What’s Under My Fridge – 297/365, BlackBerry 365, Golden Valley, Minnesota, October 2010, photo © 2010 by QuoinMonkey. All rights reserved.
On October 17th my brother had his third liver transplant. By all accounts, it is a miracle. And something that’s hard to wrap your mind around. It all began with a text: 10/17/2010 @ 9:48am — they called me with a liver. going to Philly now. Will let you know if they will be doing the operation. I’ve been trying to write a piece about it ever since. Eleven nights have passed; the day to day ekes away energy and time.
If you put all the days together, well, that’s a lifetime.
We think we can prepare for what lies ahead, try hard to be in control. Sift, collect, let go, wait. Sift, collect, let go. Wait. Yeah, we spend a lot of time waiting. The best laid plans fall hard. Somewhere between collect and let go, there are surprises. Laundry spins, rattling the floor, defying gravity. Water and fire boil, cooking spaghetti for dinner, but only as fast as the barometric pressure will allow. No amount of wishing can make the dust bunnies go away.
You would think that would be disappointing. You would be wrong. Vacuum under the desk, behind the piano bench, above the paper towel holder. Slide the giant green bottle brush under the fridge again and again and again. Thick rolls of cotton batting dust slide easily over freshly mopped floors. But what are those brilliant points of light, gleaming stars through the Pigpen fog?
Exactly 26 Mr. Stripeypants balls. Silver, gold, and the primaries, blue, red, green and yellow, lost to the swipe of the mighty Pants paw. He loves the small ones with the soft sparkling spikes. He would keep me playing fetch for hours every morning if I didn’t grab the purple lunch pail and fly out the door, late for work. Liz has a big heart for the animals. She carefully peeled and plucked the dust off of every tendril, washed each felt ball with warm water, and sat the bunch on the counter to dry.
Life can change in an instant. You can’t come back the way you came. It’s the simple things that make the day. They are as big as the miracles that make me a believer. In something bigger and better on the other side. Are there dust bunnies in heaven? I like to think they hop to a different beat.
My brother came home from the hospital on Tuesday, Frankenbelly 3 in tow. His 4:25 text said: on the turnpike – ETA 6:45 to 7:00 PM. I’ll eventually write the piece about his transplant. Tonight culminates in the midnight ramblings of a harried woman….and a plane ticket to Pennsylvania. ETA November 9th, 11:28am.
-posted on red Ravine, Friday, October 29th, 2010 – 1:45am
-related to Topic post: WRITING TOPIC — MY REFRIGERATOR, yellow sock haiku
I am so glad you wrote this because when we talked about it on the phone it just shouted red Ravine. I like the way you captured the image of these colorful orbs among the dust bunnies that multiply under the fridge.
Question – What do Mr. Stripeypants balls become after they stay under the refrigerator for too long?
Answer – Dust bunny balls!
Looking forward to your visit and help while I recover from my surgery. The countdown for your arrival has started.
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Pure sweetness. Welcome back, R3.
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Pants’s balls in the middle of Pigpen fog and soft rolls of cotton batting dust. I see them as if they were right here on my desk. I can even picture Mr. S batting them under the fridge, not on purpose. Does he then sniff ardently at the spot at which the balls disappeared? A dog would. Not so sure about cats. My Libby-beagle would be frantic if one of her things disappeared under the fridge. She has a nose that picks up on everything. She’d put her head up and bay until we’d move the fridge and remove her prey. Cats don’t bay, I know that. But do they frantically sniff?
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So true that no amount of wishing can make the dust bunnies go away. Life lessons.
How absolutely unbelievable is it that R3 got the third transplant & is at home? I try hard to wrap my head around that, also. A miracle! A miracle that we will be forever be grateful for.
Mr. Stripeypants is my kind of cat! When we clean under the fridge, we also find plenty of cat toys! The favorite are pipe cleaners (from Brant’s craft box) twisted into circles, most are hidden now, most likely under the fridge or sofa. Who knows where I might find them! Just waiting there for me to dust them off!
Also looking forward to your visit! The countdown has begun here, too! It will be great for R3 to have you there!
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Thanks, R3. Me, too. I’m so glad to be coming to visit with you and the whole family. I hope it’s helpful for you.
Thanks, yb, diddy, & Jude. I had no idea that the undersides of fridges were so popular. I like the idea of pipe cleaners, diddy. Pants also like paper clips. He chases them all over the house.
Jude, Mr. Stripeypants does lean down and sniff the spot where the ball disappears. He sticks his arm and paw as far under the crack as he can and tries to recover it. Once in a while, he is successful. I’m guessing he doesn’t stay at it as long as a dog. But I’m not sure.
He used to play this game before (we got our new mattress) where he would let the felt ball fall between the headboard and the mattress and dive down after it. He loved that game. He can only get so far down with the new set up.
Thanks to all for the comments. Won’t be long before I’m in PA. Tonight am at the studio doing some photo printing. Tomorrow, it’s another Lily and Hope gathering in Hinckley, Minnesota. Looking forward to seeing our Bearhead friends. Supposed to be a nice day for a short road trip.
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Been in Pennsylvania since last Tuesday. Louis got his staples out from the liver transplant the day I got here. Frankenbelly 3 is healing well! Spending a lot of time with the family. One gathering at the home of my youngest brother and his wife. They just celebrated their 22nd wedding anniversary last weekend.
Last night we had another reunion of my dad and 4 siblings who grew up with me in the South. We had not been together like that in 45 years! Daddy drove up from S.C. and surprised me. My niece is home from Temple, too, and we celebrated an early Thanksgiving last night at my sister’s house. It’s been all family, all the time. Wonderful. Have not had much time to write but a piece is brewing inside. Takes a while to process! It really is a miracle.
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[…] I drove the 212 miles round trip to Philadelphia with my brother for his transplant check-in. (Frankenbelly 3 has zipped his recovery into the fast lane! November 18th marks 1 month.) Saturday we shared family […]
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