Time is Like the Wind

 In my opinion, time when you are quite young..seems to go so slowly.  Every minute is an hour...every hour is a day.  Your 13th birthday, when you officially become teenager will never ever get here!  And then, on that so important birthday you'll be so old, when you're a teenager, thirteen whole years old;  with the rank and privilege of attaining that age (you think).   I still remember a book for young girls called "Seventeen".  I no longer recall the author.  I couldn't wait to get to 17 years of age and make that story come true.  Then, it seems the weekend is a hundred years away, and my gosh, school's summer vacation is like...never!  Like a slow drip from a faucet...that's the passage of time.  

Someone commented once to me that the seeming slow passage of time is because we ARE young, and everything is new to us.  I thought then that each new thing- and the days were full of them when we were very young... must be "taken in", experienced, thought about, compared with other things that have come our way, and considered; after which it will be added to our memories as we go along.  Slow.  Seems like.

Then, the older we grow the faster time passes it seems.  There is New Years Day...all anticipated and celebrated.  Turn around twice, blink once and it's the Fourth of July.  Turn around again and it's Christmas and another year is added to our memory and we're a year older.  How did THAT happen? 

For the present, right now, I'll say it's hot and humid out there still...seems as though THAT will never end, but it will.  I have avoided walking etc. outside for several months as the weather is just "too too", for me.  It's the gym or walking videos on-line.  Can't wait to get outside again.  I have been a weenie this summer. Usually I just go anyway and look like I've been in the shower when I get home I will have sweat so much.  But September will lessen the humidity and out I go.  

What's going on with you all?  Is time normal to you...fast, slow?  Have you noticed?  ;-) Do you care? :-) 

I took this at the park in the Fall.  And soon, in about 8 weeks I will be seeing it again.  Hard to believe when looking out this morning, and seeing wet fog and feeling the humidity. 

How Does it Go? "Rain Rain go Away"!

Yesterday was my youngest's birthday.  As with all of them, this son is special.  And they all three make me happy and proud (really...they do). This one had a birthday on the twenty- second.  He is the best Dad and husband to the best wife he could ever have chosen.  The entire family is blessed by their union.

The baby of the family, the Birthday Boy,  has excelled in his choice of career; and even his most significant hobby, photography.  His work in photography is such that he can sell it.  He always said he can't be an artist as he hasn't that talent, but he can try to create art with photography.  Happy Birthday with love again, to an unchanging, always family oriented, his own family and the rest of us as well, man.  Blessed as a boy and, as a man.  

I have become an enthusiastic aerobic doer...flinging myself about to music in Katie's room (computer room) as much as I can.  I just have to keep it down some (HR) is all.  I can do anything, as long as it is within reason.  The thing that has totally knocked me down is mask wearing.  They reduce my oxygen intake to scary proportion. So  I am totally unable to wear the hospital-looking white ones any longer.  It must be cloth and as thin as possible and for as little time as possible.  Days at the hospital forced to wear one for 6-7 hrs., are very difficult. That's only every other week though.  Stores are hard too, but 6-7 hours...I can't even tell you.

Some branches have fallen from my dogwood tree.  I hope that it is going to be alright.  There is what an arborist once called "cornflake" patches on the limbs.   They cost a lot to come out and diagnose.   It's a lichen I know. 

Have a happy day blog family.   I'm glad to be in the family.  X

What Was the Name of That Again?

 Kidding...the words in that song, among others were "oh, what a night"!  In this case it was a night of having a kitty there with me as I tried to sleep.  

I woke at 4AM with a sense of not breathing as well...kinda humid air and stuff.  I became aware of a very warm cowl wrapped around  on my head and face.  It breathed.  I wasn't. 

 I tried to make her move by petting...it didn't work for awhile.  Finally it did.  She was annoyed enough to move over. My ankle and shin  meanwhile, were showing signs that they were absolutely going to cramp.  Little 'shivers' of the muscle in that area.  And I have strong muscles, believe me. You can't walk run/workout as much as me though all my life and not have.  (And now I have a few aerobics I am trying out).

ANYway, for the third time in my life-I had to get up and leave the bed..I'll leave that to your imagination as to why.  Between being swamped with warm cat body, and twitching muscle in my ankle and shin AND needing to rise for whatever reason, I got up and started on my trip to the small room.  As my feet hit the floor, I realized the full blown strong cramp had seized the opportunity (had to put it that way...I'm a punster) to grab my ankle and shin.  I really lurched about on that painful leg; and who was in the dark there waiting for me on the floor?  Guess.  (I never turn on lights) I tripped over her...valiantly kept my mission to myself thank goodness, as I was fuller than tick, and made it all hurting- like- the- dickens-with cramp, to my destination.  Having come out to return to bed...someone had beat me to it and was on my pillow.  Yes, I moved her.  

I managed to go back to sleep.   Oh, what a night.  

Saved by the Plumber

 Wellsir, the Plumber did arrive when he said (sorta) and he and I spoke about the symptoms the commode was exhibiting.  He walked in and tried to figure what the matter was. There was faint sound of water running, but not in a way that  the source could be pinned down.  Took the lid off Friday, with him on the phone with me,  and there was no water running inside...the flapper was down...that other thingy over to the left of the flapper ??? who knows the name...was behaving.  No water rushing in it.   The chain where it should be.  No discernible sound emitted...but though I lowered my head,  I still couldn't tell where it came from.  So faint.  

Flushing it 5 times in a row (allowing the wasted water to fill up between each flush seemed to have stopped it for two days.  Then, it started again.  So I called him early Monday morning and he came over several hours later.  He said he would go ahead and change both things..the flapper and that other thingy to the left of it.  So far, so good.  Louder though.  I hope that's all there is to it.  It was just such a faint sound.   I had gone under the house to see if it was the hot water heater..checked the two water faucets out there. Oh, and I worried a LOT.

We're having some beef, onions, and some cream gravy tonight.  Green peas (I LOVE those things).  Wait.  Not me.  Her brovver is having them.  I am having soup...some saltines and probably a lot of fruit.  I have gotten some pounds off by eating more wisely.  No  dessert type sweets except natural ones by which I mean fruits.  (Yas..I know...those have carbs and calories too, but at least they aren't "empty").  I could lay down in gravy, mashed taters, green peas... you name it...and just waller.  Love carb stuff.    However, I grew a backbone- and so since May, I am doing better.   

Got the yard mowed yesterday (not me...the thing is like Mt. Everest out there). And got my little sunflower planted. as well.  Lawn man had to use a posthole digger to get the hole for the little feller ready. And the root ball was no bigger than a man's fist. He's out there, Sunflower, by the fence in case he will need support as time passes.  

What are you all doing?  

Not Looking Forward

Tomorrow I leave early, and I will have to wear that mask for another 6-8 hours unrelentingly.  I wouldn't not be there, so it is all worth it. Have (and want) to be there while a family member is going through a very hard and unpleasant time.  

I do believe the hummingbirds are romancing out there again.  I read that they fly upward...way up about 10 feet or so together, and they drop down together- and up again...and continue for several times.  I think this is courting.  I'm glad we all don't have to do that!  

With the temps in the mid and high 90's each day and sometimes 100. I am especially glad I bring their nectar to a boil  when I cook for them; and keep it in the fridge between servings every couple of days.  The boiling helps it not spoil quite as fast in the intense heat.  I take the feeder down every 3 days, clean it and refill with fresh nectar.  And I don't like that the nectar is so hot for them in the sun when the temp is so high.  Can't do anything about that but I can keep it fresh. 

This is a male Ruby Throated Hummingbird on my deck next to the feeder.  

They are bulking up :-) for their trip back to Central America in another month.  They eat non stop just about for a good month to get ready for that trip...non stop over the Gulf of Mexico.  They don't hitch rides...they fly it all.  The males leave here first, and the females several weeks later.  I always have one who lingers, always a girl, till mid October.  I keep her fed.