I adore this poem.

anyone lived in a pretty how town
by e. e. cummings

anyone lived in a pretty how town
(with up so floating many bells down)
spring summer autumn winter
he sang his didn't he danced his did


Women and men (both little and small)
cared for anyone not at all
they sowed their isn't they reaped their same
sun moon stars rain


children guessed (but only a few
and down they forgot as up they grew
autumn winter spring summer)
that noone loved him more by more


when by now and tree by leaf
she laughed his joy she cried his grief
bird by snow and stir by still
anyone's any was all to her


someones married their everyones
laughed their cryings and did their dance
(sleep wake hope and then) they
said their nevers they slept their dream


stars rain sun moon
(and only the snow can begin to explain
how children are apt to forget to remember
with up so floating many bells down)


one day anyone died i guess
(and noone stooped to kiss his face)
busy folk buried them side by side
little by little and was by was


all by all and deep by deep
and more by more they dream their sleep
noone and anyone earth by april
wish by spirit and if by yes.


Women and men (both dong and ding)
summer autumn winter spring
reaped their sowing and went their came
sun moon stars rain




From Complete Poems: 1904-1962 by E. E. Cummings, edited by George J. Firmage. Used with the permission of Liveright Publishing Corporation. Copyright © 1923, 1931, 1935, 1940, 1951, 1959, 1963, 1968, 1991 by the Trustees for the E. E. Cummings Trust. Copyright © 1976, 1978, 1979 by George James Firmage.

This just appeals to me...

Apparently this was a Christmas song parody written up in Mad Magazine ages ago...I haven't been able to verify the truth of this, so take it with the grain of salt you would for most things you read on the internet.

It's sung to the tune of "It came Upon a Midnight Clear"

"It hangs down from our chandelier;
We have no idea what it does.
Its shape is weird and
It drips with goo,
And lets off a high-sounding buzz.

It grows a couple of feet each day,
And wiggles with kind of a twitch.
We keep it 'cause it's a present from
A visiting uncle who's rich!"

Heh.

We've been tapering me off of the steroids, and there's definitely a tradeoff: as I decrease the steroids, the blood has come back and the pain has increased, but damn I feel so much more functional and sane.

I cleaned the rodents, I did 3 loads of laundry, i learned a new crochet stitch, and I'm actually posting in my blog.

Did I mention that I am down to 150 pounds? Not a diet I recommend to anyone, but it feels good to be lighter...

Heh. A review.

Kind of silly, but fun.

Approval Finally...

The Remicaide Nurse called today, and my insurance company has approved 3 treatments of Remicaide (and at $2,400 a visit, that's saying a lot!)...my first appointment is next Wednesday! Yay!

I'm down to 151 pounds, which would be great if I had lost it through diet and exercise, not diarrhea and blood and tissue and constant nausea and pain. Now we just need to get me off the steroids before I go into psychosis...and so we can get rid of all these evil symptoms that go along with the steroids--MAJOR dizziness, mood swings and some serious depression, severe body/hand weakness (such that I run out of breath and have to pant for air if I try to talk on the phone and walk around at the same time).

Here's a description of the disease I just found that is incredibly accurate:

About Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are painful, medically incurable illnesses that attack the digestive system. Crohn's disease may attack anywhere from the mouth to the anus, while ulcerative colitis inflames the large intestine (colon) only. Symptoms may include persistent diarrhea, abdominal pain or cramps, rectal bleeding, fever, and weight loss. Many patients require hospitalization and surgery. These illnesses can cause severe complications, including colon cancer in patients with long-term disease. Some 1.4 million American adults and children suffer from Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, with as many as 150,000 under the age of 18. Most people develop the diseases between the ages of 15 and 35.

Everyone who has been calling me has been asking about my health, which is understandable, but I'm so tired of talking about it!
(Which is probably why I haven't been posting about it...plus the profound depression kinda gets in the way of EVERYTHING.)

TTK and I discussed it at length, and decided last week since the Remicaide was pretty much guaranteed to happen, we would start an INCREDIBLY slow taper off of the steroids since they are destroying me...

which is probably why I have energy today and yesterday, and am posting, and feel better than I have in months.

I've also started crocheting as I felt way too limited by the Knifty Knitter and always working in the round. Plus the dizziness has kept me homebound (I am NOT driving a car like this!) so I've had a lot of time on my hands and not much strength to do chores...

Right now I am making monsters, for my neice (who just turned two). I am basing them on the amigurumi concept, and I'll talk more about this whole craft thing in another post. :-)

Poor Sweet BattleAxe...

Needles died last night, in ttk's arms.
She put up a good fight the last few months but it was time for her to go...she waited until ttk got home last night, and died less than an hour later.
10:18 pm.

Funny how you notice the little things like that.

He made a simple but beautiful box for her, and for now we'll bury her in an oak half-wine barrel until we have our own home. Then, she and all the other little ones will be buried in their own home. Our own home.

Sweet Battleaxe, I will miss you.