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In our language, the meaning of 'hag' has been distorted. Among the Kells (my mother was Irish), it is the final stage in the life of a woman. There are three: The Maiden/Virgin, untaken, untamed, wild and free. She's full of fire, dreams, visions and kinetic energy. She is the Waxing Moon. The Matron, in the full maturity of her child-bearing years. She is the great earth mother, the lover, the comforter, the healer. She is the Full Moon. The Hag. Seasoned and wise in the ways of the world, she holds her blood and sometimes her tongue. She enjoys honor and respect among those who hold her favor, and fear/caution among those who have earned her ire. She is the Waning Moon. I take The Hag for Hag Struan, a character in James Clavell's novel Tai-Pan, my favorite of his works. The Hag was born a Brock, which made her marriage into the Struan clan a Hatfield-McCoy heresy. The Brocks and Struans were rival shipping magnates in Scotland during the early days of China trade. The Hag was widowed young and stepped to the helm of Struan shipping, to keep them on top of her birth family. She was a tough, clear-minded, straight from the shoulder kind of lady. I admired her strength, her dignity and her dedication to her family against all odds. I'd have a very long way to go, indeed, before I could be in her league, but the name inspires me and I aim to do her proud. *************** For God sent NOT his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. [JOHN 3:17] Peace to All. The Hag ......................................  .......................................... |
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OK, so they
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Jun 21, 2006 3:50 pm
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aren't going to name a foundation after me ~ I can live with that!
It is (drum roll, please!): Virulent Encapsulated Penicillin-Resistant Staph Infection
I'm just getting started. Have a plate of good protein along with some herbs and a little starch ready to go. I feel like I've been SICK, but I also feel like me - an improvement. If I'm careful and shepherd my energies, I should be able to accomplish a bit today, nothing like Sunday, however. I've learned better. The antibiotic I'm taking is Clindamycin. We keep nutritional yeast on hand and I lade it into or onto everything I eat to counteract the possible diarrhea from the antibiotics (because they kill the good stuff right along with the bad), so have been pretty comfortable, considering. Will get some good buttermilk in the next day or two, also. Love the stuff!
Except for the achiness and miasma of the drug fog, yesterday was actually fun. I was so pleased that I could remember where to go. When I'm stronger, I'm going to take a day with my bus card and just go ride.
I'm glad to be here with the kids. I wish I hadn't gotten this sick this quick, but it's dissipating. It was an ordeal for My Child. It's the first time in her life she's seen me with anything more severe than a chest cold. She's still not over it but we're recuping together.
OK, my mind has turned totally into molasses, so I'm going to stop and rest. May do more as the evening progresses -- we'll see. Just know I'm much better and still improving. Thank you for your kind words, kind thoughts and most of all, your prayers.
Joy in Jesus!
The Hag
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THE TRAGIC CARPET RIDE ...
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Jun 21, 2006 2:51 am
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or How I Got the Rug Jerked Out from Under Me and Fell Flat on My Butt!
I have a hole in my head and feel like an unflushed toilet. Spent Wednesday-Saturday afternoon in the hospital being treated with IV antibiotics and other noxious potions for one of my classic (disgusting) wound infections. Last Saturday PM, the 10th, I was washing up and noticed what I thought was a leaf in my hair. When I tried to brush it out, I discovered a crusty patch of skin, about the diameter of a pencil eraser. It was flat, dry and non-tender. I gave it a light scrub and rinse with antibacterial soap and a complexion brush, then shampooed as usual that night. Wednesday morning my face looked like a loaf of unbaked Hawaiian King bread rolled in paprika. Straightway, I told My Child, "I need medical attention", and she took me to the ER.
During the initial exam, one wide-eyed, very concerned nurse exclaimed, "You should be here!" I thought, "Lady, only those who truly know ME could appreciate the magnitude of that statement!" I loathe getting medical treatment and am a notoriously bad patient. The initial cleaning and debridement was much more an ordeal for My Child than for me. She was brave, sticking right beside me even after we all told her it was OK to leave.
The facility where I was treated is the BEST IN THE WORLD, BAR NONE, in my opinion. I've never seen anybody treated the way I was taken care of while I was there. NEVER. It's The Oregon Health Science Teaching University. They are amazing. Will get thank you's written when I'm not drug-befogged.
It's been 20+ years since I had one of these and I can't figure out what caused the flare-up. I suppose there should be some consolation in the fact that the medics can't explain it, either. I'm still on high-powered oral antibiotics and have pain killer if needed. I made real chicken soup on Sunday, to soothe my ravaged system. It was a comfort.
I've was unable to do anything but sleep on Monday, because of the spacing of the RX, but this is a case of gotta have 'em to get well. And I DO want to get well. Soon.
Tuesday, I made it all the way downtown, across town to the clinic and back home again with no difficulty. I'm so proud of me! ... Everything's fine. The infection is almost gone and the area is healing nicely. Still have 4-5 days of antibiotics to work through but don't have to be seen again unless complications arise, which is unlikely. Once the cycle is broken, these things usually clear up OK. I didn't go in on Monday, as I was supposed to. I had gotten all frenetic Sunday and overdone it, so that when I woke up, I was woozy, queasy and too weak to navigate the bus system on my own. Waiting until Tuesday caused no problems, though.
These infections ran wild during my teens, when I was on medication every few months for "blood poisioning". The condition is probably congenital. I had an emergency appendectomy when I was four, and the incision closed prematurely, developing an abscess that had to be reopened and a drainage tube installed. Also, the slightest cut or scrape has always left a scar. Due to the Cushing's Syndrome (also a result of the appendicitis or a cause of it (?) ), I have a very high-acid body chemistry. Therefore, any bacterial irritation can turn nasty if the skin is broken in the least. The stress of the relocation also may have contributed somewhat, as well.
I'm supposed to get the results back from my wound cultures tomorrow. Will report when I know more.
They shot me full of morphine again, while they cleaned, evaluated and re-packed that tiny little "incision" - about the length of my thumbnail, if that, so I'm out in LaLa Land again. When I get this done, I'm going to go sleep it off until Charlie Rose comes on. He's my personal icon. (I immensely enjoyed Jim Leherer's interview last night with Ed Bradlee, too.)
I'm going to close this post for now but will write more when my eyes are uncrossed and this strange music stops playing in my head. Until then, there's no need to worry. I'm well taken care of, as My Child and several of our friends, who have known me for years by reputation, are close by in case I need anything. Will write more after I talk to the lab, etc.
(Thankfully, I had leave time I could take, since I couldn't work this week, but will lose some $$$ anyway, because I can't earn incentive when I'm off. No biggie.)
All SFF friends, take care. Thank you for visiting my blog. Til next time ...
Joy in Jesus!
The Hag
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OK, THE MUG SHOT
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Jun 14, 2006 1:52 am
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"A child is someione who passes through your life and then disappears into an adult." -- a life insurance ad, @ 1970's
There needs to be a mood indicator "bludgeoned" -- I've been X-Boxed to death. I held my own most of the time, but my depth-perception is poor and often I'd move opposite of the direction in which I wanted to go. J. is a bright, charming child and, indeed, we had great fun. In exchange for the hours of video games, he agreed to play "olden times" with me later on. We turned out the lights, in favor of candles and turned off all electrical entertainment, in favor of story hour. My mother was a living encyclopedia of the classic tales of Andersen and Grimm. At every opportunity, I share this tradition with the children who pass through my life. The second night, we had done an encore of The Three Little Pigs, and when I got to the end, where the wolf (per the Disney version) jumps out of the kettle and runs, howling, down the road, he looked up at me and said, with glee, "And he went and got Little Red Riding Hood?!" I laughed until I had to put the child down and go pee.
I watched them leave with that reluctant relief one often feels at the end of a successful tour as host. Now, I really need a couple of days to be lazy and recuperate. There's enough food on hand that we can stay fed without having to cook.
I think about J. with such a sense of sadness. I cannot understand how our society reached the point where all that joy, all that innocence, all that simple wonder can be in danger all of the time. I'm so glad I don't have little ones of my own and worry about my great nieces and nephews, in spite of the ongoing prayers for their protection and safety. I refuse to carry on conversations with children in public because I don't want to give them an opportunity to be comfortable talking with a stranger - ANY stranger. It's just so wrong that this is our daily reality.
On a brighter note, My Child, who's a LCSW, has applied for a new job that would be less demanding and give her a set schedule with more time off. Her prospects look good and we're hoping.
With that, I'll close for now, SFF pals. Until next time...
Joy in Jesus!
The Hag
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A BLACK BEAN SOUP KIND OF DAY
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Jun 8, 2006 3:53 pm
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The pot simmers on the backburner as I write.
This is the first day of our various weekends and partial weekends. My Goddaughter (hereinafter to be known as My Child) works SUN thru WED, with a couple of double-shift days in there. Not always the same ones. Her betrothed, Sleepless, works two jobs and is off one of them on certain days, the second job on other days, and both on some days. I don't try to keep up with his schedule. I work 3 PM until the board is cleared SAT thru TUE, but the vacation season is upon us and I'll soon be working odd times and a flexible schedule to "cover".
There are no minor children in the household. Pets: Buddy, an 8 yo Akita/Shepherd, who walks me twice a day; Lola, a 6 yo seal-point Siamese, who keeps her own counsel, and a tank of fish that provide tranquility for meditation. We live in a house with an open door, where friends always are welcome and IDIC (infinite diversity in infinite combination per OLD Star Trek) is the standard. We're night people. The day starts between 12N and 2 PM and ends whenever the individual crashes.
This afternoon, we await the arrival of friends who will be vacationing with us for several days. We're not the only folks on their list, so it won't be for the entire week. I'm looking forward to the sight-seeing, Riverfront, surely, etc. They have a 4 yo son, so I get to play GRANDMA! and spoil him rotten. He, Buddy and I will find much mischief to get into, make no mistake. Ya know, it's been years since I supervised making hand cookies.
OK, SFF Pals, this is the first official post by the Hag. Til next time,
Joy in Jesus!
The Hag
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I wanted to wait to start this until the photo was posted, BUT
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Jun 7, 2006 11:51 am
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I can't stand this one-way communication. I'm fast becoming addicted to SFF, and if I'm going to surf around in here, dropping odd comments and sometimes pontificating, then I gotta have a place where I can receive same. This is only my opening gambit and I must hurry -- but will be back to build on this foundation ASAP.
Peace and joy to all visitors, WELCOME.
Joy in Jesus,
The Hag
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To link to this blog (TheHag) use [blog TheHag] in your messages.
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