The View from Here

Hello from CA!

Oh, I am in SO MUCH TROUBLE! There are at least six wonderful, WONDERFUL people here that I simply have not had time to call or see yet! My time has just gotten away from me. I promise to call some of you from Karen's this weekend. We should be able to slow down a bit and take a deep breath once we are out of hotels.

We've been having a great time and I'm happy to say that we are also feeling good. Gary has had a few problems with his leg, but overall is pleased with his progress. I've been feeling good even though I've been driving so much. One day I drove 600 miles! Whew! Lots to see along the way, but I had forgotten how boring parts of the desert are.

One of the things that I've been reminded of during this visit is that we know some truly great people! I will write more about them later, but I hope I've been half as good to them as they have been to me. Our friends are such a blessing.

I promise that when I am home I will post some photos and stories. Of course, I will have to tell you in great detail about my visit to the Underground Gardens.

The best part of our vacation is that it isn't over! We are at a friend's today, then our daughter's tomorrow, and then out to Utah to see my niece. More fun ahead!

Take care and stay safe!

Crazy Day

Okay, I’m sure this is going to be a crazy day because there are at least a dozen things I’ve left until the last minute, plus Gary has a doctor’s appointment today. I told a friend that by the time I prepare for vacation, I really, really need one! Lol  But it’s all good. A little mowing, ironing, packing, watering, checking and re-checking and we will be ready.

I know I don’t have to ask most of you to pray for us. I pray for Gary’s comfort, for our safety, and for our health. One of my friends is stuck right now in NM with car trouble. Please pray for her. She is also on her way to CA.

I’m not sure when I will post again. Most of the people we are visiting have computers, so I’m sure I will be here from time to time. I know, I know…I could have purchased a laptop. But I’m a very cautious person and I want that money to stay in savings until we return. Never know what “extra” expenses we might encounter on vacation.

Please do not do not get hurt, sick, or in trouble while I am gone. I have spies everywhere and I will know what you are doing!

Later

God's Glory

I love to watch the sunrise. It's always a little different. This morning it was glorious, and my meager attempts to photograph it do not do it justice.

Last Time??

Last night we went to the annual “80s-90s Dinner” sponsored by the Caddo Community Association. It’s an evening set aside to honor the senior citizens in our community and to celebrate their marriages and families. It was an enjoyable evening, filled with laughter and stories, but I knew as I photographed the crowd that some of the guests may not be around to attend the next dinner. When you gather a group of people ranging in age from 80 to 96, you know their days are numbered. Last year’s oldest guest only lived a few months beyond that night.

There have been several deaths this year in our community and within my little circle of close friends. A friend’s mother died just this week and I join them in mourning her loss. It is difficult to be suddenly bereft of anyone, but to lose a mother is to lose part of one’s soul. We seldom realize how important our mothers are until they are gone, and you know I am speaking from experience. My own mother has been gone for ten years and there are still times when I wish I could talk with her.

I think about death a lot since I spend so much time researching history and genealogy. Just today I typed the obituary of Charles Turnbull, who ironically died when he came here from Arizona to attend his brother’s funeral.  There are many other death stories that make me stop and pay attention. It’s remarkable how many people die shortly before or after their own birthday (like my grandparents John and Della), or on the anniversary of a loved one’s death. A friend’s parents died, of different causes, within hours of each other. And the way we die can vary from traumatic and tragic to peaceful and welcome. Some people fight death despite pain and disability and hardship, while others with fewer problems take their own life.

I don’t mean to be particularly maudlin. In fact, my intention was exactly the opposite. As I looked at the crowd last night my behavior changed because I was aware of the fact that I might not see some of these people again. I didn’t just enjoy my dinner and make small talk with my neighbors. I made it a point to speak to several people who have been friends of my family for decades. I visited with women who knew and remembered my mother. I took photos that showed them having a good time- because that is the way most of them want to be remembered. That is the way I would want to be remembered. These people are at an age when they know this may be the last time they are together. Perhaps if we all lived that way we would be much more appreciative of our friends and relatives. Perhaps we would find less to argue about and more to celebrate.

Look closely at the next person you meet and consider that this may be the last time you see them. Then act accordingly. I just image you will both feel better.

Blessed

I am feeling so blessed today! I asked a group of friends to help me with a little gardening task in town. It's something I don't feel I can physically handle right now, so I “put the word out” that I needed a volunteer. The response has been great! My friends and neighbors are the best and I wouldn’t trade them for a pile of money.

Gary and I have been working out the details of our trip. I love having a husband who is also a good friend. It makes it so much easier and more enjoyable to be together. I tease him about “driving me crazy” in his retirement years, but I think we will make the transition just fine. I plan to teach five more years, so that gives me plenty of time to complete his training.

We ate dinner at the Caddo Café last night. Good food and good service- that’s what I like. I also love their sign, which I didn’t notice until last night- “Unattended children will be served espresso and given a free kitten.” Perfect!

Off to town today to do some errands. I’ll leave you with a couple of new photos from the garden.  

One Week!!!!!

It's official. One week until we leave for vacation! Things to do, places to go, stuff to pack. I have a list and I'm checking it twice. It has been years since we've gone on a long trip, other than in the big truck. When I traveled with Gary it was very different. He had most of his stuff permanently "packed" in the truck. He also had a refrigerator, coffee maker, television, etc. All the comforts of home. This time I have to think of everything we will need, plus where we are staying each night. But I love a challenge.

I remember a funny experience I had one year when I was packing for a car trip with the children. I had all of our stuff in the driveway and was contemplating the open trunk of the car, when one of our neigbors walked over. "Do you mind if I watch?" he asked. "I have to see how you get all of this in there!" lol

Easier to pack for two adults. I don't feel like we have to take the whole house with us! The children always had so many things they absolutely "couldn't live without". A couple of changes of clothes and our medications and we're good to go! Okay, maybe a few more things, but we do know how to travel light.

If you have any vacation travel tips, now is the time. Let me hear how to stay safe, save money, and not totally blow my diet!

Have a great day!

Excercise

Did you see the report last week about the “brain gym”? I don’t remember where it was located, NOT because there is anything wrong with my memory, but because I really didn’t care enough to remember it in the first place. Where the gym was located isn’t important. The fact that people are going to it and paying to do so is what I find fascinating.

The premise of the enterprise is that our brains need exercise and that certain areas of the brain need more exercise than others. The brain gym is offering that exercise in the form of video games and challenges specifically tailored to individual needs. The reporter interviewed a stroke victim and some older people who had greatly benefited from the program.  

Now my first inclination was to laugh at the very idea of someone needing to pay to have another person help them “exercise their brain”.  But isn’t that really just another form of school? Don’t I do the very same thing? If someone gets better attendance and results by calling it a “brain gym”, then the more I think about it, the more I think I want the franchise! Lol  

John Q. Public loves gimmicks and those with money love to think they are paying for the best gimmick. They seek out the newest gadgets and follow the latest trends. If brain exercise becomes the next hottest trend there may be hope for us all!

Managing Pain

I know I’ve whined a lot about my health this year. I apologize. If you aren’t in the mood for any more thoughts about aging and pain and medications, then just stop right here and go back to your morning routine. I’ll be back tomorrow with something more cheerful, I promise.

I’ve always known about pain. I’ve said before that I was a clumsy child, so I was often wounded and bandaged. However, the pains of childhood are short-lived. Anything that is perceived as having an end is endurable. My attitude changed a bit as a young adult. Pain became something to eliminate rather than endure, so it didn’t interfere with daily life. There were years when our cabinet was filled with aspirin, Tylenol, Excedrin, and other remedies.

My first experience with unrelenting pain came with a back injury and subsequent years of nerve pain. Then there was the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis and an entirely different type of pain. Then more accidents and conditions. More pain. But a strange thing happened along this path. I’ve grown more tolerant of pain. I’ve stopped trying to eliminate it from my life, and instead I’ve just tried to manage it. I can function pretty well at a level 4 on the 1-10 pain scale, 24/7.

After all, no one dies from pain. We die either from the underlying cause of the pain, or from the consequences of the pain. The pain just exists. I’m not saying that excruciating pain doesn’t make us want to die! I’ve seen people at that level, and I thought I was near that level when I had a collapsed lung. However, the reality is that most of us just don’t want to feel any pain.  That’s why so many people become addicted to drugs and alcohol. They are trying to eliminate ALL pain- either physical or emotional.

That is what I’ve been thinking about this week. If you watch television or read magazines or talk to people, you quickly realize that everyone is taking something that helps them avoid or eliminate pain. As stated earlier in the week, my current problem is restless leg syndrome- something I hadn’t even heard of until all those Requip ads appeared on television. In fact, I thought it was silly when I first heard the term. Now I know that the term comes from the fact that the solution to the intense burning pain and tingling is to move. From 2am to 4am I move my legs almost constantly, thus alleviating some of the pain, but also waking me up and waking up my husband. The sensation returns if I watch television or drive or do anything that requires sitting for more than thirty minutes.

My doctor’s solution to this was to give me a sample of Mirapex, with the promise that if it helps he will prescribe it. I took the sample home, read all of the accompanying brochures, looked it up online, and decided, “No Thanks!” The side effects and warnings are horrible! “Patients have reported falling asleep without perceived warning signs during activities of daily living, including operation of a motor vehicle, which sometimes resulted in accidents.” The forums concerning problems are frightening. “Caused impulse control disorders.” And the statistics on effectiveness are less than impressive. Many patients reported going from one daily dose to three, and still had symptoms. I’ll pass.

My doctor and I have an understanding that I’m not one of those people who accept anything and everything that is created by the pharmaceutical geniuses. He has spent much of his valuable time convincing me of the curative powers of the three medications I’m currently taking. And I’ve had some problems in the past that I’ve solved without taking the most popular “current cure”. I’m probably on record somewhere as a “difficult patient”, but I don’t care. My point is that I’m willing to accept the pain of my current condition while I seek alternative treatment that does not involve life-threatening medications. My goal is to manage the pain to the point that I get enough sleep to function safely during the day. There are things I can do, and I plan to do them.

For example- I’m fat. You know and I know that I’ve let myself go over the past two years. You can see that just in my profile photo. I can’t say exactly why it’s happened. But recently I’ve tried to improve my eating habits and get more exercise and just generally improve my health. My doctor feels that losing ten to twenty pounds may lessen my pain level because I just won’t be carrying so much weight on my little frame. That’s something that makes sense. That’s something I can do. But what I’m not going to do is think that I will ever be entirely pain-free again, at least not for more than a few hours at a time. That thought process just leads to self-pity and a desire to pop the next pill that advertises on television.

So…I’m managing my pain, enjoying my life, looking forward to vacation, and doing as much as I can for as long as I can. Praise God for the support of family and friends!

Tomorrow...cheerfulness!

 

 

 

Passwords

When we were kids we often created secret clubs. This was especially true of my girl friends. We had several “no boys allowed” clubs and we made up elaborate membership rules. Of course the number one rule was that you had to know the “secret password” to gain entrance to a meeting. And your name had to be on The List.

Not much has changed. I still belong to several “secret clubs” and each requires a user name and password. The only difference is that the clubs- forums, websites, shopping accounts, social networks- are online. I was thinking about my passwords the other day when I had to look up one that I don’t use very often. I have a notebook where I keep four pages of user names and passwords. It’s not like I’ve tried to confuse the issue. It’s just that the three user names and two passwords I normally use weren’t accepted at many sites. “Already in use” or “must contain a number” or “will be assigned” are the arbitrary rules that created my lengthy list.

I suppose on some sites I have the option of changing my user name and/or password. Frankly, I’m too lazy to do a systematic switch and anything less would probably just result in more confusion. I have no trouble remembering the passwords for the five sites I use on a daily basis. I have to look at the password each and every time for one of my genealogy sites, and one of the sites I have “administration privileges” to, because both are odd combinations of repeating letters. There are a dozen other sites that I just use once a month or less, and it doesn’t seem like too much trouble to flip open my notebook and see who I am on that site.

I suppose the bright side of this little daily dilemma is that it will keep my mind active. They say that we all need to access our memories regularly and keep our brains processing. Each time a little empty box flashes on my computer screen I have to process through a dozen combinations of letters and numbers stored in my memory so I can remember how to gain access to the club! Brain exercise…good for me.

A Quieter, Slower Time

Gary and I were talking about lawn mowers last night. Remember the old reel mowers? Ours was always propped against the side of the house, ready to go. One of us kids mowed each week, or more often. You couldn’t let the grass grow too long if you ever expected to cut it! My brothers knew that, so at the peak of summer they often mowed a little each night. Yes, Dad mowed sometimes, and I even took a turn or two, but mostly the job fell to the boys. Why else would you have four boys? J

Reel mowers have a peculiar sound, and it is deeply imbedded in my summer memories. I was thinking about that this morning as I listened to the birds. If there is anything that stands out in my memory of childhood it is how much quieter the world seemed to be then. The tools we used for daily life were often powered by us, not machines. We used a reel mower, a hand edger, a hoe for weeding- quiet tools that didn’t wake the neighbors.

Even women didn’t make a lot of noise. My mother’s wringer washer quietly sloshed the clothes around, then she hung them on the line where they flapped in the breeze. She made cakes with a hand-turned mixer, which by the way, could be safely turned over to a very young girl. She mashed potatoes with a traditional metal tool. We even made ice cream with a hand-cranked mixer.

Of course the old ways also required much more time and effort. My mother often washed, ironed, and cleaned on separate days simply because each of those tasks literally required a whole day. But the pace of work was also slower. Mom didn’t expect to finish anything quickly.

We have turned much of our life over to gas and electric machines because they are faster and easier. I applaud our ingenuity in most cases. I’m all for saving time, especially mine. However, I think we have to admit that we have given up something in the process. There are some things, like cake and ice cream, which are not improved by making them more quickly. There are some things, like washing dishes, that I still prefer to do slowly and quietly by hand. There are some machines that work for us, but also use far too much energy and annoy the heck out of the neighbors (leaf blowers!).

My parents probably worked harder to get through each day, but at a quieter, slower pace. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt for us to do the same once in a while.