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 My blog was filled up. I'm too lazy to clean it out. So I started a new one. |
| I do volunteer work at a local clothing center. We take gently used clothing and shoes, hang them and put size labels only on men's pants. It's kind of dusty and the building is quite old. I always do the sweeping at the end of my shift. You wouldn't believe how the dust bunnies multiply. Each day there is a different group, and each one sweeps and takes out the trash. Good Will also takes rags now, so everything that isn't worth saving we put in the rag bag. Good Will sells them by the pound. We also give Good Will things we just can't give away, like woolen items that need dry cleaning, men's suits, evening dresses (except around prom time). Our customers are either homeless or recent offenders who get vouchers from social workers or probation officers. They get free stuff, coats and shoes included. Others just want bargains and can stuff a paper bag full for six dollars. If it's baby clothes, they can get enough for all the kids they know for that low price. Our paying customers are many nationalities and income levels. For them shoes are $2 including work boots, and coats range from $2-$5 depending on value. There are regulars, like a deaf guy who loves the Steelers. The volunteers love to present him with Steeler items just to see how excited he gets. And growing families; they may only come in every other month or so. Then there is the guy who owns a secondhand shop; he comes looking for jewelry and men's belts. We aren't so eager to serve someone who's going to make a profit. There is another secondhand shop that will send jewelry they haven't been able to move; they are cash only, but all profits are split for local charities. The Salvation Army is the only other place to give things away. At this time of year, we get the leftovers from the Methodist yard sale. A number of churches collect gloves and hats, but don't give them to us until Christmas, when the need isn't as great. We also collect brand new unused men's underwear, a frequently requested item. Unfortunately, when a family member dies, the family has to get rid of the clothing, so those items come still in dry cleaning bags, and sometimes are very out of date. The kind of people who come to us do not want long coats, ladies' suits, or styles from 20 years ago. Good Will gets them. They might be needed for theater or an older person who still has those tastes. (I know how that is. I still like costume jewelry and shoe styles from the 90's.) But, please, when making a donation, no baby throw up on clothes,no rips or gross stains. And, like Joan Crawford said in Mommie Dearest: No wire hangers! |
| Last year this time, I still had health worries. I wasn't sure I would be around this year. I didn't plant flowers in the fall, because I doubted that I would be here to enjoy them. I bought some red and yellow iris bulbs, but put them in a pot instead of the ground. That way my niece could take them to her house if I died, instead of just letting them go to the buyer of my house. That plan didn't work. I left the pot close to the wall of my house. The rain from the gutter overflow drowned them and made them rot. The red ones never bloomed at all. (The yellow ones were pretty.) This year, while still having no guarantees of tomorrow, I am physically much better. My surgery worked; I'm off all blood pressure meds. I am exercising and doing all but cutting grass: I don't have a lawn mower. But I have hand tools and have cut weeds, shrubs, etc. I'm planning some matching flowerpots which I haven't used in years with red zinnias for next year. My elephant ears are pretty much gone, I believe, because they don't get enough sun. So I have other plans for seeds in their place, some short flowers out away from the shade. I've discovered that thyme, while I don't harvest it and use it, makes a lovely plant against a white wall outside my garage door. I'll do that again. I'm still harvesting coneflower and marigold seeds to plant in the spring. I may put some in the ground next time. It's amazing how feeling better and having more energy affects your outlook. Plans still have to be made, no matter what the doctor says, as long as you will be able to carry them out. |
| I think cell phone companies have their own vocabulary. Unlimited /data to me means there are no limits. You can look up all you want, text all you want, etc. I understand storage of deleted messages and photos is a separate issue. Three months in a row, I have gotten notices that 90% of my data has been used up. Once I went over! How can you decipher 90% of "unlimited"? How can you use all of "unlimited"? Was there some fine print I missed about what "unlimited" means? I have stopped researching things on Safari. I don't send texts or answer the calls (mostly SPAM). Still I've used 90% or all of my data plan. Maybe it's time to change carriers. |
| I am fascinated by the flowers planted around our downtown area. It's about the only thing down there I like. The area is full of vagrants, beggars, and is dirty and noisy. But the flowers are outstanding. They use such striking colors and varieties. I have dwarf marigolds at home, but they are not the same variety as these big beds of yellow and orange short flowers. And they appear to be plants, where I grow from seeds. They are contrasted with a tall black looking leafy plant and purple spires. And more dwarf white daisies. I would love to see them put out the information for the public to identify the plants, even to take a tour and look at them. On the former Main Street, which is now a bricked in outdoor mall, there are huge round pots with gigantic plants surrounded by coleus. Again, they use some blackish or dark purple plants, which are very healthy looking. We no longer have a local newspaper, so there is a problem of where to print the info if one of the horticulturists was willing to share. It is a well-educated area with lots of writers, so there should be some affordable newspaper with such local tidbits. Meanwhile, I snitched a bloom while no one was looking. I recycle the seeds. Maybe if this variety works, I can plant some more marigolds in my yard. The Good Lord willing. |
| It's a concept begun in England but adapted by many American churches of different denominations. A couple walking around England earlier this year saw the sign and investigated. They have their own logo and rules about advertising. So now my church has begun Messy Church. It's a little longer than the usual one hour. We're only doing it once a month. It's not traditional by any means. Autistic and other challenged children and adults are welcome. It doesn't matter about crying, squirming, chattering, or loud talk. It involves toys, puzzles, talking in groups, singing, sign language, crafts, bean bag chairs as an option, etc. The point is to make everyone feel welcome including family members of noisy congregants. No need to be embarrassed or restrained. We've only just started, so we are on a learning curve. We may alter the routine every month. So far, we had Lego city on a big rug. We did a few simple songs with ASL. I was in a group doing mosaics with glue sticks, colored paper and scissors. All the mosaics were different. Everyone had a unique perspective. We hope in time to get the word out and have more people attend. Maybe it will appeal to people with ADD. We might paint, or dance, depending on how leaders feel led. Fruit and cheese are offered since we meet in late afternoon on a Sunday. It's a good place to take family members without worrying about disrupting others. I was pleased to see so many supporters show up, ready to help, or just smile and be friendly to visitors. |
| Years ago, I ran into a medical technician who claimed being our age was a good thing. We had lived through a lot of important history and were aware of it. Every now and then I think about that and list some events that have occurred during my time on earth. I can recall where I was when I learned John Kennedy had been assassinated and who told us. I was watching TV at work when the space capsule exploded. We all looked at each other, asking what was that? On 9-11 I was at work, but someone who had just come in told us the news from the radio. I remember the small talk at my first job was about men walking on the moon. That's the big dramatic stuff. We mourned the death of John Lennon, watched the news about a little place called Woodstock (if we didn't go), and and saw Marilyn Monroe sing Happy Birthday to the president. We saw the rise of personal computers (I used an IBM system 3 with the big hard disks). We watched cell phones go from mobile things the size of a large walkie talkie to flip phones that fit in our palms. Photographs went from Polaroids which could develop while you watchED (and fade in a Year) to cell phone photos that could surpass the quality of traditional cameras. CD's replaced VHS and floppy discs. We have now accepted that all computer devices, including laptops and I-pads are constantly evolving and won't last long or be supported by the makers or "the cloud". At the time, I couldn't afford an electronic organizer or blackberry, Just as well, they're already passe. Fashions have changed, even jewelry. Dance moves are new. Music is another evolving concept. During my lifetime, the first heart transplant took place in South Africa. Heart valves are now replaced. People are living longer. Dentistry has improved. Hip joints and knee joints can now be replaced. Cloning of plants and animals is possible. Crimes can be traced through DNA. Information, as well as misinformation, is available in seconds. On the flip side, insurance is more expensive, government waste is more rampant, and then there was COVID. The world as we knew it changed with that pandemic. Maybe Dickens had it right for all ages: "the best of times. . . the worst of times." Maybe it's always been this way; the human race just didn't have the media keeping them up to date. Yes, the world is changing. In some ways for the better, in some for the worse. Human nature remains the same. The earth stays on its course. We are blessed to have witnessed so much and to endure. |
| The rolling hills where I live offer some spectacular scenery. Coming from the east into town always gives a little thrill if I'm not too self-absorbed. In my college days, I would come home once a month or every three weeks or so. Usually, I came by bus. Whenever we hit that highway on this rather small mountain above the town, I felt that exhilaration. I thought it was just the idea of coming home, and the familiar sights were welcome. Now I have returned and taken up long term residence. I live on the lower side of that mountain near the river. (I grew up on the other side of the river in the city limits.) One of the hospitals and many of my doctors are on that mountain. I bank and shop there whenever possible. So I see that road frequently. Today, I came into town from the bank and once again I was smitten with the view. It may be the weather. The sky was a beautiful shade of blue with lots of fluffy white clouds. The ridge of blue evergreens lay far off to the west miles beyond the town. The new businesses and parking lots had not lessened the beauty for me. It still is a glorious sight that makes me feel good all over. Society with all its concrete, asphalt, glass, and brick cannot erase the aura of Mother Nature. The deer might ruin my plants in the yard and leave little deposits all over, but civilization does not cover up the beauty of the earth. It comes through no matter what we try to do to it. If we just open our eyes and look about, we can experience peace in our environment. Mankind and nature can abide with each other throughout the decades. |
| I attended a party for a 10-year-old yesterday before it poured rain. All the kids were on the trampoline when I got there. I was late, so I missed the usual birthday party routine. I got the scoop on what grades at school, which sports, and commented on how tall they were getting. We adults did our usual jokes and gossip. Then my baby brother, the only one I have left, and is a senior citizen, passed out whistles from the Dollar Store to every kid there. There were about 12. The mothers in the front yard came running around, thinking the kids were hurt and screaming. I told my brother our nieces, not to mention the neighbors, were going to hate him. Let's just say after a few minutes of that they were not pleased. Surprisingly, the father of 3 of the children, told me he had been without alcohol for 30 days. As far as I know he didn't have a drinking problem. He just wanted to be healthier. I asked if he felt different. The answer was yes. He started his days off wide awake, no morning fog. He claims it really pays off in the gym. He works out regularly, so he has noticed his pace and endurance has improved. He can do more reps when lifting. So that is a positive experiment for him. Too bad he waited for his 40's to discover this. It is good for now. It always feels good to be with family, even briefly, to catch up on the news and see with my own eyes that everyone is well. I'm set until the next birthday or holiday comes up. (Labor Day is not a family day now that my parents are gone.) I wish the middle generation would come get their stuff out of my house. I may take some Simpson posters out to the kids who live half an hour away. I don't want to store them any longer. All the stuff we have collected just isn't wanted by those who come after us. |
| In July, my niece married for the second time. She became a widow while pregnant with her third child. She met a wonderful man with two kids of his own. They have a blended family. The only attendants were those children. Each had a daughter who were bridesmaids, age 10 and 12, in coordinating dresses, but not identical. Her two sons were the "ring men", age 9 and 7 and a half. His son, almost 14, was the best man. And yes, for those who follow such things, the bride did wear white again, with a long train. No tuxes for the men, just suits and ties. The best man is usually seen wearing shorts, so this was a feat all by itself. It was to be an outdoor event with the reception in a picnic pavilion. The place is a working farm that boards horses, but brings in extra cash with a B&B and wedding venue. They don't cater or do any service. Because it rained all afternoon and drizzled off and on at the appointed time, the ceremony was moved to the pavilion. The 7-year-old standing to one side, kept slipping over to the candy table, out of his mother's sight. All the audience had the giggles and tried holding back their smiles as he replaced the top with a bang several times. Personally, I think he's adorable even when he is not in navy blue with an ironed white shirt. When the bridal party was called in by the DJ for the reception, he made a rock star entrance bent over with his hands up in the air behind him. He just doesn't know how not to be the center of attention. All five kids went with them on the honeymoon to St. Thomas. Does that make it a familymoon? Two families were joined together. It's been a struggle for my niece to raise these kids alone. She deserves a solid family now. |
| It's hard to believe I went over a year without migraines, but this year, I am on my third round, which will last 2 to 6 weeks. Take too many prescriptions for any pain killer stronger than Tylenol. And I'm limited on those! There are other kinds of headaches, too. I've been paying probate taxes for several years because we haven't sold my dad's house. I'm living in it, per the instructions of his will. I can't afford to buy out the others, and my share won't get me another place to live in my state. I hired a lawyer to take the house out of probate. He charged me a lot of money and said I could do it myself. I think he misunderstood something. I can't find an accountant experienced in computing probate taxes to let me know what to pay, and the county is not helpful. I'm having solar panels installed, but that is in stages and will take about a month. I'm leasing, not buying. It might help the sale of the house once I see whether it really reduces my electric bill. I'm all about saving money now that I am on a fixed income. Everything costs more than it did last year. In two years, my auto insurance doubled. Everyone is in the same boat on paying out more than they have coming in. So we all have that headache. I'm trying to help my church plan a first time ever community event where we provide food, music, a bouncy house and games. We'll have door prizes for anyone willing to give us an email. We'll also have face painting and beer pong, make that church pong, with small prizes. It will be outdoors with several popup canopies, chairs, and porta-potties. There are so many details. It could be a big flop or we might not have enough space. But it's an exciting kind of headache. On the other hand, I've been reading Walt Whitman. Page after page of depressing stuff, no matter how beautiful the language or the great imagery from nature. Then my head hurts too much to keep my glasses on, so I stop. At least with a headache of some kind, you know you're still alive. |
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I marvel at the things I'll be able to tell my grandkids about someday. Life is accelerating - or maybe it just feels that way!
I completely sympathize with your desire to declutter. I have more stuff than you can shake a stick at that didn't actually belong to just my wife or myself throughout the house.
