Stay involved, the winter will pass quickly
During the summer months, I tried to get out on the lounge in our little private backyard as often as possible. But with the extremely hot weather this year, it didn’t happen often.
Now that temperatures are calming down a bit, I don’t need an excuse to transfer onto the lounge, that is in truth a slip-covered single automatic bed, turn on my Kobo reader and fall asleep listening to the birds.
These idyllic afternoons are not going to be possible for much longer so I’m taking advantage as long as I can.
Ringed by very tall cedars that shield us from the wind, the centrepiece of the yard is a bubbling rock my husband and I picked out at the rock yard in Niagara Falls and had drilled by the landscaper we hired to spruce up the yard up.
With a large reservoir beneath it that includes a recirculating pump, that rock sees visits from all kinds of birds including goldfinches that flit back and forth from the hemlock to the water, squirrels and chipmunks, even rabbits.
All this beauty, including the heavenly blue morning glories that are just starting to bloom, will be gone in about a month. I’m not looking forward to months in the house, but not being able to walk or stand, having little use of my hands and very little energy, doesn’t mean I can’t be active.
I still have my brain and, thankfully, can still speak. I know most people who can move about normally might look at me and declare that if they were me, they’d rather be dead. My words to them would be, running and walking isn’t everything, even using your hands isn’t — what you really are is inside, and it comes out through your heart and your mind using your voice.
It’s how you speak to people and how you treat the people you love and, especially, the people who take care of you.
You are many things, and a disability does not define you. Six long, cold months will go faster if I keep busy.
To that end, I have accepted an invitation
You are many things, and a disability does not define you. Six long, cold months will go faster if I keep busy.”
to be part of the disability advisory committee for Dying with Dignity. I hope my demise is some time off, but being in my mid-70s I am faced with the inevitable.
I want to be able to tell people that what they may think is the end of the line doesn’t have to be. It’s really how you look at it and what quality of life you expect for yourself. My quality of life is very good, believe it or not, I just don’t expect myself to go for walks in the woods or to make supper.
I am also well into the 27th chapter of my autobiography, which takes me to 2004. I have been at it for two years, and reading the many journals I’ve kept since the 1960s while in art school is quite an experience. It is said that when you die, your life flashes before you. Try going through your life one year at a time and writing about it.
My grandniece, Keegan, and I have become close. She’s 14 years old and wants to know more about her roots. She and I are making up a book of photographs that go back to her great-great-grandmother.
In working with her, I’m also going back and exploring my roots. Doing an album like that or putting together your family tree is a project that only you can do to leave behind memories for the young people in your life.
Keeping in touch with people who have my disease, through the Internet and Facebook, is also rewarding. If you search, you are bound to find a group or forum run by people who have the same condition you do, even if it is simply an accumulation of years. If you can’t find one, why not start one?
I’ve just signed us up for our flu shots at the pharmacy, because I don’t want sickness to get in the way of all the things I have planned for winter. I wish you good health and plenty to do.
NEW YORK — Ralph Lauren, one of the giants of modern American fashion, is working on his autobiography.
Simon & Schuster told The Associated Press on Wednesday that it will release the book in fall 2017, in conjunction with his company’s 50th anniversary. The book is currently untitled.
“His style is instantly recognizable to even the most casual observer, a triumph of business savvy and esthetic sensibility that is unmatched anywhere,” Simon & Schuster CEO Carolyn Reidy said in a statement.
“How Ralph Lauren’s business became the epitome of American style is one of the great cultural stories of our time,” added Simon & Schuster publisher Jonathan Karp.
Famed for his company’s polopony motif, the 76-year-old Lauren has combined Americana, ruggedness and refinement to create an upscale look and a lifestyle known worldwide. He has risen from an immigrant household in New York City to founding an iconic brand that made him one of the world’s richest men. Lauren stepped down as chief executive in 2015 and was succeeded by Old Navy president Stefan Larsson.
Financial terms for the book were not disclosed. Lauren was represented by Washington attorney Robert Barnett, whose clients range from Barbra Streisand to President Barack Obama.
Lauren previously collaborated on Ralph Lauren, a coffee-table book released in 2007 that featured hundreds of photos.