Spring Fever

At last the horrors of winter have ended. In fact, I have finally cleaned out the apartment in Big Rapids, finally had the garage sale, and STILL have a ton of stuff in boxes to do something with. I've gotten my art room set back up, following a minor basement flooding, and I've been working on several pieces. However, my get-up-and-go has got-up-and-gone, what with the allergies I'm having this season. I'm taking enough antihistamine to be in a permanent fugue state, it seems. Maybe I'm just trying to avoid doing anything real and/or worthwhile.

On April 1, my sister Sheila's 60th birthday, her little grandson Zeke died. He was 13 years old and died in the shower. We don't know why. It could have been suicide. Given his age, it could have been autoerotic asphyxiation. It could have been a mere accident. He had the detachable shower hose around his neck. That has sent my sister into a religious tailspin. Another one on my case. My brother stays after me, and many people seem to believe that I am a "searcher," someone looking for what they've found. I'm not. I did all that many years ago, and I am quite comfortable in my lack of belief. As sad as I am about this young boy's death, as full of grief as I STILL am about my niece's death in 1993, I do not believe there is a hereafter. Death ends everything. All we have left is memories. Eternal rest doesn't sound that bad when you think of your molecules and atoms becoming one with the universe.

I've been reading the Peter Robinson DCI Banks series. It's well-written, and I really like the characters. I need to do more writing, but that's not been high on my priority list lately. I had lunch with Sarah, a friend from GVSU, on Tuesday, and she always makes me think about writing. Soon. Maybe. I've been playing with a couple of fantasy ideas for possible adolescent lit. I still have a dozen ideas for detective fiction and murder mystery.

Aha! I thought I'd lost you, but now here you are. So much for my trying to add a photo.

Okay, I've added a photo. It's all coming back to me now....