Joanne Corey at the Austin organ console in John M. Greene Hall, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, 1981 (Photo credit: Mary Wallace Strizek)
A triple dip! Today’s One-Liner Wednesday/Just Jot It January pingback with a special tie-in to Sunday’s JusJoJan prompt “organ.”
Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/01/21/one-liner-wednesday-jusjojan26-the-21st-truer-words/
Today, I was reading the newsletter from Ellen Morris Prewitt, an author whom I met through her blog. Ellen’s newest book, When We Were Murderous Time-Traveling Women, will be published on April 1, 2026, so, if you follow her blog, you will get all the breaking news on that, such as when pre-orders will be starting.
I thought for today’s jot, I would re-purpose a comment that I wrote on Ellen’s Jan. 19th post about bombings and other hate crimes:
“Young men seem to be especially vulnerable to being radicalized against those of a different race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, etc. It’s horrifying, but also, as you say, Ellen, has its roots in our society. Unfortunately, in our time, white Christian nationalism has become more overt which, I think, makes hate and violence seem somehow acceptable to some. I think, though, that, for the majority, it is bringing home the reality of where hate leads and inspiring them to speak out, demonstrate, pray, or whatever mode they choose to oppose it.”
I hope you will visit Ellen’s blog and follow along. She is a fascinating writer with a compelling family and personal history to share.
*****
Join us for Linda’s Just Jot It January! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/01/20/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-20th-2026/
This weekend, I did a lot of board/committee work for the Madrigal Choir of Binghamton, plus a rehearsal for spring outside gigs with our small group.
I had PT this morning and did a couple of errands but now I am lying down and expect to be in bed all afternoon.
With hEDS, these things can happen. You can sometimes tough your way through a couple of days or events but you wind up paying for it later.
It’s a balancing act.
This jot is brought to you as part of Linda’s Just Jot It January. Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/01/19/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-19th-2026/
Vote for Democracy #53
(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)
Dear Members of Congress,
You have powers under Article I of our Constitution that you need to assert immediately.
You should go into emergency session and pass legislation that rescinds Donald Trump’s ridiculous tariffs against our European allies who oppose his wildly illegal attempts to annex Greenland. While you’re at it, rescind the rest of the tariffs Trump has imposed that infringe on trade treaties, which is the vast majority of them. These are adding to inflation for consumers and have caused uncertainty – and even closure – of US businesses, especially small businesses.
You must also make clear that only Congress can declare war. Trump, though he is commander-in-chief, has no authority to attack another sovereign country, especially our allies. He cannot attack Greenland. Period. Congress as a body should also remind the military that they are bound to follow the Constitution and must not follow illegal orders.
Speaking of illegal orders, they must also make clear that the US military is not authorized for deployment domestically. The Posse Comitatus Act forbids using the military as law enforcement within the country. Yes, there is the possibility to call in troops in the event of insurrection, but there is nowhere in the US that people are threatening to overthrow the government. (Oh, and when there was an insurrection when Trump was president on January 6, 2021, he failed to uphold the Constitution and put down the insurrection; he actually encouraged it and now denies it happened.)
You must also make clear that Congress controls spending and the president and the executive branch only execute the laws that Congress passes. You must make clear that you will not authorize funds to buy Greenland or any other sovereign territory. While you’re at it, you should stop the stealing of Venezulean oil with proceeds going to offshore accounts.
It’s time for Congress to do its job as defined by Article I of our Constitution and centuries’ worth of laws that you have passed.
Sincerely,
Joanne Corey
*****
This post is part of Linda’s Just Jot It January. Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/01/18/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-18th-2026/
While I would usually be posting on the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt today, I’m opting instead for doing an edited Just Jot It January post.
Okay, this is going to be more than a “jot” but will be something that I feel compelled to give an update to the usual crowd of SoCS participants.
Since March, 2024, I’ve been having a growing array of odd symptoms – I won’t bore you with the whole list – that have been interfering with my ability to function. The brain fog and fatigue have been especially problematic.
I’ve posted variously about these symptoms and their impact on my life. Along the way, I’ve been diagnosed with a number of conditions that affect a certain body part or system but have always felt that these different symptoms were related.
This week, I finally have an answer. I’ve been diagnosed with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS). hEDS is an inherited connective tissue disorder. Because we have connective tissues throughout our bodies, it impacts many different parts and systems of the body. Each individual with hEDS has their own unique combination of symptoms which may change over time. While hEDS follows an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern, the specific genes underlying it have not yet been identified. Because there is currently no test that detects hEDS, it tends to be missed, especially because there is no medical specialty dedicated to connective tissues.
Just in case you were wondering how a 65-year-old gets an initial diagnois of a genetic disorder. My (embarrassingly large) number of medical practitioners have spent the last almost two years ruling out various diagnoses or diagnosing component parties of hEDS without putting all the pieces together. I’ve learned from patient advocacy groups that there are other people who were not diagnosed until their fifties, sixties, or even older.
I actually was pretty sure I had either hEDS or the related condition, hypermobility spectrum disorder (HSD), 19 months ago. A close family member was facing an unusual medical condition that required surgery and her doctor realized that her connective tissues were not responding in a typical way. She suggested that there might be a connective tissue disorder present and advised seeing a geneticist physician. In assembling a full family history and researching hEDS/HSD with my family member, I felt that my body made sense for the first time.
I was excited and told my primary care doctor, but she felt we had to rule out every other possible cause of my symptoms first. Even when my family member was diagnosed with hEDS last June and the genetic connection was clear, my medical team was still not making the diagnosis.
That changed when I was finally able to see a nurse-practitioner who specializes in integrative/supportive medicine. With my records, family history, symptoms, and physical exam, she was able to diagnose me with hEDS and, importantly, to order additional tests to help pinpoint the cause of my current symptoms. She also knows where to send me for treatment, which will be especially important if I need to have surgery.
hEDS affects more women than men, so, no surprise, the symptoms tend to be written off as stress- or hormone-induced. I particularly remember having to explain to a doctor that I could tell the difference between brain fog and writer’s block. I also faced skepticism that I could be this old without any medical professionals realizing I have a genetic disorder, but, as others have pointed out, that should be a reflection on them, not me. Education about inherited connective tissue disorders has been lacking in medical education but I am hopeful that new research will break through and raise awareness so that it’s easier for people with hEDS/HSD to be diagnosed and treated appropriately much earlier in their lives.
I am trying to do my part by sharing my story and accurate information. As my treatment plan develops, I’ll post about it.
I must say, though, that the people who have been most helpful to me have been my physical therapists. Although my lead therapist realized that I have a connective tissue disorder and has been helping me to strengthen muscles and improve my posture, along with heat, massage, and stretching, she isn’t allowed to make medical diagnoses. She is also happy that I finally have an official hEDS diagnosis. The hope is that the additional tests I will now have will give us more data on how best to address my symptoms.
Obviously, a genetic disorder like this can’t be cured, but we should be able to improve at least some of my symptoms. For now, it feels good to have validation that there are reasons why my body reacts as it does. No more doctors implying that it’s all in my head or that I just need to reduce stress. Maybe some of them will even be moved to learn more about inherited connective tissue disorders.
They may even find that there are a lot more of us than they realized…
*****
For more information on joining in with Stream of Consciousness Saturday and/or Just Jot It January, please visit Linda’s blog here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/01/16/the-friday-reminder-for-socs-jusjojan-2026-daily-prompt-for-jan-17th/
I’m so tired today.
It’s been a week with a lot of medical stuff going on. I have some news that I hope to share but it will be complicated and I don’t have the energy to do it today.
Maybe tomorrow.
Or over the weekend.
Or next week.
Hoping it will make it into Just Jot It January, at least…
Join us for Linda’s Just Jot It January! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/01/15/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-15th-2026/
Back when I was first blogging here at WordPress, they would prepare a year-end summary. As someone who is (in)famously sloppy at checking stats, I appreciated this snapshot of the year.
Unfortunately, without the handy-dandy report, my own post will be more haphazard and less prettily formatted, but I’ll give it a try.
I put out 135 posts in 2025, fewer than average for me, but more than I thought I had, given that my health situation was limiting my brainpower and energy. The average word count was 248, which is lower than usual, too.
My WordPress stats page lists 1,797 subscribers but my total on my site is 2,180, which includes people who follow me on other platforms, such as my Facebook page. Over 1,100 subscribers receive my posts via email, although 80-90% are not opened. Still, I often forget that what shows up as views for each post is only people who visit my site directly, not those who read posts by email. I often am surprised when in-person friends know a bit of news before I see them because I forget that I mentioned it in a post!
One thing that really surprised me was the “Number of Shares” box on my status page. It says that there have been 36,000 shares on Bluesky, which does not seem even vaguely possible! Maybe some bot got ahold of some posts and spread them around?
I am, as always, grateful for all my readers, visitors, and commenters. I’m also mindful of the privilege of being able to continue blogging, however imperfectly, given my health challenges. There has been some news on that front that I may be able to share later this week or next.
It will probably be more than jot…
Speaking of which, please join us for Linda’s Just Jot It January! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/01/13/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-13th-2026/
Well, now that we are a third of the way through January, I’m finally getting around to thanking Linda for, once again, offering Just Jot It January.
The basic framework is to start the new year off by posting every day in January. There are daily prompts to assist people, although I most often do my own thing.
One of the things that I particularly enjoy about Just Jot It January is its flexible design. You can join at any time with a post of any length or even just a captioned photo. All you need to do is put in a pingback to that day’s prompt post on Linda’s blog if you blog on WordPress or put the link to your post in the comment section if you blog on a different platform.
The idea is that other participating bloggers will see your link and have the opportunity to visit your blog. I’ve found many blogs to follow through Just Jot It January and it’s great to reinforce my sense of belonging to a blogging community as the new year begins.
While the goal is to participate every day in January, it is not a requirement to participate. Even if you only do one January post, you can join in the fun!
Just visit Linda’s blog to get started: https://lindaghill.com/2026/01/11/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-11th-2026/
Don’t get me started writing about the horrors of the Trump administration, especially in stream of consciousness, because it would go on for pages and pages and be incredibly painful to read.
Nobody needs that, especially because it wouldn’t be helpful in making changes that are needed to protect lives.
I’m sending prayers and well wishes to all those protesting and speaking out against the autocracy and evil that has befallen the US and afflicted so many here and across the world. While very few of us have any real power in the government, I believe our numbers will eventually prevail to get us back on a path that honors our Constitution and laws and our highest ideals for equality, compassion, and care for all people and our common home, the earth.
Stay strong but remember that, when you need to rest, others are there to carry on until you can rejoin the effort. Although I wish we could get to a better state of affairs quickly, this is going to be a marathon, not a sprint.
Onward!
*****
Linda’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday/Just Jot It January today is “don’t get me started.” If you would like to join in with either effort, you can find details here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/01/09/the-friday-reminder-for-socs-jusjojan-2026-daily-prompt-for-jan-10th/
[Note: I wish I were writing a post addressing the murder of Renée Good and the horrible actions of the Trump administration both in the United States and throughout the world but I don’t have enough brainpower to do so between the brain fog and jet lag, so something lighter today. I drafted this and had intended to post it for January 6th – itself a fraught date for those of us in the US – but our travel complications derailed my intent to do so.]
On January 6th, Catholics in the UK celebrate Epiphany, observing the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus. This ends the twelve days of Christmas, although the Christmas season continues liturgically through the celebration of Jesus’s baptism in the Jordan River by John.
Interestingly, in the United States, the observance of Epiphany is moved to Sunday rather than celebrated on January 6.
One of the most meaningful parts of our trip to London has been attending Mass with daughter E, son-in-law L, and granddaughters ABC and JG. I especially have enjoyed the Saturday vigil Masses because L has served as organist with E as songleader.
I’ve always loved listening to E sing. She was very musical from the time she was young and always sang in choirs at church and school. She majored in music in college and studied voice there. Because we live so far away from each other, I don’t get to hear her sing often, so it was a treat to hear her – and sing along – at Masses during our trip.
This post is part of Linda’s Just Jot It January. Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/01/09/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-9th-2026/
