Quandary

We're being told that we should not expose others to the H1N1 virus and that to be sure that we don't, we should stay home if we feel sick. Here's my quandary. If I sit at home analyzing how I feel, I can sometimes (when I'm a little tired or a little down) convince myself that I'm getting sick. I then think maybe I'd better stay home; however, if I have to go out to, say, walk the dogs or pick up some milk, I find that I feel just fine - actually better. So you see, I have to go out and about to figure out if I'm getting sick or just malingering or imagining. I do sincerely hope that I don't get this virus, as I'm sure that I would spread it trying to figure out whether I have it or not.

Time passing

Here it is the 17th of September - less than two and a half months, and I will be headed southwest to hide from the evil winter winds. It remains beautiful in Minnesota, with temperatures moderating from the lower 80's to the mid 70's. Trees are turning color, but leaves are dropping quickly due to our drought conditions.

Today I renewed my drivers' license, not waiting as I did in 2005 until the very last minute. Very pleasant public servant clarified that in Minnesota it's okay to smile for your picture. We agreed that, should we be stopped by an officer, we'd be smiling at him/her when he/she came to the window - an anxious smile, perhaps, but a smile nevertheless. I'm sure the officer would recognize me as the person in the license picture, if I'm smiling. If not, I suppose I might be asked to smile for the comparison. Anyway, the picture looks more like me than the one taken in 2005, and I told the truth about my weight this time. First time in many years. Also failed the eye exam, so from now on the glasses I already always wear when driving are mandated. Ah well, I held out for a long time on that.

Choir last evening kept me up late. Actually, it wasn't the choir that ran late; it was the after choir drink and snack and visit with friends. The time with friends must not be cut short, as it is very important time indeed. Life continues to be good.

Progress Report - Painting

Just finished the "accent wall" in the living room, except for the detail around the molding, which has to wait for the paint on the molding to dry. As I was looking it over a voice commented aloud "that is going to make this a much more interesting room." It's always nice to hear complements, even if they are from a biased source, but especially after two days of very hard work. Still much to do. I now remember why I put off repainting for about fifteen or twenty years. Just guess how long it will be until I undertake something like this again.

Thought about it? I'm guessing it will be twice as long as you might guess. Oh yes, and in case you're wondering who commented out loud, remember I live alone. Now can you guess who it was?

Loose ends & Future plans

For those of you (if any) who have been wondering what I would be doing about my shiny spotted dining room and living room walls, you shall be in suspense no longer. I will be repainting them, and I am today going to make the final paint decision and purchase the paint. (see Dilemna, below) In the interest of sharing every boring tidbit of my mundane life, I shall, after the transformation and in true HGTV style, publish these shots here on my blog. Such a momentous event should not go un-promoted.

September is coming way sooner than expected. We usually expect September to arrive after interminable weeks of hot, muggy weather which prepare us to appreciate the cool fall days that begin in September. This year has been an exception, as we have had comfortable days for much of the summer with only a few days that hinted of real summer. Some folks have regretted this unprecedented comfort. I am not one of these. Still, I look forward to September.

In September I will resume my dog training, but I will not resume showing my pretty Lily in the breed ring. Life continues, and we move on to other things. I shall also repaint my living room and dining room, or did I already mention that? Outings in September? Of course! I think some drives to enjoy the fall color and pleasant lunches in beautiful Minnesota places should be high on the list of things a senior citizen should do before she's too feeble to do them without a personal care assistant. No, I don't think feebleness is imminent, but it's never too soon to use its potential onset as an excuse to do things one loves to do.

No cobwebs on the basement steps

It's hard to believe that I've lived in this house for 23 years this month, and this is the first time I have swept and washed the basement stairs. In fact I am looking at my home in a somewhat different way these days, as I have to watch for areas where cleaning is needed. It's not that I haven't always lived in a clean house, but that for over 40 years, I have depended on someone else to do it for me.

So today, just days since I finished the "big" cleaning that took about two and a half weeks to finish, it is time to vacuum and dust again. It was also time to take on the basement stairs. They don't look much better unless you can conjure up a picture of them with cobwebs and dust accumulated at the edges of every one of them. I found it very gratifying to dump the mop bucket and watch the filthy dirty water wash down the drain. Perhaps that's the reward for the work -- that, and the fact that I can once again walk barefoot in my own home.

Science Museum of Minnesota

A great outing, and, like the good tourists we have become, we had our picture taken. These are some of my outing friends. Left to right: Sue, Deanna, Faith, Me and RuthMary.

A couple more outings and then it will be fall. I've promised myself I'll put some discipline back in my life beginning in September.

The quest is over

After weeks of analyzing and tinkering and asking questions on the Internet about my computer software problem, it is suddenly and somewhat inexplicably solved. I ask no more questions, but they persist in my mind.

What does it matter? It doesn't. I have my favorite game back, and I'm getting back into the groove. I have to rebuild my amazing score record all over again.

There was a time when I wasted a lot of time solving computer software problems that needed to be solved in order for me to carry on my work. Since my work now consists of keeping my mind active with word games, this frustrating experience is surely comparable. Still, this outcome will not yield additional income. Oh well!

Thanks

Once upon a time, a long time ago in a place far away, I learned that traveling by myself wasn't bad at all. If I were in the mood to wander and, perhaps, get lost in a strange place, I had no one to account to but myself. Should I wish to stop in an eating place that appealed to me, have a beer or a cocktail in the middle of the day, and/or splurge on the whole endeavor, I needn't worry that someone with me might not enjoy it as much as I, or, more pertinent, might believe that since we couldn't afford it, we shouldn't do it. On occasions when I felt a particular event or activity or place to visit would be interesting, I never worried that no one else would want to share it with me. I just went ahead and did it. Sometimes, even often sometimes, I would meet interesting people in these endeavors and have quite interesting experiences, some of which I have shared and some I haven't.

Early this summer when I decided that it would be good for me to start doing things I've always meant to do, I told some of my now many and interesting friends of my plan. Considering my home is actually a senior citizen's home, I defined my plans as outings, and set about to schedule a number of them. To my great delight I have been accompanied on these outings by one or more of my many and interesting friends all summer. Tomorrow there will be two or three of us going to the Minnesota Zoo. A couple more outings and we're into September.

This week I have begun to realize how very much these outings and socializings (no, it's not a legitimate word, but . . .) have meant to me. I awaken each day with something to look forward to, either on that day or within the next few days. This happy time has spurred me into activity to tackle a number of mundane tasks that I heretofore (once a lawyer, always a person who falls back on archaic language from time to time) - I heretofore frequently chose to ignore. With many tasks still awaiting my attention, I am hoping this period of good behavior will continue. If not, I am still pleased to have accomplished a lot this summer.

Best of all, I have been blessed in more ways than I can count with the company of good people and really, really good friends. My thanks to you all.

Dilemna

Recently while cleaning my dining room, I spot painted some scuffs and stains in the wall; however, as I noted, I had used a semi-gloss paint, so these spots are now shiny. I found the flat version of this paint; however, it seems to be a teensy bit yellower than the rest of the wall. Should I leave the shiny repairs as is? Or should I paint them a teensy bit yellower? or, heaven forbid, am I now stuck with having to repaint the whole room - which would also require that I paint the whole living room as well. I am wallowing in indecision.

Cleaning

In my frenzy of super cleaning, which means that nearly every day I tackle a room or area of the house and do a thorough cleaning, I yesterday tackled the dining room. The rug is in the car waiting to be delivered to the rug laundry, and I have noticed that my paint touch up of nicks and marks rather shine, as I used semi-gloss paint. I have, fortunately, located the matching flat paint in the basement, so I'll be doing these over today. Makes for a rather odd look to see these shiny patches in various places along the wall. Obviously, not quite ready for company. And besides I still have the living room and upstairs to do. By then, it will be time to start over again in the TV room. A woman's work is never done.

Learning about plants

My first foray into adult learning at the Arboretum today went well. I may even have actually absorbed some new information. At least it seemed that way when we walked around the gardens after the slide presentation and lecture. We'll see how much I retain as time goes on.

Almost missed the garden tour portion of the class as I was delayed in the rest room and the class was out of sight when I emerged. Couldn't see the class and seemed to be in the middle of a group of "families" with screaming and running children instead. I momentarily feared my first attempt at a learning experience was to end negatively, but soon spotted my group and charged purposefully after them.

Learned about gayfeathers, sea lavender, naked lady/autumn lily), lungwort (once thought to cure lung disease) and naked man. Learned that sometimes hybrids evolve from nature, as plants sometimes cross breed/fertilize and new species develop of which we do not know the parentage. A really racy course, as you can tell.

There was a brief joking reference to the value of baneberries in situations where the children didn't quiet down and stop racing the halls. Sound harsh? The temptation could arise should one be exposed to such noise and annoyance for long periods of time. Actually, I jest, surely. Baneberries are, I understand, poisonous. Perhaps just a warning/a little mumbling under one's breath?

Probably should not joke about such things in these troubled times. Some people are not joking, and that becomes a tragedy.

So, How's your summer?

My cousin in Phoenix mentioned that she was looking forward to her swim. Temperature there was 115. Here we were in the high 70's. Hard to imagine living there year round, but some folks do.

These cool days fuel my relatively moderate ambition, including a desire to clean my house. This is the thorough, compulsive cleaning that moves furniture and things on shelves to vacuum and dust behind and beneath. So satisfying when it's finished. It meant that I cleaned the bathroom, including a hands and knees scrubbing of the floor. Wash down the walls, move out the cabinets, etc. Suddenly, as I was brushing my teeth yesterday morning, I glanced down at my bathroom cabinet and saw a streak of something on the side of the cabinet. Being on a tight schedule, I skipped my flossing and grabbed the sponge and towel to wipe this down. It's what we compulsive people do.

We have sidewalks again in my neighborhood. That stuff dries so fast there was no chance to put a dog paw print in it. Probably I wouldn't have done it anyway, but probably it's also a good thing there was no real chance of getting by with it. The inner child never leaves.

The beeping is constant today as they are smoothing out the grassy areas to receive the new sod and preparing the roadway for the return of asphalt streets. Progress is being made, slowly but surely. And here it is August already.

As our temperatures continue to be moderate, I have the energy to clean the house, am saving money with open windows instead of air conditioning and walking the dogs for regular exercise. Life continues to be very, very good.

The fence

Good fences make good neighbors, I think. That, as I recall, is a wise old adage. My fence is one of those offset things which allows for peaking through the slats, which had become a source of constant anxiety in my otherwise tranquil home. The neighbors, you see, have a large black Labrador, who is a sweet dog by nature, but who will naturally react to yipping, snarling attacks from my vicious sounding population. I too have been reacting to the yipping, snarling attacks, which has not, unfortunately, mitigated them.

So I have now patched my fence so that the dogs can no longer see into the neighbors' yard. It has been amusing to watch as, upon perceiving they have heard something indicating activity in the yard next door, my dogs have rushed in their usual mad fashion out into the yard. The puzzlement and anxiety on their faces as they realize the view has changed is almost funny. I am now counting the events before they fully realize that the days of wild frenzy might as well be over. What you can't see won't hurt you or anyone else. May we have many days and evenings of peace and quiet, except, of course, for their harmless and entertaining zooming around the yard, playing with each other. Hope again springs forth that this mad pack of wolf descendants will be manageable.

Lovely Fall Weather

Emptied, cleaned and refilled my backyard waterfall-pond today. It's a task I do at least twice a year, in spring and fall, so it must be fall? Actually, I do it more often than that, but as we locals know, today feels like fall. I'm OK with that. I get a lot done in the fall. The cooler season energizes me. So, you may ask, why do you leave town for the winter? I have no answer for that. It would seem to be entirely against my nature.

Reminded of my Phoenix house by a call from the security service this week, I realized that, if it had been broken into and something stolen (like the TV, which is really the only thing anyone would want to steal), I really wouldn't care. I thought, "well heck, Mildred, my aunt, will just be delighted that we can start shopping to refurnish the house." No break in, however. Just a huge storm that apparently blew open the back door to the patio area. Don't think about storms in Phoenix, but this is their monsoon season.

Got everything worked out as I waited at the Vet's office for Vickie to wake up from her sedative induced sleep. Had to do that to dress her ear where her granddaughter had disciplined her a bit harshly. Granddaughter, Yo, thinks she is doing me a favor because she knows I don't like Vickie to race barking outside whenever the neighbors are in their yard. What she doesn't quite understand is that I don't like it when she does that either, and I especially don't like her disciplining Vickie or anyone else around here on my behalf.

So now, after completing my waterfall project, I go to Home Depot to get boards for the fence that will block out our view into the neighbors' back yard. I'm hoping this will provide me with much quieter evenings and more peaceful interactions between Yo and her grandmother. We shall see.

Robbinsdale fireworks

Now that I no longer have that pesky, view-obstructing maple tree in my back yard, I had a nice, relatively unimpeded view of last evening's Robbinsdale fireworks from the upstairs deck outside my bedroom. These happen every year as the grand conclusion to our annual Whiz Bang Days. They really were quite spectacular and I would have applauded if I had been properly dressed and not sitting there in the dark in my rather skimpy sleep outfit. One does not call attention to oneself in an outfit like that, at least not if one has a sense of modesty or is of a certain age or both.

I almost attended the Whiz Bang Days event/s this year, but somehow didn't get around to it. I did, however, hear some of the alleged music and a lot of honking and sirens which I assume were part of the parade. A nice small town parade, perhaps like Odebolt Creek Days, but without the huge tractors and farm equipment. At least I don't think they had tractors in our parade. Maybe I should take it in next year and find out for sure. I may be missing a nostalgic experience.

Wild life in Robbinsdale part 2

A rabbit lying injured in the grass just up the street. Conversing with the homeowner, she mentioned that there was a fox in their alley last week. Also mentioned that her neighbor feeds the rabbits. That should insure a continuing presence of foxes in Robbinsdale. The injured rabbit awaits someone to pick it up and humanely euthanize it. Sad. They are so cute, but . . .

Holidays are for relaxing

It used to be that holidays were welcome changes from a work routine, like they are for most of you, I'm sure. The habit of treating holidays like special days when it's perfectly all right to do nothing much and waste time at it does not go away. So here I am doing nothing, and not even feeling guilty about it, but only after dealing with stresses one should not have at all as a retired person.

It all began when I saw that my anti-virus subscription was running out. My efforts (yes, I mean efforts, plural) to renew it (I should remember that nothing is ever easy in the Norton/Symantec world) were futile, as I could not activate it even though I bought the subscription. Eventually, I took it off and bought McAfee, which loaded nicely; however, in the process I lost one of my favorite games. Now that is a serious interference with my peaceful routine. I have no idea how or why, but "Scrabble Blast" has disappeared, never to be found again. Trying to get my favorite game back, though supposedly available for redownload, could simply not be done. I am in deep mourning over my lost Scrabble Blast game. I had many scores at the "God" level of skill accumulated over a period of years - clearly, irreplaceable and majorly grief worthy.

Then, also, my Word program suddenly refused to open for me, causing another episode of irritation. The Word program had to be uninstalled then reinstalled and updated to work again, wasting more of my precious "do nothing and not feel guilty" time.

All of which is irritating, and, more seriously, intrudes upon my game time. I probably should do something about this computer game addiction one of these days. Still, this is my mind's exercise program, so I must persevere.

Friends are good

Today is a brighter day for my having gone on a field trip with friends yesterday. I'm sure I'd have felt good if I'd gone alone, but I feel really good because I spent a good part of an interesting and beautiful day with friends. Friends are good, and I am blessed with some very, very good friends. Thank you!

Taking the back roads

On Friday I was off to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to visit with my aunts, my father's remaining siblings. Aunts Frannie, Mildred and Edene gathered together in Aunt Frannie's new apartment, Mildred having come from Arizona and Edene from Michigan. My cousin, Jim, who drove his mother there from Michigan, and my cousins, Donna and Mary, who live in Cedar Rapids near their mother, were also there. There, now you can create a portion of my family tree and that should make it all very clear. Or, you could have skipped this first paragraph altogether, but it's too late for that. I have always loved these dear aunts of mine, and this trip gave me an opportunity to know them better.

Consistent with my recent advice to avoid I35, I took a route through Rochester, Minnesota (and yes, I hid my face as I drove through, carefully not doing anything to call attention to myself). Two lane roads were predominate, but that was no problem, as there was little traffic. On the return trip, engrossed as I was with Alexander McCall Smith's latest No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency book (the recorded version), I found myself on a hilly and winding, but lovely, road that was unfamiliar to me. Checking I found I had somehow left Highway 63 for County Road 1. Which county? I have no idea, but it was in Minnesota. As I was still traveling north (thank heaven for my car's compass), I continued on the way. Only one tractor slowed my progress.

I have decided that I love traveling the byways. My gas mileage is wonderful and what's an additional half hour or so? After all, I'm retired. I have lots of time.

Life

Before I could hit the mute button, I happened to see Jamie Lee Curtis sitting with an ordinary person (not a star) for a comfortable chat about her digestive issues. "Tell me about your problem," said Ms Curtis. I found the mute button in time to avoid the sharing of this information. I can't imagine telling Jamie Lee Curtis about my digestive problems. Hell, I don't even tell my close friends about them. And I can't imagine buying Activia and going through the check out at my favorite Byerly's with it. I know these cashiers. I've been going there for years. My digestive problems are none of their business either.