October 2008 Archives

I can't believe I've missed blogging for so many days. Last week we sent ELegante Mother's caregiver home with what sounded like a horrible cold. I cared for Mother, put in hours in the office, and managed the house. Our care-giver returned on Monday sounding much better, but this morning she called, and she'd been in an accident, and needed the day off. It was no hardship, since we planned to be home. Luckily she wasn't hurt, and it sounds like it might have been just a fender bender.

One of my nieces came to give me a hand cleaning out closets. We brought up winter clothes for Elegante Mother, and my niece swapped the seasonal clothing, and reorganized Elegante Mother's closet. We need to shop for cold weather slacks, long sleeved T-shirts, and long underwear for EM.

We stripped my closet, moving everything out to a sheet-covered bed, the floor, the bathroom counter, and the top of the dresser. I created a pile of things to throw away, a pile of things to give away, and a pile of seasonal things to be taken to the basement. As we went through stacks of things, she made me throw out anything that I hadn't used in a year. She checked expiration dates on things from the pharmacy,and pitched anything that wasn't from 2008. When we returned things to the closet I was astonished by the amount of space, and how bright it was. We actually had three empty shelves. She had even cleaned the light bulbs! During the next week, I plan to go through the drawers in the vanity. Next visit, we will work on the linen closet and the mudroom pantry. I love the feeling of being organized AND CLEAN!

Thursday, Dear Husband, Elegante Mother and I are going to Indiana to visit with my sis and her family. Nan has a three-day weekend beginning on Halloween, and we want to visit with them through Sunday morning. My stepson is willing to cat sit with Edward Scissorhands, so that he won't be left alone.

Speaking of Edward....he's still with us. I thought we might loose him early this year to kidney disease, but he's still here. He does sleep more these days, and is going out less now that the weather has gotten cooler, but he's eager to be among us, and comes to cuddle with me in the early morning and evenings. He was quite the champion hunter this summer!

I think the herons and egrets have gone south for the year. I haven't seen either of them for about two weeks now. At an Empty Nester luncheon on Sunday, I learned that our goldfinches stick around for the winter, simply going to a duller color of plumage for the winter. All this time I thought they left for the south! We were also told that chickadees were harmed by the West Nile Virus. I knew the crows and blue jay population had suffered, but I thought only the larger birds were affected. We've seen a parent hawk showing a junior hawk how to sit on the lamp posts and survey the area for prey.

Sunday was Dear Husband's birthday. Elegante Mother and I went to church, and then attended the Empty Nester's luncheon. We went home, and I stole the opportunity to work on the lawn for a few hours, before the kids arrived. One of DH's sons, and his daughter and her family joined us for dinner. We ordered from Magianno's and there seemed to be something to satisfy everyone.

Wednesday is the birthday brunch for those at exercise who had birthdays in October. That includes me, so I'm glad they scheduled the breakfast on a day when we could attend. I hope to get Elegante Mother going early, so that we can make it to exercise first. After breakfast, we might do a little shopping if EM is up for it. Then, it's home to get ready for our trip.

I hope you are all well, and that you are enjoying the fall weather and what's left of the color. Even if the golds and reds are gone, I'll enjoy the sights on our trip to Indiana. I'm looking forward to a little time away. Take care, all!

...that someone clearly loved. When we moved to this area of the suburbs, we found a route off the beaten path to get out to more traveled roads. And toward the end of this route there was a wonderful, old-fashioned house with green shutters, and mature trees, and a family of ceramic deer in the center of the lawn.

The yard was always faultlessly maintained. The house looked as though it had been painted fairly recently, and the gutters and roof had been maintained. I suspect that the house had been in place for a number of years when a correctional facility was plunked down across from it. That didn't keep the owners from giving their home loving care. I suspect the facility wasn't a bad neighbor except for an abundance of lights at night.

Two, or perhaps three years ago, the house took on an abandoned look. We speculated on the situation. Perhaps one of the owners had passed away, or needed to move to assisted living, and the house was too much for the remaining owner to manage. Perhaps a woman had been living there for years with her children to help with the gardening, and now, she couldn't maintain the grounds.

For whatever reason, the house was put on the market, where it languished. The lawn wasn't mowed frequently enough, and no one trimmed around the feet of the family of deer. It became shabby, as those things lacking attention do. One of the tree trunks broke off and a huge portion of it crashed through the roof of an outbuilding.

This week as we passed by, the change was glaring. All but two of the old trees had been cut down and turned into a pile of mulch. The evergreens that had lined a sweeping driveway were gone. Landscaping around the house had been ripped out. The house looks naked, and unprotected. It looks as though it's waiting it's final sentence.

That's when I realized that the fire department is going to be allowed to burn it to the ground. It makes my heart ache to think of all the memories that house has held going up in smoke. I'm sure that the family has had to make the decision to raze the home because they can't afford the annual property taxes, and couldn't sell it.

I hate that our government forces people into decisions like this because of the property tax laws. I haven't worked my way through a solution to this situation, but it's one more reason we need to alter how we finance our schools. The current plan is inequitable both to homeowners AND students! It won't be long before the middle class can't afford to support our government, as it is. It's possible we have already reached that point. Certainly, the owners of this house have said, "I give!"

I know that we'll be passing that lot in our travels in the coming weeks, and despite knowing what's likely to happen, I won't be prepared to see the hole in the ground where the house once sat. It was a good house, and I'll remember it.

I had a WONDERFUL BIRTHDAY!!

I had birthday wishes come my way in every conceivable manner: in person, by snail mail, by e-mail, by phone, and by blogs! I was greeted and encouraged all day long, and it was really lovely

IT started with a short note from my youngest sister that ended with
"H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y!" I was almost ready to leave for exercise when the phone rang. It was Nan, and her 9th grade Romeo and Juliet class, and they sang "Happy Birthday" to me over the phone. I really wish I had been where I could have recorded it! *G*

At exercise, the class fussed over me because I'm one of two ladies who have been the babies of the class for years. The other woman stole my position as the youngest of the class when she joined a few years ago. Her sixtieth birthday comes in just a few days. One of the women gave me chocolate, and a card that played the Chicken Dance. (grins)

I didn't realize I had talked with the class about the Chicken Dance. I had never seen it until Dear Husband took me to an Oktoberfest a while ago, and the women all got up to dance this strange dance! I understand that it is frequently played at wedding receptions, but somehow I had missed it. I'd join in on the fun, but partway through the first refrain I start laughing, and then I loose it.

I worked a little in the office, and took the time to get cleaned up in mid-afternoon. One of my nieces has been visiting with Elegante Mother once a week so that DH and I can go out. I wanted to be ready to go early so that we wouldn't keep her too late on a work night.

I was dressing when DH came in and brought me a HUGE birthday card. I was a little disappointed that it wasn't one of his hand made cards, but I was glad that he had remembered my birthday. I opened the card, expecting a big, mushy card, and it's an over-sized version of THE CHICKEN DANCE!! (The card says I should celebrate "accordion-ly.") I can tell that my sixties will be memorable! *G*

We went to dinner at the Front Street Cantina. DH offered to take me to one of the ritzy steak houses in the area, and God knows there are enough to choose from, but that sounded too heavy to me. I vetoed our usual trip to Pappadeaux, asking if we could do brunch when the boating season is over. Instead, we had an inexpensive meal that we both enjoyed, and a relaxed evening. I treated DH to an ice cream cone on the way home, to end my celebration.

I visit the Star Tribune Crossword Corner blog each day, after I've done the Chicago Tribune crossword on-line. The people who post there have become friends, and they were very positive about the pluses of turning 60. It was nice to be among so many people who believe that aging only means "getting better."

I had a great day. I don't need major celebrations to have fun. Visiting with friends and family is enough, and you all came through to make my day memorable!

THANKS!

I don't usually blurt out things like this. I actually try to maintain SOME modesty, now and then. But A Momentous Occasion is rushing toward me, and I find I need to comment on it.

On Wednesday, I will turn sixty years old. There.....I said it. I'm not upset by this; it's more a case of wondering just what "sixty" is. Despite the aches and pains, and working a little slower than I used to, my brain still thinks I'm in my thirties

I don't sleep quite as well as I used to, well, at night at any rate. I carry more weight than I should, and I creak and ache a bit more than I did when I was thirty, but my brain seems to think there haven't been any changes. Until this summer, I used to find myself out on my hands and knees gardening for hours at a time. Or, I'd work all day long, and then spend the evenings looking for more things to do, like laundry or dishes, or quilting. It would be safe to say that I don't work at full tilt for 16 hours a day any longer.

I've made a few changes. I wear more comfortable clothes and I buy UGLY SHOES. Of course, I buy those ugly shoes because I want shoes that are comfortable. I've given up heels completely, and I look for great arch support. Foot care has become really important.

I have begun eating oatmeal each morning. I add cinnamon and a little brown sugar, but at 5:30 in the morning I need a little incentive to have breakfast. I realize that the cinnamon I have in the house may not be the variety which has the health benefits, so I plan to do a little research to find the proper product, and then I will be doing TWO good things at one time.

I have gotten to the point where I can get up between 5:00 and 5:30 without being rousted out of bed. I like early morning when the house is quiet, and I can get the day started without having to talk to anyone other than Dear Husband, who is a fairly quiet person all day long.

I need to work on being in bed at 9:00, learning how to tape programs that air at 8:30 or in the evening, and reorganizing my going to bed ritual so that it's all accomplished before lights out has passed. Moisturizing has become a MUCH more important part of my life, and I'm not very good about it. (Thank you, Nan, for the lovely incentive! *S*)

Probably the biggest change over the past decade is my focus on family. They may not be aware that anything has changed, but I'm trying to find ways to let my family know that I think about them and love them. I'm aware the passing of time, and with each day, those days I have left to spend with family become more precious.

So...what's sixty? Darned if I know, but I plan to jump in with both feet, and meet it running! *S*

What's the equivalent of a couch potato for a gardener?? Whatever it is, I've been one this year. I usually come to a screeching halt in mid or late July, and then resume my chores in mid-September when it's cooler, but this year I have relied on others to do what little gardening got done.

I'd be the first to recognize that I have other responsibilities, but I'm not even dead-heading along the sidewalk. I was looking out the kitchen window at my herb garden, ruing that it's so overgrown. I think I may start putting it to bed a bit early this year. It would be lovely to spend an hour in the gardens each day. I can time it so that the care giver is with Mother, and then just go and cut back a little bit of the garden at a time.

Earlier this year I was working on the oregano, which wants to take over the entire garden. I shear it back to very low mounds as it begins to grow in the spring, and trim it back at least once, if not twice more during the summer. I was trying to figure out why one bunch of oregano was sitting so much higher than the others, when I realized that the bunnies had burrowed in under it and made themselves at home. Drat! That explains why the bunnies are so quick to chew every little start that comes up. They're sitting right there waiting for it to grow up through the dirt!

At any rate, I miss the gardens. I think I'll have to work them back into my schedule