On the Road ...

Since my husband can no longer drive, I am the only driver - no matter where we go.  I don’t mind driving generally, but when someone else is doing the driving, it is a real treat to sit in the passenger seat.  

My sister volunteered to drive so that I could knit on the trip.  I didn’t knit a stitch. Just ran my mouth the whole way, and it was lovely.

Although I have driven to Ocean City many times, I have always taken the most common route - Route 50 to Route 90!  It takes you through several local Eastern Shore towns - like Easton and Cambridge and Salisbury.  None of them are particularly scenic - just groupings of every day communities with the store fronts providing the day-to-day residential needs and stop lights.

But this time we followed a more easterly route to the shore that took us through a lot of farm lands. Route 404 is less congested with fewer cops monitoring out-of-towners. 

When it was time for a stop - a charming farm store attached to an orchard popped up just like we had ordered it.

 

  

Besides the fruit and vegetables they had some specialty vinegar and olive oils, like white balsamic peach flavored vinegar and garlic olive oil.  Using their selection of bottles, we got both of those. 

They also had wonderful bakery items and sandwiches - made to order.  We decided this was great place to stop and have lunch.

When we left - we carried with us about 5 different desserts to share at the ocean and dog cookies.  Since we would only be 3 on this visit, we may have over-did-it on the desserts.

Before you knew it we had reached the condo - The Phoenix - owned by my cousin.  One of the big advantages of this condo is that it was built before the time when Ocean City regulated just how close to the sand dunes you could build!  As a result the building is built further out near the sand dune by a number of yards.  

And it is built right beside access to the beach. 

The balcony for the condo is on the right. Perfect view.

Perfect view for this!  Hello, beautiful!

And because it juts out being an original building, this is the view to the left off the balcony.  Unobstructed view of the dunes on the deck. 

The weather was beautiful - but, truthfully, there is no such thing as a bad day at the beach. 

Next up: The View ...

A Trip - the prep and the 'all important' list!

I don’t get away from home often.  When the opportunity presents itself and my calendar is open, I go! But because I am not a frequent traveler, I probably need more preparation time than most people. 

My ‘trips' can be as simple as spending the weekend at my son’s house for house dog-sitting to traveling to a destination as far away as 2 1/2 hours. Ocean City, Maryland is about 2 1/2 hours away.  I had a chance to visit my friend, the ocean, ... and, oh yes, my cousin and my sister. 😄

But it does take a bit of preparation for me to be gone.  Just like anyone else, I have to pack stuff.  I leave my canvas tote open in the dining room and drop stuff in when an item pops into my mind.  That is really helpful because lately my mind works like a ping pong ball bouncing off one idea and shooting off in an opposite direction to another.  I follow a check list I wrote up years ago.  I review that list the day before travel and right before I leave. 

As you can see, my check list needs to be updated, as I have run out of room to check off items for future trips.   It might seem a little over kill on the details, but I hate remembering what I missed while traveling on a fun trip. Relying on my memory has proved to be pretty unreliable.

Then there are the things that must be done for my husband who is blind.  While some spouses are independent enough to do simple stuff like make a meal or perk the morning coffee, my husband can’t manage that without preparation on my behalf.  I also make sure that the floor and surfaces are picked up so he isn’t left to maneuver around lots of random objects in my absence.  And finally I remind my “back up” coverage (my kids) that I am gone so if he calls they are responsive.  He never calls - because he is fairly independent within the condo - but knowing I have that back up relieves my mind.   So my pre-departure list needs to be detailed since two of us are depending on it.  

I don’t own any real luggage.  Various totes or bags work well enough for someone who doesn’t travel much. I don’t travel through airports so I don’t need luggage with wheels.  But the number of bags I use can get out of hand pretty quickly.

There is the bag for clothing, medicine, and my pillow.  Yes, I can’t go anywhere without my old, very flat, soft pillow.  I have had that pillow for probably 15 years.  There isn’t much of it left, but it fits my head and keeps my neck from getting stiff.  And yes, my pillow is on my list!!

There is the bag for my knitting projects.  I carry two current projects and sometimes a 3rd something - all relatively small.  No sizable projects like blankets or nearly done sweaters.   The knitters among you are probably scratching your heads.  "What?  Only 3 projects?  Aren’t you afraid you will be left with nothing for your hands to do?” Ha! And sometimes my single project bag spills over into another bag with finished objects to show fellow crafters. But the goal is to keep it simple and carry only one bag.

And then there is the bag for the food I bring as most of my trips involve a sharing food responsibilities. 

The contents of these bags (however many) are typically on the list - and if not, I find myself stressing days in advance about forgetting something.

While not related to prep and packing - I notice that I don’t sleep well in advance of a trip.  Maybe if I traveled more - getting a good night’s rest before travel might not be an issue.  Practice makes perfect after all.

Maybe I should add a few other things to the bottom of my list like

• Stop worrying.  (Check ✔)
• Shut your mind down. (Check ✔)
• Get some sleep. (Check ✔)

Nope, not a good idea!  Leave no evidence behind that you are THAT anal!  (except on the blog!)

Next up: On the road! 

Stupid Stuff

As if focusing a post on my left thumb was not stupid enough - 

here are a few other stupid things cluttering up my time and my mind  - 

 so when I take my next blog break of 2 or 3 months, 

you will be able to say - “Oh thank God, she has gone blog-post-dark for a bit.

I can’t take any more stupidity."

DRINK MORE WATER

Correct.  Drinking more water is not stupid.  

But in my case I should really say - Drink water - Period!  Stupid is the “game" I play to make it happen.  Without the game I drink next to nothing.  I could go all day on a cup of coffee in the morning and a glass of wine at night and ... I never - I say N.E.V.E.R get thirsty in-between.  In fact, I could go out for a humid summer walk, work up sweat, and think - Gosh a glass of water would taste great right now! But by the time I open my front door to return, my thirst alert disappears entirely.  Yes, yes, I know, that is not normal, but a majority of my life was lived just like that.  Now as a senior, my water intake has become more important.  Hence the search for a fix ....

Meet my new water bottle!  

Or I should say, my latest new water bottle.  Lots of "almost new" water bottle clutter my kitchen cabinet and are failures for one reason or another.  What I really need is a water bottle with authority ... that has a hand that reaches out, grabs my collar and says “Drink!!”   But failing that feature, here is what this new bottle does provide that the others missed.

• It divides the water into time periods.  I can look at the bottle and think - oh, I am 2 hours behind.  So I drink down to the current time.
• It has a “waist.”  I can get my hand around it.  Many bottles are so fat that it isn’t comfortable in the hand.
• It has a handle that lets me carry it easily when walking.
• It has a tight seal so it doesn’t leak.
• It has a wide mouth that easily accepts ice.  Water without ice is still impossible for me.

Nothing is perfect, so here are its 2 short-comings so far.

• It has a fat bottom so it doesn’t fit into my car’s cup holder.
• It sweats because of the ice.  It would be nice to have a thin insulation to prevent sweating.

I certainly demand a lot from a water bottle, don’t you think?  The question is ... has it worked. 

Day 1 -  I drank my full 64 ounces of water or the required 2 fill ups!! Smashing success!  

Day 2 -  I drank 32 ounces - only one fill up. Hmmm, ok ... more than the ‘none’ which is my normal.

Day 3 -  The next day I drank only 16 ounces and I managed to forget the darn bottle at my son’s house. 

*sigh*. I was half way home when I discovered it was missing so I  turned around to get it.  I wouldn’t have done that for any other bottle.  I am not giving up.

But seriously, isn't it stupid I can’t seem act like a grown up, go into the kitchen and fill a glass with water several times and day - and drink it - voluntarily?

HOUSE PLANTS

I finally have a cat who doesn’t eat plants!  Way To Go, Aja!!  

Just a short detour on the plant news.  Here is a picture of Aja sleeping out in the living room.  She finally just this week showed she is comfortable sleeping near us outside the bedroom and by an open window with street noise - but only if there are no others about.

And just now, for the first time in 17 months, I watched her clean herself!  She is always clean, so I knew she was grooming, but I never actually saw it.   Today ... another forward baby step in our relationship.

Just Amazing! 😍

And now the plants ....

After 52 married years with cat companions and being forced to choose between cats and plants - I can now have both.  

I live on the sunny side of the building.  This summer I got a few flowering geraniums that love the sun.  They remind me of my student teaching days in early 1969 when I had a mentor teacher, Mrs. Miller, who was still teaching at 70 (I am in my 70’s and just can’t imagine managing a class of 30 2nd graders at 70).  She had a row of geraniums that stretch the length of her class room along the windows. She pampered them every morning.

These are hardy plants but sometimes have problems adjusting to the indoors in the fall (or that is what I read on line.)  Hoping these few will winter well enough indoors.

What is the stupid part!  I obsess.  Every morning I check all the leaves and pick off the ones that look like they are failing.  I remove blossoms that are at the end of their blooming cycle.  Check the dirt for watering.  I move some indoors or move some out - looking for a stress reaction caused by changing locations.  Ever - single - morning. And while I am doing this I am pondering names for them.  Yep, names!

You see, one of my geraniums came with the name:  Mrs. Pollock on her plant tag!  That is the actual name of the version of geranium she is.  She has the most beautiful tri-colored leaves.   Then I looked at the other plants.  Nameless!  

So ... do YOU know anyone else who considered naming their plants?  I haven’t done any naming yet, but the thought crosses my mind now. What would be a good name for a geranium!  Here is a picture of Mrs. Pollock’s leaf.  She doesn’t need flowers for me because her leaves are so pretty.  But she is having the most trouble transferring to the indoors.  

I am pretty sure there is a Giovanni somewhere in my group!!  Giovanni Geranium has a certain ring to it.  Or maybe Geronimo!! And then my mind drifted to ... those are male names.  hmmm ...  I wonder if Mrs. Miller had this problem.

Can things get any more stupid?
  

MY NEIGHBOR (no pictures but a sad story)

I live in a 55+ condo community so I live very close to other people.  Many original owners have died or moved away, but we still have a small percentage of the population well past their abilities to live independently.  

And that was the case of my neighbor, (I’ll call her Jane.). Jane was a nice lady, but a little foggy.  She didn’t seem to have friends in the community, never attended owner meetings, never out for walk, hardly every made trips to the trash dumpster.  Once she mentioned watching her son’s children at his house. Ahh, I figured ... that's where her life and connections are. Still, it seemed odd that family or friends never visited her in her condo.  When we moved here neighbors shared that she liked to shop by mail.  It was common for 3 or 4 packages to be waiting in the foyer for her several times a week.  They whispered the word “hoarder” to me.  I felt bad that they shared this with me - a virtual stranger at that point. I was uncomfortable with this talk and would often pick up her packages from the first floor and set them by her door out of sight of judgemental eyes.  After all, she was hurting no one.  But over the 5 years she and I lived side by side, we were barely acquaintances. 

Three weeks ago I noticed big changes.  She had been gone for a long time it seemed.  Others were going in and out of her unit.  Many very large black trash bags filled the hallway. Those disappeared.  And more re-appeared, but disappeared again.  Later a junk truck pulled up behind the building and started to fill.  It arrived many more times that I noticed and was always full to the brim.  But I never saw Jane.  I began to worry that she had passed away.  At one point I stopped a lady going in - turns out it was her daughter from Florida (wow, I didn’t know she had a daughter ... who apparently never visited ...  sorry, that was unkind of me.) She assured me Jane was fine, had been hospitalized, and was in rehab. She would not be returning, but moving directly to Florida, and they (her brother and her) would be selling the unit.  Ok ... I felt some relief that family was finally stepping in to help her.

So what is the stupid stuff?  For a woman who I barely knew - I felt sad.  In moving, her life and stuff, that she had so carefully hidden from the neighbors was suddenly on full display. While I am sure she could not participate in the condo clean up without saving everything,  it appeared that literally every decision regarding her stuff was lifted from her.   Of course other residents noticed this activity.  Word of this move passed beyond my building.  They commented on a single truck load of flattened boxes.  I heard the truck staff were pawing through other truck loads, pulling things out for themselves.  I am glad I didn’t see that.  Some residents were checking with others - how many trucks did you see? I wanted to shut down that talk.  But I kept my mouth shut.  I have to live here for probably another 10-15 years.  A neutral stance is better.

But I did ponder my own future.  My over riding goal when cleaning out and downsizing - is that I take care of shedding my belongings myself and not become burden to my children (and after this experience avoid being the topic of idle discussion by the neighbors.)  You can be very sure, this episode planted thoughts in my mind that will not easily fade.  

I guess, ... as I type this story for you, I realize this concern for a near stranger isn’t stupidity, but just common, run-of-the-mill, compassion for another human being.  It is compassion for an aging woman undergoing a big change imposed on her for her own good - but beyond her ability to contribute or control.  It is advancing age robbing a person of their independence. This is an emotion am very familiar with as I lived with this thought every day when caring for my own aging mother.  And it is a reminder to me that I still have control - for now.  

Here’s hoping Jane is in a better place in Florida - with a fresh start at life and new neighbors who don’t know all her secrets and a daughter nearby for support.

And as for myself, I won’t raise any ‘red flags’ for my family to worry about - like putting name tags on my geraniums.  We will just keep that little secret between you and I. 😂

My Left Thumb and Aja

Here is a bit more of what has filled my time since July

 from the perspective of my Left Thumb.

(Yes, my left thumb!)

My left thumb has registered a significant objection recently.  Who knew that it had opinions!?!  That is an unfortunate evolution because I am in the thick of crocheting 2 sizable projects which I have every intention of finishing and I suspect my new craze - crocheting - is the cause of this thumb revolt. All my other fingers are agreeable to my creative needs.  Since my thumb seems to be full of opinions lately, I thought I would give it an opportunity to express some of them now.

So here we go!

Annie Crochet Striped Afghan Club in Plumberry - almost done.  (Vote from the thumb 👎)

I am nearing the end of this project. I was really drawn to this club because not only did you get a the yarn and pattern instructions for 3 different stripes once a month, but you are given access to the video tutorials.  For me the video tutorials were invaluable. 

I have learned a lot using this club, but I am still not comfortable with the written instructions or the crochet charts with all the odd ball graphic designs the look like Chinese picture writing to me.  Regardless, I love working on this blanket and would consider another Annie’s Club - maybe a knitting club. (from the thumb 👍)

One last pleasant discovery.  The acrylic yarn used is Premier Anti Pilling Everyday Worsted.  I had never heard of it before, but the colors are pure, the feel is very natural, there is no splitting and the stitches are sharp in definition.  My favorite acrylic now.  And it can be found at various yarn websites.

Queen Blanket (vote from my thumb 👎) 

This blanket made with mosaic crochet looks intricate but really it is so simple. The technique of mosaic crochet is a bit time consuming and the size makes this a long term project.  Still, the result is eye catching and very enjoyable to work on. The will be a very big project and will take more than a year so more crocheting is in my future (from the thumb 👎!!!)

Shelley Scarf/Wrap (vote from the thumb 👍)

My left thumb loves this project so I’ve made a lot of progress on this knitted project. 

This project has a simple 2 row repeat and one row is a purl row.  How simple can it get!  Apparently, for me, the simpler the pattern, the more likely mistakes occur.  Luckily, it is fairly forgiving pattern as it is pretty easy to correct a mistake in the previous row from the purl row.  In fact, if you use the right yarn - mistakes can be corrected anywhere in the pattern.  I had to make 2 corrections by actually sewing up errors  (almost like darning) with a separate piece of yarn and weaving in those ends.  Once done, it is pretty invisible.  In a solid color, that might not work, but my yarn has variations of shades.

And now on to my little Princess 👍👍👍:

AJA

Aja is so much fun. Little habits that she repeats and trusted moments that she dispenses (when the time is right for her, of course) are lovely to see. Her latest game is playing catch with our feet as we walk.. Claws are in - and she does a tap tap on our ankles. If you turn, she stops, looks, then runs away. Sort of a version of the game of Tag. At first we didn’t know what she was doing. But she does it frequently with both of us.  

She also is fond of jumping onto my lap in the evenings.  It is pretty much the only pictures I get.  And she doesn’t really care if you have knitting or a computer on your lap.  When she is coming up - she is coming!

When Aja was new to us she was a little 'black box' that was filled with mystery.  When you get a kitten, their black box is totally empty (sort of like their kitten brain - totally empty.) 😁  Adult cats have stuff hidden in their black box.   In her early days with us I made contact with her previous owner through Facebook.  We had a few lovely messages back and forth, and I learned a lot about Aja that she was keeping hidden.  From those Facebook chats there is a phrase that is stuck in my head.  But her previous owner said, “Thank you for giving her a chance.”  Awww ... 

"Giving her a chance...”  I guess that is what it looked like we were doing.  But what Aja and her previous “mama” could not know was - this wasn’t a “chance.”  There was no chance that it might not work out.  There was no “chance” that we would return her to the shelter (which I am quite sure does happen.)  Even if we would only have a marginal distant relationship with her, she was staying.  Aja landed in a home that didn’t rely on chances.  She was ours - for better or worse!  That is how we roll.

That’s all folks!!  

When she is done, she is done.  

I get tapped with her tail a few time in departing and then she is off to other things.

I am a persistent person - if it takes a year - if it takes 10 years, if I want to do something, I am going to do it.  And I wanted to conquer this little cat’s fear and distrust. And I think I have.  But that one comment has stuck with me anyway.  "Thank you for giving her a chance.”  Aja has proved she is worth many, many, chances.  As many chances as it takes - and almost all pets deserve that - unlimited chances because the circumstances of their past lives are really not of their making. She was lucky on several counts.  She had a good life before us and she has a good life now.  We love our little Aja, and I think she finally loves us.

I checked on Facebook and her former mama has removed her Facebook page content.  Only her name is there.  I left a message for her hoping she gets it.  I got the sense she really loved this little cat and was upset that Aja was in the shelter 2 weeks before someone took her.  I can’t imagine how hard it was to know her little Aja couldn’t make the move to another state with her.  I am hoping she remembers to check in on this blog to see how Aja is doing.  She is doing just great. (from the thumb 👍).

👍 

Now that I have given the stage (so to speak) to my left thumb, I am hoping that it will start to settle down.  A compression glove, cold packs, no crocheting for 3 weeks and regular applications of Penetrex (an inflammation cream) have had limited success.  Maybe giving it the opportunity to get a few things off its chest (do thumbs have chests?) will do the trick!

So what have I learned today.  Thumbs have opinions, perspectives and chests. Thumbs hate crocheting, but thumbs can’t speak so they are limited to emojis.  I have also learned to be grateful that this little 2-3 inch portion of my body is the only part putting up a fuss.  At my age, that is a fact to be celebrated.

(Now hunting around to find some wood to knock on!!!)

Maybe a New Title

 I am thinking of changing my blog name to

 “My Next 20 Years of Living: A Year at a Time.”  

I am slipping into the habit of posting only a few times a year!  I often think maybe I should just close the blog down.  I can see how it will all play out in my mind.  Do a graceful exit speech ...  you know ... taking a bow, wishing everyone well, throwing kisses to the crowd (if anyone is still out there reading - ha!), heading off to new but unidentified adventures, and drawing the curtains on this blog.  Then I remember, when I started in 2010 I thought 20 years was forever into the future.  But from where I am standing now - my “next 20 years” from 2010 takes me out to 2030.  Wow, that is pretty darn close.  It isn’t “forever.”  And I will be 83 in 2030.   83!  Hard to wrap my mind around that number.  hmmm .... isn’t 83 the “new 63?”  haha! Nope, not even I believe that.

So I talk myself out of quitting.

After all I still have things going on.  My wonderful kids are in the prime of their lives.  Professional and personal success.  Living comfortably, raising an amazing new generation and just generally improving the world with their presence.  I still have a life partner of 52 years and counting.  Turns out he needs me now more than he did when we first married.  (Its hard to express just how important vision is until you lose it.). Then there is Aja, our adult 'Covid Cat adoption.' God knows she keeps us amused and engaged.  And I still have not knitted through ALLLL my yarn stash yet (which means - if that is a goal - I will need to live to 115!)  Topping all that off, there is this amazing grand daughter in my life who is 3.  Now that is one little human being who is going to change the world.  If I live to be 115 - I might just get to see it.

Nope!  Not quitting.  

So what has been happening since July.

First off my darling, amusing and smart-as-a-whip grand daughter is a regular part of my life.  

Here she is carrying her Minnie Mouse leather purse her father (my talented son) made for her.  She thinks her dad can do anything (and I am hard pressed to disagree with her. 😁)

Here she is getting ready to go out on a boat with her dad.

 Her honorary uncle owns the boat is putting her life vest on. 

(That face says: Yah! I am cool.)

And here is a special cookie her grand mother (me)

 got for her loaded with icing.  Yummy - so she says.

A sugar high (and low) in the making!

And here is her first day of preschool picture - the first of many!

What to say about this little person!  She is not only smart and can talk circles around you, she is a competitive 3 year old.  In August she went to the beach with family and extended family for the first time.  In that group was Will, her cousin, who is 4 years old.  The age difference of 6 months was nothing in their relationship.  Some conversations that were overheard were:

Will:  I am 4 years old.

Esk:   Well, I am 5!  (Poor Will lost that one - even though it was based on an exaggeration of the

           truth. Ok, a lie. But still ... )

Will:  My dad can jump on one leg.

Esk:   Well, my dad has 2 legs!!!  (Sorry Will.  Looks like you lost that one, too.  But the dads had

           fun with it.  My son reminded Will’s dad ALL week, that HE had 2 legs.  And Will’s dad has 2

           legs as well, but let’s not let a little bit of logic get in the way of winning one!  Right, Esk!)

I wish I could have been there.  Watching and listening to the 2 of them together would have been truly priceless.  My first video upload is below and I sure hope it works for you.  This is a movie of Esk and Will dancing together by the pool.  When I am feeling low, I watch this 1 minute and 20 second video and I feel myself smiling and laughing.  Hope you feel that way too.

So I guess the question is why wasn’t I there?  Well the Outer Banks is 5-6 hours away from home and I feel uncomfortable being so far away leaving my husband with no back up (both my kids were on this trip.). So I made myself useful and stayed with my son and daughter-in-laws two dogs.  A dog week for me - I used to do that kind of house and dog sitting all the time before the pandemic - but the pandemic changed all that.  So here are my pictures from that same week.

They like to stay close.  

Very close.  

Sometimes it is a little claustrophobic, but they need more attention when “their peoples’ are gone.

They have a beautiful side porch that the dogs and I completely enjoyed sitting on.

This bulldog is Ragnar - Rags for short.  

Getting a front picture of him is hard when he was determined

 to put his butt on my lap keeping me close.

This is Olivia - Livvy or Beansie for short.  

She isn’t quite so clingy but loves attention just as much.

Yes, that is 60+ pound Rags running full out down the hill in their fenced in yard - directly at me.  I have learned never to move when he does that.  He darts to the side at the last minute and invariably he darts in the direction I have chosen to move - taking me out!  He hasn’t master stopping all that well! He is such a character.

 

The location of their house is wonderful - acres between houses, lots of green and trees, neighbors are far enough away that there is tons of privacy and lovely silence.

I did lots of reading and knitting and crocheting and TV Netflix watching - and mid-day visited my husband till after dinner.  Sort of a mini-vacation for me as well.

This was a long post and I’ll close it for now.  I’ll be back because I have pictures of my projects to share and Aja pictures to include.  And who knows, maybe some other stuff as well.

Nope - not quitting yet.  Who would I bore with my pictures if not you wonderful people!

Till next time ...