Desiree L Henry

Thank you everyone for allowing this to be done. I honestly thought when he had offered, if I didn't use it that was it. That's why I asked yesterday how many strikes I had. I appreciate you all, and perhaps I don't tell you enough. Especially Roina. *wink*, I thank you for your kindness and graciousness. I wouldn't find a better bunch of people.

Peace~~~Desiree

I wanted to explain why some of my replies have such typos. I have Parkinsonian like tremors. Since heart surgery they've gotten worse. I hope in time that they will get better.

When I get tired they get worse. And Lord knows with PT and OT, plus nurses twice a week, I do get tired easily. It takes me awhile to comb out all the typos for my entries, but it also gives me time to 'fill in' the blanks and give my pieces more foliage so to speak.

Anyhow, I just wanted you to know! And yes am still in lots of pain. My hip needs replacement but I may never see that, since I still have more heart surgery to face. Lucky me, eh?

Well there's not more to report. My son still hasn't found a job. We're still strugglng. Yet Idol is my joy - along with my family.🐁🐁✌✌ Peace~~~Desiree

Sitting outside of a quiet cafe, Angela admired the pattern on the porcelain blue and gold of her delicate tea cup. Tracing the lines with her finger tips until she reached the rim, she realized there were several anomalies, slight ones, but her artist's fingers could feel them. Fantastic work! I must get this artist's name and number. She thought.

Turning the delicate cup over to look at the bottom, to her surprise it said Dresden, than the initials MLR -2007. So it WAS Dresden porcelain, the artist who put the cup back together, their initials were MLR, and the year it was broken (or repaired) was 2007. She wrote all this information down on a post it note, then headed inside to speak with the owner.

Sidling up to the counter, she waited until the shop was free of customers or everyone had a beverage so she could have some time. Finally she got to ask the wait staff for the owner or manager and she was directed to the backroom. Angela waited as she heard the women from the counter call for a person named Michael. Hmm, I wonder. Angela thought, trying to keep her expectations low.

A tall man limping with a cane, headed in her direction. Angela lowered her eyes, thinking he might be ashamed of his limp, but slowly raised them again realizing he looked too comfortable with his walk. Other than the limp, or in spite of it, he was gorgeous.

His tied back hair was black as a Ravens wing, and his eyes were blue as sapphires, a Grecian nose and a classic jawline completed his facial features. You could see his muscular chest and arms through his t-shirt, and he was wearing well fitting cargo pants. Angela thought he looked delicious.

Angela put her hand out for a handshake and introduced herself. " Hi, I'm Angela Martin. I was wondering if you could help locate the artist who pieced back together this cup. It's first rate work."

Mr. Delicious (as Angela thought of him) chuckled as he returned her handshake, "you happen to be looking at him! I'm Michael Russo. It's one of the many things I do for the shop. I specialize in the Kintsugi art of Japan. You must specialize yourself if you noticed it, Angela, may I call you Angela?"

"if I can call you Michael. There aren't many of we Kintsugi artists out there, Angela replied giving him a sunny smile. I hope you don't find me forward but can we go to dinner when you're finished with the shop tonight? This way we can discuss each other's work at leisure."

"I don't find it forward at all, Angela. Where do you want to meet, here? And then go somewhere else? I know a wonderful Trattoria if you like Italian?" Michael said enticingly.

"That sounds just wonderful. What time?" Angela asked.

"Eight o'clock good?" Michael questioned.

Angela handed him back his teacup, with a cheery smile and a yes, and then walked out into the sunlight waving as she got into her her car.

Michael watched her pull away before he full on laughed. He found himself remembering her delicate hands with the exacto knife scars. And the gold flecks in her green eyes, her long honey brown hair, and thought this was going to be a very interesting evening, and possibly the start of something more.

It was the first time since Beth's death in the avalanche which also gave him his limp, that he found himself genuinely interested in a woman. Angela seemed straightforward and not one for games, plus they also had their art work in common.

Yes, it will definitely be an interesting evening! Michael kept smiling and tried not to look at his watch every five minutes, then laughing when he failed miserably feeling like a schoolboy. But for once he was looking forward to a simple evening out, and Michael sincerely hoped Angela was also. Another glance at his watch, and he laughed, perhaps he was a schoolboy.

Oh, beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain
For purple mountains majesty
Above the fruited plain,
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee,
And crowned thy good with brotherhood,
From sea to shining sea!


I pledge allegiance to the flag
Of the United States of America
And to the Republic for which it stands
One nation under God, indivisible
With liberty, and justice for all!


Now these two allegiances, songs, or poems were supposed to teach you to have pride in America. Well, this is not what America is, and hasn't ever been, since early 1619 when we brought slaves to serve the White Men by catching 20-30 black Africans and chaining them in a trader ship's underbelly. Men, women, and children were starved, beaten, and some died standing in their own filth. The slaves who were viable when they landed at Hampton Virginia, were then sold.

The White Men stole this land from the Indigenous Red Man too. This started before the pilfering of blacks from their homeland. Though at first they were allies because the settlers couldn't survive without the Red Men showing their sacred mercy on the White families, and teaching the women and children. The Indigenous showed the settlers how to farm, gather what was naturally edible, and New ways to hunt. They showed them how to make medicines, and which snakes and frogs were deadly. They taught them about the alligators in swampy areas.

The White Man's contempt for the Red Men finally came to fruition on the Trail of Tears in 1831. And we're supposed to be proud of that? The White People pushed All Indigenous onto a reservation, and many of the tribes had rivalries, and coup challenges.

Walking on this path was called the Trail of Tears, because of the many weakened children, and the mothers who stayed behind to sing their child's,and then their own death song, the sick who had the ability to sing their own, the broken-hearted and the elderly who wouldn't survive but you could hear their songs along the trail as they were left behind. Only the strong ones survive ved the over two thousand miles of grueling trail on foot. This is the America they won't tell you about, and more.

They won't tell you of the boatloads of Jewish refugees, one was filled with mostly children, that the United States turned back, to their deaths. History books won't mention the United States didn't want to get involved in WW2 - that is until Pearl Harbor forced our hand!

Yet the United States is always depicted as the hero, with Ronald Reagan riding down 'the red menace' on a horse, and Audie Murphy handing out chocolate bars for the war kids. Troops kissing the girls on trains before going off to war with smiles or a wave and an I love you Mom! WITH A SMILE!

Then when the troops returned, there wasn't enough work to go around, so the southern states created Jim Crowe laws, and they put them into place. These "laws" were only for blacks only in the southern states. This was to secure work for the white men first. Sure, we gave them freedom, plus the right to vote, but first let us challenge those freedoms as much as we can, so they can't get them at all (sarcasm).

And in the America of now, your kids go to school and they get shot. We just had a mass shooting of where one man was gunned down 60 times. He was one of the seven killed and forty seven injured at our Fourth of July independence parade - in Boston.

Plus for the past three years there's this virus that is killing us or leaving us sick long-term, it's mutated so many times, The original virus was named Covid-19, for the year it developed in 2019. There have been over 1.02 million deaths in the United States. It does not discriminate.

Lastly, I'd like to tell our story.

I would tell you of a home where my son got fired because he had taken a lot of time off helping me back and forth to my appointments to cardiac surgeons, and he took two weeks off when I came home to help me after heart surgery. My husband, his stepfather has his appointments also with the neurologist, for issues with his Multiple Sclerosis. And then there's the buddy, my 23 month old grandson.

Now my son and his fiance, and I and my husband have barely eaten for five days. My diet requires very little sodium, I'm only allowed half a teaspoon full a day. Thank God for tap water.

We're feeding the buddy however. Whatever we have left over from that, we divide and give most to my son since he needs to get his medications, and the households. My poor son is the only one in our home who drives. My nurses, physical therapists and occupational therapists still come. They'll scramble to get lower prices on my meds, sometimes they work for more than an hour. They'll bring food bank boxes too we are lucky.

The first America is the one they tell you to take pride in, but how can you? They took away Roe vs Wade. They stole this land from the Red Man (my ancestors), and we're supposed to be proud??


There is no pride in America for this household, the land, yes. The 3 bedroom, 2 bath, double-wide that I earned with my back pay from disability, yes. Now, here we are starving. We don't want to take the buddy anywhere, we're just scared of everything, even thunderstorms-they sound like gunshots- and gas prices make it impossible to escape.

So here is my truth, my America, and why I play Idol. I sometimes get to vent like now, make friends, and take my brain to new horizons. Thank you, or as my grandson says Tang Ooo!

America,

Oh, beautiful for spacious skies,
For Amber waves of grain
For purple mountains majesty
Above the fruited plain, America! America!
God shed thy grace on thee
And crowned the good with brotherhood,
From sea to shining sea!


I pledge allegiance to the flag
And to the United States of America
And to the republic for which it stands
One nation under God, Indivisible,
one nation for all!



Now these two allegiances songs, or poems were supposidly to teach you to have pride in America. When that is not what America is and hasn't been since early 1619 when we brought slaves to serve the white man by catching 20-30 black africans and chained them and brought brought them to Hampton Virginia.

Men, women, children were starved and some died standing in they're own filth. The first America, the one they tell you to take pride in, that's the one they want you to learn, but how can you?

They stole this land from the Red Man, on the trail of tears in 1831. And we're supposed to be proud that? WE, white people pushed them onto a reservation. It was called the trail of tears, because children and elderly, didn't survive. Only the strong ones lived the over two thousand miles of trail on foot. This America is what they don't tell you about and more.

And in the America now, your kids kids go to school and and karma has them not come home because they've been shot, and men get gunned down 60 times at our Fourth of July independence parade in Boston.

Lastly, I'd like to tell our story.

I would tell you of a house where my son got fired because he had too many issues with his time card helping me back and forth to my appointments, plus his stepfather with his issues with Multiple Sclerosis. Now he and his fiance, and I and his stepfather, haven't eaten for five days. Thank God for tap water.


We're feeding the bubby (Yiddish for baby) instead. Whatever is left over from that, we leave for my son since he needs to go get his meds. Or my meds, the nurses who still come, they'll scramble to get lower prices on. Sometimes for an hour.

The first America is the one they tell you to take pride in, but how can you? They took away Roe vs Wade. They stole this land from the Red Man( my ancestors), and we're supposed to be proud??


There is no pride for this land. We're starving. We don't want to take the bubby anywhere, we're just scared of everything and we're afraid of storms and gas prices. Plus we're kind of weak and have malnutrition right now.

This America now? why send him to school and doesn't come home because he's been shot, and men get gunned down 60 times at our Fourth of July parade in Boston.

Surgery often looks like murder if you judge it halfway through.

My first major surgery was an emergency C-section with my daughter. I had a partial placental abruption and actually had gotten to 8cm but soon after I started hemorrhaging and they lost my child's heartbeat, so I was whisked away and knocked out before I could say boo.

When I woke up, the first thing I asked for was to see my child. My husband was in the room and he brought her to me. She was beautiful. Curly hair, ten fingers and toes, and the cutest toothless smile!

My husband later told me I had looked like a meat market during the C-section, seems they pile all your intestines on top of your chest, then they pull out the uterus, slice it, and remove the baby. They told my husband if the baby had been a boy he probably wouldn't have lived. Girls seem to be stronger and survive.

My next baby I went V-back, or vaginal. They weren't happy with my decision but I made it. I wasn't going home to a three year old and have to explain to my child all the time why I couldn't pick her up.

My son did get stuck last minute. I had the obstetrician literally yell at me "That if you don't push this baby out in the next ten contractions, you're getting another C-section! ."

Then I had a nurse tell me to open my eyes and breathe with her before I push. I spit a profanity at her, told her to get away before I punched her, closed my eyes and pushed with the next contraction, and so it went for seven more until I felt myself being sliced for an episiotomy, and on my next contraction I pushed and my son slid out and my heart swelled to another size.

My next surgery was a humdinger. Having a hysterectomy is not for the weak. Usually they do it laparoscopically. In my case nothing is that easy. They had found some "abnormal and cancerous cells" and the docs wanted to look around and make sure the cells were contained to just the uterus. They did remove my ovaries and some gnarly looking endometriosis but things did seem to be contained to the uterus. Pap smears are important ladies!

And now to my last surgery which was the most life threatening, because they replaced my Aortic arch which had a 5.5mm aneurysm in it, along with the Aortic valve that was leaking so much blood the doctors were surprised my brain was being supplied with enough oxygen. (My husband would tell you my brain isn't getting enough oxygen, after all I married him.)

I'm sure when I was on the table it did look like someone had murdered me! Cracked chest open and pulled back sternum, and enough clamps to set off any major magnets in the area! I survived that one, but while they were rummaging around in there they found another, smaller aneurysm. So we need to do surgery on that one too, this time through the groin. Thank goodness!!! I don't think I can do this surgery again.


This surgey, the heart surgery is rougher than any I've had. Then again I'm getting up there being 58. I only want more time with family. If I can get that, well as we said when we were young - Everything is copacetic!

"I will bring that dread beast down if it's the last thing I do, on my sword I swear this vow." Spoke Martin vehemently, banging his fist on the kitchen table.

"With your prince's help in locating its lair I should be able to glamor it and then slay the foul thing. I'm tired of it terrorizing the town's folk."

Martin, you're 16. You haven't made your majority yet. Plus I'm not sure Gryff knows where his father, King Nestor, that bastard, holds the dragon. You MUST give it time." Pleaded Madylyn.

"Please, I understand brother but you are not yet strong enough in magicks or in swordplay. Tom will tell you the same. The druids and the dryads still have much to teach you. You must not let your anger rule your head. You WILL bring the beast low soon enough, but do not rush to throw your life away for Tom and I shall grieve you greatly." Responded Madylyn to her brother's vitriol.

"How can I look the townsfolk in the eye Madylyn if I don't? They all expect me to kill the beast." Martin said, scrubbing his face with his hands. I


"Remember what our mother used to say before the vile king's soldiers killed our parents in the search for us. Everything in its time, and a time for everything."

Just mentioning their mother made them both melancholy for a moment, and being twins, they sighed together.

"You're right Mady, I am letting my anger and frustration rule me. Thank The Gods I have you to steady me." Martin said smiling a his sister.

"Just as I have you to fight for me. I love you Martin, you are a part of me. We will prevail. We have Tom, the druids and dryads on our side, what could go wrong?" Madylyn said kissing his head.

"Now it's time for me to start baking and do my chores. And I believe you have a magick lesson? So be on your way knave. I'll have no more of your foolery today." Marilyn said smiling.

And outside the window Tom smiled too, grateful to the Gods for these two children of the heart that he raised for the past six years, and Gods willing would raise for six more.

Still writing seven days into surgery!!!



One night I heard all this commotion outside of my backdoor. Thinking one of my dogs had escaped, I stepped out to look around, and not seeing anything, I turned to go back inside, then suddenly I spied this poor grey critter, with red eyes and pink nose, backing up into my freshly raked leaf pile. It had a ratty tail, razor teeth, and was hissing at me, then suddenly it plopped over on its side.

Everyone asked if I was afraid, and I said no, chuckling, it was more afraid of me, than I it, and if I had this little critter in my yard, I wanted keep it there!

It was an opossum, North America's only marsupial, and they play dead as a natural defense to scare off predators.

Marsupials are mammels, and like their cousins kangaroos they carry their 'joeys' (about six through eight babies) in a pouch in their stomachs until they're old enough to emerge and start learning how to survive from their mamas.

Do you know how beneficial to gardens opossums are? Let me tell you, because I'm a huge fan of these harmless super heroes!

And it truly should be wearing a super hero outfit too! With its prehensile tail allowing it to swing and grab onto things like a monkey, plus it's white head marked with a grey arrow, it already has its own costume.

Now opossums may seem scary, but if you have one in your yard, you're lucky.
They're omnivores, nocturnal, and are opportunistic.

Oposssums eat all kinds of pests, including cockroaches, rats, snakes, and mosquitoes, mice, dead animals, frogs and eggs, and of course, garbage.

I decided the next day I was going to make my new buddy its own burrow. It would have plenty of space to roam in (I had nearly an acre) and it would keep my vegetable garden free of pests. I'd call that a win/win situation wouldn't you?

Now this required a trip to my favorite plant nursery (always a plus), for a hollowed out log, some nice greenery, and a fresh water source. We had a brook right behind our property in case 'Bandit' wanted to meander, but we also had foxes, hawks, and coyotes too, and I didn't want the predators making off with my opossum friend.

So we made a cozy space in the South West corner of our yard, and there Bandit lived happily chomping on bugs for about three years!

Oh, and we found out our Bandit was a girl when we caught sight of little teeny opossums one night chasing after mama! Opossums can live on their own once they reach eight inches long, so try not to disturb what you might think is a baby.

If you you ever see an opossum trying to be fierce, please remember all these things I told you, and be kind! You'll be be doing the environment a favor!

Thanks for listening!

To everyone in LJI who has offered me prayers and well wishes, I am deeply grateful. I probably won't be able to read everyone but hopefully I will feel up to it. Please take care of yourselves and love each other and live each day being grateful. I'll catch up when I can. Love you all. Peace~~~Desiree

Hi everyone, am having open heart surgery on Monday morning. Prayers and positive vibes would be deadly appreciated. Thank you for everything. Hopefully I'll get back to writing soon! I'll be home in 5-8 days so we shall see. Write fast guys so I can read before going in! Love you all! Peace~~~Desiree