The View from Here

Renewed

I was tired yesterday morning. Whiny tired. Weary tired. My legs have felt like lead weights for several days and Sunday I took two brief naps in order to get through the day. I didn’t sleep well Sunday night- a rarity for me. I was aware of my condition and vowed not to be “grumpy teacher” Monday. I needn’t have worried. My students were so sweet yesterday and so well-behaved from the start that we had a great day. I felt fine and even felt a sense of renewal toward the end of the day. Met with one of my great parents, stopped by the genealogy library to do a little research and visit with the volunteers, then headed home for what I thought would be my usual routine: a snack and a thirty-minute nap.

However, after feeding the cat and fish and refilling the hummingbird feeder, I felt an overwhelming urge to walk- not because I should, not because I need to, but because I felt like I could. My very next thought was, “someone has been praying for me”. Indeed.

I grabbed my camera and went out the door and down the driveway. I didn’t even take my walking stick.

 

It’s difficult to describe what happened next without sounding a bit like a country sit-com. But my life is what it is, and I guess last night it was just that. As I walked near the creep feeder three of the little calves emerged and realized I was almost between them and the rest of the herd. They took off toward their mamas at a dead run and I had to click quickly to capture their panic. In the few moments it took for them to reach their goal I was laughing with joy. Then the neighbor’s cows had to see what was going on and came to the fence to snoop and bellow.  I was so very thankful to be in the middle of the pasture instead of snoozing on my couch!

  

On my way back to the house I suddenly noticed tiny little yellow and white flowers everywhere. Renewal. A brief respite from the heat, and a few scattered showers have brought renewal to the pasture. Soon it will be green again. Fall is just around the corner.

 

My own flowers have a few buds here and there. The marigolds are blooming. I walked into the vegetable garden to check on some cosmos and startled a bunny that had somehow squeezed inside the fence. I talked him into posing for a moment and then left the gate open for him as a reward.

 

As I walked around the yard the lyrics of a song came to me- “it is well with my soul”. Yes. No matter how weary my body gets from time to time, it is well with my soul. Thanks for your prayers. I appreciate them more than you know.

After dinner I received another blessing. I was afraid I had been forgotten by someone, left out of the “big picture”. But she called last night.

Yes, indeed. It is well with my soul.

I hope yours is at peace today.

 

Second thoughts

It occurred to me as I drove to work this morning that I had used the word harmful in reference to food items I don’t buy anymore. The more I thought about it, the more pleased I was that the term had sprung forth from my subconscious so effortlessly. We tend to label food as “good” or “bad” especially when talking with children, but I think helpful or harmful are much better labels. The problem with telling a child that a food is “bad” is that the concept is confusing. Children think of all the things we don’t consider- “I see other people eating it all the time. Why is it bad for ME?” “How bad? Am I going to get sick if I taste it? What if I eat the whole thing- will I throw up?” “Will I BE bad if I eat it?”  

In the spring I teach my students about helpful and harmful insects and we have a big chart of each that we look at and discuss during circle time. We color pictures of various insects and label them as harmful and helpful. We talk about the fact that the harmful ones exist for a reason and are part of the environment, but they are harmful to us or something we care about. While there is nothing evil about a grasshopper, we all agree that we don’t want very many of them in our yard or they will devour the plants we tend so carefully.  

Perhaps I should take the same approach to nutrition and make some charts of helpful and harmful foods. Then my students and I could discuss why a doughnut isn’t “bad”, but just doesn’t do anything helpful for our bodies. We can talk about the vitamins and minerals in other foods and how they make us stronger and smarter. I think they are ready for more information. One of my students actually held up her cake at lunch and asked, “Mrs. Maurer, does this have fiber?” J

Too Tired to Care...

I have lost two pounds this week, but I’m too tired to care. This is what happens once school starts. My focus is on teaching and children and projects and schedules and my personal needs take a back seat. I admire the women who manage to run and go to the gym and carve out some time for their bodies. I haven’t figured out how to do that because mine is too exhausted at this point to manage one more thing. It’s not that I am lacking exercise. I worked in the flowers beds three evenings last week. Late last night I finished mowing the lawn. It’s just that the things I do for exercise are work and the things I do for pleasure are sedentary. Maybe an old dog can’t learn too many new tricks.

Gary is working a lot of evening shifts lately and that means I eat alone. I actually eat less when I eat alone. I’m sticking to most of our dietary changes because I simply don’t buy things that are harmful. If you don’t bring it home, you can’t eat it!

Perhaps once I transition more fully into the school routine I won’t be so tired.  

Wonderful Weekend!

I always look forward to the weekend, but then I get to Sunday and wonder what happened. How did Saturday slip by so quickly and turn into “the day before work”? Yesterday I decided that I simply leave too many things on my “to do” list for the weekend. I worked like crazy to get done yesterday and finally quit one of my projects at 10pm. That is a long day for me, even if I did sleep in until 5:30 yesterday!

Friday I stopped by the genealogy library and did a bit of research. Did you know that Caddo’s first “self-serve” grocery store opened in 1927? It was such a novel idea that the paper had to explain how it worked.  Before self-serve the grocer took your list, found everything, totaled it for you, then wrapped it in paper and gave it to you, unless of course you wanted it delivered. You might also “put it on your bill” to be paid at the end of the month, after deducting money for the eggs and butter you had traded.  

Gary and I enjoyed a quiet evening with pizza and a movie Friday night. We have decided that one pizza a month won’t hurt us too much and is a better tradition than one a week! The big thrill was the movie. We both loved the HBO series, John Adams , and had talked about purchasing a copy, but the $80 price tag was just a bit much for two very frugal old people. So when Gary found a new copy on ebay for $25 we were very happy. It arrived last week, still in its cellophane wrapper, and appears to be in perfect condition. (I see that Amazon has it for $29.99.) We look forward to watching the rest of the seven-part series and then sharing it with a couple of friends.

On the way to WalMart Saturday morning Gary and I discussed some of the things we could remember about our early childhood. We were talking about the self-serve grocery store and Gary’s grandparents not only owned a grocery store, but lived above it. He said he remembered visiting the store and talking to customers and even recalled how the store smelled. He could not have been much over three years old because his mom died the next year and he moved in with his other grandmother. (His dad was in the service.) My earliest memory is of standing in the backseat of a car that smelled like wool and holding on to the leather strap that hung next to the window. I held on tightly because my grandmother was yelling. She told me many years later when I asked about it that I was not quite three and she had been yelling because my dad had swerved and she thought we were going to have a wreck. Not quite three! That should give pause to parents who don’t think their children are paying attention to their actions.

I managed to work in the yard a bit yesterday. I am pulling up weeds, cutting back dead annuals and perennials, and planning next year’s garden. Totally redoing the bed by the front step. I have lots of irises and lilies that need to be moved soon. I’ll plant tulips in another month. I caused the bunnies to delay their dinner last night by making a noise they haven’t heard in nearly a month. I mowed the lawn!! Yes, parts of it have already recovered from the heat and drought.

Got a wonderful surprise yesterday! My friend emailed to tell me that one of the hardware stores had two elephants on the clearance shelf. Not only are they adorable, but they are solar and glow in the dark. I have them in the house, but the sunlight from the window is enough to power the lights! So cute!

I forgot to get the mail yesterday morning so after Gary went to work at 1:30 I decided to drive into town. Of course I did what I always did as a child- stopped by the neighbor’s to see what they were doing! Lol In this case it was the neighbor’s pasture. They have a young foal, but the silly thing was napping under the trees so I just took a couple of photos of the longhorns.

 

So…Saturday vanished in a fog of little tasks. Fill the bird feeders. Make more sugar water for the hummingbirds. Change the flowers in the dining room. Repot a couple of plants. Clean the pantry. Sort and file the four hundred new photos on the camera. WalMart, errands, garden, laundry, cleaning, organizing, mowing. But I also made time for some relaxing and reminiscing. Even though I was exhausted at 10pm it was worth the effort.

Sunday. Relaxing, reflecting, renewing. Weekends are wonderful!

 

 

No words today...

just pictures.

   

 

Stop, Look and Listen

I was wandering the yard last night just enjoying being out in less than 100 degrees. The wind was blowing and the dragonflies were dipping and swooping. A couple of birds were fussing at me for disturbing their dinner. I thought I was being attentive to my surroundings when I suddenly felt the need to just stop. I stood by the fence for several minutes, staring at the woods, and then turned slowly to continue my walk. That’s when I noticed the leaf in the birdbath.

Stop, look, and listen is an admonition we use in kindergarten each day as we walk across the street to the playground. But it is also one of my favorite soapbox subjects, as you well know. I guess last night even I had forgotten the stop component of it.

There is so much in life that we don’t see because we fail to stop and look.

We are too busy with our schedules.

We are too busy with our lists.

We are too busy with our families.

We are just too busy.

When was the last time you just sat down and did nothing but look and think? Watching television does NOT count.

My great-grandmother loved to sit on her front porch. I sometimes questioned why she did it if there wasn’t any traffic going by or neighbors out and about. She said she just like to “sit with her thoughts”. The quantity of headache medication sold in this country would probably plummet if more people sat with their thoughts for a half hour each evening instead of watching some stupid sitcom.

I stopped in front of the pond last night and looked at how low the water level has dropped. I thought about the vast number of people who have enjoyed it over the years. A friend who is in her nineties recalls fishing in it. German prisoners of war, held in the Caddo gym during World War II, were allowed to swim in this pond for afternoon recreation. Many children learned to swim in it. It has also meant survival for countless generations of wildlife. It gives me a sense of peace and stability to contemplate its role in history.

Stop, look and listen…

a simple but sometimes difficult action in a complicated life.

 

Dinner at the Maurer's

Sometimes you just have to appreciate the ironies of life. I’ve spent the summer photographing insects of all kinds. I’ve become a big fan of dragonflies. I’ve learned to respect bees. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise to discover that insects are suddenly devouring what is left of my meager garden! One of the leaffooted bugs that fascinated me when he was on the wildflowers, must have alerted all of his friends to the fact that my three pitiful tomatoes were about to ripen! At least a couple of dozen joined in the feast last night.

I also commented to Gary that the doves and the bunnies either have a great sense of time, or they are sitting in the woods watching for me. Each evening at 6 I put out food for them and for the raccoons. Within fifteen minutes the doves and bunnies are enjoying their meal! The raccoons arrive at about 7:30.

Gary and I enjoyed dinner together last night. Our meals are becoming a rare treat because he is working the night shift so often. It seems that we have always had schedules at odds with each other. When we first married I was working days and he was working nights. Then he had a traveling job. Then he worked M-F and I worked every weekend for nearly two years. Then he drove a truck for years and was only home a few days a month. Now he is “retired” but working and we still have different schedules. I suppose some day we will both be home 24/7 and drive each other crazy! Lol

Lunch at school is driving ME crazy already! It always takes me a few weeks to get my students to eat with ANY sort of civility. I don’t know if parents just don’t teach manners anymore, or if children don’t eat at the table with their families, or I just forget about this aspect of school over the summer. Children eat with their hands, don’t use a napkin, play with their food, stuff their mouths, spill milk and juice, talk with food in their mouths, touch their classmate’s food, throw food, drop food, and just generally make a mess. They are also very loud and boisterous at the table! Mrs. Maurer gives them two choices- eat or talk quietly. Nothing else. No singing. No hitting. No “hand games”. No hide’n’seek under the table.

Well, I am enjoying a pleasant COOLER morning and I’m looking forward to renewed energy as we move into fall. I hope you have a wonderful day! (Remember to be nice at lunch.)

 

 

God Knows

God seems to know when I’ve had enough. When I’m getting down and out, at my wit’s end, bone weary, and ready for tears, along comes a little surprise to keep me going. Yesterday was a good day, but once again over 100 degrees. This is very unusual for our area. Some summers we reach 100 about four times. This month we’ve had at least a dozen days of heat advisories and temps of 104. Yesterday the news reported that a fireman in our area and a football player in a nearby town had been treated for heat exhaustion. A local principal announced that they are not going out to recess after 10am. Then the weatherman came on and reported that a sudden storm with winds over 70mph had knocked out power lines and signals in Sherman, Texas and there was heavy damage being reported by local residents. All of a sudden the channel lost signal and went off the air.

 So when I went outside to move the hose for the fourth time, I was a little weary and discouraged. My garden looks pitiful, the yard is crunchy brown, the trees are drooping, and the flowers are struggling to survive. It is so hot that my skin hurts and it becomes difficult to breathe if I stay out too long. As I moved the hose I thought, “Sure not going to take any pretty pictures tonight!”  God either felt sorry for ME, or He thought YOU needed cheering up, because when I started back into the house I heard a tiny noise, looked down, and saw this face. Who can possibly be weary when this face is looking back?

 

And at six I got to watch the weather report that had been blacked out by the storm winds. Our numbers are dropping below 100 for the rest of the week. I even saw an 88! I don’t remember what that feels like, but I’m ready to find out. God knows we’ve had enough of summer.

 

Milk, Butter, and Eggs

Got milk?

Most adults either love or hate milk.  

I never lost my childhood love of milk. I drink the 1% and I was wondering lately if I’m still drinking the one that is best for me. There are so many different types! And if you go beyond the cow’s product, there are also soy, rice, and almond “milks” to consider. And if you are lactose intolerant there’s a milk for that! And to be fair, goats give milk too.

Whole milk has about 4% fat, from the cream we love in other forms. 2% has half that. You see where this is going. From what I have read, if you are less than four feet tall you should always drink whole milk. After that it’s simply a matter of taste and weight control. Children need more fat and cholesterol than the rest of us. If you like 1%, as I do, you are saving a few calories. Personally I think skim milk is just wasted time and money.  And if you are drinking the “enhanced” skim, my question is “why?” Just drink 1%. An eight ounce glass of any of the white stuff provides about 300 mg of calcium, which is the primary reason most of us are still drinking it. Old women like me should probably be drinking three or four glasses a day, but I don’t think that’s necessary since calcium is found in and added to so many other foods and beverages.  

Of course there is also the current conundrum, of which milk is best- organic, hormone free, processed, raw? I will leave that to your own lifestyle and conscience. I’m not going to argue the merits and/or dangers of one over the other. I can only tell you that after watching my grandfather milk a cow and pour that milk from a metal bucket to the glass pitcher we used at the breakfast table, I was terrified of the germs that might be lurking in it! I wanted someone to homogenize and pasteurize it just like my teacher had explained to us so we wouldn’t all die. I still get that feeling when raw milk is mentioned.

Butter is another question on the table these days. I used to use butter because I didn’t want artificial this and that. I was told that all margarine was bad. But nowadays there are so many margarine options that it is mind-boggling to stand in front of the market case and try to choose one! The best plan is to read the label and buy a spread that is soft and doesn’t contain more than 1.5 grams of fat. I’m currently buying one made with olive oil. We don’t really use much of anything because I don’t cook with it and we no longer eat biscuits. Gary uses a little margarine on his toast, but I use peanut butter. We use a little on baked potatoes.

Oh, I do love eggs! So of course I was sitting at the table eating my Saturday ham and cheese omelet when the egg recall report came on the news!!  However, the latest recall is just that- the latest recall. While we have to use caution and pay attention to the carton numbers and demand better control of ALL of our food sources, I will bet that most of you have resumed eating spinach, the source of one of our past outbreaks of illness. Believe me, ANYTHING in your refrigerator or pantry has the potential to make you sick. Eating is a risk we all take.

Beyond the current danger, eggs have gotten a bad rap for years. Now the research says that a few eggs won’t hurt us and that the choline found in them is actually essential for controlling inflammation. Just be aware that the cholesterol level of eggs is high (200+) and should be considered in your daily planning. Some eggs are high in Omega3 and besides everything else, they taste good!

Now go eat breakfast!

Week's End

My children have gently suggested on more than one occasion that I really ought to get cable television.  Their reasoning is that if I had more than six channels to watch, I would spend less time in front of my laundry room window, watching the raccoons, cows, and rabbits in the evening. Actually I was thinking of adding a comfortable chair to the room! J

  

Thank goodness I have a husband and friends who understand, and even share, my penchant for wildlife. They don’t think it is odd that I enjoy the antics of the critters who parade past my window. They don’t think I’m strange for chasing down dragonflies and butterflies. And if they question the fact that I talk to rabbits, they are at least keeping it to themselves.

Last night was a priceless episode of Raccoon Rambles. Earlier in the day I had pulled up the okra and thrown it over the fence for the cows. Of course I put out food for the rabbits and the raccoons. So it didn’t surprise me to see all of them eating, although you have to remember that raccoons are very, very skittish. They don’t like eating with the cows, and even the rabbits, which are on the other side of the yard, will sometimes cause the raccoons to run for the woods. I missed several hilarious shots last night because they move so quickly. The big, lumbering cows don’t seem to bother them as much as the pesky calves. At one point the calf in the picture was hesitant to move closer to the raccoons and so it called to its mama. Well, the noise sent the young raccoons into panic mode and they all stood on their hind legs and scurried around for a few minutes while their mom kept eating. I guess her actions reassured them because they quickly calmed down and resumed their dinner.

After a few minutes though, the mama cow moved closer to the fence to lick her baby and the raccoons just freaked! Two of them went up the security pole, one went into the garden, and three others made a dash for the area directly under my window. This little niche holds the air conditioning unit and also has some cement blocks and one of Buddy’s water bowls. I was able to watch them up close for several minutes while they “hid” from the cows! One of them decided to get a drink and I was amazed by how much it resembles a cat when viewed from the back. (These photos aren’t real clear because the odd angle creates a glare in the glass.) After about five minutes the cows were finally around the corner and the young raccoons returned for a couple of quick bites of dog food before scurrying back home.

And yes, inquiring minds, the ugly opossum still arrives just after dark to check for leftovers.

My week’s end had some other little surprises. I got a nice email from a fan of my Caddo blog and a phone call from a reader who shared some great information with me. I was pleased to give photos to our latest “yard of the month” recipient. I discovered that my little white cypress vine is finally blooming. I’ve never grown the white one before! All three colors of my cleome are now blooming. Some of the gourds are ready to be picked. There are buds on some of my fall-blooming flowers.

  

Of course Friday brought a not-so-nice surprise. I had stopped by a colleague’s room to inquire about her weekend plans. She told me she thought they would go fishing, but she would have to caution her girls about snakes again because they had seen a rattlesnake during their last visit to their cabin. I bragged that “I haven’t seen a snake all summer!” Well, you know I had to be punished for that! LOL When I got home I started the water in one of my flowerbeds. As soon as the water sprayed the bed, a snake slithered out!!!!  And of course I didn’t have the camera with me.

Well, last week was wonderful in so many ways. I’m looking forward to a great start to this week. Gary is off today. The weather is supposed to be ever-so-slightly cooler. The critters will be out and about. We will see what unfolds……