Life on one leg

Yes, I still have both of my legs.  However, one of them is badly broken.  I'm in a brace and on crutches.  Thank God, they didn't put a cast on it, so I can take off the brace to scratch the itchies.

Getting around is problematic at best, even inside the house.  I've learned to hobble into the kitchen on one crutch, so I have a hand free to stir the pot and carry my bowl of soup back to my desk in the living room.

The two hardest things are sitting down and, even worse, getting up from a chair (or from the toilet).

I'm learning ways to bathe without the benefit of the bathroom fixtures that were designed for that purpose.  You see, sitting in a tub is out of the question, unless I want to spend the rest of my life in there.  Standing up in the shower is too painful.  Even my good leg begins to hurt after a few minutes because it has to carry all my weight with no aid from my left leg.

Every day I thank God that this is temporary.  My leg will heal, eventually.  It makes me feel even more sympathetic toward those who have lost one or both legs permanently.

Meanwhile, since I can't do much of anything involving physical activity, I've been experimenting with make-up.  Now, Granny always told me that if you paint your face when you're young, you'll have to paint your face when you're old.  At age 58, I still consider myself young, but my face seems to disagree.  I feel about 26 on the inside, but I'm beginning to look like 76 on the outside. 

I would appreciate any tips you might have about moisturizing (I have very dry skin), wrinkle reduction, choosing the right shades for fair skin with freckles, color coordinating, etc.  I have so little experience with make-up! 

Thank you so much for reading my post!

  ~~~

Strange murals and monuments at Denver International Airport

Masonic?  Yes.  New World Order, probably.

Denver International Airport Murals (http://extraordinaryintelligence.com) – slideshow dvd

~~~  

From

http://extraordinaryintelligence.com/970/the-unexplained/mysterious-murals-and-monuments-at-the-denver-airport/

  ~~~

Philip K.Dick Festival 2012

Want to learn more about Philip K. Dick?  Meet others who read his work?  


Sept 22-23, 2012 will be a weekend of celebration and examination of Phillip K. Dick’s life and work, hosted by San Francisco State University. 


http://www.philipkdickfestival.com/


The Guest of Honor is Jonathan Lethem, who edited the Library of America editions of Phil's work.  


Not everything is set in stone, but some speakers, mostly academics, have been lined up.  They plan to charge $35 a day or $50 for the entire weekend of the festival, but that could change.  


The web site says, "Speakers and presenters will have their entrance fee waived, but at this point we cannot promise presenters either travel or lodging expenses."  However, when I offered to speak, they said that they will not waive my entrance fee. 


I was really hoping to attend, but I can't afford it..  


I would have to take a train or airline to get from Southern California to the Bay Area, and although friends have offered me a place to stay, and they said they would feed me, I cannot pay the fare to get there.  I can't drive due to a recent head injury, and I don't have a car, anyway.  


If I can manage it, I will attend, but I will not be a speaker or sit on a panel.  They made me feel most unwelcome.  Besides, why should I pay them to let me work for them?  


I'm hoping to scrape up the money to attend, but I will be there as a private person. 


  ~~~ 

NativeImagesPG's California Indian Blog: Forest's tribal relations program manager honored ...

Here's an interesting blog about preserving our national forests.

Did you know that I live in a forest?

NativeImagesPG's California Indian Blog: Forest's tribal relations program manager honored ...: CONGRATULATIONS DAN! We know how valuable you are to "Us", Glad to see other's do as well! INLAND: Forest's tribal relations program manag...

My book got one star on Amazon, five stars on Library Thing

Terry Allen gave my companion book, Firebright and the Edge of Reality, a five-star rating (5 out of 5!). 

See it on Library Thing.

http://www.librarything.com/work/12720914/book/87001567 

Buy the book on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Firebright-Edge-Reality-Collector-Edition/dp/1463632630/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340464183&sr=1-4&keywords=tessa+dick

And plese note that it has only one Amazon review, and it gives my book one measly star!

Also see my memoir TessaB. Dick: My Life on the Edge of Reality.

http://www.amazon.com/Tessa-B-Dick-Life-Reality/dp/1461142695/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340464183&sr=1-1&keywords=tessa+dick

and the original memoir, the one that started this chain of events,

Philip K, Dick:  Remembering  Firebright

http://www.amazon.com/Philip-K-Dick-Remembering-Firebright/dp/1442110279/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340464183&sr=1-2&keywords=tessa+dick

  ~~~

Snacking for writers

Despite all the warnings about keeping liquids away from the precious and fragile keyboard, I always keep a cup of coffee and a glass of water at hand while I'm using the computer.  I figure that, if it's going to happen, there is nothing that I can do to stop it.  After all, I once tripped on an electrical cord a full ten feet away from the computer, and the coffee flew out of the cup then landed in a belly flop all over the keyboard.  I'm talented that way.

So I have my liquids, and I have my snacks.  At least once a day, I turn the keyboard upside down and shake out the crumbs of donuts, cookies and potato chips.  Yes, I'm probably ruining my health, such as it is, with all that junk food.

In an attempt to improve my health, and to continue avoiding the need to step away from the computer for an actual meal, I have taken to surrounding the computer with better snacks.

Cheese, I love cheese. Shredded cheese is a great topper for a bowl of soup, especially if you first toss in some croutons for the cheese to hug.  Cheese is also good on crackers, of course, but that strategy lacks imagination.  I like to pan fry a tortilla in butter, adding shredded cheese on top so that it melts into a gooey, delicious mess.  You can add tomato chunks or salsa for extra flavor.

Celery is great, after I strip off most of the strings.  Those strings are too hard to chew, and sometimes they roll up into a ball and choke me.  Celery is good dipped in peanut butter or cream cheese.  I've given up on carrots, unless I have the time and inclination to cut them into thin slices.  My dentures just can't handle the biting and chewing any more.

Oh, and then there's fresh fruit in season.  August is my favorite month because the fruit on my wild blackberry vine ripens in August.  At about the same time, the tomatoes in my garden start producing enough fruit to share with friends and neighbors.

The apples on my ancient tree usually ripen by Halloween.

And then there's the frozen fruit off the Schwan's truck.  Since I can't drive, it's a blessing to have food delivered, and their prices are competitive with the grocery store -- sometimes lower.  (No, they did not pay me to say that.)  Schwan's has a variety of snacks, meals and ingredients for meals, plus the most delicious ice cream I ever ate.

But I digress.  Surrounding myself with snacks enables me to spend more time writing and less time fussing around the kitchen for something to eat.

Living alone -- unless you count the cats -- makes it possible for me to ignore the habits and rituals of family life.  In fact, even when I had a husband and child, I often ignored them until dinner time.  Writing is my life, and other people just have to get used to it.

  ~~~

The Darkening of the Light, cover art

Nick Buchanan's wonderful art work is always awesome.  Here's his cover my my latest novel, The Darkening of the Light.

  ~~~

  ~~~