The Black Dressby Beverly RyleWe’d done it a hundred times before—gone shopping together. When we lived in Connecticut, my best friend Tina and I used to go off for the day together to Cold Spring, New York, a little town on the Hudson River where a designer who created clothes for high-end retailers like Neiman Marcus had an outlet store. At first we started going there mostly for the fun of seeing ourselves in something different, but with each visit we got more excited by the clothes and eventually began making carefully deliberated purchases. We would first tour the store individually and then reconnoiter to show each other what we liked. In the first round of elimination, we would take armfuls of possibilities to the dressing room to try them on and critique each other’s choices based on fit, color and style. For the second round, we would don our favorites again and analyze their potential for long-term use and enjoyment. When the process was completed we’d pay the store manager (who we came to know on a first name basis) and go out for a leisurely lunch. |
Just for the Summerby Katie CutterJust for the summer. Just three short months and I would go back to my beautiful hometown of Fort Collins, Colorado. Back to my family, my friends - back to my safety net. That summer has been extended to almost four years. Now I can safely say that I, a born-and-bred Rocky Mountain girl, am a Cape Codder. A wash-a-shore perhaps, but a Cape Cod resident nonetheless. The road to this self-realization was not always a smooth one, but it has been a trip worth taking. I was fortunate enough to have grown up in a beautiful college town, waking up each day to a view of 14,000-foot peaks from my bedroom window. It is where the prairie meets the mountains and holds a special place in my heart. It is also where my entire (and very close-knit) family still resides. Available at bookstores & onlinewww.amazon.com
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Hopes Realizedby Jacquie ScarbroughWell, it has been nearly four months since this saga began. Instead of surreally watching my legs shut down over a week, now I am watching my lower body regain function over months. It’s happening naturally to some extent, but more precisely it’s happening due to hard work: daily exercises, electrical stimulation and physical therapy sessions. Presently I am wearing a half brace on my left leg – soon to be modified so my ankle can move too – and a full brace with a locking knee for my right leg. My left leg is working very well, but my right leg is still quite immobile. The ankle muscles do not work unless they are given an electrical charge. The thigh and hamstring muscles are beginning to come back, but are weak. For example, today I “walked” without a full leg brace on my right leg, but with a walker, three people, and a wheelchair poised to catch me if I fell. Workshops with
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