Happy Thanksgiving Weekend, Family Visits, A New Poem in Prairie Schooner “The Girl Detective,” and Doctor’s Orders to Relax

Glenn, me, my brother Mike and his wife Loree with our Christmas tree

Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving Long Weekend, Quirky Reads and Family Visits

Did you have a good Thanksgiving weekend? I hope so. We stayed pretty low-key, decorated the house for Christmas, and saw my little brother and his wife for a holiday visit and a winery tour. So we took them to Chateau St Michelle to see the lights and J. Bookwalters for a wine tasting (where my book club meets.) We still have leftovers somehow, though the pumpkin flan and duck with pomegranate disappeared. We had an early present exchange since they’re going to Ohio for Christmas to see the larger family. Glenn and I still aren’t traveling due to covid (and everything else goin around right now) plus my torn MCL keeps me from trucking around much, so it was nice to see some family on the weekend. We also zoomed with our parents and talked to all our brothers. Lots of flu, covid, and other ick going around in the family, so probably best we’re staying home.

I read a lovely new book of poetry from a poet I’d never heard of, Adrienne Raphel’s Our Dark Academia. Raphel has a great resume – MFA from Iowa, a lectureship at Princeton, published in Paris Review, Poetry, all the big names – but this was a fairly small press, Rescue Press. One reason could be some of the poems were a bit untraditional – one was in the form of a Wikipedia entry, another in the form of a crossword puzzle, another was paper dolls – but I found myself enjoying the poetry and the quirky forms. The reason to shop at in-person bookstores is to find little treasures like these on the shelves. This one was thanks to my visit to Open Books last week.

Sylvia poses with the new issue of Prairie Schooner

A New Poem in the new issue of Prairie Schooner – “The Girl Detective”

A happy surprise in the mail Friday were my contributor’s copies of the new issue of Prairie Schooner – listed as “Winter 2021” despite the fact that in fact it is Winter 2022 – and my poem “The Girl Detective” is in good company with poets like Ellen Bass, Alicia Ostriker, and Denise Duhamel. This poem isn’t in Flare, Corona, but belongs to another book, Fireproof, that I’m working on.

A sneak peek at the poem below. I hope you enjoy it!

Glenn and I on Thanksgiving with our Christmas tree

Doctor’s Orders to Relax – and How That’s Going

So, I was literally told by my MS doctor after a very stressful month that involved injuries, MS symptom flare-ups, losing a beloved kitty, and eighteen separate doctor appointments – that stress, anxiety and the lack of sleep that go with them are the enemies of MS. They can make neurological pain and symptoms like tremor and swallowing problems and vertigo worse. So I was told to find some time and make it a priority to relax. Easy to say, not so easy to do, is it?

Nevertheless, I followed instructions given by my therapist – watch funny movies (The Holiday, The Thin Man, Guardians of the Galaxy holiday special – check,) listen to music you like, and read (see above.) I spent a little time with Glenn walking around Woodinville – we walked around apple trees in the cold and visited Chateau St Michelle to pick up a bottle of Thanksgiving wine and admire their lights. I tried breathing and meditation apps, birdwatching, and observing a few sunsets. But it’s tough to unwind yourself from a period of intense stress, isn’t it? It’s not enough to say “well, I won’t stress out about anything” – because rarely does life give you a stress-free day, even. It may give you welcome sunlight in a week of rain, or a beautiful November sunset, or even just a moment to kick leaves around or watch a candle burn. If you have any more advice on how to lower stress and anxiety, I’m open to more suggestions! I have a stressful dental appointment, a downtown cancer center blood draw, and more painful PT on my knee this upcoming week, so I’ll probably need it. I’ll check in with you all next week – and who knows if Twitter will even be there?