Joe's is abundant with produce right now. Plants and flowers all on sale half off. Good time to gather.
From there I went to the Import shop to get biscuits from England and Belgium - chocolates . Sally coming over for tea... I bought Yorkshire Gold which is a bit better than builder's tea.
Sunflowers from Joe's-
Flowers from the deck
Delicious plums from Joe's as our old lady tree is beyond fruit bearing. Sally brought dolmades and nuts, I bought ham and cheese croissants from the bakery with cucumber from the garden. All in all it was a fine tea. Sally stayed for six hours, we covered a lot of ground!
Tales of Burning man and the LOOOONNNNGGGG drive down and back. Sally said that she thought she was the oldest person there at 74- but she is really , in spirit and body only 12. She had a pretty great time though the flashing bright neon lights and music (noise) was uncomfortable, to be polite...it was horrendous. So that is ticked off the bucket list.
She left our pal there , with good wishes, among all of the others including beloved pets that had died. The temple this year was astonishing, she said...a beautiful structure and then on suday- ashes to ashes.
We went through some of her photos from long ago. The girls and my Cathy. We formed quite a gang in my early twenties. The girls in Wyoming when they were wee, Sally is the youngest, Cathy is the is oldest.
They grew to be brilliant of course, and Wyoming hearty. No obstacle high enough or deep enough to keep any of them from pursuing lives of adventure and action, erudition and success in this world.
Cathy died last year- dementia. I still have not reckoned . I don't believe that she is gone . Loved her deeply , ever so grateful for our time- enriched existence on this planet.
Dang! Death sucks.
This morning I am off to get a blip removed , could be significant, not sure, and this afternoon - an eye jab. I will fit senior day in between just for positivity in the middle of the day. My drug of choice, as they say.
Keeka is hiking Japan and chasing baby monkeys. On her way to Indonesia , ultimately Australia , where she will be working , traveling, hiking and climbing and pursuing art /design/illustration career. Yeah, I know- it's a lot!
She found the rain.
Son and DIL actually have purchased a home in Portugal . No more renting. It is magnificent! Biking, country, beach and pool. The biggest plus is that they are out of this godforsaken country and that they are young enough to begin new lives where the sun shines. they got in just under the wire , before Portugal closed the gate.
On we all go...if not for eye jabs .
This is our one sad little sunflower on the deck at sunset. no worries, Joe has MANY for a couple of dollars. They are autumnal essentials!
Good day , single Sunflower! There are a couple of very small orange sunflowers in a near by pot.This summer has not had enough sun for them to flourish.
Last week I answered the phone because on the ID was my health insurance company. Kaiser calling to make a wellness report , please make an appointment- how about Friday at 5:30 pm.
They phoned three more times to validate and to make sure that my phone was hooked up with microphone and picture . I asked why they were calling ME for health reasons. They ignore answering and just said it was policy to have a nurse at the appointment to find out how I am and if there is anything they could help with.
Friday rolled around. I talked with Dennis about insurance calling me for information. and how wrong that is- he agreed. He looked up all of the numbers that they phoned from- all. bogus but sophisticated in their method. Very "official". I called kaiser insurance to report them but let the scammer call go through with the "nurse". Her questions began with " we need to know who your primary care giver is"...
The conversation went no further. I told her that she was bogus and it was not nice of them to call old people - phishing, scamming whatever, and to get a real job.
So warning y'all, if your health insurance phones you wanting to make a date to gather info. Just say "Get a real job!" It worked , they have been reported but they do carry on with their highly sophisticated shenanigans. A more trusting person would buy it. This end of the phone trusts no one and nothing- we have learned !
Ring ring....Allo, my name is ( something I can not pronounce) I am your nurse calling to verify a few of your health concerns... Is this leena hufangle.
No, it is not- "what do you want , really?"
"we are your health insurance and we want answers to a few questions." Who is your primary health provider?'
"no you're not", says I.
"you do not have to answer if you do not want to", said the name I can not pronounce.
Ok, says I, You are bogus and blah blah blah -and you need to rethink your choices and make better ones. Be a better person. -Bye.
Then I went out to find origami paper for Euleta, my (sister) living in Loveland so that she can use it to make a self portrait in collage. Clever Girl, She has always been an amazing artist, since she was old enough to hold a crayon.
I went to five shops including the Japanese shop- and came away with NOTHING . Wasn't it just two years ago that origami paper of all sorts was available everywhere? I went through my stash which isn't the best and then ordered some from Evil Bezos to see if it will do .
I even popped in to Goodwill to search , a place I rarely go because their stuff is broken and dirty. Found two fruit box labels for .99 cents and a bag full of wierdo stuff- glass bottle stoppers and little frames.
as well as a rooster pitcher, elephant bottle and something I- don't- know- what , in the lot. Grab bags can be fun- like a treasure hunt- most of it is trash- cheap thrills, you understand.
But no origami paper....
Today is Saturday and blogger is still being lazy- not updating posts, so you probably will not be seeing this one.
Good day , from the window sill, egg shells from breakfast- saved on the sill because of their pretty color.
We are free from storage units! Dennis has had many for over 40 years. Easy to not have to think about stuff, just toss it in a storage unit- storage unit full? Get another, it's called addition and multiplicaton. Dennis is a mathematician! All sorts of rubbish except for two things that were mine- a cedar chest and a 1950's table . The hand tied rugs were given up because of moth damage. So, Dennis finally emptied all of his units, took loads to habitat and goodwill and the dump. He did find vintage dental milk glass trays for holding instruments as well as a couple of cool glass objects used in his practice. he brought those home knowing that I would love them.
The thing that looks like a very large ring on my finger was used to steady tiny cotton balls, the other glass tray was used for mixing .
I stuck someone's card in the ring, some plastic birds out of the top top and VOILA! A new thing to make you wonder "what is she thinking?" Well, the card is unusual in that the lady has a mouse on her neck batting her ear ring and she is fine with that. Also it is a great little vessel to house wedding cake plastic doves on sticks. What else is one to do with them?
The fence dilemma is solved everyone involved is happy. It's purpose is to discourage the raccoons as they have made a toilet out of the side of the road. Fence will be built. Party is over, sorry little family. The fine for purposely feeding wildlife in this town is $175.00 . (worth it ,actually ,for the pleasure of watching/loving them) This morning, last video of mother and child eating kibbles on our deck. The humans are cross, the family will have to stay in the forest from now on.
( I am probably lying.)
Blogger has been glitching lately as you have noticed. If Blogger gunny bags I will surely lose main interaction with the world of the best sort of lovely humans. Also storage of personal records of this and that in my small life would be lost. I frequently check my old posts to see what I may have been up to a few years ago or even just yesterday. Short attention span.
Having grown up in isolation- I am not a fan . Solitude is a choice - isolation is circumstantial - not the best state to be in. If blogger crashes and burns , as things are wont to do these days, I may have to take up scrap booking or something to keep my oars in the water. I still have cigar boxes to dink with and loads of art supplies. I may survive.
anyway-
Time for a cup of tea- join me , won't you? No biscuits on hand but I do have a bag of kibble, and crumpets with honey. Your choice.
Cheers have a beautiful sunny end of summer day! LOVE
PS- the eye guy said that I could only be gone for about a week so my fantastic trip across the Atlantic will never be reality. Farewell England, Goodbye London. Thou shalt not see me again.
So it goes, nail on the head, but we ain't dead yet !! As things tumble in the most insane way, we carry on.
Sally and Anna returned from Burning man , had amazing time and when asked about the relentless dust storms , blinding everyone and tearing them to shreds, Sally did not hesitate- "I grew up in Wyoming, I can handle anything!" True that! Growing up in Wyoming was great training.
They took the van so had shelter.From the window they watched thick playa dust and wind, while comfortably tucked inside playing Jenga. They managed to get out into it and sometimes the storm stopped for a few minutes, at least long enough to take a photo beneath the guy!
When Sally got home late Monday night- she slept for 12 hours straight, found this in the van this morning-
Dirty coffee cup , used panties wadded up in it plus a gifted tiny bottle of Fireball whiskey- Isn't that typical? A good time was had.
Janny sent this photo this morning, All is well, Her daughter picked up her new dress at a Korean market. Happy Janny. She is loving her new digs in Hope Valley, RI. Their house sold, They are free.
Grandson will be here for another couple of days and then will move on to middle son's spare apartment while waiting for word about Seattle's rental. It is so complicated to rent these days. The kids have to jump through many hoops and spend cash just to apply. There are no guarantees and might fold at the last minute. The poor kid left hanging in the no zone.
Senior discount day enticed me to see what there was to see. I came away with a basket and two hand made paper journal books with funny little markers. The hand made paper is soft and pliable, wonderful for ink and Posca pens.
The neighbors want to complete a fence across our three back yards blocking the animal trail. That's the thing about living in town. The un-wilding boxing in of human control. I am not a fan.
Goldfinch trying to shake off a bonk to the glass door, sitting on the deck just now . It flew off after flopping around for a bit. I had my fingers crossed - that must have done the trick.
That's it- caught up with friends and thrift store. Another beautiful day.
On the dock testing the water's temperature, shall we go in?
Decided that is wasn't too freezing after getting used to it , Maddy took the snorkel , waded in and dove down to get a crayfish, because they are cute.
Very Cute!
Friendly enough until he realized that he had been interrupted going about his little cray life and brought ashore. That realization made him a little bit cranky so back he went to the very spot where Maddy found him.
My arms are full of holes from the wellness visit to the doctor. She burned off five nubs and gave me a flu jab. Grateful for that and pleased to get a Tweety bandaid so that blood did not drip all over .
My arms look diseased as a result of the freezer zapper. They heal quickly but in the meantime I look poxed , infected, contagious. My skin is a mess- it looks like old battered luggage.
Beautiful day today, one cloud in the sky the rest is blue as blue can be. I am trying to mend the cashmere sweater,found in a bin, using a jagged rock as a base, I bought two dollar wool yarn that is not remotely weave-able. If I tug on it gently it comes apart. Get what you pay for, they say.
Every year my friend has an "Old Friends " party and for a few hours on one night we all catch up with one another, hear about future trips around the globe, business ventures, books read, and we may talk politics, as we are all on the same page.
This year, however, it truly was sobering.
Our main favorite has died, another is nearly bed ridden, some have vanished replaced by others whom I do not know...Surgeries, ill health, strokes and heart issues have compromised a few. WOW, having not seen these folks for about two years , maybe three, "the walls come tumbling down."
Certainly a bit of decrepitness is bound to occur as we inch toward our exits ...words escaping ,( a "green house" becomes a "glass plant structure thing " ,substitution, which i find myself doing frequently) slow moving- off balance, more deaf, less vision, incessant chatter about what ails ya ...Just kill me NOW. It is difficult to measure ,
having not seen one another in a couple of years. Startling gathering of "OLD" friends for one evening.
Some roll over and play dead or actually BE dead. Some, the most health challenged of the lot, carry on- booking fights and boat trips from here and there- from Bergen to British islands , Wales and beyond to the far north. Taken in "stride", so to speak, inability to walk well or to talk or hear- with dignity they venture out and about, slower, adjusting to the complexity of travel after having stroke, crippled knees, heart issues, breathing trouble and - hearing loss
Kudos to them, I say! "I will get by"...
Which really sorts me out about dismissing a trip across the Atlantic, solo - to stay in England for a bit- revisit favorite haunts and see friends living there. It will just be a different sort of challenge without eye sight behaving as it used to . Anyway, Shook me out of my "can't do" attitude.
The garden is lovely.Bill has brought it into lush bloom and structure. He is a nurturing soul! When they first moved there about 30 years ago the yard was dry dirt, rocks and twigs with an abrupt dropping slope into the alleyway of more dry dirt. There was no life at all.
Giant cup hostas, as big as a dinner plate.
Above is a volunteer tree that towers above the two story house. Brought in by a Japanese squirrel, they reckon. It is a Japanese walnut tree that appeared one spring already well established before being noticed and has grown like it bought the property. It is beautiful. Smooth white bark, delicate branches with five inch leaves growing in pairs sharing the same node. Like a dogwood but more elegant.
Two other trees, fir and a maple I think, were volunteers and luckily landed in a good position to add to the garden's geometric balance.
Sobering yet encouraging evening spent. The only annoyance was being in the company of people shouting at high volume , hollering "what?' too frequently. Another good reason for ASL to be taught in schools. How much more pleasant humans could be when shouting is subdued. Maybe Americans have this special problem due to being a very loud shouty population anyway (?) My hearing is acute, so it is painful and bothersome to me. Generally I excuse myself and go outside, which I did do.
Ok, on to the next thing- going out to the lake to see grandchildren and son and DIL , eat a weenee, a chip and watch them turn blue in the chilly lake.
A second cup of coffee, gazing out the window this is what I see. I am going to miss the deck garden as winter rolls in. There are still flowers blooming and bees doing their work, there is a change in the air , though subtle, we feel it.
Finch on a tattered twig from the plum tree, high in the sky, and the chaos of the deck flower pots- I am partial to disarray. Neat and tidy is not one of my virtues.
Weather looks promising- I might make it past cups of coffee out into the world. Yesterday I had to pick up provisions to make onigiri for a party this coming week end.
When Erik was little this was our favorite shop. Especially the alter at the back where big bags of whatever are kept. After Erik left home, I stopped shopping at the market due to Dennis's inability to eat anything with a single carb in it, and also due to his dislike of unfamiliar foods.
Mochi/red bean/sesame treat for the road! Yummiest treat ever!
I came away with the basics - will use salmon for filling. Spam is the usual fave but - ewww, I can not tolerate spam, which is One of Dennis's favorite so called "foods". He has the weirdest diet of anyone on the planet ( his father was the champion but he is no longer on this planet)...so Dennis comes by it naturally , is now the champion, and it is keeping him alive and well. Also his Dad lived to be very nearly 100, eating the weirdest diet invented by himself...so there is that! Dennis will outlive us all.
I went in for an annual wellness check and labs yesterday after buying goods from the Asian shop- All is well, no meds , no gadgets, blood looks great and blood pressure is way normal! I have been worried about that since every time I go get an eye jab my blood pressure tells them to call an ambulance.
My doctor just rolled her eyes and said "tell them that your DOCTOR said your blood pressure is low if anything"....
Flora Jane started big kid school! She is pumped and she will of course be the star student of the universe. Check her boots! Style master.
TIME is scooting isn't it? Our generation of amazing folks are leaving. At 92 living with a terrible condition, Gloria takes the cake.
“My experience with trigeminal neuralgia certainly made me realize how little the health care system knows about many things,” Steinem pointed out at the time. “With this ailment, 5 percent are due to brain tumors, 5 percent are due to multiple sclerosis, and for most, they have no idea. It manifests itself as an excruciating, worst-kind-of-tooth-pain, somewhere in the face, usually in the jaw. … And because of the costs of searching out different specialists, it was very clear to me that if I hadn’t had the resources and insurance both, I would probably have done what most poor people with this disease do, which is end up having all of their teeth out and then discovering it’s not their teeth.”
RIP Gloria, my favorite of all time. Remember when I crashed the high rent party held for her in the posh neighborhood -with my paper camera? I can't find the photo but I blogged it before- that was one of the most memorable moments in this life. Gloria changed/improved our lives , our champion, and MS magazine , our shield! Damn, makes me sadder than any other recent departure. We could never thank Gloria enough, moved mountains yet still more to shift!
Smash the patriarchy, y'all, we owe it to ourselves, our women children, our sons, and to Gloria.
By the way, Bloggers "comment" thing is broken so, for now, comments will not publish.
