My first visit to a town of love and legend

Beltane in Glastonbury- a Mixture of Pagan and Christian History

Years ago one of my dreams was to be in Glastonbury, Somerset, England on Beltane, May 1.

Beltane is an ancient Celtic festival celebrated on the evening of April 30 to May 1, welcoming Spring and Summer, a renewal of the earth’s riches. Bonfires are lit on hills and cattle are led to their summer pastures between the bonfires as fertility blessings. …

It comes out in many ways…

I’m trying to get to sleep. But sleep ignores me. I bang my hand repeatedly on the bed’s half side rail (I’d fallen out once). I’m mad — about my life — about my inability to do anything — about the pain I carry with me constantly — about the false statements of love from my husband — about my daughter’s inactivity to what I need done in the house (all the things I once did and can no longer do).

My legs twitch nervously, my feet cramp and I see one big toe…

It’s really quite easy. I’ll walk you through it.

First you must start when she’s a little girl.

Let’s say she’s afraid to go to school and, for reasons that will be clear soon, afraid to say why — she’s afraid of the bullies that taunt her and make her cry. Then her father uses a switch on her bare legs (it’s the 1950s and girls must wear skirts to school) as he walks her up Main Street to the school. …

Similar to how I felt when I was invited to speak in the Rose Garden at the beginning of the Clinton administration.

…at least it was for me.

I was an RN from 1968 to 2010. I worked in a hospital on acute care units and then Rehab. I also worked in home care and in long term care, retiring with the dubious honor of being the VP of nursing for a company that managed nursing homes. You would think that a “desk” job would be easy but it was even more difficult for I was always found to be butting heads with TPTB.

For most of the years I worked, I had low back pain — bad low back pain. And…

Except I didn’t throw up.

It started out really nice with my husband’s kids and his daughter’s family. Let me say that I love them all very much — especially the grandson I won by marrrying his grandfather.

My stepdaughter and stepson did most of the talking. My husband, as usual, did very little. And it was all very much virus around their neighborhood and family staying safe type of comments.

Until it turned to writing — something most of the family does. (Stepdaughter is a “real” published author). Then it went off the rails.

“Dad, are you writing?” …

As the veil between the worlds thins, it’s time to remember those innocents put to death in Salem for no reason — greed, sexual desire, lies:

The Dead of Salem

Nineteen accused witches were hanged on Gallows Hill in 1692:

June 10, 1692
Bridget Bishop

July 19, 1692
Rebecca Nurse
Sarah Good
Susannah Martin
Elizabeth Howe
Sarah Wildes

August 19, 1692
George Burroughs
Martha Carrier
John Willard
George Jacobs, Sr.
John Proctor

September 22, l692
Martha Corey
Mary Eastey
Ann Pudeator
Alice Parker
Mary Parker
Wilmott Redd
Margaret Scott
Samuel Wardwell

One accused witch (all witches were often called) was…

As a Registered Nurse for more than forty years, I spent lot of time in hospitals and nursing homes bathing old people — more women than men because — -well, women live longer and usually men have wives who take care of them at home.

I remember the old lady with no face from cancer.

Then there was the sweet old lady who couldn’t walk because of pressure ulcers on her heels. “I will never have another beautiful day.”

This is the story about the last old woman I will ever take care of.

My last old woman sat on…