Tough day on the porch…

 First things first. 18 days before my 71st birthday. My 70th year will be over. 

Today was an awful day. Bella jumped out of my arms and broke her little tibia. She hit the ground awkwardly. I did not hang on tight enough to her. She spent the day at the veterinarian’s. She has pain pills and a splint. It was just so sad. No sleeping here last night. Woke up at six to wait to call her Doctor. I am tired. Or is it age? Cammy helped put her to bed tonight. 

Questions from Inside the Actor’s Studio (I did not say any of this made sense) 

1. What is your favorite word? Well, I love words. Words that are fun to say. Words with special meanings. Choosing my favorite will be hard. Today it is Lugubrious. It is how I feel. It is fun to say. It is a good word. 

2. What is your least favorite word? Same. See above. So many words. Constipated. Just don’t like that word. At all

3. What turns you on? A good book. Books light my life.

4. What turns you off? Loud. Just loud anything. Talking. Lawn mowers. That  car that just raced down the street. Loud.

5. What sound or noise do you love? Baby noises. Human babies, kittens and puppies. That cooy sound they make before they talk. Sweet.

6. What sound or noise do you hate? Television sounds that are loud and intrusive. How can I talk or read?

7. What is your favorite curse word? I don’t curse much but if I did have a favorite it would be gobshite or gobsmacked. Good words. 

8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Writer or sculptor. Oh, I’d like to paint or be a photographer. 

9. What profession would you not like to do? Lawyer, too much talking and it could get loud. 

10. If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? “You are finally here, love!”

Some good questions. I would like  to challenge my siblings to answer any or all of these questions. Pleassssssse! 

20 days til 71st B-Day…

 

First prom of the season. The Texas grands in Waskom. These are the handsome pictures of prom attendees. No details until tomorrow. I hope they have so much fun. More pics from the kids tomorrw. These are the days, my friend.

Visited Ivan’s older sister today. He does not go out much so it has been a while. She is about 94. She looks good because they do but life is tough after 90. Losing her beloved Jack has hurt her so much. She needed him to get on and through advanced age. He took good care of her. She is very fragile. I brought toffee bars. Ivan’s sister Joanie, new hip, cut her hair today. 

I am listening to Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. I am enjoying this book. Last Night at the Telegraph Club is so hard to get into. Ready to start anew.

One question. I am late writing today. If I’m not careful it will be tomorrow.  

What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?

Uncle Bill said his advice to young people would be: Don’t covet your neighbors wealth. Not what they have that you don’t. It will steal your joy. Be happy with what you have.  I make an effort not to envy. So good advice. 🔹

21 days til 71st birthday on the cold front porch..,

                    Clay~grad date 5/20/22 Louisiana Tech

                Iris~grad date 5/21/22 University of Florida

            Violet~grad date 5/27/22 University of Michigan

               Ivy~grad date 5/21/22 University of Glasgow

Four of my grands are graduating from high school this year. Headed off to Uni. How did this happen? I have loved every minute spent with them as they have grown up. They are such interesting people. Well read. Mature and brilliant. They all work hard to succeed at academics and life. Proud Granny. 

Internet question:What is something that you have never done but have always wanted to do? There are a few things I have always wanted to do. I want to travel to Paris. The Louvre. Just walk around the city. Ireland  Scotland and rural England. The antiquities. I’d love to take a cooking class in Italy. See Venice. Go on at least one Dan Brown Tour. Maybe the one in Rome. Another adventure I have thought about is to hike a  few miles of the Pacific Crest Trail. Also the Appalachian Trail. Just a few miles. I am not brave when it comes to bears or other wild animals but I am fascinated by nature in its glory. I have always wanted to take a trip to Idaho to see my sister. I can’t believe I have not done that. I thought I would stay in a yert with her and hot tub in the snow. Yellowstone, Glacier and Zion National parks. 

Is there something that you used to do that you loved, but have now stopped doing? I used to love to paint and draw. But everyday life got in the way. I wrote poetry. No more. 

There. I answered two questions. It would be interesting to ask my family and friends these questions. They make me think. 

       

22 days til 71 from the cold front porch…

 My youngest grand. She turned 12 in March. Six in the bottom picture. She has grown up so much these last few years. She and I always hoped she would stay the baby for a while. We live far away from each other. From the Upper Peninsula to a very southern peninsula. Florida. I miss all the kids. They live so far away. My last two are on their way to Florida this summer. 

I planned on an easy day today but it did not work out. I cleaned up the messes made yesterday cleaning house. I made homemade chicken pot pie wth a side of toffee bars. Some progress with Project Hail Mary. I love this book. It is so interesting. Everyone should read it📚 I am looking forward to reading To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara and Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel. Jamie Ford has a new book, so does Douglas Stewart (Shuggie Bain). I see a trend here. I tend to read the same authors I have read and loved. I also don’t read authors twice whose books I did not like. 

Day 6~23 days left of my 70th year..,

 

This is how I like to spend my precious time. Reading prize winning books. Playing Wordle. Word Games. I’ve been playing Temple Run for 5 years. I don’t know if I’ve missed more than a day or two. The top picture is of the books I read  in March. As a 70 year old…

Of course the above pictured activities are not what I did today. No. Time is short. I will be 71 in 23 days. I should be doing my favorite things. Today I walked the dog in the rain 4 times on her leash. She did do her duty. I shampooed my living room and dining room with a big old Kirby vacuum. It took me longer to assemble the shampoo attatchement than it did to clean the “bad” areas. I did not say the dog made it outside every time. She has yet to 💩 outside. I dusted and sorted these two rooms as well. I made a nice lunch for my hubby and me. Also dinner. Administered insulin shot. Noted glucose on an app. Aunt Joanie and our neighbor John stopped over. During the visits I held our dear sweet puppy on her leash so she would not tear them to bits. It took all my strength. No  one, including the dog was hurt. I picked up my granddaughter from school. Swiffered the dinette floor because of above mentioned, “did not make it.” My point is… I’m really not sure where I was going with this.  Tomorrow I have plans to make my 22nd day more fun. Baking chocolate chip cookies. Some to send some to keep. Listening to Project Hail Mary. Amazing book. I want to watch the second season of Bridgerton. The Power of the Dog is on my list. I rarely watch anything on TV but these are special. I watched The Tender Bar (A+) and The Ricardos (A-) this week.  Better days ahead. 

Chasing the dog off the porch…

So I have a shelter puppy. She spent four weeks in a correctional facility for early training. She was so sweet and sleepy for the first few weeks. She is now so rambunctious I do not know what to do. I am not fast or firm with my commands. I do love her. She loves me back. But I cannot seem to house train her or get her to come or to stop her from jumping or…

Of course I will be 71 in 25 days. What can I say? 

Random questions off the web: What are five words you would use to describe yourself?

Loving, kind, bibliophile, curious, baker

What was your favorite thing about where you grew up? 

I grew up on a farm with seven siblings. We had horses and dogs and cats. A hay mow to play in. A river. An old army jeep. We played together so much. We worked hard in our garden and doing chores but it was fun to do it together. A memory of sitting on the porch with my Mom shelling peas while she sang cowboy songs to us. Home on the Range is in my head…I guess my favorite thing was being family on a farm.

One more: What is the best gift you have ever received? A goose neck reading lamp. I mentioned to my husband that I could not read in bed at night because the big light disturbed him. I wish I had one of those small, high intensity reading lights so I could read as late as I liked. Months later I received the perfect lamp for my birthday. He remembered my mentioning something I wanted and gifted it to me. I was so touched that he listened and got me a gift I really cared about. I love that about him. He chooses gifts carefully.

 

Another day another birthday on the porch…

 In 26 days I will be 71. I simply cannot get my head around how my life is buzzing by.

This year has been a most difficult one to survive. My hubby has been fighting a pancreatic carcinoma. Chemo and immunotherapy. Recently he has had to begin insulin shots and testing for out of control glucose numbers. He spent a day in hospital to stabilize his glucose. He is so tired. His spirits are good. I can tell he falters now and then but is committed to living each day to the fullest. Limited fullest, of course. 

I usually write each day leading up to these birthdays I endure as I age. I appreciate aging. But it is not as much fun as I was led to believe. As I read over the years of this blog I can’t help but tear up. I have lost many of my friends. Lived through two years of a pandemic. Become a caregiver in isolation. Watched my grands grow into adults. Read amazing books. Book challenges. So here goes~my last month as a 70 year old! 

Today, April 3rd. I am reading Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary. Audible. It is so good. The nerd in me is so happy. I love the science. I am also reading Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo. I have not been able to get into it yet. I’m not sure where it is going yet. It might be too young for me. But I need it for my Pop Sugar Challege #5 A sapphic book. I am also reading some fanfic. I am losing interest in it though. I am done with Sherlock and Check Please. 

Prime was mine free for one month. I watched The Tender Bar directed by George Clooney. 5 popcorn boxes. The Ricardos with Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem also 5 popcorn boxes. Then last night an English movie, Thd Electrical Life of Louis Wain with Benedict Cumberbatch. Cats! And a tragic life. Three popcorn boxes. 

And a dog…