Lake Michigan

Morning from Madame's Boudoir

When I awake, the view out my bedroom window is of a pale anemic morning, like the fragile fainting daughter of the domineering English matron. Porcelain grays, cream and pale blues are the colors. There are no cloud distinctions save two small dark wisps above the horizon, but there is a slight blush on the sky's cheeks just beneath the indistinct globe of the sun. But that sun-- in spite of being weakened by the winter and the clouds before it's face -- has the strength to beat a path on the calm Lake Michigan surface. The horizon is marked by a powder blue line of water. Further south away from the sun's pale influence, the water is deeper blue and the sky blushes more visibly. Winter ghosts of trees stand witness to the subtle shifting light patterns. Suddenly, the visible globe of the sun disappears, its only remnant a long narrowing swath of bright cream light on the water just below the horizon, as though someone out there on the lake needs illumination. Momentarily white flakes begin to drift down from the graying sky and within seconds we are playing out the weather forecast -- lake-effect snow showers. The narrow band of sunlight on the lake narrows further and disappears. The indistinct clouds and blushing skies disappear and now the lake world is one gray color from water to sky. Only the trees maintain their distinct silhouette among the snow flakes, and the ground of the backyard is now trying to achieve that oneness with lake and sky by turning white with snow. All this has happened in exactly 12 minutes. Life on Lake Michigan.

Yes, we live on Lake Michigan and see this play of color and light everyday. What a special opportunity.

This is my first entry into my new blog. First, I think I should explain the title of this blog. I was a primary care physician for 34 years of practice but retired a year ago. But unlike many other physicians, I always had multiple other non-medical interests. A doctor and close friend who shared my office always used to say I was a Renaissance Woman because of all my interests. This is the origin of the abbreviation REN. My real middle name is RAE. I don't know where my mother got that name exactly but I am stuck with it, so why not use it? And finally the RETIRED is obvious.

It should also be noted that I have always been a frustrated writer. I have volumes of scribblings and reflections from times throughout my life. But as a wife, mother, homemaker, fulltime practicing doctor and many more labels, I never had time to do the work of writing--that is edit, polish and turn all those scribblings into something that others could use or enjoy. That last was just too much like work and required too much energy at the end of very busy days to enable me to add the writer label to my list. Now I have some time and want to write some things and polish them on this blog for others to hopefully enjoy.

My view for this blog over time is for it to represent all my many interests through writings and photos. I hope that others will add their comments and add to this knowledge and to my own reflections. I hope these meanderings will reflect a lifestyle of mindfulness and beauty, writings of literary value, and bites of practical knowledge to move us all forward during our sojourn on this earth.

Weighty words and lofty goals, I know, but here we go!