Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Roseland Where My Memories Are Stored





The requisite Roseland water tower behind the Publix photo.




It has been an interesting day to say the least. We got up and I hustled us to the tasks of getting packed and ready to leave, leaving our little rental house in as close to a state of perfection as we could. We stopped and had breakfast and then hit Highway 1 down the coast of Florida until we finally got to the Melbourne area where things began to trigger my memories and the Indian River was to our left, the jungle to our right, all scattered with old grove houses and stucco buildings that I realized in a bit of an epiphany hold my memories.
My memories are stored in funky old buildings and fish camps and boat houses and cedar trees and gnarled oaks and mostly in the river itself, diluted and washed to other shores as they may be.
And that is simply the way it is.
We stopped at Publix on our way in to Roseland to buy stuff that I should have brought but didn't and we drove into Roseland itself, the river road still white sand, the Roseland Community Center still there, the strip of land between the Sebastian River and the road still pine-and-cedar-treed-and-mango-treed. The little cottages which had been there when I was a child still right where I left them, like an impossible fantasy of a homeplace.
We pulled into the driveway of this tiny cabana house with the spitting lion pool,




and the owner came out of his house next door and I hugged him and as always, thanked him for keeping this alive, for respecting the history of it all.
"A labor of love," he said.
And I love him.

Just as I was unpacking the groceries, the doctor from Mayo finally called. Glen put him on speaker phone and we listened as he said that blood tests were leading to some questions that may help to solve the mystery, possibly, perhaps, maybe, lead to a diagnosis. He speaks English well but I think it is hard for him to speak human. His native tongue is Medicine. And that's all right. But a few things he said and a few answers he gave me to questions led us to have the slightest sliver of hope that this may be an extremely rate syndrome which has a possible antidote.
I'm putting this poorly for several reasons.
One- he didn't give us THAT much information.
Two- We don't speak Medicine.
Three- The very little information online about the syndrome he spoke of was geared to neurologists and I do not have my Tabor's Medical Dictionary with me.
Anyway, Mr. Moon has to get more blood tests and they will take up to four weeks to make any determinations from and so we have to just wait and see.

Breathe.
Breathe.
Breathe.

And so we unpacked and went down to the river and Mr. Moon threw his line in the water and I held on to the seat of my pants and tried not to fly off the dock in the gusty, whistling wind, and a tiny strip of sunset showed above the trees on one of the islands in the river and I could feel and hear and smell and taste all of the memories and all that was happening that very second.


I drank it all in. 


My old, age-spotted legs. 

Goodness. What a curious thing life is. How amazed I am to be here. 

Love...Ms. Moon


12 comments:

  1. I believe if anybody can find the answer (if there is an answer) it will be Mayo. What you don't see behind the scenes is a team of specialists that spend hours going over every little tiny piece of information. As my doctor told me "This is not your problem to figure out anymore...it is our problem and we will figure it out". That meant everything to me...they believed me.

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  2. not entirely surprised that you dont have more definitive info at the moment......but so far...... Mayo seems to be on track. time........ so happy you are in your peaceful Roseland place.....a place of solace and healing.....and love
    susan M

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  3. On the trail of answers. That sounds promising. Now relax my loves. Let the answers come to you as you restore yourself to wholeness in your treasured place.

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  4. I hope that that is not real lion spit. Personally, I would rather swim in regular water than a pool filled with lion saliva.

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  5. we are too amazed to be where we are now in this life. never in my wildest dreams did I envision my life as it is now when I would get to be this age. we worked so hard for so little for so long and now find ourselves hardly working with so much. and good news for Mr. Moon, a hidden trail that might actually lead somewhere.

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  6. Fingers crossed that Mr. Moon gets an answer and that it's not a bad answer. Glad you're both enjoying yourself. Being near the water always makes me feel better.

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  7. I am hopeful you'll have answers (and an antidote) soon for Mr. Moon. Enjoy your stay at Roseland!
    Dee

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  8. Looks like a lovely place to relax after all the recent stress. I underwent the EMG tests. My sympathies to Mr Moon. Hopefully you will receive some good answers soon.

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  9. Enjoy your time in Roseland! Sending my thoughts that the additional blood tests will provide some real answers for Mr. Moon.

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  10. Revel in the Peace that is Roseland and I Pray that the blood tests will reveal some solutions for Mr. Moon.

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  11. Well, it's great that the docs think they may have solved the mystery! I'm so glad you're in your special place.

    I'm struck by your observation that those stucco buildings hold your memories. I think one of the things that's always bothered me about going home to Pasco County is that many of the buildings that held my memories are gone now. Everything is six-lane highways!

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  12. I hope my last comment got through, I'm trying to post it on the train!

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