Confessions of a Grandma

 The signs of fall have started. It was an unusually hot summer here in Vermont. Or, maybe we are seeing the results of climate change and crazy weather patterns will be our usual. But it is August. The nights have been cooler. There are signs of leaves changing here and there. Drifts and drifts of goldenrod are definitely announcing a change of seasons is on the way. Would that we start to see signs of other changes.

 I went for my pre-cataract surgery checkup and I was deemed healthy enough to undergo the procedure. However, there was a mild suggestion that perhaps I have been engaging in pandemic related binging? Followed by a mild reminder that my blood pressure does not benefit from salty potato chips and a have put on a slight amount of weight. Oh, bobbins! That's not the binging I had in mind when I wrote the title for this post. I was thinking about television binging. I used to watch the show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy  back in the early 2000's. I love a good make-over show. Mike used to roll his eyes and threaten to put parental control on my TV and then he would go downstairs to watch the history channel. Netflix now has a Queer Eye series with a new fab five line-up. I didn't even think to watch it at first because I tend to be disappointed in remakes and spin-offs. I have a loyalty streak. But, you know, COVID happened and I have been watching a lot more television and

 Oh, dear me, what am going to do now?? All these years (72 of them for crying out loud) I believed myself to be a natural born citizen of the United States. My parents were both born in Pennsylvania and somewhere I too have a certificate attesting to my birth in Scranton, PA. Now, I learn that status is is serious jeopardy, negated by the fact that my parents moved to New York state when I was 3 years old. Probably even more problematic      ---  they moved the family to Vermont when I was nine. I might be Canadian? An election is coming. Will I be able to vote? I mean I am registered but I also have a vision of the town clerk making an official visit to my home to rip the mail-in ballot out of my hands and shredding it right in front of my face before stomping off. That's crazy. I am sure they would wait until I was about to place it in the collection box at the town hall just so I might be embarrassed if anyone else happened to be there at the time. (Thank God for masks.) So it

 I have noticed a change in mask wearers lately. Back in the spring it seemed that a lot of people were wearing masks to the grocery store but no one made eye contact with anyone else -- almost a feeling of embarrassment about wearing one. I think it's a good thing that most reasonable people are wearing masks still, but even better that we have started greeting others again. Masks have become a fashion statement. Is there a retail operation that has missed the opportunity to sell masks? I don't think so. And cottage industries are popping up everywhere. There are already Halloween themed masks out along with the candy and home decorations.  Will there be trick or treating this year? Seems doubtful. I think candy makers are taking advantage of the COVID-19. The "19" means pounds gained, right? I hope that fashion designers have started including coordinating masks in their new fall lines. I have made myself a number of masks and try at the very least not to clash mask

 I had a visit with my eye doctor yesterday and had the preliminary tests for cataract  surgery scheduled for September 3.  I am not so wild about the idea of surgical tinkering with my eyes but I am also quite done with struggling to see so I am ready to go ahead. I am very nearsighted and have worn glasses forever. I will still need to have readers. And because I have a macular pucker in my left eye it is possible that I will have to have that corrected. It's a wait and see. My eye pressures were well within the normal range which makes me the most happy.  I have a friend who has to have shots directly in her eyeball every so often to control pressure. I seriously can't think of much that could be worse than that

 It was a lovely day so I decided to take the time this morning to drive to the lake Champlain Islands and visit their Farmers' Market. It's not a huge market but it has a wonderful selection of fruits and vegetables, baked goods and fresh pastas. even local wines and selections from a local distillery. It was very carefully set up to maintain physical distancing with a one-way flow. Masks are required and customers are not allowed to handle the produce or other items. Everyone seemed on board with restrictions and everyone seemed happy and friendly. I brought home a half dozen ears of corn, blue oyster mushrooms, yellow squash, a green pepper, a purple onion and a gorgeous orange tomato. I also bought a watermelon because it has seeds. Seedless watermelon is an abomination.  I will be feasting well this week.

I'm not especially proud of it but I must confess that I do have a whiny Karen character living inside me. You will probably notice her presence if you read though this post. Last December 26th I was at my daughter's place having Christmas time with her and the grandkids. All very nice until I got a phone call from my condo neighbor. Her upstairs toilet was badly clogged, she had someone coming, but her downstairs ceiling was flooded and leaking and it was as bad if not worse at my place. I headed right home. Maybe I should have anticipated this since she had the same houseful of family for Thanksgiving and the same thing happened, not quite as bad. Fortunately Don had gotten it mostly cleaned up by the time I made the trip and the pumper guy was there finishing up. My neighbor saw me coming from the car and rushed out to ask me to pay half the $500 bill.  Welcome home and Merry Christmas! The homeowners' association did pay us back. That was just before I left for Florida.

I had a four day vacation with my grandson. We did some hiking, biking, and used book hunting. The PARK where we hiked was so tranquil. There were a few people swimming at the beach but we just left them to it.  It's a very rocky beach. I think technically it is also closed as are all other amenities except for trails. Also Chimney Point in VT Looking over narrow part of Lake Champlain to Crown Point, N.Y. We had a long BIKE RIDE . The 14 miles is one way. It was fun although neither one of us was ready to hop on bikes the next day. Grandma is all about encouraging physical activity, which Dane really needs. (Although my daughter considers it interference.) Grandma is also all about encouraging reading. Dane picked out Bill Clinton: My Life ,  Bob Woodward: Bush at War, Robert Dallek: Nixon and Kissenger, Partners in Power and Thomas Friedman: From Jerusalem to Beirut.   Right now he wants to be a diplomat or a politician. He's 13 -- a very old man 13. He wa