Autumnal Snowfall

Image by peasap via Flickr

The snow, falling
like loose cotton
shaken from springtime trees,
sticks to branches and blades of grass,
wetting the black of asphalt.
Flakes land on metal fences
warm from yesterday’s afternoon sun,
holding form long enough to be photographed.
Attempts made at covering
oak leaves fallen first,
a competition
between the fallen and the falling.
Heavy wet flakes
stick to the back of my light jacket
as I dash into shops in an outdoor mall
searching for mittens and wool
in last minute effort at preparation
for the unpredictability of autumn.
No sooner have I woolen mittens
than the sun starts splitting clouds
making gray less
and amber brighter.

Copyright Patrick M Hurley @ GoHumble’s Blog © 2009. All rights reserved.

Hard to Hear

Image via Wikipedia

My friends say I listen to (and like) Björk’s music because I can’t actually hear it. Thanks to the conductive hearing loss in my left ear, which I admit makes hearing difficult at times but I’m also quick to remind my friends that, in fact, I liked Björk before the hearing loss began. The doctor diagnosed it as “Conductive Hearing Loss of Unknown Origin”, settling, of course. At 35 I shouldn’t be experiencing hearing loss – at lest not without some cause.

It might be hereditary, at least that’s what they can say. What I can say is I may never know if that’s the kind I’m blessed with – given the whole adopted fact. While I love my adoptive parents, I must admit that knowing more about my family would be beneficial, especially where my health is concerned.

I can also admit that knowing my DNA or medical history may or may not have any effective influence on my health or decisions I make about my health (i.e. I smoked for far too many years) and not the only reason I’d be interested in knowing my birth mother. A little mystery is good for the soul.

My hearing loss could also be caused by tumors (special) or degenerative bone disease (extra special). The scope shoved down my nose didn’t reveal either of these fortunately… Although there is the whole “what’s causing it” question that I still would like to have answered. Like GI Joe says, knowing is half the battle – I guess that my battle is that I’m losing the hearing in my left ear. That’s a neat battle.

What’s worse is that there is some hearing there, which I am refusing to let go of and although sometimes I think I sleep better at night unable to hear the whir of the ceiling fan if I lay on my right side, I’d like to not have to crank up the volume on the TV or continuously say “what?” to my friends.

I have often asked myself if I had to lose one sense what would it be… I have to honestly say, that as I start unwillingly losing my hearing, the answer would not be “my hearing”. I rely heavily on hearing. I enjoy words, and songs, and movies with both and on Facebook I have even gone so far as to become a fan of hearing, recognizing my dependency on it and my desperation as I try to hang onto something obviously slipping from my control.

So, when I’m feeling extra needy about my hearing, I grab my headphones, my iPod and click my way to Björk finding it genius falling asleep to her tapes…

Seasons Change

Image by Old Shoe Woman via Flickr

A few days into the month of October and snow is already menacing. The sky darkens before (or at least shortly after) I get home from work. The dogs are lazing about when not rushing outside, getting to business and quickly requesting I let them back in. Gone are the days of letting them loose on the dust bowl of the back yard for several hours. Such spoiled pups we’ve raised.

Five thirty looks the same regardless of the side of clock I look at – dark. By the time I finish my daily workout I’m very nearly sliding into pajamas instead of a pair of shorts, nesting on the couch for the evening of television instead of outdoor activity.

Fall, October more specifically, is time for reminiscing about accomplishments of the past five months: washing the car, walking the dog, snapping photos, planting flowers, watching my weight and visiting family and friends. It is also the time I think about a Crock-Pot full of vegetables and beef or cookie sheets full of sweets and all the ways I plan to avoid getting fat.

Fumbling leaves, fallen from branches, will soon dry and crackle under foot, changing the way everything looks. There’s less to draw my attention upward – just bending, unattractive branches; crooked and naked, scratching the sky. A distinctive stink replaces the fragrance flowers once left lingering in the air and people start burning wood and consuming gourds.

Forgetting the glory of spring and summer, I spend too many fall evenings thinking of the many ways to keep warm and how much earlier I’ll have to get up on days when ice finds its way to my windshield or snow falls. Despite constant access to a calendar I am never prepared for the changing of the guard and somehow take for granted that, in fact, seasons do change.

Railing 1

Railing 1

Originally uploaded by gohumble

Spiked Railing

If only….

My Wii Fit age… won’t share my Wii Fit pounds!!!

These two are working towards sharing the same space.

Two cats

Seriously best sushi. ever. The only bummer was that my empty fortune cookie

Sushi Dinner

The original blackberry. Perfect

Blackberry up close