HEALING DEMANDS IT’S OWN PACE

I’ve always loved gardening, and the weather has been balmy and inviting. Finished the succulents and lined them up against the wall. These plants were in two over crowded containers when Karen and I started. She takes care of my plants when I travel, so I no longer do any planting without consulting her, first. She told me we’d have to put them under shelter for winter, so we decided on lightweight pots that aren’t too heavy to lift.

I now have a worker who comes to help with the heavy lifting, but he tends to come when he feels like it. I’ve felt quite fit, so, I got the loppers and pruned the sucker growth around the second-growth oak trees in about five places. 

His last two visits my helper was supposed to remov two small citrus trees for me. They got too big for the greenhouse. I moved them years ago. The lemon froze, the lime and orange didn’t flourish.  I took a  hand saw and cut them down. It was hard for me, but I know my upper body is still weak. Jim walks every day, I walk with him every other day, and my strength and endurance has improved in my legs and back. For months and months, I would try the exercises given me and I would “over do” it and be back in pain. Suddenly, I seem to have turned a corner since the accident and I can now walk a brisk mile without great pain. When it hurts, by the next morning, the pain is gone.

Then I tackled a pretty big branch for my little hand saw and my shoulders and neck were telling me, “you’ll be sorry!”  This is stuff for fire control and needs to be done.  This morning, I’m not sore enough to complain. My simple yoga every other morning has kept me toned,  but not enough to build muscle.  Now I feel confident I can do the therapeutic exercises I’ve been given and resume muscle-building tasks. I’m amazed at how the body refuted my efforts at various exercises until it was ready to heal. Now, let me see how well I do at chopping all this stuff up today.

SQUARE DANCING MEMORIES, WORK DAY

An old  friend of over 40 years is ailing. Anne Williiams’  husband, Fred,  was our square dance caller for 15 years in the 70’s & 80’s.  I spoke to Anne’s caretaker, Tynna and she told me all of the food was stolen from their refrigerator and freezer. Anne’s house is in a remote location and they often don’t lock up. Now she has a security system.

In the past, when I’ve gone to visit Anne,  Tynna would fix  lunch or tea and cookies. This time I brought lunch in the form of a couple  boxes  of groceries.  Tynna is a former “Army Brat” and can do 80 push-ups, she told me. Anne uses a walker, but Tynna took  her to a square dance and Anne’s face lit up and she danced  in her walker. Anne got so excited she called me while I was on the road. Her memory was pretty good on this visit.

When I told her I wanted to take a picture of them, Anne very neatly reached down to cover up the hole in Tynna’s pants. “My go to church pants,”  Tynna joked.

Tynna calls Anne, mom, and hauls her everywhere in a small motor home she owns. They were at Lake Alpine earlier in the year and got snowed on. Anne wants to go to the beach. That is next on the agenda. They delivered some of Anne’s  paperback books, (she had a bedroom full of paperbacks) to people displaced by the Rim Fire. I asked Anne if she is in any pain. She said no, but she doesn’t like being helpless. She is fortunate to have Tynna for a caretaker. A leak in the roof? Tynna fixes it. A rough spot on the floor? Tynna fixes it. More important  is the stimulation she provides an old lady who gets to see everything within reasonable range rather than the limiting four walls of her house. (I visited last week.)

Yesterday was beautiful weather. Karen and I made up a batch of soil and re-potted some plants and put in a batch of succulents and herbs.

I hauled out the old sewing machine and did some mending late in the afternoon. I bought a new machine just before my husband died and now I can’t figure out how to use it anymore.

Jim spent about five hours installing a whole house fan on the motor home. We also have a glass chip that was fixed in Texas  and is now beginning to spiderweb. The Glass Doctor said he couldn’t fix it. We have another guy coming on Thursday who is  equipped for a special repair.

 

 

MURPHYS STREET FAIRE

Street faires vary from place to place. The one connected to Grape Stomp is well organized and just the right size.  Easily accessible. You can stroll along, have lunch (several times) and see everything you want to, including stomping grapes, in about 3 hours. In fact, there is enough to keep you occupied for the full day, if you choose.

It is as much about meet and greet as anything. Finding old friends you haven’t seen in a long time. Having a visit and moving on. This nice man built a wagon for his aged dog. 102 in dog years. Blind and deaf, he can’t get out and move around much. His owner spends part of each day “walking” him in a cart so he gets some attention. He compared the dog’s vulnerability to that of an aged person with disabilities. Something to think about.

We learned from the owner of this booth that succulents are all the rage again. They are very appealing and I wanted to buy two or three types. Of course the appeal is as much about the containers you put them in as the plant itself. I have containers at home that need filling.

As charmed as I was, I bought none since most succulents cannot survive our yearly freezes in the mother lode. But, a purse? A colander? Old cans? Little vases and boxes and boots? They are easy to care for and require little water. I see a new project budding.

I like metal art and this lizard looked appealing to me, with its bit of color. I imagined it on the side wall of my garage. Hmmm!

My friend, Patty and I watched this guy making candy apples. But, we opted for a Thai salad for lunch. We stopped and had a beer at the bar in the Murphys Hotel and reluctantly passed up a bratwurst sandwich and home-made apple pie and tacos and chicken on a stick and…too many choices.  Street food is so tasty.

Fancy birdhouses that no self-respecting bird would call home are clever patio and yard decorations. Mine become homes for paper wasps or mud daubers, but, I like them just the same.

Something for all ages. These two girls with painted faces were walking their raccoon and puppy on a string. So cute you wanted to reach down and chuck them under the chin.

It was a fun day. We met interesting people. We saw goofy costumes. Ate great food. Admired other people’s creativity and got inspiring ideas. But what I liked most about the street faire is going with someone who likes to take the time to meander and visit and not feel rushed. I think it’s a girl thing.