Exploring the Jungle —Mary Lott

I opened the front door and, clippers in hand, skipped out to see the full blossom of my yellow rose. I purchased the plant back in the middle of February. It had one nursery-forced…

By outward appearances, I look just fine in an oldish, grandmotherly sort of way. Yet underneath it all lies a stealthy hidden monster known as cold agglutinin disease (CAD). Most of the time,…

I swung my leather computer backpack on and hoisted my tote bag onto my shoulder. It was my first time receiving the immunotherapy Rituxan (rituximab). I was quite apprehensive. Over and…

I sank into the overstuffed armchair and leaned back into the super soft throw pillow with a sigh of happiness. I was looking forward to today. My previous salon had closed a long time…

At 68, I imagine I have earned the right to say no to activities I do not wish to do. I have distinguished my likes and dislikes, my preferences and disinclinations. As long as…

“Ouch! Consarnit! Dagnabbit! Wrassin-frassin-muchi-fuchi!” I grabbed my foot and hopped around the room one-legged, expressing lots of adjectives about the pain I was feeling. “Man, that hurt!” I yelled, listening as my expressions echoed…

I was doing my best not to panic. I couldn’t get away even if I tried — there were too many assistant vampires surrounding me, and I couldn’t overpower them all. My breath came…

Way back in the early 1990s, when we were preparing to live in a tropical rainforest, a wonderful book was recommended to us called the “Village Medical Manual.” It was a…

The rain looked like shards of ice in front of my face. I was bundled up as much as possible on that cold November day. The sky was as gray as I felt as…

My phone started ringing about 8:15 in the morning. I knew who it was and why he was calling. A wry smile was on my face as I answered it. The…