, and make some more local friends.
- I've joined the Santa Fe Time Bank
with people "banking" time helping others in order to
"withdraw" help from others. (An hour for an hour)
- I've contacted a lady who lives here and wants to learn to swim.
http://www.santafetimebank.org/SF_Timebank/Home.html

UPDATE!
I have gotten several responses and met my first
Santa Fe Time-Banker;
a sweet lady who had recently undergone heart surgery
and can no longer handle the grime/dirt
of dusting or vacuuming.
She needed a little Spring Clean.
Enjoyed the quick conversation
before she left for a "not often enough"
shopping trip with a friend,
while I stirred up the dust
and proceeded to
suck it up in her monster vacuum.
She called later;
happy (!)
to come home to
"a sparkling clean home"
It is good to help.



3. Water ski again on the Mississippi River.
-It has been more than 20 years since I've been on the river.
Any offers while I'm home in July would be greatly appreciated.

4. Travel to Europe again.

5. Learn another language and USE it consistently, so I DON'T loose it.

6. Go on a horseback weekend camping trip.
Hasn't happened for about THIRTY years, so I think I'd enjoy this one!
-The trip may happen this fall - crossing my fingers.

7. White water rafting

8. Snow skiing

9. Connecting with old friends and having great conversations
-Facebook has been a huge help with this one;
and two class reunions this summer should help!

10. Make it to the top of Atalaya
A seven mile hike to an altitude of 7,53 in Santa Fe;
I've been close to the top, but just haven't cleared the summit.

I'd love to hear what YOUR Filling The Bucket List would look like!

-M

Birthday Socks

Birthday Socks?
But of course.

Normal

A friend of mine recently posted a list of
"What Makes Me Feel Normal"
on a day that she felt out of sorts.

I'm in:
(In no particular order)

Opening one of my Dr Seuss books;
and reading like it is the first time.

Wooden clothes pins,
wet laundry on a clothesline;
middle of summer.

Painting my toenails "Summer Purple".

Laughing on the phone
with family and friends.

Receiving snail mail;
personal postcards, small boxes and letters!

Dusting off my
grade school/high school yearbooks
and smiling at our hair.

Playing with the
wedding ring on my finger
in a ray of sunlight.

Sitting outside with a breeze on my face,
reading with a radio on nearby.

Rubbing the belly
of either of our cats.

Holding John's hand.

San Diego/Hillcrest Rock and Walk

I will be traveling
to San Diego
about
every two months
for continued
Feldenkrais training:
Whale watching was on
"my list of things to see and do"
during this trip.
Surfing lessons
next trip!

-M

"127 Hours" - Whew.

I've enjoyed a few movies in the last few weeks.
In my humble opinion; they all rock:
"True Grit" - more wonderful than the first version,
(which was among my "favorites of all time").

"The King's Speech" - a history lesson,
a lesson in learning about others,
and a lesson in friendship.
Uplifting and eye-opening.

And just this evening:
"127 Hours"
Whew.
Glad I didn't take along
anyone who would have freaked;
because they WOULD have freaked...
And to those others in the auditorium:
You really SHOULD
read reviews
and possibly
READ THE BOOK
before you view a movie based on a
TRUE STORY
in which a
lonely hiker gets into trouble;
and a part of him
is trapped by a rock
with only one way
he can complete escape
and survive...
This ain't Disney, folks.
But it was a fine movie,
and almost as good as the book.
(And I apologize to those
who started IN the auditorium,
and could not stomach
staying IN
and had to leave
during the
very
painful,
time-consuming,
excrutiating
portion).

I'm packing a big, sharp, serrated knife
on my next hike...
-M

Why?

To the stranger
(from near my hometown)
who sent me the lovely
Craftsman-style table lamp:
Thank you
and
Why?