A to Z: U?

U is a problem letter for fencing and swordplay. However, it does remind me of a particular character, known for his tough swordsmanship, in legends and in the TV series, Merlin.

Uther Pendragon

Uther is not the most likeable character on the show, but he is trying to do his best for his son and his country, although he makes plenty of foolish mistakes along the way. He's a veteran of war, a tough bird, and he still thinks he has what it takes to take down any opponent with a blade. 

So here's a short clip of his battle with Sir Tristan (his dead brother-in-law back for vengeance):





Oh, and BTW, I thought I would never watch this show because I'm a little tired of all the Camelot/Arthur remakes, but then . . .well, I watched one episode, and then another, and then I became hooked. Merlin is probably my favorite re-telling of this old legend.
And I liked how Uther was portrayed.

So, a writing lesson from Uther?
Keep fighting, even when the odds are against you. Or keep writing, even when the odds seem stacked up against you.


Happy A to Z!

In the Dad-carpal tunnel surgery/recovery news - no one, not my mom, not my dad, not me, thought about how my dad would be getting his prosthetic leg on and off after surgery. He needs both hands for it, since it has to go on evenly. My mom's day surgery left her unable to bend over for 2 weeks (she definitely doesn't want me to share details but it was fairly minor except for the not bending over, not lifting things part afterwards), so guess who gets to wrestle my dad's prosthetic leg on and off? Me.
This is the reason that my parents built their house on the lot next to ours, for occasional care by me. (I'm an only child, so this comes with the territory, and I generally don't mind.)
The worst part of my dad's care so far has been forcing him to keep his arm elevated and getting him to take his pain pills . . . I had a very busy afternoon with kids' activities and a service project with the youth group serving dinner at a community center. I thought my mom could handle the water, pain pills, and elevation aspect of my dad's care for the afternoon/evening. Umm, no.
They both fell asleep, and my dad didn't take his pain pills, drink water, or keep his arm elevated. By 7 when I checked on them, he was just waking up, super-grumpy. My dad is not a grumpy kind of guy, so I decided to see the humor in this and took a pillow, put his arm up - even though he didn't want to - and then watched him take this pain pill, drink a glass of water, and start eating dinner. He was mad at me for making him do all that, but I remember the pain of my own arm surgeries and how much I didn't want to elevate my arm, or drink water, or eat, and I'm thankful for my parents and my roommates making me do that (or at least I was, after the fact.)
Today is a new day . . .pray for me in the arm elevation battle . . . it makes a difference in the healing process and pain management.