Appreciating Good Eyesight

Mara at I Have Tea recently wrote an entry about  bifocals  that made me remember when my niece, Sheila, first got glasses.

I've never had to have glasses.  I actually have very, very good vision, and surprisingly, at 40 years old, after staring at computer screens for much of my life and reading daily, sometimes late into the night for 34 of those years, I still have better than 20/20 vision --20/15 in one eye and 20/17 in the other.  (My husband, with his typical two-track mind {fishing and hunting} remarked when I told him what my vision was that with that kind of eyesight he couldn't wait to get me out there in the woods hunting.  And I am a good shot!)

Anyway, getting back to my niece -- she is only three years younger than I am, being the daughter of my oldest sister.   When she was about nine years old she had to get glasses for the first time.  She lived in town, very close to the school, and walked home every day, and she wanted to walk to the eye doctor's office, also close by, on the day that she was to get her glasses.  Her mother had just given birth to Sheila's little brother, and one of them, my nephew or my sister (I can't remember which) was under the weather, so my sister asked me if I would walk with Sheila to the eye doctor after school, then walk her home and then my brother-in-law would take me home. 

I did, and I'll never forget it.  On the way home from the doctor's office my niece, wearing the brand new glasses, was literally in awe at what she could see!  All the way to her house she was saying things like, "Wow!  I can see that sign way up there!  Look at that bird in that tree!  Look at that pretty flower up on that porch!"  I was laughing, but it was because it was so sweet.  I had no idea how it was to not see well or the amazing difference a pair of glasses could make. 

I am the only one in my family who has never had to wear glasses.  My father was far-sighted and wore them all his adult life.  My mother, my brother, and four of my five sisters are near-sighted and have worn them since their childhood.  My other sister had to wear glasses for a few years as a child.

I really appreciate the fact that my eyesight is good.  I'm sure someday I will have to wear them, maybe not all the time, but for reading or driving.  But so far, whenever I go for a checkup they are still better than 20/20.  Hope they stay that way for a long time!

"Can I help you, sir?"

Recently Thomas was at the layout center at our local Meijer.  He was standing at the counter and the clerk was at the big shelves that are just a few feet behind the counter, rearranging some lay-a-way items.  She told him she'd be right with him and he told her not to hurry, it was fine, and they started a conversation about the weather or something.  Thomas meets no stranger; talks to everybody. Now my husband is very animated when he talks, a lot of gestures and facial expressions, nods, and grins.  About a minute into the conversation the door to his right opens and two men walk out, concerned expressions on their faces, the first one asking, "Can I help you, sir?"

Thomas said, "No, I was just talking to the lady there.  What, did you guys think I was talking to myself?"

Apparently the camera that picked him up smiling, gesturing and, apparently, talking to himself, didn't pick up the clerk tidying the shelves.

                                                                       

My Saturday Morning Was Hijacked!!

By the lure of yard sales!!

Everyone had plans for the morning.  Thomas had to work, Eler Beth had plans with friends and so did Andrew.  So I was going to have a glorious morning to do some things I needed peace and quiet to do.  Well, I got Andrew off to his friends, but Eler Beth's plans got postponed and then who should pull into the driveway but my hubby.  Some of the work they had planned to do today had been postponed because some materials they needed hadn't come in.  So some time was wasted re-grouping.

Then Thomas decided he would take Eler Beth with him to check out a yard sale he'd passed on the way back home.  Just as I was getting settled he called to tell me I probably didn't want to miss this yard sale!  So he came back to get me and I went yard-saling for awhile.  Oh well.  I guess I'll do my quiet-time work later.

I can't believe I haven't journaled in two weeks!  The first week I was just so busy with work and things going on at the kids' schools that I hadn't the time or the energy.  This past week I've been too busy and half-way depressed about work to feel up to journaling.  I just almost quit last week.  I called Thomas on his lunch break and said "Talk me out of quitting!  Quick!", and he said, "No, I'm not going to.  You said when it wasn't fun anymore you'd quit.  If you want to go ahead and quit before June 30, then do it."  I said, "But I'd lose my severance!"  He assured me we'd make it if I was out of a paycheck for a couple weeks and then asked if that took some pressure off me.  It did!

By Friday I was feeling better about waiting until June 30.  However I am sending my resume to a company that is just a couple miles from my house for a position that I really think I'd enjoy.  If I got it I'd give my two weeks' notice and give up the severance because it would be worth it to be working so close to home and saving all that gas money!!  Spending $200.00 or more a month on gas just to get me to work is stressing me out as much my job situation.

In the meantime I'll just grit my teeth and try to make it to June 30 without going out of my mind!  And I'm not kidding myself --  I know that the bitterness of having our entire department done away with is finally getting to me.  I'd suppressed it long enough I guess.  Well, I shall play on the computer while I'm doing laundry, because I think we've established that that does count as working!

More later.

The 30-day Challenge

Jae over at My Life In A "Nut" Shell has issued another 30-day challenge for May.  I came in on it late, so I actually started yesterday.  Last year I did crunches and/or walked every day, but this year I am going for order.

At work I am usually very organized.  My desk, my computer, my files.  But at home, although I try to be and am to an extent, once I get behind on things it is so hard to catch up.  And I am a bit of a pack rat.  There.  I said it.  I'm better than I used to be, but not as good as I should be.  Thomas and the kids are too.  I'm good at organizing my home.  I'm good at assigning a place for everything and scheduling chores so that everything is in its place --  most of the time.  But, like I've said before, I have a tendancy to micro-manage, and I have found that that doesn't work.  Not to mention, it isn't good for the rest of the family.  I have learned to delegate and to let go.  But when things get hectic and chores get put on hold, then we play catch up and quite often "junk", for want of a better term, starts to pile up in drawers, closets, and sheds.  And cabinets, drawers, closets and sheds tend to get jumbled and disorganized.  I am ready to put a stop to that.

So, I have accepted Jae's challenge to do "something" constructive every day for 30 consecutive days, and this year that "something" is spending at least 20 minutes a day either getting rid of "junk" or organizing what I want to keep.  20 minutes doesn't sound like much, but in 30 days that's 10 hours.  Heck, in 10 hours' time I could do a lot of organizing and cleaning out!  And some days I'm sure I'll actually spend more than 20 minutes.  I'm hoping, though, that getting in the habit of spending a few minutes a day will not only help me tangibly by getting that much actual work done, but also, intangibly, by making it a habit to think about order at some point every day -- perhaps it will make me cast a critical eye over a room or an area of a room each day before bedtime and take a few minutes to do what's necessary.  Well, that's the hope, anyway.  At least I should get something positive out of these 30 days, right?

Martha at Just Visiting took off running with Jae's challenge and has actually started a new journal as part of one of her commitments.  Click Here to see what her 30-day commitments are, and click Here to view her new journal.  I think it's going to be fun to share in it.

Can't think of a catchy title!

Yesterday evening Thomas took Eler Beth to get that asparagus he found, as I mentioned in my previous entry, and he took along his shotgun because, afterall, it is turkey season.  Sure enough he came home with an 18-pound gobbler.  Beautiful bird!  A guy he works with got one last week and gave it to us, (His was even bigger than the one Thomas got) because he likes to hunt, but his wife doesn't like to cook wild meat.  So he gives us most of anything he gets when he hunts and just asks that I send him some of the finished product!

I do love wild turkey.  Some people don't like the way it tastes, but I think they just don't know how to fix it.  Thomas always takes off the skin when he cleans it, and I think that makes the meat milder tasting.  Some people we know only smoke their turkey meat, but I bake mine.  I season it just as I would one from the store and I bake it in an oven bag.  The meat is much sweeter than a store-bought turkey.  Probably because of their diet.  The ones we get from this property have a diet of soybean and corn.  I'm not usually a big fan of turkey, and when I get one I am usually fixing it for a big group of people because neither Thomas nor I like turkey leftovers much.  But when it's wild turkey, I'm just a little bit stingy!!  I will eat those leftovers in a heart beat.  That is, if Thomas or the kids don't beat me to it.  Now that we have two in the freezer, though, we're thinking of fixing one for his brother and wife when they come up to visit.

They went back out this morning, taking Andrew with them.  Drew hadn't had a chance to turkey hunt yet this season, and you can only get one.  But they didn't see any.  I guess they'll have to go back in the evening about the time they went last night.

I stayed home and had fun watering all my newly planted goodies early in the day.  It was so nice and crisp this morning.  Thomas and the kids each stepped outside preparing to leave and commented on how chilly it was, and there I was in shorts and a t-shirt, barefoot, watering plants!  I had to laugh at them.  I would love for it to be cool like that every morning.  It could warm up during the day, but I love those cool mornings.   I'm hot-natured, anyway (must have very rich blood), and Thomas, being from Alabama, is the exact opposite.  The kids waver in between.  I guess when "normal" people would be cold, then they're cold, (I would be comfortable then and Thomas would be freezing), and when "normal" people would be hot, then they're hot, (and of course I would be sweltering and Thomas would be comfortable.) --  Thomas and I have learned to compromise on the temperature of the house and vehicles in the almost 19 years of our marriage!

I played with the dogs for awhile and puttered around in the back yard.  Then I came in, lay down on the couch and took a little nap.  Then T and the kids got home and I got up, fixed lunch and helped them get ready for a fishing trip.  Andrew decided not to go and retreated his room, video games and friends on the phone.  Thomas and Eler Beth were supposed to be taking a friend of ours and his son fishing.  This friend, Larry, doesn't fish much, but his son, Sean, (Eler Beth's age) loves to fish, and we had taken him with us on our camping trip to Patoka Lake last year.  So Larry had asked Thomas if they could go fishing with him and Eler Beth today.  (Btw, Sean is Eler Beth's boyfriend!!  Don't tell her I told you!  She gets crushes easily, and he has been her main one for over a year now.  I think it is mutual.  They are in our congregation and Sean's mom takes Eler Beth with them every Wednesday evening to go skating.  Wednesdays are dollar days and they go every week.   Usually there are other friends of ours that go, too.)  Well, anyway, when they were on their way to pick up Larry and Sean, Thomas got a call from Larry that they had to cancel.  Tracie (the mom) had stepped on a metal stake (I don't yet know how), and was at the emergency room.  So as Thomas was on the phone with me telling me this a call came through from his friend Tony (where he and Eler Beth had "played" last Sunday) who wanted to know if they wanted to go fishing.  So they still got their fishing trip for today, and they aren't home yet.

I worked in my yard (couldn't get myself to do any housework), did some shopping and read for awhile.  Now I'm going to play on the computer for a little while, then get ready for bed.  They have another fishing trip planned for tomorrow afternoon with another friend of ours who doesn't get to go fishing very often, and I probably won't go since his wife isn't going.  I'll have another afternoon to myself.

Well, more later.

And best of all, they were free!

Thomas works for a rock quarry, which I think I may have mentioned before.  He gets a lot of perks at this particular rock quarry, including being able to bring me (free) nice limestone rock in interesting shapes and sizes, most filled with wonderful fossils, quartzite or crystal.  He can also get loads of gravel in various sizes for a really, really good price.  He has hunting priveleges (lots of deer and turkey on those dozens of acres) and fishing priveleges (in a beautiful, deep quarry lake).   Two years ago he was told of an old, old pear tree that was once part of an old homestead on the property.  The tree yielded lots of big, juicy, wonderful tasting fruit, not like anything you could buy in the store; it reminded me of the pears we used to pick and eat (or windfalls we picked up off the ground) when I was young --  not touched by herbicides or insecticides.  We had fresh pears, pear preserves, pear butter and pear wine for the past two years.  And now, this year, he's been given another perk:

Last year the quarry owners bought up some more adjoining land on which an old couple had lived for many years before their deaths.  He was told about and given permission to get any plants, trees or shrubs off that property that he wanted.  Well, I wrote about spending a hundred dollars yesterday at Meijer Garden Center and I've written about planting and landscaping my front yard recently.  Thomas and Eler Beth, over the past week, have brought to me from that property at least two dozen big, beautiful hostas, six rose of sharon bushes, I-don't-know-how-many iris of various colors, tulips, jonquils, peonies, juniper, spruce and some things that I can't yet identify.  Imagine what I would have spent if I'd bought all those!  Oh yeah, and today they came back with asparagus!! 

Of course I can't use all of them.  Eler Beth and I have happily called up friends and neighbors and made offerings!  One friend of ours even gave Eler Beth a thank you card, telling her how much she appreciated the plants and that she'd planted them that day and that whenever she looks at them she'll think of Eler Beth.  So I'm finally going to get my front yard the way I want it, and I haven't had to spend much.  Mostly what I got at Meijer yesterday was top soil, potting soil, mulch, a few little border plants and a lobelia to hang at my front door.  When I'm finished out front I'm going to get to work re-doing the back yard; I'll still have plenty of flora and fauna to work with!  The wonderful thing is that everything I've planted so far, even the plants that are already blooming, still look beautiful after I get them in the ground and watered really well.  I don't think I'm going to lose any of them.  And my little stone bench looks good next to that huge rose of sharon!!

I've been playing in the dirt again!!

    Thanks to Donna, This and that, and hockey! , for this beautiful graphic, which is appropriate for today.  It is so sunny and gorgeous, not too hot, with a nice breeze, and everyone has flowers blooming!

I spent a hundred dollars at Meijer gardening center today, and this evening I am going to be happily setting out plants and mulching, diggin and planting.  Beautiful Friday afternoon!