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“People don’t take trips, trips take people.”

June 20, 2017

Cloudy, rainy weather is now on day 4. The breeze today is strong, and the humidity gives it a chilly dampness. The thick air subdues sound. I don’t even hear the birds.

Gracie is sleeping on the couch after her hectic two days. I haven’t been able to give her the morning pills yet. She is far too smart. I gave her some deli turkey this morning, and she spit out any piece with a hidden pill. She ate the rest. I’m down to hand in mouth pill distribution. Gracie has actually eaten a whole can of dog food. I’ll try a second can later.

Another mouse got caught in my trap two weeks after the exterminator was here. I noticed poop on the floor near the trap, a sign of a nervous mouse, so I checked. It was a gray, adult field mouse. I took it and the trap to the car, drove a bit then let the mouse go. It bounded through the tall grass. I never realized mice could bound.

On Sunday night, I was out back with Gracie. The house behind me on the next street had three outside lights lit. All of a sudden I heard a guy scream, “Come on, rabbits, I’m ready.” He yelled that a couple of times. I figure he has a garden the rabbits are enjoying. Beyond that, I have no idea what awaits those poor creatures. Peter Rabbit and Watership Down came to mind.

I finally loaded my Ghana trip pictures to the computer. I also loaded and posted last Christmas, this Easter and February’s snow storm. I did all this yesterday while I was waiting to hear about Gracie. I needed to keep busy. Looking through my trip pictures was joyful. I got to relive it all. The only thing I’d change about that trip is maybe to make it longer, spend a few more days watching elephants and use a day to visit the Rhino preserve on the river.

I have Peace Corps friends who have no intention of going back to Ghana. I know things have changed. The cities are huge and choked with traffic. People are everywhere: walking, riding in cars or taxis or on bikes, but inherently Ghana hasn’t changed nor have the wonderful Ghanaian people. In Bolga, market day is still every third day. Mostly women sell cooked food along the sides of the roads. Kids are still drawn to white people though I don’t understand why. I know in my day it was the rarity of white people in the Upper Region. Taxi drivers still inflate the fares so we still get to bargain. The food was and still is amazing, except for kenkey which I never liked. If I were rich enough, I’d go back for a farewell tour.

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“Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.”

June 8, 2017

Gracie and I had two visits to the vets yesterday. The first was to check on her legs which had splayed and caused her to go down on the floor. The vet figured it was due to her legs being stiff after she was sleeping on the couch was so long. She got two new medicines. The second was at 10:00. It was to the 24-hour vet where the entrance fee is $177.00. Gracie had spent the evening grazing in the backyard and had been sick twice. One of the new pills caused vomiting, and I wanted to make sure she was okay. We were alone at first then two other dog and their humans joined us. One of the dogs had been attacked by a coyote. He had teeth marks on his haunches and his tail. He was especially nervous, peed three times and lapped the floor. It took a while for the dog to calm down. The other dog had had surgery earlier in the day and was bleeding. The bleeding dog left first. He was okay. Gracie got an x-ray, an anti-nausea shot and an IV to help her rehydrate. She got another new pill. We got home at 1:45.

Here I am sitting inside on a lovely warm day, a sunny day no less, watching television. I am watching the Comey hearing. I think I’m hoping for a revelation similar to finding out about the existence of the recordings during the Watergate hearings. Comey’s facts and written recordings of his meetings with Trump are in contrast to Trumps’s memories. Comey is quite believable.

All of my close friends are around my age, maybe a few years older or a few years younger. That’s one thing we have in common, our ages. We grew up in small towns or in cities, both in this state and a few others. One of my friends went to the same college I did, but the others went all over the place. One of my friends dates back to high school. Two are my neighbors, and I worked with most of the rest except my high school friend’s wife and the two friends I met in Ghana. The biggest thing we share is our politics. None of us voted for Trump. As far as I know, we all voted for McGovern. Somewhere along the line, all of our experiences made us liberals. Maybe it was the 60’s or opposition to the war. Maybe it was fallout after Nixon, but I think it was well before Nixon. We were lucky enough to find each other and to become friends, kindred spirits, kindred souls. Sharing politics is just icing on the cake.

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“A procession is a participants’ journey, while a parade is a performance with an audience.”

May 28, 2017

The morning is lovely; the sun so very bright. The air is sweet. When Gracie and I went to the backyard, I felt the early morning chill as I was awake and stirring before the arrival of my newspapers. My neighbors across the street were also awake. Their shades were up. The dogs from the corner house were barking.

I’ve had coffee but nothing else yet. I’m thinking maybe an English muffin. I eat a piece and Gracie eats a piece, but what she doesn’t know is pills are hidden in the nooks and crannies. When it comes to food, Gracie is easily duped.

Okay, my weather prognostication skills are faulty. It is still chilly, and it has gotten cloudy. The sun is on and off.  It is 61˚ and won’t get much warmer. At least it isn’t raining.

I watch far too many Forensic Files. Yesterday I cut my finger, but it didn’t hurt so I didn’t notice. A while later I saw the blood, cleaned my hand, and put a band-aid on the cut. I found blood smears on the door and bathroom faucets. Immediately I thought DNA evidence.

TCM is my viewing choice of the day. I just watched 36 Hours which I had never seen. The theme today seems to be Nazis and spies of all sorts out to thwart them. James Garner was this movie’s hero as was Rod Taylor, a Nazi who helps James Garner and Eva Marie Saint escape a fake hospital run by Nazis pretending to be Americans to get information about D-Day from Garner. Taylor convinces Garner it is 1950 and the war is long over. If you want to know more and wonder about Eva Marie Saint, you’ll have to watch the movie. Next up is 1942’s Journey into Fear starring Orson Wells.

My town has a parade tomorrow. I’m hoping it isn’t raining as I really do enjoy these little  hometown parades. The Memorial Day parade is the shortest. The middle school band provides the music, and every other year the high school band joins them. On the off year, the band goes to Yarmouth, the other half of the school district. Veterans, girl scouts, and boy scouts march. The boy scouts lug the same float they lug every year. There is always one jeep, the same one every year with the same driver. The end of the parade has fire trucks with their sirens blaring. It doesn’t matter that the parade is always the same. I think that’s my favorite part.

It’s game night Sunday!

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“Getting an inch of snow is like winning 10 cents in the lottery.”

March 9, 2017

Gracie went to the vets this morning. It was a combination well dog, clip her nails and check her her back legs visit. I explained all the leg issues and how her paws slide on the floor and steps. The vet checked and thinks it might be arthritis. She prescribed some pills mostly for ease of joint movement. I should keep an eye on Miss Gracie, and if there is no change in three weeks, I’m to bring her back. Other than that, the vet thought Gracie looked wonderful for her age.

Yesterday afternoon was beautiful. The sun came out, and it was warm, almost hot. I bought lunch and ate it sitting outside. We did some errands and both of us, the dog and I, were glad to be out. Today it is 56˚. The sun is bright. A strong wind is blowing. You’d think spring but you’d be wrong. We are under a storm watch. The snow should start after midnight and continue during the day. They are predicting 4-8 inches. It could get as cold as 16˚. I’m going to pick up some storm goodies. The joke is people always buy bread and milk before a storm or a hurricane. I, however, will buy a chicken already cooked, some sweet potatoes, also cooked, some cole slaw, biscotti for breakfast and a couple of cupcakes. I’m thinking chocolate with white frosting.

When I was a kid and snow was expected, I’d periodically look out the picture window hoping to see furiously falling snow. The light below the streetlight right near my house was my weather watch spot. The light was bright so I could see the snow falling and blowing sideways in the wind. Once the snow started, I’d keep an eye on the street and front lawn hoping both would disappear under snow. No school was always the reason for the vigil. The worst disappointment was to go to bed during a heavy snowstorm and wake up to find there just wasn’t enough snow. It was time to get dressed for school.

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You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.”

March 28, 2016

The story connected with today is a long one. It’s a bit boring but not because of length. It just is. I’ll start at the beginning as I figure that’s where everything starts. I had my annual physical today. My doctor is okay, not spectacular but okay. He had on a nice shirt for which I complimented him. His wife bought it. That was the pleasantry. He then went through the blood tests with me and decided I was relatively healthy for my age. He actually said that last part. He also said something about people of my generation. I ignored that. He said I needed to exercise more to lose weight. I explained as I do every time I see him that my back prevents that. I walk then stop then walk then stop. By then the distance I’ve walked can be easily measure in yards. I told him I take a handful of Aleve when my back is bad. Not a good thing he said. It will affect my kidneys. We then talked about my kidneys. It was an enthralling saga. He asked if I would be averse to a narcotic for pain. Silly question. He also decided I’ll have another MRI and go back to see the surgeon who did my last operation. He said to come back in two weeks. That was it I was done.

The library was next. Leave three books, get three more. I chatted a bit with the librarian then went back out into the pouring rain. I haven’t mentioned the rain before. It was pouring, a deluge, raining cats and dogs, torrential and relentless. I went in and out all day and never really dried.

My next stop was the pharmacy. I waited for prescriptions to be filled. The lady beside was wearing blue Converse sneakers with white laces. I told her I really liked her sneakers. We had a conversation about how we all wore them as kids. She has another in grey. I told her I had pink and purple high tops. She loved it. I got my prescriptions and went back into the rain, the torrential rain. My next stop was to have blood drawn. I just had that done Thursday but had to have it done again after a change in dosage. By then it was after two. I was hungry. I decided on Chinese food.

I went and bought my lunch to eat at home. It was tasty. After eating I decided I needed a nap. I slept until 5:15 so here I am.

Tomorrow I’ll tell you about Easter. I was quite a hit.

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“being sick feels like you’re wearing someone else’s glasses”

October 16, 2015

I am alive though well would be a stretch. Last night won’t go down in the annals as one of my better. I woke up at 2:30 unable to catch my breath. I was about to hop into my car to go to the emergency room when the coughing slowed down. I returned to bed, propped up with pillows behind me and finally fall asleep. This morning I found my inhaler and that has made a world of difference. I have to chuckle though as my table looks like the side table of some old lady’s bedroom filled as it is with bottles, kleenex boxes and used kleenex. I should be wearing a quilted bed jacket and a lacy cap.

I just woke up from a nap, a three-hour nap. Now I’m singing the theme from Gilligan. Yikes, I’m sicker than I thought.

All my body functions and parts are failing in tandem. First was my eye-hand coordination. Last night I tipped over a full glass of sticky orange juice on my table which is filled with books. Though I cleaned it up, my fingers still stick in places I missed. When I get up, I feel a bit dizzy and do pirouettes, ungracefully I might add. I am getting quite tired of blowing my nose.

My mother was the best when I was sick. I’d lie in bed and she’d bring something to nosh like juice and crackers, sometimes Saltines or Pilot Crackers, spread with butter. Lunch was usually soup and maybe a half sandwich: tomato soup and grilled cheese was the favorite of the sick room crowd. Dunking the sandwich into the soup was rather tasty.

I loved the attention from my mother. Every other day I had to share her but not when I was sick. Sometimes being sick, but not all that sick, was worth it.

My friend Clare brought me whoopie pies and apple cider donuts yesterday. She left them on the steps put off by the quarantine signs in the windows.

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