The View from Here

Service with a Smile

I may have commented on this topic before, but that’s okay because you know that old people often repeat themselves.

In 1927 a new type of store opened in Caddo. It was Stevens’ Self Service. Owned by W. H. Stevens, it offered something new to the residents of Caddo- the opportunity to select their own groceries from the shelves. Prices were marked directly on the items and they didn’t have to ask a clerk for assistance. Sure seemed like progress at the time!

However, when I saw their grand opening ad sitting on my desk yesterday I recalled with fondness and regret the number of services we have lost over the years. “Self-service” did not become the all encompassing standard of retail until I was well into adulthood, so I have experienced true customer service and sometimes I miss it.

I miss those guys who worked at the filling station. As many as three of them would hurry out to fill the gas tank, wash the windows, and check the oil. They would even check the air in your tires if you asked them to! You didn’t have to get your hands dirty or even get out of the car to pay.

I miss shoe clerks. When we went to the shoe store a guy measured our feet, asked what we wanted, brought out a selection of styles and stayed with us until we chose our favorite. Sometimes we tried on a dozen pairs before we decided!

I miss the butcher. A trip to the meat market meant telling the man behind the counter what you wanted, how much you wanted, and exactly how you wanted it cut. If you wanted a half pound or ten pounds it was okay. If you wanted one pork chop it was okay. If you wanted your bologna sliced extra thick it was okay.

I miss the pharmacist who inquired about my mother and asked if she was feeling better. He told me all about my new medicine and made suggestions about getting the best results from it. He also remembered little things like my fondness for chocolate and offered me a sample from the new Valentine candy. His clerk made fountain drinks and shared the local gossip.

I miss department store clerks who noticed that you were in their department. They inquired about your needs, offered real assistance and even remembered you the next time you shopped. They wrote down your size and style preferences and called you if something new arrived in the store.

Oh, I know you can still get most of these services if you stay away from the big box stores. I know that upscale shops still treat customers with some modicum of respect. I just don’t happen to have that many choices where we live. I tend to do most of my shopping in places where I am just part of the crowd and I’m expected to feel lucky if I find everything I need on the shelf. The clerk checking me out even inquires dutifully, “Did you find everything you need?”, but I know if I reply in the negative she isn’t going to rush out into the aisles to find what I couldn’t! 

(The photo is Maurine Craighead and Ben Siegel in his store in Caddo.)

 

Her Legacy Lives On....

My grandmother, Beatrice Alexander Simmons, was born on April 29, 1908 (ought eight as she called it) and died on April 5, 2000. Though she is gone, she is hardly forgotten; I don’t think a week goes by that I don’t think about her in relation to something I’m doing or something I’ve discussed with one of my children. I had another sweet grandmother and great-grandmothers, but I was always geographically and emotionally closer to this woman than to my own mother. I feel like I spent most of my life in her shadow, listening to her wisdom. Rest assured Gran that you taught us well and your legacy lives on…

 

Mrs. Maurer's So Good Very Happy Day

We were out of school yesterday and Gary was off so we planned a couple of quick errands in Durant and then a trip to Hagerman. Well, that’s sort of what happened…

We washed the car and filled up with gas as planned.

I picked up my new glasses and bought my MacuHealth vitamins as planned.

The stop to turn in my prescription for physical therapy is where we veered off the plan. LOL They asked to do my evaluation and first visit so a “stop” turned into an hour. Thank goodness for an agreeable husband who enjoys spending time at the library! I was pleased with my PT experience and gained a new respect for the workings of the foot. Turns out I was all wrong about feet- they are quite complicated and problems can be difficult to diagnose. Four weeks from now I expect to have a stronger foundation for this old body!

By the time I finished PT it was nearing noon so we headed to Jalapeño Tree in Sherman. Yes, the veggie quesadillas are great! 

We finally made it out to Hagerman and as usual there were lots of interesting creatures out and about. The first one to greet us was a young turkey and I didn’t even have my camera out of the bag yet. So not prepared! And I must admit here that having my foot back in a boot altered our plans somewhat and affected my photography more than I had envisioned.  Gary drove the Mustang, which put me on the passenger side and much lower than usual, forcing me to compete with the tall grasses at the side of the road. It made some shots rather disappointing. However, getting out of the car wasn’t an option because that sort of movement always scares off the birds. So I just dealt with the situation and Gary did his best to drive between the tallest clumps of grass. Many of these shots were taken with the engine still running, the wind blowing, and the grass waving!! But it was all good…we still had a great time.

Our stop at the visitor’s center proved entertaining. Several birds were there to eat and I was able to take a couple of photos through the window. There was also a killdeer nesting near the sidewalk!

Back to Durant for a couple of things at Walmart. Encountered the parent of one of my 1991 students- who is now going to be a father! I AM OLD!

Home to the garden and my favorite shot of the day. Yes, that is a fly, but isn’t it pretty sitting on the wet flower? 

Off to new adventures today. Hope you have a great day! 

 

Playing the Numbers Game

As you know, I’ve been limiting my salt intake more and more and more. I’m doing a pretty good job of keeping my daily consumption below the recommended 2,000mg. Most days it is around 1,200. Some days I easily manage 900mg. The solution to the salt problem has been relatively easy- I just don’t eat packaged food, especially frozen food.  With the exception of a few vegetables, I have found that frozen food has enough salt in it to preserve it even if the freezer quits! I don’t think my great-grandmother used that much salt to cure a ham!

Gary takes Healthy Choice Café Steamer meals to work for his lunch. They are easy and convenient and he prefers them over sandwiches. They typically have about 300-400mg of sodium. In an attempt to add more variety to his meals he recently looked at some of the other choices in the case. Some had as much at 1,100mg of sodium! 1,100!!! Why?

Don’t get me started…

It was not my intention to focus on salt this morning, but on sugar, our other nemesis.

I am still struggling with my weight. I guess old fat is the most difficult to lose! So I have been taking a closer look at my consumption of fats, bread, and sugar.

I’m a big fan of fats- cheese, walnuts, avocadoes, olive oil, and creamy salad dressings are my favorites. I grew up with Crisco and a belief that anything worth eating is so much better fried! I am trying to adopt a new mantra in the kitchen- “pots not pans”. If I’m using pots instead of a frying pan I know I’m cooking a healthier meal!

Bread has not been a problem, especially now that I’m no longer eating meat. I eat a few egg salad or salmon sandwiches, but usually on those little bread rounds that are tasty and lower in calories. I buy whole wheat tortillas, but I have to watch the sodium in some brands. I’ve always preferred whole wheat or sourdough bread anyway. I don’t think we’ve had “white fluffy” bread in our house in thirty years! The only real sacrifice I suppose I’ve made in this food group is biscuits. I truly love biscuits and they were difficult to give up this past winter.

I hadn’t given much thought to sugar until recently. I don’t eat very many sweets- a few cookies now and then, some Jello occasionally, graham crackers, cereal. My one indulgence is ice cream. I eat one of those mini cups (3oz.) at least three nights a week. Other nights I’m better- yogurt or fruit. I admit to some guilt over the ice cream. 160 calories I certainly don’t need. However, the salt (65mg) and sugar (18g) should be greater concerns in relation to the tiny portion. I can eat more yogurt (plain) and fruit with fewer calories or additives. Just have to wean myself off the taste of ice cream! I don’t plan to give it up- just save it for an occasional treat.

No, I hadn’t given much thought to sugar until my recent shopping trip. Our weather has changed again and we are experiencing 80+ temps, so when I checked out at Walmart I grabbed a Snapple peach tea for the road. I don’t drink sodas and I seldom drink anything except water, coffee, or tea. I don’t put sugar in anything at home, but sometimes I like a sweetened drink like flavored tea or lemonade. I also drink a little tonic water for chronic leg cramps and some fruit juice just to get a little more fruit into my diet. The lemonade I drink most often comes in those little packets you add to a bottle of water and I keep them in my cabinet at school. The lemonade has 9g of sugar and is almost too sweet to drink. Sometimes I just can’t finish it without adding more water. I’m telling you this to explain my absolute SHOCK when I drank a little of the tea and then glanced down at the bottle.

Yes, that really does say 39g of sugar!! 39! That’s right up there with Coca Cola, my former addiction! I make myself (don’t like the taste) drink 100% grape juice now and then for the health benefits and it only has 37g of sugar.

Well…lesson learned. NOT drinking anything again without reading the label. I don’t care how much they tout putting the “good stuff” in- there is a LOT of the bad stuff too!!

And please don’t tell me to drink the diet drinks. I cannot tolerate aspartame. It gives me migraines, severe migraines. And from what I have read it is not really safe for anyone to consume. I’ve found that other artificial sweeteners taste too sweet or too artificial so I just avoid all of them.

I never was very good at math. How ironic that now my health depends on it! This diet game requires quite a bit of calculation to balance the numbers for calories, salt, fats, and sugar.  And of course we are also supposed to look for the good stuff like vitamins, minerals, and fiber. I think I need a new calculator!! 

 

The Daily Parade

When I lived in the city I was closed up in the house or behind a fence after work. I sometimes saw a few neighborhood children if I purposely looked out the front window, but for the most part they too stayed behind their fences. The fences in California are required in most neighborhoods and a necessity for both safety and a little bit of privacy. I remember my grandfather stating that when he worked as a roofer on new houses in the subdivisions he could jump from one house to the next because they were so close together!

Out here in the country there are no such restrictions and even with binoculars I can’t see what my nearest neighbor is doing! So I spend a portion of each afternoon/evening outside, confident that I am relatively safe and free to roam. Sometimes I only have about ten minutes to do my “walk about”; other times I go back into the house an hour later and apologize to Gary for being late with dinner again. lol

I needn’t go too far to see the critters who share this little patch of land. At our house there is a daily parade of visitors to educate and entertain me. Some are regulars and I could literally set my watch by their arrival. I swear the crow works for Timex! Others pop up unannounced and unexpected, like the recent flock of egrets. They are on their way somewhere else and just see a lovely spot to rest for a bit.

Yesterday afternoon we had the usual group of bird visitors- sparrows, cardinals, swallows, wrens, bluebirds, doves, cowbirds, and the crow.

A rabbit and a squirrel came for their share of corn and birdseed.  The rabbit is such a tiny timid thing!

The butterflies and a couple of dragonflies were flitting about the garden.

The cows wandered up from the pasture and one calf was particularly curious about why I was watering near the fence (planted seeds recently).

Even after I go inside I can still keep an eye on things because there is a sliding glass door at the end of the kitchen. So I was able to watch the horses passing by.

About dusk a yellow cat showed up. It has visited each day for a week now.

After dark there were the usual raccoons and an opossum.  

The connection I feel to the land and to these creatures is profound. I am forever grateful that I didn’t stay in the city because I think doing so would have been detrimental to my health and happiness. I know there are people who live their whole lives surrounded by other people and concrete and are content to do so. They would probably be miserable out here on the wild prairie with the animals and bugs. But God knew what I needed and when…and I’m so glad we moved here!

 I go to bed each night with a sense of peace, knowing that I am part of the daily parade. 

 

Never Talk to Strangers...Unless They Speak First

Some of you may recall that I was nearly kidnapped as a young child. It happened when I was in kindergarten and it was the standard scenario of two men in a car offering candy.  So you will understand my mother’s reluctance to let me out of her sight for a few years and her strong admonitions about never speaking to strangers.

My father however, never met a stranger. Anyone breathing seemed to interest him and he was always ready to swap stories and ideas. If a person made eye contact with him they got a conversation, whether they wanted it or not. For years my primary function as a child was to intervene and get Dad to go back to the car, house, or whatever so we could continue on with our lives. It was a difficult task since my mother had also taught me not to interrupt a conversation between two adults!

The life of a child is often filled with such mixed messages from parents. Most think they are operating as a team- a cohesive unit with the same values, rules, and expectations. But that is seldom the real situation.  I’ve found that most successful marriages are the result of two complementary- opposite yet balancing- personalities finding each other. If people are too similar they can’t stand each other! Lol

So…by observing my father I learned how to be friendly and engaging in almost any situation, with almost any type of person. By observing my mother I learned when to restrain from doing so.

I was reminded of all this yesterday as I sat in the waiting room of a local medical service, waiting for a copy of a report that I was asked to obtain. The only other person sitting there was an older forlorn-looking woman. As soon as she realized what I was waiting for she spoke to me.

“I’m waiting for one too. I have to take it to another doctor.”

“Same here. Going to a new podiatrist.”

“I just found out I have severe osteoporosis. They said I have to be very careful or I might break a hip.”

Oh…to talk or not to talk…

About fifteen minutes later we walked out to the parking lot together. We hadn’t exchanged names or any other personal information, just some thoughts about illness and doctors and treatments and hope for better health. I left with gratitude that I am only having a few problems with a foot. I hope she left with a little more confidence about being able to deal with her condition. I will pray for her.

Strangers are just other people. And some desperately need for us to take the time to talk to them. 

 

Going Greener

I said when we moved here that I was not going to go into “crazy gardener” mode and make a lot of changes. And I suppose in comparison to my previous yard I have kept that vow. I have to plant things; it’s in my blood. However, I am planting less and less and trying to make sure I can sustain what I have. My health and other hobbies have created a better balance in my life than I once had.

My gardening style has changed dramatically too. I use more native plants. I try to use less water and fewer chemicals. Yesterday I looked at one of my hostas and bemoaned the fact that it has numerous holes in its lovely leaves. However, I won’t do anything about it. A few holes aren’t going to harm it and whatever is munching on it may someday become or help support a beautiful creature I want to photograph. I no longer kill things just because they eat my plants. The birds and ladybugs and other critters help with the balance of power in my garden.

I have been discussing such things with my students this month. With Earth Day and the traditional Arbor Day so close together on the calendar it is a good time to talk to them about conserving water, planting trees, and taking care of our environment. Apparently one of my students has been getting the “big picture” from other sources because he loudly announced, “We have to save the Earth or we’re all gonna’ die!” A tough act to follow. But I did manage to keep them calm and tell them they can all be green helpers by turning off the water while they brush their teeth, working in the yard with their parents, and putting all trash where it belongs. We are planting beans today in recycled containers. They will proudly carry them home as soon as they sprout.

April was also the birth month of Thomas Jefferson, one of the greatest gardeners of all time. I don’t know why I failed to mention that on his birthday, the 13^th. Many of our early leaders were passionate gardeners. They left a legacy of gardens and parks and farms for us to enjoy. It benefits us all to follow in their footsteps and leave as much as we can for the next generations.

I’m not one of those people who has totally gone “green”. I still use paper napkins and I drink some of my water from a plastic bottle. I drive a pickup. I throw out too much trash. But I have changed in little ways. I’m trying to improve. I have become a little wiser and greener with time and experience. Perhaps if we all make a few little changes they will add up to something wonderful…

 

A Glorious End to the Day

I had just finished an email to my niece and commented that there would be no photos from today because the wind has been blowing 40mph all day.

I walked into the kitchen to start some dinner and glanced out the window to see this amazing sight!

Needless to say, I grabbed the camera and crept outside as quietly as possible.

I was able to take a few shots before the sound of a motorcycle on the highway startled them.

They flew back and forth across the pond for a few minutes before settling in the trees at the far end of the pond.

Then at dusk I ventured out for a few more shots and was treated to the sight of a heron joining them.

I know these photos aren’t clear and wonderful. I don’t know if the fault is my lens or the setting I used or just me. I don’t care. I just wanted to share this remarkable experience. 

 

Inch by Inch

I worked in the yard yesterday and I had to keep reminding myself that there are lots of work days ahead. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. But oh, what a monumental task it seems at the moment. Lol  Inch by inch…that’s my plan.

I pulled weeds, cleaned up a few flowerbeds and moved some irises. Yes, I know it really isn’t the time to move them, but I needed the space. I’ve never had an iris die yet, no matter when I moved it. I deadheaded irises and daffodils.

I planted zinnias and marigolds.

I planted two new daylilies (gifts from Karen). They are “Irresistible Charm” (orange and yellow) and “Wild Horses” (purple and white).

I planted two crocosmias (Lucifer) that Gary bought recently at Lowe’s.

I hung up a new hummingbird feeder and cleaned the old one. We already have three hummingbirds flitting around. Photos soon!

I put a small feeding cup on a fence post so I can put dried mealworms out for the bluebirds.

I refilled all the bird feeders, including a new one I hung up last week. It’s actually a chicken feeder, but I love the wide base and the birds are enjoying it.

Then I took off for a trip down a country road to photograph the wildflowers. 

 

Over the river...

I went for a little jaunt over the next hill to visit a friend yesterday. She has a wonderful yard filled with flowers, rocks, and antique farm equipment. I told her she needs to give tours!