The View from Here

Encouraged and Inspired

Even cats enjoy watching television. 

 

It’s difficult sometimes to see anything “good” in the daily onslaught of “gloom and doom” flooding our living rooms. We’ve all felt too often that television is both a blessing and a curse. And its effect on society in general is undeniable. The history of television IS a history of US.

As an older woman, I can recall being a young child and standing in front of a furniture store with my dad, staring in wonder at the moving pictures on a little box.

My grandmother owned the first television in our family and we often watched westerns and entertainment shows on it. There was very little discussion about what we watched, and of course children had no input in any choice. I recall my grandmother once consoling me with the unimaginable idea that I would one day have my very own television and would control all the knobs. Yes, knobs. I was the one who always walked across the living room to turn them. A “remote” device wasn’t even a dream. Dad was the only one trusted to make the antenna adjustment required at least once per evening.

I don’t have to review a history of television or the evolution of what was once acceptable on the screen and what is now tolerated. I can tell you that there are about five occasions that stand out in my mind regarding my mother’s reaction to some changes. If she were still alive, she would no doubt question the morality and sanity of some things routinely viewed by devoted fans. And though we still have one TV, I know people who have seven. Mom would not understand that at all.

My actual purpose in writing this is two-fold:

1. I am constantly encouraged and inspired by the positive, creative, loving, and charitable ways many people are using to cope with the numerous challenges of this year. Quite a few of those with great attitudes and loving hearts are young people! And the news media seems to be recognizing more and more of those.
2. Reading an actual history of the television was, for me, an “aha” moment like no other. I encourage you to read the following facts and then give serious thought to the implications and applications that can be applied to today. This certainly caused me to reconsider some of my concerns about the upcoming generations. Television: The “ancestor” of our current form of television was invented by 21-year-old Philo Taylor Farnsworth. He was still in high school when he first envisioned the possibility of a new way of showing moving pictures on a screen. He was apparently seeking a better form of entertainment because he had lived without electricity until he was 14.

Let’s all pay closer attention today to some positive news reports. We need to be encouraged and inspired!

Last Garden

I’ve been doing some downsizing in the garden for about four years now. My last garden was actually more practical than the one I currently have and I must admit to getting a little “carried away” with this one. Though my intentions were good, the larger blank canvas was just too tempting. Nothing is more rewarding to the average gardener than creating a lovely oasis of flowers where there was formerly just grass or dirt.

Recently I was forced by the increase in my disability and a moment of common sense, to consider NOT doing most of what I’m currently doing outside. I really have a good base of perennials, bulbs, and self-seeding plants. No need to add even one annual for color, or to attract insects, butterflies, or birds. My main focus going forward should be easier, more efficient weed control. I can certainly use some mulch in areas I once left open for seed planting. Mulch can be spread by younger, stronger bodies next fall or winter. (Be prepared dear son. LOL)

I also have a dozen small, manageable patio plants and 30 houseplants. How much more “green” does an old woman truly need?

A male gardening friend and his wife, only a bit younger than me, have been doing the same this past month. Fewer plants, less work, more enjoyment.

I have been thinking a lot about past gardens and will not have any regrets even if another move in the future means NO gardening for me. I’ve been in a garden, trailing behind some adult, since I was four. I’ve had every imaginable garden you can think of…both in size and type. We once lived in an apartment with a front entrance atrium. Had a “yard” so small I cut the grass with scissors…in about ten minutes. For thirteen years I enjoyed a garden so large it took an average of three hours of maintenance PER DAY throughout the summer. It was featured in the newspaper and a photo of the wildflower section was in a seed catalog. I’ve grown more vegetables than we could harvest. Even grew a small patch of cotton and peanuts one year to show my grandchild what they looked like. “Been there, done that” is an understatement.

So…from now until fall my garden efforts will be removal of flowers gone to seed (collecting for friends), vines no longer wanted, a few messy self-seeders, etc. Ten minutes a day should be sufficient. Some watering with soaker hose and sprinklers. We have a great new lawn service. Does all the mowing and trimming.  

No regrets. Only plans for me are for more relaxed bird watching and photography. I can even do that sitting on the patio!!

Have a great day! Stay safe.

July 2020

July, which is about to end shortly will certainly go down as one of the most challenging and interesting months we’ve had in a while. We’ve made some major changes in lifestyle and activities. Hired some services. Continue to downsize. Been incredibly healthy and dangerously at risk of not being so healthy. I had a recent visit to ER and a challenging week of medication adjustments after that. Gary is currently in the hospital, planning to return home tomorrow. Thankfully we have managed to space out our problems a bit and not be the “blind leading the blind” too often.

Throw in a few family situations, needs of some friends, etc. LOTS of blessings, both big and small…there goes the month.

The result of all this is that I’ve gone through some periods of uncharacteristic silence.  (Even my doctor sometimes requests that I “stop talking”. Imagine that!)

I have much to say about the positive changes we are making…hopefully starting this week.

Pray that you have had a great Sunday!

Brief....

Just a glimpse of yesterday's yard visitors. 

Tomorrow...Back to School Plans

COVID Survival Details

Lots of things swirling in my head, especially after having another serious medical experience on Monday. However, I only have time today for a quick list of things I usually do after an outing that you might not have considered. Felt great and went to Caddo for three necessary errands. 

Won't mention much about masks, except that I never leave my vehicle without one. Always carry one in my purse and two in the truck. 

Each time I return to my vehicle I quickly wipe down my hands, anything I used while out of the truck, and most of the handles, etc. that I use when I get into it. 

I carry a cheap vinyl purse that can be wiped down. However, I never set it down anywhere. I keep it strapped over my head and across my body. 

I wipe the handle of my cane. 

I wash my hands again when I get home. 

Later edited to ADD:

Personal contact tracing. I keep a simple list of any contacts.

Example: 7/22, Gary to museum, Mary to Caddo

Just enough to jog the memory. 

Blessings of 2020

It’s so easy in our current climate of doom, gloom, disease and disaster, to sometimes misplace our perspective and give in to an urge to just sit down and “quit trying” to “make a difference”. Of course, I’ve felt that way a few times! Not mentioning it doesn’t mean not feeling it. Keep that in mind about other people as well. Two sometimes rigid guiding principles of parenting during my childhood were “If you can’t say something nice about someone, don’t say anything at all.” (Mom) and “Children should be seen and not heard.” (Dad) The implication of the last one was that GOOD children always behaved quietly when adults were talking…especially since my father did SO much of that! The result of hearing both a hundred times was that I learned, particularly as the first child and only girl, to be tactful and mute when necessary. Of course, at some point I gently or incessantly pulled on Dad’s pant leg, or later, the back of his shirt, to signal him that Mom was waiting for him in the car, hall, yard, etc. My sarcastic teen alter-ego advanced to sidling up, saying or mouthing “MOM” and going back to her. And I seldom even had to do that because she solved her own problem by limiting where she went with him. Old people are predictable…and wise! Lol

This morning a Saturday travel show that included two adorable giggling girls reminded me of something vitally important…LIFE GOES ON. Always has, always will…until God, not man nor any result of man’s decisions dictates. In the spirit of that…

Five Major Blessings of 2020

1. Thousands of high school graduates, like my amazing granddaughter, Taylor Beckwith, have not only managed to finish school under probably the most challenging conditions since the War, but have done so with honors and awards and accolades. They have also been star athletes or gifted artists or amazing musicians or skilled technicians, etc. They have boldly explored other parts of the world during the course of their education, through a combination of their bravery and willingness to take risks, and some wonderful opportunities offered by their schools. They are already not only great Americans, but “citizens of the world”. I praise for them and have great faith in their future accomplishments…even if some of them are delayed!

2. Kids are still kids!! Thanks to EVERYONE…from reporters to FB parents and grandparents…for the posts, photos, and videos of kids eating snow cones, playing in pools, riding bicycles, playing sports (ESPECIALLY my favorite, T-ball), going fishing, running with pets, helping on the farms, eating watermelon, and all the various and sundry things that kids do in the summer. Not only a wonderful reminder of my own childhood, but a sense of joy about the current generation. I pray that they continue to be safe, but BE KIDS!

3. Older people not only survive, but creatively adapt! Like some other people I know, we will not be returning to our gym. That’s not just the result of current conditions or restrictions, and certainly not a result of ANYTHING our gym owners or staff have done or not done. It’s simply the result of an unfortunate combination of current crisis, our personal health and disabilities, and timing. I would not hesitate for a moment to return to our gym for PT. We have set up more equipment, including a stationary bike, at home, and will continue a routine that meets our future needs. My oldest gym-buddy, Joanne Kirven, is doing the same! I will leave it to her to reveal her age (LOL), but she is OVER 80. Hallelujah and Amen!

4. This is still SUMMER! Love the family picnics, birthdays, nursing home visits, anniversaries, weddings, lake activities, and travel photos on FB. YES, I ABSOLUTELY want to see some safety modifications, social distancing when needed, masks if appropriate, crowd control, window visits, and creative options. But I AM seeing many of those things. And I am astounded by how CREATIVE people can be when a situation requires it.

5. There are literally millions of people who are quietly living their lives and following the teachings of the Bible. “1 Thessalonians 4: ¹¹ that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, ¹² that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.” They are making OUR lives possible. They are doing everything from collecting trash to maintaining power to putting food on our table or cutting our hair, etc. I could spend the rest of the day creating an ENDLESS LIST. Instead, you can make your own list of the people YOU KNOW ABOUT who make your life possible. I won’t ask you to even attempt to list those you don’t know about. My main point is that these people ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE, but unless they are also “heroes”, they are seldom mentioned on the evening news. I now consider the young masked woman who is THIRTY WEEKS PREGNANT and who completed my life-altering lab work yesterday, to be one of my personal HEROES!

Please join me today in being THANKFUL for the blessings of 2020.

Personal update:

I can't begin to explain to you what a wonderful shock it is to go from misery to euphoria in 24 hours. I truly feel like my battery has been recharged! No, I can't walk without my cane and yesterday's experience had no effect on most of my conditions. However, I have noticed that in addition to sleeping pain-free last night and having no recurrence of my painful back spasm, a pain in my arm (of two-weeks duration) and a nightly cramp in my left foot (also for two weeks) are now gone too. Having a great morning already!

Break

Spent most of the day in ER. Home. Truly fine now. Resting for the remainder of the weekend. 

New Aquarium

This is short because of some medical issues today (resolved) but I wanted you to see that the fish endured the move to their new home. I took this with only ambient light because my son is going to help me with a final decision about the LED light strip installation this weekend. All the fish appear to be happy and healthy. 

Confessions of a Blanket Baby

When you reach my age, you may find that random memories pop into your head, and are often triggered by the most mundane actions. That happened to me in the middle of the night. Because of several conditions, I never sleep all night in my own bed. Sometime between 1-2 am I move to my recliner in the living room and sleep until 4-5 am. I’ve kept similar schedules since my shoulder surgery four years ago. The recliner was purchased at that time and I slept in it all night for about six months. Sleeping in bed again was a reality for only about six months more, and then other problems eventually resulted in my current schedule.

As I settled into the recliner this morning, I pulled my cotton blanket over my body and tucked it under my chin. The thought, “I’m a blanket baby!” popped into my mind. I smiled, but quickly realized that is quite true. I AM a blanket baby and all of my children were…intentionally.

When I was a child there was little or no consistency in my environment. The only constants were my family, some family traditions, and the lovely linens and blankets made by nearly every woman who shared my bloodline. I was especially fond of my grandmother’s quilts and recall having at least four on my bed because we had inadequate heat in 90% of the places we lived.

Our usual routine was to leave the house sometime just before sunrise to arrive in the pale first light of dawn at the vineyard, cotton field, or orchard where we would work for the day. That helped us work longer before having to leave because of the heat. Our standard “out the door” schedule for cross-country trips was 2am. Both of these schedules meant I, and my siblings, often grabbed a quilt or blanket so we could wrap up in the car and sleep on the way. Long trips meant taking a dozen blankets with us because we usually slept in the car on the side of the road. Seriously.

When I first started sleeping in my recliner, I bought a cotton blanket with a basket-weave texture. It was the perfect size and weight (folded in half), and I chose a pastel green that I liked. I’m now on my third, so this is obviously my favorite blankie. And I must admit that I seldom, summer or winter, sit in my recliner without it at least draped over my lap to help elevate a book I’m reading.

The inner child in me would not let me throw or give away my two previous blankets. One is in the back seat of my truck in case I need it. I’ve used it many times to cover items, cushion fragile things in my truck bed, move paintings from one place to another, etc. The oldest one is at the foot of my “work-out” cot in the spare room and keeps my feet from sliding during some of my back routine.

When my first child was born, I immediately recognized the value of a “security blanket” and often took the same blanket with us if we visited anyone or traveled anywhere. Later, she chose her own blanket, one crocheted by my grandmother. It had to be dried on the clothesline and one of my favorite photos of Karen is of her waiting patiently for it to dry. I had to coax her into waiting in the house! My other two children also had blankets. Robert carried his until it was a 1’x1’ square tucked into his daycare backpack. Simply a “touch of home” if things got stressful. As a teacher I noticed that many of my kindergarten students, male and female, also carried blanket squares for at least the first semester.

So…for whatever amusement or reassurance you might glean from it…that is my story for today.

Diet Transformation

I’ve waited to post a short update on my weight loss. You may recall that my doctor told me a month ago that I am “too smart to stay fat”. Apparently, he was right! I returned for my checkup today and I’ve lost 22 pounds. He was so stunned that he weighed me himself to confirm the numbers.

I share that not to brag, but to also share the three things that I believe have made me successful:

1. I carefully examined my current diet and examined portion, calories, carbs, and overall nutrition value. My question was “is this worth eating?”.
2. I bought a pretty set of measuring cups and began measuring everything I ate, comparing those to listed serving sizes, and reading the recommended American Diabetes Association portions for each one. I’ve found that the ADA seems to have the most basic and useful information and I’ve purchased three of their books. I’ve reduced all portions accordingly.
3. I’ve eliminated some foods, and made some substitutions for others, but have retained at least a taste of anything I truly love, including dark chocolate. I felt that was essential for this first phase and I have not felt deprived at all.

Over the next three months I plan to lose twenty more pounds. Then I’ll meet with my doctor and we’ll discuss my health again. I have no plans to post a photo of myself before then. I hope you find this helpful.