Welcome to the Misadventures of Widowhood blog!

Welcome to my World---Woman, widow, senior citizen seeking to live out my days with a sense of whimsy as I search for inner peace and friendships. Jeez, that sounds like a profile on a dating app and I have zero interest in them, having lost my soul mate of 42 years. Life was good until it wasn't when my husband had a massive stroke and I spent the next 12 1/2 years as his caregiver. This blog has documented the pain and heartache of loss, my dark humor, my sweetest memories and, yes, even my pity parties and finally, moving past it all. And now I’m ready for a new start, in a new location---a continuum care campus in West Michigan, U.S.A. Some people say I have a quirky sense of humor that shows up from time to time in this blog. Others say I make some keen observations about life and growing older. Stick around, read a while. I'm sure we'll have things in common. Your comments are welcome and encouraged. Jean

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Lemonade at the Japanese Garden


Thursday I got up at the crack of dawn to go to an early appointment at my orthopedic doctor’s office. I’ve been doing daily shots to build up my bones from the inside out and I’m supposed to get a bone density test yearly while I’m on that medication. When I got to the office, the girl at the window said they’d been trying to call me for several days because they had to change my appointment---to June of 2016! “You couldn’t have tried very hard,” I said, “I have an answering machine and caller ID. What number were you calling?” She told me. Right number. Check. Then I asked why they would re-schedule me when I’m supposed to get a bone scan every year, and when I told her that, she said and I quote: “Oh!” So now I have to go back next week and next June both.

Since I was in the area of the Garden and Sculpture Park I decided to make lemonade out of the basket of lemons the incompetent and/or lying girl at the doctor’s office handed me. The park was having a members-only grand opening to see their new Japanese Garden section of the park. Three years to plan and three years to build, the Japanese Garden covers eight and a half acres, has Zen, moss and Bonsai sections, five bridges (including one very cool zig zag bridge), four waterfalls, three islands, two gazebos and a tea house. I walked the entire three quarters of a mile path that circles the lake, leaving the side paths to explore another day. I completely missed the tea house but I’m sure the line to get seated would have been too long for me to wait anyway. The garden is truly a beautiful place with plenty of sweet scents and brightly colored birds, a tranquil place even with the distant sounds of live Japanese music coming from the amphitheater at the other end of the sculpture park. One of the docents said that for the past two weeks they’ve been hosting large groups of people from the orient along with other donator parties. I’m glad I was able to go today before the garden is open to the general population. It felt good making lemonade out of my bag of lemons, and the perfect ending was the rain held off until I was driving out of the park to go home. ©

Below are some photos I took today.











I just realized I didn't take any photos of flowers. And there were beds of iris and many flowering scrubs I don't know the names of.  The sun was reflecting on my camera lens so bad I couldn't really see what I was taking pictures of and then I decided you couldn't take a bad picture there if you tried.

19 comments:

  1. Beautiful pictures. Looks very calming.

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    1. It was, even with all the people there for the opening. They have stone benches everywhere so you can just sit and enjoy nature. They said on the news tonight that they aren't finished yet, lot of plants and flowers yet to go in, a great addition to the area.

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  2. Wow! What a wonderful place and what a wonderful way to finish off the day! You are an inspiration to me because you make that "lemonade" whenever you can! Ann in IL

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    1. I'm working on doing that whenever I can, Ann. It doesn't come naturally but it does make a difference. I came home tired from all the walking (a good thing). Besides the Japanese Garden path, it takes a bit just to hike back there and back. I got to hear frogs croaking along the way and it brought back so many memories from my youth. It really was a good batch of "lemonade."

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  3. I'd find a new doctors office. It's apparent that this on doesn't care about your schedule. You did make lemonade though. Great shots. I would have loved to visit there as well.

    Have a fabulous day and weekend. ☺

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    1. No way is that going to happen. My bone doctor is god in my family. He's done 17 surgeries between us all including fixing screw ups from other surgeries done by other doctors. And including both my knees replacements, my broken elbow and wrist and my shoulder surgery. He recently lost a long time office manager who was on top of everything. He'll get his office issues worked out in time. He even gave my niece his personal cell number so she didn't have to go through the office after her husband's surgery. He's cares....

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  4. I find some of the most miserable people to deal with are the receptionists in doctors offices. And the doctors are usually unaware of the attitude that exists out front.

    I am in England for a while...your traffic feed has me in Lynn, Norfolk. I am in Norfolk but I don't know where Lynn is! My usual traffic feed on your blog is Syracuse. There is only so much I want to tell Google!

    I have been reading your posts and I am glad that you are collecting more fabric for winter projects. I have quite a collection and I have been reading some really interesting books about landscape quilts. Well, to be perfectly honest, I get them out of the library so that I can look at the pictures really closely!!
    Regards,
    Leze

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  5. I find that some of the most miserable people to deal with are the receptionists in doctors office. And I usually find that doctors are unaware of the attitude that exists in the front office,

    I have been reading your posts and am glad that you are accumulating fabrics for winter projects. I have an incredible stash that I really tried to work through this past winter. I managed to finish six scrap quilts that I donated to local charity and now I feel that the stash is much more manageable and more exciting because I got rid of most of the earlier fabrics that I had bought. I have been reading some good books on landscape quilts and am really excited by the ones with the fabulous pictures. I am in England for a while and not with my sewing machine so reading about quilts is my comfort!!
    Your feed has me in Lynn, Norfolk. I am in Norfolk but I don't know where Lynn is! Your feed usually picks me in Syracuse although I am 100 miles north of there, Google doesn't need to know everything!
    Regards,
    Leze


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    1. I know Google doesn't know everything. I've tried like heck to figure out when my niece reads here but my Feedjib never shows her town or any of those around here. I know she does read sometimes because she'll mention something I wrote. LOL

      Those landscape quilts are all the rage in the craft-as-art venues. I kind of think they would drive me CRAZY trying to get it just right. I, too, have been reviewing quilting techniques in books and I'm even re-thinking the idea of sticking with hand piecing. I don't think I'll switch to machine but I want to keep the option open until I actually start the next one. I'm thinking of going to show-and-tell day at the area quilt shop tomorrow to pick up some information about their classes. Since I've put my knitting away my hands too empty at night.

      I read one tip that is worth sharing. It said when planning our fabrics to lay them all out on a table where you can let it sit for several days. Then play with the proportions of each color and fabric you are thinking of using. Walking buy and glancing at the fabrics (rather than staring) will help you decide what fits and what doesn't.

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  6. I am not in my usual place in Northern New York (I am in England) and I am not being successful posting to you. I have written but they disappear.
    Regards,
    Leze

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    1. I don't know what you were seeing on your end but there were about 7 posts from you like the one above in my moderator box, and two like the longer one above. Crazy computers!

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  7. Good for you for taking the doctor's office incompetence and turning it into an opportunity for an outing -- much better for both mental and physical health than stewing or steaming about it. -Jean

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    1. I know! I wish I lived closer to the park. I'd walk there every day and be so Zen-ed out and mellow I'd walk and talk in slow motion.

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  8. What a tranquil park. I'd want to be a frequent visitor.

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    1. I decide I will visit there whenever I'm in that end of town. I might even work up the courage to bring a drawing pad and pencils.

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  9. Beautiful photos!! Don't you love it when you can turn lemons into lemonade? Plan B sometimes turns out to be better than plan A if you're open to it. We have a botanical garden near us. I've been there several times, but it's been a while since my last visit. They have a butterfly house. It's a beautiful place all year, but especially in the spring.

    Sorry about your appointment. It's so annoying.

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    1. I love the butterfly gardens, too. They have one of those at the sculpture gardens too.

      I got my test done today but have to go back in July for the reading. They do a full body scan now on me.

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    2. I get the full body scan, too, but I only get it every other year. My sister just found that her bones are softening on the inside and will have to take medication, but I'm not sure what she will be taking.

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    3. Last year the daily shots had improved my bones, I'm hoping for the same results this time. But it's the last year I can take them. Anxious to see what they'll do next.

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