About Composting Words

Welcome to Composting Words – a completely unbranded blog. If you are looking for a single-minded blog with a consistent theme, this isn’t it. Mostly you will find photographs of nature, flowers and the occasional shot of my adorable dog, Harry. But I wander, since I am interested in practically everything, so you will find occasional healthy recipes (love great food), some poetry when the words “come” and musings on things such as dementia & aging (my Dad has dementia), making art (a renewed passion) and other things that touch my heart.

me wandering through the local state forest. (don't forget your tick clothes & tick check when you get back home!)

me wandering through the local state forest. (don’t forget to wear your tick clothes & do a tick check when you get back home!)

There is also a page and a string of posts related to tick-borne diseases. I’m an almost completely recovered survivor after a long slog with Lyme Disease & Babesia. In fact, dealing with that hard period in life is what got me blogging in the first place.

On a side note . . .

Why the title Composting Words?  I have been a gardener since childhood and have always been drawn to plants. My first memory at two or three years of age is of the orange, balloon-like Japanese lanterns growing in the backyard. Composting is about the creation of something new from the remains of something that was already there. I believe much of writing and the human story itself is just that – the recycling or composting of something old into something new – in essence something that has always been there being rediscovered and retold in countless way. My words, observations and learnings are much the same, not earth shattering discoveries but the reweaving of what is already there.  (You can see my poem, Composting Words, which inspired this blogs title here.)

Thanks for the visit and happy wandering!

32 thoughts on “About Composting Words”

  1. Thanks for sharing your story, it is beautifully told, an inspiration to all who struggle with a silent disease. And thanks for liking my post. Wishing you all the best. Cheers 🙂 Irina

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  2. I just remembered an email I got this past week, speaking of a hearing on Bill C-422 (about Lyme’s disease) that happened on Dec. 4, in Canada’s parliament. You may be aware that Elizabeth May, Canada’s only Green Member of Parliament, has put forth a private members bil,l although it is yet to pass. Here’s a link that has a bit of information on it… I know you have suffered from Lyme’s, and I thought you’d be interested. http://canlyme.com/2014/09/20/canadas-bill-c-442-an-act-respecting-a-federal-framework-on-lyme-disease-passes-2nd-reading-in-the-senate/

    Thanks for dropping by and your continued appreciation of the posts over on through the luminary lens. Take care & have a good week – Bruce

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  5. Thanks for visiting my blog and liking my posts, I appreciate it. I found your post on the passing of your chocolate lab heartbreaking as our chocolate lab struggles with arthritis through this exceptional wet winter. As you say, you are grateful for the 14 years of happiness you had together.

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    • Rose had some arthritis toward the end as well but really did remarkably well doing short hikes up until this past spring. She even went for a walk around the block the morning before her cancer symptoms got too bad. I hope you find something that helps your furry friend to feel more comfortable and you enjoy each other’s company.

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  6. Good luck staying healthy! My earliest memories are of plants outdoors, too. And I also got Lyme, while working as a gardener on an estate outside of NYC back in the 90’s. But I guess I was lucky – there are no lasting effects that I could identify. I remember the exhaustion, the antibiotics, and the strangest sensation of insects crawling inside my legs as I tried to sleep at night, which continued for along time. But no more, and as I said, I wish you great luck in getting your health back. Great blog title!

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  7. I love the title of your blog; as a gardener, it says so much to me. I wish you all the very best in your journey to triumph over Lyme. 🙂

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  8. If it gives you any encouragement…. My sister contracted Lyme disease around 1990. Although she had a bad couple of years and it probably contributed to her stopping dancing professionally, she has been without symptoms for about two decades now.

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  10. I spent more time on your blog today and just wanted to wish you the best on your battle with Lyme disease. This horrific disease impacted my family tremendously in 2012, and I fear it will even more so this year. Thank you for blogging about your journey with Lyme and providing a collection of useful links; I admire your strong spirit and positive outlook. Take care! Tricia

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    • Tricia thank you for stopping by and leaving your well wishes. I greatly appreciate it! I certainly hope that there is no more Lyme in your family in 2013. I keep hoping we’ll have an extended cold snap this winter to kill off a bunch of the ticks and mice (the nymphs love to feed on mice) but it has been above freezing all week here during the day and supposed to be mid-40s this weekend. It should be in the 20s this time of year. 50-75% of the ticks in this area now carry the bacteria. Scary!

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  11. Pingback: Daily Prompt: Childhood Revisited | composting words

    • Wow, oopsjohn! Thanks for the complement. I look forward to exploring your work more especially the Yellowstone section. We visited there a number of years ago and I would love to go back – such a spiritual place.

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  14. Absolutely yes, we are always far more than an illness. One of the messages of the Arthritis Society of Canada is: “We have arthritis. It doesn’t have us.” Same concept. I say this with a lot of feeling, since I have arthritis, I’m a volunteer with the Society, and I did the Society’s fundraising trek in Iceland this summer. Darn right we’re more than an illness!

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    • Iceland Penny, thank for stopping by and leaving a note. I’ve been having to remind myself of those very words. In my journey to heal, I have done a ton of research to better understand Lyme and the treatment options and sometimes forget to focus on healing and wellness.

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  15. You have made me cry, I love how you wove your words. .Composting is about the creation of something new from the remains of something that was already there. I would love to press this to my site. For with so many writing and ideas out there, I become overwhelmed and scared others will think I’ve taken other’s works. Because I am sure so many before me have touched base on what I write. Though not in my perspective, or heart. I’ts almost insane to say this work is just my idea. When it is truer to say just that. :Composting is about the creation of something new from the remains of something that was already there.

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