Memorial Day

They say we are civilized, we have evolved, but.....

And the beat of the drums goes on.

Why?

When will we ever learn that war is not the answer?

I have lived more than six decades, through 4 major wars and countless smaller conflicts.

Bless all who have served and bless their families.

Off and On {and this is not referring to my mental status}

I have been out of town for awhile, and being home now feels comfy and OK.

My daughter and her husband asked me to move into their house and watch my granddaughters and the BIG, constantly shedding dog for 8 days while they vacationed in Mexico.   It was my pleasure to do so as anytime with those girls is a joy for me. However, before unpacking, I had to learn their house as there are things there of which I am not familiar.

My home, which is twelve years old, has fairly new appliances, and although I find the refrigerator door (that has to be closed with precision or else it beeps at you), quite annoying, I get along very well with all the shiny stainless steel things that surround me.  Every year though (or even every week), companies improve (?) and update their models in order to compete in the market.  Sad to say, my abilities have not done the  same.  I have not been improved or updated in over a decade and really get frustrated by the constant changes that technology dictates.  Today, what should be simple appliances, now come with 50 page manuals.  Who reads manuals and why should we?

My daughter had just bought a new washer, dryer, oven, and dishwasher for her house.  They are all  attractive and according to Molly, very efficient. 

The washer has 42 options and very small print.


The drier has 39 and very small print.


The dishwasher has 15, all in very small print and inside the door (who looks there?).



And the oven, that blasted oven, with the timer that constantly beeps even though I continually pushed "cancel" (wrong option), has printing so-o-o small, anyone over 35 would have to use a magnifying glass to see all those choices The display is large enough to spread words out and in bold, but they choose to group them close together, with options that have options.  I had to get my face so close to it that one of the burners could have singed that errant hair that sometimes grows on my chin.


















Then I had to learn the pond.  It worked two days, and for some reason after my granddaughter and I cleaned out the filter, and added water, it flooded the patio and kept tripping the GFI switch. The water feature remained off for the rest of my time there.



On the last day, one of the toilets broke.  I did not take pictures of that.

Yes, I did learn to use all those new and efficient appliances, they all worked well, and the girls got hot meals and clean clothes.  I am not one to look back and say things and times were better long ago, but I have to say, they were a lot easier when it was just an On and Off type world.

Whining

I have been away for awhile, but I am doing OK.





















These past two weeks have been the prettiest of the year.  All the flowering trees bloomed, the azaleas were magnificent, and every tree came alive.  Unfortunately, they clogged up my sinuses and my head feels like it has blown up 10 fold.  My eyes are beyond itchy and red and my headaches can bring me to my knees (OK, I do exaggerate). Basically, everything above my shoulders has had a reaction to this lovely spring. 

Some years are worse than others, and this one seems to be a doozy.  Now I can help myself by staying indoors, but how can I do that after a long winter and with the call of the garden singing to me.  It is something many of us put up with because the things we love are more important to us than our comfort.  I am also very allergic to cats, yet I have two that are indoors and two more who are our (unofficially) adopted outdoor feline friends.  Yes, I am my worst enemy when it comes to my health, but I can't give up what makes me smile and gives me joy.  

I am sorry that I have not been keeping up as I usually do with my blogging friends.  It has been difficult for me to read lately as my eyes hurt and are very strained. I am using eye drops but so far they haven't made a difference. I also have bouts of vertigo caused by something going on with my hearing and I am one dizzy dame.  I keep putting off going to a doctor as I think I will be better tomorrow, and some days that is true.  Besides, he will only tell me what I know and give me advice that I will ignore. He will punish me by sending me a big bill.  Insurance is not what it used to be. 

It is going to rain this week which will be good for my newly planted gardens and will be good for me as the pollen will decrease. I see a reprieve coming.