Confessions of a Grandma

It that time of year when the baby redwing blackbirds have hatched.  I know this, not because I have seen the babies in their field nests, but because the parents are in full protective mode.  Walking past this field, I was dive bombed by two frantic adults.  They chased me good!  They would swoop down and then fly across the road and land at the top of fence and scold, scold, scold.  Maybe I need to start wearing a helmet.  Further down the road there is a wooded area.  Walking by this, I heard something bashing about in the trees.  When I looked I could see something round and black.  OMG could it be a baby bear?  But then I could see it was really a large black chicken.  That's Jericho for you. The people who live in this house up the road decided to move.  They moved the house--about fifty feet down the slope and onto a new foundation.  Quite the project. I have mentioned my friend and poetry mentor and p...

Well my meatless Monday came in handy last night!  Oatmeal that just slid down without the need for chewing.  Yogurt for breakfast and a mashed potato for lunch.  Tonight I making some tomato soup in the crock pot.  My face is pretty swollen on the left side.  It is actually easier to see using my smashed up glasses because they adjust better to the asymmetry.  Tylenol seems to be taking care of the aches and pains though.  The pharmacist recommended Tylenol because of my blood pressure medication and I am just happy that I don't feel the need for the strong stuff. The purple is now a big circle around my left eye so eye shadow is not going to be of much help.  My lip is actually black and blue.  Hard to believe that some starlets actually pay money to get this bee-sting effect. It's quite annoying. I divided up my orchid bouquet and have been enjoying flowers in every room.  As many pointed out, Radiant Orchid is the Pantone Color o...

My garden has been neglected these past couple of months, but it carried on, doing what gardens do and providing me with moments of gratitude for its waiting gifts today. My dining table, in the front window, at my bedside.

Last Monday while driving home from the hospital, I took the interstate, I89. Local people are pretty much aware that the eastbound lane is down to one lane going down French Hill as a large washout is being repaired.  Then there are the signs informing out-of-the-area folks (Flatlanders, as we like to call them) that the right hand lane is closed ahead. So I noticed that a full half-mile before the anticipated lane closing, all the VT cars are single file in the left hand lane.  We have toodled up and down the eastern seaboard states many, many times and honestly never saw anything like that happen before. I had to water my tomatoes yesterday for the first time since I planted.  It is supposed to be hot and humid for the beginning of the week.  So far the weather people have got it right.  But at least we are getting some welcome sunshine. I have heard the thing about women not sweating, merely glowing.  I am glowing so much lately that I am afraid ...

There!  I finally figured out the picture thing all by myself. I have not been arrested, convicted, and sentenced to a chain gang.  I am looking for my real hair because I am pretty sure that my real hair does not have all that grey in it.  Stupid trick of the light!  I finished a small quilt this past week.  I am thinking that it is time to sign up for a class at a local quilt shop.  I want to how to do the fancy machine quilting. I don't see one of those huge set up programed to do the quilting from a computer program in my future.  Maybe if Mike agrees to give up the garage and turn it into a craft room.  Like that could happen! I did sign up for an on-line Craftsy course in pants fitting.  I have altered blouse patterns on my own with some help from books and magazines, but I need more help for pants.  I have not done clothes sewing for a while now.   I so miss the ThreadNeedle shop and its fashion fabric selection. ...

Crab Apple Tree Lily of the Valley Lilacs Snowball Viburnum I took my walk yesterday morning and the air was so filled with the fragrance of lilacs--I could barely take a step without sneezing. The pollen counts have been very high.  My windows are all firmly closed.  I will have to take Arkansas Patti's recommendation and check out Quercetin. Spring is worth it though!

Yes, I have to give credit where credit is due. Mike made a commitment to himself and has stuck to it.  He has made several adjustments in diet habits and it really seems to be paying off.  His feet and ankles are no longer swollen and he has lost a bit of weight.  He had a check-up at the cardiologist today.  His blood pressure was 120/76, lowest reading in a medical setting since I have known him.  One medication was swapped for another and three were dropped entirely.  Of course, he did have a number of tests done today--and he has to see his regular physician for a possible bladder infection.  We will have to wait for those results, but today was good news. Oh, and my jeans fit again after the shock of travel bloat.  It has turned cold, so the jeans came back out along with a couple of sweaters.  Winter jacket, hats, and mittens are put away for the season though.  I'm just firm about that.  So that was good news for ...

They say that Florida has only two seasons rather than four.  There is the wet season and the dry season. Having lived in the Northeast for all my life, I am fully aware of the changing of seasons from summer to fall to winter to spring.  I am also aware of the joy a beautiful spring can bring after a long, cold, snowy winter. I have been reading other blogs that are either celebrating the arrival of spring or waiting with breathless anticipation the snow melting and the first green shoots pushing through the earth. These flowers beside our house have been in bloom like this since we got here in December.  I am hoping the recent rain will turn the grass a bit greener.  Maybe a little bit of the stirring of hope the first little purple crocus can bring in missing in our Florida life. Still, there are signs of spring here if one looks.  Little leaves are popping out on the Crape Myrtle tree.  I don't think we will see it bloom this year, though. ...

It is that time year once again—just keeps circling around, doesn’t it.  A tinge of fall is in the air. VT had a real summery kind of summer this year with plenty of sunshine and plenty of warm temperatures, even warm nights.  Inevitably, though, that has to change and this morning the thermometer read in the 40’s.  Since I was still running a slight fever yesterday (from that nasty stomach virus) I had been alternating heat waves with shivering episodes.  I was shivering when I got ready for bed so I was dressed warmly and I slept through the night—a blessing indeed. There are spots here and there of the trees in their changing process.  This tree is across the road from my house.  It used to be that I was thrown into a depressive episode at a sight like this in mid-August.  I actually like the fall, but that first hint of it would always feel like a knife impinging on my soul. Since retirement, this seasonal depression has not been so strong....

It's hard to pick an absolute favorite flower, but I do know that the iris has to be up there. It is certainly one that I take pictures of over and over again. The second picture is the only I took recently.

This sunflower grew from a dropped seed from the bird feeder. Next summer, I may just plant a whole row along the deck. Cherry tomatoes are ripening.  Sweet. Cherry tomatoes, Italian peppers and herbs are from my garden. So fresh tasting.  I love summer food.