Wednesday, May 30, 2018
Remains of Hurricane Alberto
Over the last few days, we had had about 1.34" of rain (in my gauge). Then last night, we had a couple of lines of strong thunderstorms roar through - lots of lightning and thunder. When I could check the gauge this morning, we had gotten nearly another 2", so over 3.5" total for this event so far. And it's still cloudy all day today. Well, at least my plants are very happy.
Sunday, May 27, 2018
Sunday Stealing
1 - Do you ever wish you were someone else? No
2 - How old are you? 82
3 - Age you get mistaken for: Probably about that.
4 - Your zodiac/horoscope and if you think it fits your personality: Pisces, but I have no idea what that means.
5 - What did you do on your last birthday? My swimming buddies took me to coffee after our class at the Y.
6 - What is one thing you would like to accomplish before your next birthday? Survive.
7 - What is your hair color? Gray/white.
8 - Have you ever dyed your hair? Yes, many years ago.
9 - What is your eye color? Brown.
10 - If you could change your eye color, would you? I can't imagine why I would want to.
11 - Do you wear contacts/glasses? Glasses, plus lens implants after cataract surgery.
12 - Your opinion about your body and how comfortable you are with it: I'd like to weigh less, but I'm comfortable with what I've got.
13 - Have you ever considered plastic surgery? What would you alter about your body? I've never considered plastic surgery. I'd alter having arthritis.
14 - Do you have any tattoos? Only the little dots from radiation therapy.
15 - Do you have any piercings? One in each ear lobe.
16 - Left or right handed? Very right handed.
17 - Do you drink? Only water and coffee.
18 - Do you smoke? Not any more.
19 - Do you have any pets? Just the birds at the feeders and the squirrels I wish I could get rid of.
20 - Do you have any “rules” about food? I'm on the "see food diet" - if I see food, I eat it.
2 - How old are you? 82
3 - Age you get mistaken for: Probably about that.
4 - Your zodiac/horoscope and if you think it fits your personality: Pisces, but I have no idea what that means.
5 - What did you do on your last birthday? My swimming buddies took me to coffee after our class at the Y.
6 - What is one thing you would like to accomplish before your next birthday? Survive.
7 - What is your hair color? Gray/white.
8 - Have you ever dyed your hair? Yes, many years ago.
9 - What is your eye color? Brown.
10 - If you could change your eye color, would you? I can't imagine why I would want to.
11 - Do you wear contacts/glasses? Glasses, plus lens implants after cataract surgery.
12 - Your opinion about your body and how comfortable you are with it: I'd like to weigh less, but I'm comfortable with what I've got.
13 - Have you ever considered plastic surgery? What would you alter about your body? I've never considered plastic surgery. I'd alter having arthritis.
14 - Do you have any tattoos? Only the little dots from radiation therapy.
15 - Do you have any piercings? One in each ear lobe.
16 - Left or right handed? Very right handed.
17 - Do you drink? Only water and coffee.
18 - Do you smoke? Not any more.
19 - Do you have any pets? Just the birds at the feeders and the squirrels I wish I could get rid of.
20 - Do you have any “rules” about food? I'm on the "see food diet" - if I see food, I eat it.
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
"Life is too short to drink bad wine and warm beer."
Many of us are between
65 and death, i.e. old. My friend sent me
this excellent list for aging . . . and I
have to agree it's good advice to follow. I've highlighted a few.
1. It’s time to use
the money you saved up. Use it and enjoy it.
Don’t just keep it for those who may have no
notion of the sacrifices you made to get it.
Remember there is nothing more dangerous
than a son or daughter-in-law with big ideas
for your hard-earned capital. Warning: This
is also a bad time for investments, even if
it seems wonderful or fool-proof. They only
bring problems and worries. This is a time
for you to enjoy some peace and quiet.
2. Stop worrying about
the financial situation of your children and
grandchildren, and don’t feel bad spending
your money on yourself. You’ve taken care of
them for many years, and you’ve taught them
what you could. You gave them an education,
food, shelter and support. The
responsibility is now theirs to earn their
own money.
3. Keep a healthy
life, without great physical effort. Do
moderate exercise (like walking every day),
eat well and get your sleep. It’s easy to
become sick, and it gets harder to remain
healthy. That is why you need to keep
yourself in good shape and be aware of your
medical and physical needs. Keep in touch
with your doctor, do tests even when you’re
feeling well. Stay informed.
4. Always buy the
best, most beautiful items for your
significant other. The key goal is to enjoy
your money with your partner. One day one of
you will miss the other, and the money will
not provide any comfort then, enjoy it
together
5. Don’t stress over
the little things. Like paying a little
extra on price quotes. You’ve already
overcome so much in your life. You have good
memories and bad ones, but the important
thing is the present. Don’t let the past
drag you down and don’t let the future
frighten you. Feel good in the now. Small
issues will soon be forgotten.
6. Regardless of age,
always keep love alive. Love your partner,
love life, love your family, love your
neighbor and remember: “A (wo)man is not old as
long as (s)he has intelligence and affection.”
7. Be proud, both
inside and out. Don’t stop going to your
hair salon or barber, do your nails, go to
the dermatologist and the dentist, keep your
perfumes and creams well stocked. When you
are well-maintained on the outside, it seeps
in, making you feel proud and strong.
8. Don’t lose sight of
fashion trends for your age, but keep your
own sense of style. There’s nothing worse
than an older person trying to wear the
current fashion among youngsters. You’ve
developed your own sense of what looks good
on you – keep it and be proud of it. It’s
part of who you are.
9. ALWAYS stay
up-to-date. Read newspapers, watch the news.
Go online and read what people are saying.
Make sure you have an active email account
and try to use some of those social
networks. You’ll be surprised what old
friends you’ll meet. Keeping in touch with
what is going on and with the people you
know is important at any age.
10. Respect the
younger generation and their opinions. They
may not have the same ideals as you, but
they are the future, and will take the world
in their direction. Give advice, not
criticism, and try to remind them that
yesterday’s wisdom still applies today.
11. Never use the
phrase: “In my time.” Your time is now. As
long as you’re alive, you are part of this
time. You may have been younger, but you are
still you now, having fun enjoying your
life.
12. Some people
embrace their golden years, while others
become bitter and surly. Life is too short
to waste your days on the latter. Spend your
time with positive, cheerful people, it’ll
rub off on you and your days will seem that
much better. Spending your time with bitter
people will make you older and harder to be
around.
13. Do not surrender
to the temptation of living with your
children or grandchildren (if you have a
financial choice, that is). Sure, being
surrounded by family sounds great, but we
all need our privacy. They need theirs and
you need yours. If you’ve lost your partner
(our deepest condolences), then find a
person to move in with you and help out.
Even then, do so only if you feel you really
need the help or do not want to live alone.
14. Don’t abandon your
hobbies. If you don’t have any, make new
ones. You can travel, hike, cook, read,
dance. You can adopt a cat or a dog, grow a
garden, play cards, checkers, chess,
dominoes, golf. You can paint, volunteer or
just collect certain items. Find something
you like and spend some real time having fun
with it.
15. Even if you don’t
feel like it, try to accept invitations.
Baptisms, graduations, birthdays, weddings,
conferences. Try to go. Get out of the
house, meet people you haven’t seen in a
while, experience something new (or
something old). But don’t get upset when
you’re not invited. Some events are limited
by resources, and not everyone can be
hosted. The important thing is to leave the
house from time to time. Go to museums, go
walk through a field. Get out there.
16. Be a
conversationalist. Talk less and listen
more. Some people go on and on about the
past, not caring if their listeners are
really interested. That’s a great way of
reducing their desire to speak with you.
Listen first and answer questions, but don’t
go off into long stories unless asked to.
Speak in courteous tones and try not to
complain or criticize too much unless you
really need to. Try to accept situations as
they are. Everyone is going through the same
things, and people have a low tolerance for
hearing complaints. Always find some good
things to say as well.
17. Pain and
discomfort go hand in hand with getting
older. Try not to dwell on them but accept
them as a part of the cycle of life we’re
all going through. Try to minimize them in
your mind. They are not who you are, they
are something that life added to you. If
they become your entire focus, you lose
sight of the person you used to be.
18. If you’ve been
offended by someone – forgive them. If
you’ve offended someone - apologize. Don’t
drag around resentment with you. It only
serves to make you sad and bitter. It
doesn’t matter who was right. Someone once
said: “Holding a grudge is like taking
poison and expecting the other person to
die.” Don’t take that poison. Forgive,
forget and move on with your life.
19. If you have a
strong belief, savor it. But don’t waste
your time trying to convince others. They
will make their own choices no matter what
you tell them, and it will only bring you
frustration. Live your faith and set an
example. Live true to your beliefs and let
that memory sway them.
20. Laugh. Laugh A
LOT. Laugh at everything. Remember, you are
one of the lucky ones. You managed to have a
life, a long one. Many never get to this
age, never get to experience a full life.
But you did. So what’s not to laugh about?
Find the humor in your situation.
21. Take no notice of
what others say about you and even less
notice of what they might be thinking.
They’ll do it anyway, and you should have
pride in yourself and what you’ve achieved.
Let them talk and don’t worry. They have no
idea about your history, your memories and
the life you’ve lived so far. There’s still
much to be written, so get busy writing and
don’t waste time thinking about what others
might think. Now is the time to be at rest,
at peace and as happy as you can be!
REMEMBER: “Life is too
short to drink bad wine and warm beer.”
Monday, May 21, 2018
Monday Miscellany
We got some thunder and a couple of brief showers over the weekend, but no really good rain. Maybe this weekend.
After skipping Friday, I went to swimming this morning. We still have no teacher and are beginning to wonder if they're hoping we'll quit coming so they don't have to worry about that any more. No chance of that - at least not yet.
I am so enjoying watching the bluebirds. They are very territorial about the feeder - running off cardinals and dive-bombing the squirrel. The larger mockingbirds have discovered the feeder, though, and I have to deal with that one.
I got to see one of the newly fledged babies fluttering around the feeder. He was fly-jumping from perch to perch, not getting too far from somewhere he could rest. Funny!
We came in next-to-last at duplicate tonight.
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Mother's Day Weekend
Margaret came over Thursday night, and we left early Friday morning. We had lunch in Aiken, SC (near Augusta, GA), with an old friend we knew in Hendersonville. We got to Sarah & Carson's house in Bluffton, SC, in time for supper. They have a nice new house in one of those new developments with cul-de-sacs and about 30+ houses. They seem to be settling in well. We watched a lot of golf - rather it was always on the TV while we were talking. Carson is caddy manager at a huge (23,000! acres), very posh, golf resort. Damned if I can pull up the name right now. Lots of big houses, 2 very discrete, high-dollar shopping areas, stables, a shooting club, very manicured. Both seem to be very happy with their jobs. Sue came so she could spend some Mother's Day with her kids. They took us to Savannah to see the wedding venue - it's in an old building, repurposed as an event center, in the historic part of town. We have two VBROs for family members who come - don't know how many to expect at this point. And we went out for a fabulous Italian dinner at a little place in a strip mall.
We drove to Charleston Sunday morning, to visit with Paul & Katherine. Their hew house is quite a contrast - actually the neighborhood is. The house is newly built, two stories over an empty space (louver-covered). It's wedged into an area of pretty run-down houses. And it's almost right under an interstate. The area is really in a soon-to-explode development area, so they should be sitting pretty when it does. In any case, they love it, it's a gorgeous house, and they're happy with their jobs and in their new house. They took us on a driving tour of Charleston, and to eat at a little shack-y eatery on Shem Creek for shrimp/scallops/oysters. Yum!
We drove home on Monday (stopped to eat with Matt in Atlanta in both directions) and got here in time for Margaret to get out of town before the afternoon traffic. Then I took TWO naps on Tuesday. But I'm always ready to go.
Up next? I hope to get to see Kate and Jean in the next week or so.
We drove to Charleston Sunday morning, to visit with Paul & Katherine. Their hew house is quite a contrast - actually the neighborhood is. The house is newly built, two stories over an empty space (louver-covered). It's wedged into an area of pretty run-down houses. And it's almost right under an interstate. The area is really in a soon-to-explode development area, so they should be sitting pretty when it does. In any case, they love it, it's a gorgeous house, and they're happy with their jobs and in their new house. They took us on a driving tour of Charleston, and to eat at a little shack-y eatery on Shem Creek for shrimp/scallops/oysters. Yum!
We drove home on Monday (stopped to eat with Matt in Atlanta in both directions) and got here in time for Margaret to get out of town before the afternoon traffic. Then I took TWO naps on Tuesday. But I'm always ready to go.
Up next? I hope to get to see Kate and Jean in the next week or so.
Sunday, April 08, 2018
Super weekend
We had a fantastic weekend. First Margaret told me that Jesse had proposed to his girlfriend and she had said "Yes"! They haven't been dating a terribly long time, but she's a really nice gal, and we like her a lot. Wedding will probably be sometime next year - late spring/early summer.
I spent the night at Margaret's and we went to Nashville to meet up with John's great-nephew and his lady. I don't think I had seen him since he was 14, but we recognized each other immediately. It was such a treat to see him again and meet his lady - and get all caught up on their travels. They're doing a long-term odyssey around the US and Canada, staying for several weeks in various places, and looking for a place to settle. They both are entrepreneurs and work on the computer, so they can live anywhere. They fly from place to place, staying in AirB&Bs and using Uber for transport. Our group was Matt and Barbra, Margaret, Kate, Jean, and me - just a great meal and visiting session.
Then we went to Hendersonville (where we lived before moving here) and spent the evening, afternoon, and overnight with old and dear friends there - again, getting caught up on family doings and just generally talking the night away.
Margaret brought me home this afternoon and I'm just trying to get caught up now. My plan is to go to swimming in the morning.
I spent the night at Margaret's and we went to Nashville to meet up with John's great-nephew and his lady. I don't think I had seen him since he was 14, but we recognized each other immediately. It was such a treat to see him again and meet his lady - and get all caught up on their travels. They're doing a long-term odyssey around the US and Canada, staying for several weeks in various places, and looking for a place to settle. They both are entrepreneurs and work on the computer, so they can live anywhere. They fly from place to place, staying in AirB&Bs and using Uber for transport. Our group was Matt and Barbra, Margaret, Kate, Jean, and me - just a great meal and visiting session.
Then we went to Hendersonville (where we lived before moving here) and spent the evening, afternoon, and overnight with old and dear friends there - again, getting caught up on family doings and just generally talking the night away.
Margaret brought me home this afternoon and I'm just trying to get caught up now. My plan is to go to swimming in the morning.
Saturday, March 31, 2018
Sunday Stealing
1. What Are Three Things You Need To Buy? Eye drops, plants for the deck, coffee pods.
2. My Biggest Hope Is________. Survival until January 2021.
3. What Was The Last New Thing You Tried? Learning to walk without toes on one foot.
4. What Mood Were You In Today? Good, lazy (as usual).
5. What would be a better name for the color of goldenrod-colored paper? How about "yellow"?
6. Where did you get your silverware? The sterling flatware I had was my mother's; the stainless I still use was a wedding present.
7. What artifact from this past week would you have bronzed as a keepsake and heirloom? Not a thing.
8. What was the most recent ceremony you attended? Andy and Erica's wedding.
9. What east Asian cuisine is good for your Seoul? I haven't found an East Asian cuisine I didn't like.
10. What life lesson did you learn the hard way? To delegate.
11. What do you wish you spent more time doing five years ago? Talking to John.
12. What gets you excited about life? Living, moving, not hurting.
13. Have you done anything lately worth remembering? Just knitting.
14. What does your joy look like today? Lovely spring sunshine.
15. When you are 80-years-old, what will matter to you the most? Since I'm 82, I'll say surviving and still plugging along.
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