So, How’d Your Doctor Appointment Go?

The girls and I were out for our regular lunch date.  This time we were at a Mongolian grill.  We like to change it up every so often and try something new, but after a while we’ll go back to one of the tried and true places.  We’re all in our early 60’s; a couple of us still working, the others are retired, but everyone is busy with family and church and volunteering and life.  We consider ourselves pretty hip.

Which is probably where the problem comes in.  Never consider yourself anything you know you are not.  You will be found out.  Or you may just rat yourself out.

We’d placed our orders and were digging in. We’d been together for half an hour or so when it hit me.  Our conversation had not veered from the subject of medical insurance, aches and pains, doctor visits and remedies for ailments. ” For crying out loud, we are the old people with nothing to talk about but our failing bodies,” I said.  Everyone laughed.

Then we went back to talking about our failing bodies.

I Think I Need To Wax My Floor

My father has been gone since 1998.  Over the years since he passed away I’ve thought about writing a book about his life. To share with my kids and grandkids and maybe generations after them.

Dad was born during the Roaring Twenties, grew up during the Depression, and at the invitation of Uncle Sam he became part of the Greatest Generation. He was married to my mom, his one and only wife, for 53 years when he passed away. He worked for the same company for over 30 years, at a job he loved. He had lots of interests and hobbies and he raised three pretty great kids.  He was a great man.

So, I think about his life and what a great thing it would be to write about it.  But I don’t get started.  Then last spring, on a whim, I mentioned my idea to my nephew who is a graphic artist and I asked if he would be interested in doing graphics for it.  He said yes.

And he’s not waiting around for me to finally get busy. He keeps prodding me.  And I keep finding excuses and getting distracted by shiny things. Then I beat myself up.  If I like writing, and I have a book I want to write, why don’t I write?

It all became clear when I read an article about Gloria Steinem. Steinem was talking about writing her autobiography and she said that even though she’s been a writer all of her life, the process was still hard. “If you’re a writer and you really care about writing, you put it off…You wax the floor.”

Funny!   I don’t even wax my floors but I have this sudden urge to start doing so.

Preparing for Mom’s 90th Birthday

My mom will be 90 this May. “I don’t want a big party,” she warned me the other day.  “Just family.”  “How about a medium-size party?” I countered.  And I got a hesitant okay.

Which is good because plans are already underway to gather my two siblings and our five children and our spouses, along with our seven grandchildren, from across the country, along with folks who are practically family and perhaps some cousins and neighbors and friends from church, for a “medium sized” birthday bash.

We need a theme and decorations and food and a cake.  But the guest list is the issue.  We have to get the guest list determined so we can find a location and then we can figure out the rest.  But what is a “medium size” party?  Ten people?  Twenty?  Fifty?  100?

How do you determine “medium size?” I think it’s all relative.  And mom only wants relatives so that takes care of the size of the guest list.

Glad I got that figured out.

 

.

 

It’s Quiet on the Farm

 

We moved to the country a decade plus 3 years ago at which time it seemed appropriate to collect some farm animals.  We had one dog when we came here but one dog hardly a farm makes.

So we added another dog, a horse, a couple of cats, then another cat and another cat, and some chickens. and some more chickens, and some ducks.

Some of the chickens died, the ducks died, only two of the cats stayed around very long. The horse left home to go to college (with our daughter, the owner of the horse), the dogs lived good lives, then were laid to rest, and the last of the chickens passed on.

So here we are. Empty nesters with  our kids grown and gone and married and now our animals are all gone too. It is transition time. Quiet. Sometimes lonely.  But it is also easier to pick up and go.  Go to Reno to visit our son and his family; go to Oregon to visit our daughter and her family;  just go somewhere and be gone all day and not have to worry about critters on the farm that need to be let out, fed, looked after.

I’ve taken to feeding the hummingbirds, year ’round, and I have some mason bee houses. For now, they are my “pets”.  Easy to take care of, easy to take off and go places.  But not much for taking on a walk or cuddling.

It’s a quiet, transition time on the farm.

 

 

Can I Hear You Now?

Out here in the hinterlands, services can be spotty.  We had to change phone carriers when we moved here because our previous carrier’s coverage ended a mile from our house.  A major internet service’s coverage ends at our neighbor’s (a quarter mile away) so we have a jetpack for the internet. We can get a couple of the major TV networks but only if we don’t mind a grainy picture. Even radio is limited.  My car radio picks up the NPR station I like to listen to but once I enter my house I am limited, again, to a couple of major networks.

I did some looking online for radios and talked with some people.  It appeared I’d be spending some money for a good radio that would pick up NPR in my house.  Then Hubby and I happened past a Goodwill Outlet Store. Have you been to a Goodwill Outlet Store?  It is an amazing mess!  Everything dumped in huge bins.  No sorting, no order.  Piles of clothes.  Piles of broken toys and empty boxes.

But if you have time you just might find a treasure.  And I did.  I found a bright yellow Sony boom box.  Complete with batteries. And cassette player.  Not the latest style. But I’ve never been too limited by having to be in style. I’m too utilitarian.  And this boom box is utilitarian. It picks up NPR inside my house.  And for just $1.99.  (I found one on EBay for $33.99)

Yup NPR, I can hear you now!