Rockets and Robots

                            The fourth is over!

I hope you did not get caught in all the storms that hit the east coast, messing up celebrations. My dau. Susan's family got nearly blown away and totally drenched escaping from a fireworks site. 

Me, I stood on my balcony and watched what I could see of the fireworks display being shot off downtown. Trees do get in the way sometimes. 

I know it was a special day, the television kept telling me it was! Yet, for me it was just another fourth, a time to remember that we fought hard and won our freedom. I had ancestors who did the fighting. Geez, my family has been here FOREVER....

It's hotter than blazes here so I am staying in my apartment and giving up thanks on a regular basis for the man who invented air-conditioning. I am old as the hills, so I know what it feels like to not have that cooler than cool air blowing all the time. I remember summers that were scorchers but we had never been exposed to anything else so it was just normal. It's funny how we get used to something and think we can't live without it.

I was thinking the other day about the Jetsons. Remember that tv show from way back when where Rosie, the robot was the maid? 

We all were saying, 'never in a million years will there be a man-made machine that can do what humans do.'  Well, folks, a million years have passed and those robots are taking over!! I even saw where there is an entire soccer team of robots playing soccer. CRAZY!!

It might be interesting to watch a game.... one team of robots, the other team real honest to gosh humans. Wonder who would win!

It Was A Happy Birthday

 My middle daughter, Shirley, had a birthday on Sunday! What do you do for birthdays? You Celebrate, of course!! 

Her children were all there, and all the grands (but one who was in basketball training). Her brother was in attendance, all the way from Alabama and of course, me (her mother)

 

                                         She was one happy birthday girl! 

   There was balloon inflating (with a machine) and a few blown up by sheer lung force. 

There were games and lots of just visiting and fun stuff going on. Chris (her son) did the cookout with her favorite burger, d-i-l Bethany and son Ken served Brownie Sundaes (another favorite). And, her Hubby John did the dishes!! For the first time ever, she was the queer of the hour without a thing to do but enjoy.

Once the crowd left brother and sister (both too old age-wise but never too old otherwise) stomped on the balloons one at a time to pop them. Now, that was a noisy time but they had a blast doing it! Some people just never grow up. 

       It was a milestone birthday but I'm not telling how many! You think I wanna get shot!! ha ha. 

A Green Thumb? Nah....

 It's growing season. Now, I am not a gardening person and I certainly don't have the place for one here at the apartment but I manage to dabble a bit in the dirt. 

A friend gave me an antherium that has done well regardless of my lack of taking care of growing things. It just continues to bloom and bloom and bloom. Reminds me of our time in Hawaii. 

a couple years ago, when I was visiting my son, I came home with one of his plants. Why, don't even ask me but it has survived... and now it has a bloom. I didn't know the thing bloomed ever. 

Sunday when we ate lunch with my grandson and his family, his wife Bethany, gave me a tray of basil. That I can grow! 

too many plants. 

Michael planted what I need

 and now I have posted here at the apartment my willing for the remainder of the plants to find a new home. 

What are you planting at your homes? Or do you? I love plants, don't get me wrong, but just let someone else take over their care!!

Bigger Is Better? I don't think so.

 This thought just struck me as funny and ridiculous at the same time. 

People have to buy the largest television they can find (some cover half a wall). Bigger is better

 and yet..........

They will squint and struggle to see the internet off a tiny screen on their cell phone. 

If you are as old as me you remember when television first came out. It was a big cabinet with this tiny screen. You thought that was wonderful until they started making bigger and better televisions. 

Along came desktop personal computers. Screen was pretty small but at least you could read everything (even if your eyesight was bad). 

And, here comes cell phones with screens barely larger than the palm of your hand... and they added internet accessibility. So, everyone thought it was cool to carry around a computer that they could scarcely read while a larger computer screen sat on a desk back at home.

I'm sorry but it makes no sense to me. 

I seldom use my phone except for communication (phone calls or texting). When I need to hook up with the World Wide Web I want a screen big enough to see !! 

More on Grounding

 I am just blown away by the responses I got to my last post on grounding. If my willingness to share my success with grounding helps just one other person I am so happy. 

The medical/pharma folks have long kept natural and inexpensive cures from us all in the name of making money. If you google grounding/earthing today it will tell you that there have not been enough studies, no verified proof that that works. Yet, Dr. Laura Koniver who is a medical doctor has had articles published in medical journals and lists a ton of resources to back her claims. and there are many others. But, enough of that. 

I am so new to this so I hesitate to tell you anything at all about how it works (there's tons of material that can do that well) but I do want to say that the earth is an electrical field... so are our bodies. Heck, I didn't know I was a walking-around light bulb. haha. Some people may say I am short a light bulb or two. he he. But, when those two fields connect the neurons head through your body and immediately your brain goes into a restorative mode, you get more relaxed and those neurons go to work on so many parts of your body.

Not every body is alike. Isn't it wonderful that we all are so different!! So, the results for one person won't be the same as another but I made a long list of what good grounding CAN DO for your body. Here are just a few: 

1. Mood lifts

2 Circulation improves because our blood cells tend to clump together and the flow slow down. With grounding your blood cells start to break apart from the clumps, your blood flows more smoothly and can access more parts of your body in a faster and better way. However, if you are on a blood thinner... check with your doctor before grounding.

3. Our gut and our brain work hand in hand  and grounding improves the vagal nerve so that communication between the two can be faster and healthier.

4. It helps with sleep

5. It also boasts the thyroid, your metabolism improves and your cortisol goes down. 

                           Now, on to other things. 

                   My son Michael arrived last Tuesday. 

We had a couple days of just catching up and then he headed over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel to the Eastern part of Virginia. 

He is meeting up with his buddy Carl and his wife to explore some Tall Ships that are in port at Cape Charles. 

My granddaughter (Shirley's daughter) lives on the Eastern Shore and she is enjoying having them around. 

He and his puppy, Sadie, come back to my apartment on Tuesday. More visiting scheduled and next weekend is Shirley's birthday so we will celebrate that and then he'll head back to Alabama. 

                                It's a busy time for us! 

Grounding Makes Sense

                             I am really nervous about this post!! 

I told you I would give more about my newfound energy and so here it is. But, you may laugh, you may think I am nuts or you'll just shake your head and walk away. I can only tell you it is working for me so I am a huge believer. 

I have been grounding for 5 weeks now and I am just blown away by the changes in my life. 

So, you are asking 'what's grounding'. We've been told all our lives we needed to be outdoors, breathe fresh air, get our feet dirty. Grounding is connecting our bodies to Mother Earth. It all has to do with the electrical charges that are in the earth and in our bodies and interacting. Most diseases are caused by inflamation in our bodies and grounding helps get rid of that inflamation plus other things. 

I watched a video about grounding, had never heard of it in my life! But, I was bored, couldn't find anything to watch and when I started I could not stop. That day I walked outside, sat down on a bench by the pond, took my shoes off and planted my bare feet on the ground. Of course, I was immediately joined.... by the geese looking for food. 

I discovered that you could buy grounding pads so I ordered one. I am not an outdoors person and knew summertime would chase me inside so pads seemed to be the answer.

I placed my new pad in front of my chair in the living room, plugged it into the grounding outlet on a nearby electrical plug and every time I watch tv I sit with my bare feet on that pad. You should get at least 30 minutes a day and it doesn't not matter how much you do. No harm done. 

Within a couple days I began to feel different.

 I have not changed one single thing about my life (my habits, my eating, my activities etc) 

Here is what I have gained through grounding. I am still on the 'wait and see' path but like I say I have changed nothing else. So, it must be the pad.

1. SLEEP ... before I had trouble falling asleep and often would wake up and stay awake 2 or more hours during the night.

        Now I go to sleep almost immediately and I sleep very soundly all night (except for bathroom visits)

2. MOOD.... Before, I suffer from some depression and have for several years taken a low dosage of Zoloft. Even then I would still  have bouts of sadness, lack of motivation.

Now.... I have been in the best mood for 5 weeks, not one down minute 

 3. MOTIVATION... before I would awake and just dread getting out of bed, lie there until I just had to get up and then I'd wander aimlessly around

Now.. I hop out of bed, fresh and excited. I ask myself 'what can I get into today?'

4. DIZZINESS    ... before I had periods of dizziness, especially at bedtime. Had to sleep on two pillows, could not turn my head except very slowly or the room would spin, etc.

Now... I am on one pillow and I toss and turn like normal with no dizziness at all.

5. ACID REFLUX    ... Before, I have taken prescription meds for acid reflux for years. If I missed 1 dose by the next day I was hurting. 

Now... I am on my 5th day without that medication and not one sign of heart burn. So far!! 

6. ENERGY... before, by 2 or 3 in the afternoon I was spent... just over for the day. I'd collapse into a chair. Got nothing done after that time except the absolute necessary

        Now.. I am still going strong all day... I might slow a bit mid afternoon but I perk back up and not be exhausted 'til bedtime. 

Remember, I am 92 and I thought my lack of motivation,  energy level, sleeplessness etc. was all due to age. 

I am very hopeful that I continue to feel this good, 10 years younger and ready to take on the world. I know people are skeptical about grounding. If you want, there are tons of videos on YouTube to watch. I would recommend any of them that featured Clint Ober or Dr. Laura Koniver. 

Gee, I wonder how many of you are running for the hills right now. Ha ha. 

Dunes at The Beach at Corolla

 Besides working on my novel yesterday, I painted a watercolor.... and did some laundry!! Productive day, eh? 

I have a renewed energy for which I am thankful. More about that in a day or two. 

Here's my new painting. I loved the sky, wasn't as happy with the grasses growing on the dune.. But, a painting is in the artist's mind and I guess that was what was in mine. hehe. 

A Shot in the Arm

 Nothing like a 'shot in the arm' to jerk you up and get you going. 

I started a sequel to my 'Springtime in Magnolia' book ages ago and then I just ignored it. I had 80 pages written but for some reason I stalled and couldn't get 'unstalled'. 

But, the other day I opened that file back up on my computer and decided I'd give it a look-see. I needed some info to move me forward so I asked ChaptGPT for information about an unexperienced young man starting a job at a bank in the late 1940s. I like to be factual and I had no clue about banking then or now. 

Well, as I chatted with GPT I got so fired up and the next morning I spent 4 hours at the computer writing and writing and correcting and editing. I gotta get this novel finished. I mean, folks, I don't have years and years to write. These old hands are already giving me a lot of trouble. Of all things my index finger on my dominant hand locks up (trigger finger, they call it). Some times I can get it unlocked fairly easy and other times it just does not want to turn loose and is so painful when I force it. So,  yes I need to write while I can. 

Or... maybe it can be fixed. Got an appt. with the dr. Monday. We'll see how that goes. 

I published 'Springtime in Magnolia' in the fall of 2013. About time I got that sequel done, don't you think? 

Making Our Life's Music

 This is a post I did for a facebook group that I head up 'Accidently Aging. Women Living Their Best Lives' 

 I feel that women have been muchly ignored over the years and we are slowly making our mark in this world. So, I started that group. If you are interested and are on Facebook you might want to check it out, join the group or just ignore it. No big deal. We do what's best for us, right?

Now, here's the post: 

A number of us just sit around waiting for life to happen. How sad is that? We should all be active in making the plans and then executing those plans to make our lives the very best that they can be.

There is a quote by Mark Nepo that I think addresses this problem very well. I liked it so well it is now jotted down in my "Quote Journal".

"The life of every soul waits like sheet music to be played. What good are we if that music is never played." (Mark Nepo)

Priceless advice. Tune your violin, pick up the bow and make the music of your life.

A Weird Dream

                  Now, I can have me some weird dreams!! And, usually I remember what I have dreamed. 

I had the wildest dream last night. It must have been because of the recent wedding of my grandson and his beautiful bride but believe me, there is no comparison. His wedding went so smoothly, was so touching, just perfect. This dream wedding however was a riot. 

                         

               Let me tell you about my dream:

I have an acquaintance who says she's getting married and she tells me the time and date. How I got so involved, the dream never revealed! But, here I am in the middle of everything and the day of the wedding arrives and there have been no plans made, no venue, no gown, no preacher, no cake... nothing. It's 10 a.m. and the wedding is at 2 so my husband (God rest his soul) and I start to pull together this wedding. We find a church we can use, a friend loans a white dress and my husband and I head to Wal-Mart to buy a cake to serve. It's just a plain white layer cake but it has purple flowers all around it. That'll have to do. I get them to sell me a bag of icing so I can decorate it up a bit. Oh we need some drinks. The salesperson suggests Gaterade! Then we discuss Sprite or Coke. I don't think we ever decided. We still don't have a person to perform the wedding and then it hit's me... 'Honey, you are a preacher,' I say to my husband (which was true in real life) 'you do it'. 

Well, the bride drags in at last minute fully unprepared and we surprise her with having everything ready. It's 2 and time..... for me to wake up.

I woke up just chuckling... what a time I'd had in my dream. Now it was time to get up and get real! 

Do you have crazy dreams? Do you remember what you dream? What do you think a dream means or does it at all?

                                           Happy Dreams!!

I Shall Hear Clearly Soon

 What a day Tuesday.

Hadn't been to Olive Garden in years. There's not one close to me but Shirley had driven me to Southpark for an appt about my hearing aids and there was an Olive Garden just calling my name!!

I tried something new to me, cheese ravioli covered with meat sauce and that more than yummy salad! I scoffed as much as I could and brought the rest home for dinner that night. Enjoying it twice is better than once, don't you think?

Once lunch was over, it was on to Sam's Club for my hearing test. I knew I was hard of hearing but it was discerning to find out how much!! Not so bad in the low frequencies but the high ones... dang.... My left ear had severe loss and my right one had PROFOUND loss. And, on top of that I have tinnitus that I have to deal with. Bummer. Had that for years! 

My new hearing aids will be in in two weeks. I can't wait. 

Buying Myself a Bouquet

                                   I love flowers

But I don't have a green thumb nor a good place to grow my own.

So, Shirley and I went to the End of Nowhere Flower Farm near where I live to see what they had in the way of cut flowers. The owner has this cute little stand that every Saturday during flower season she puts bouquets on the shelves for you to pick and pay sort of thing.

                    We'd never been so it was an adventure.

Out in the country, down a narrow winding road, farms on each side, cows and horses watching us go by. And, finally we come to the place. Isn't this just the cutest thing?

I snitched these photos off her website and they are not focused. Sorry

Shirley and I both chose mixed bouquets (sunflowers, sweet william, winged everlasting, and pincushion blossoms) 

Very summery, don't you think?

    I knew what the sunflowers and sweet william were but had to look up the other two flowers.

                        This is the pincushion blossom

and this one is winged everlasting

Did you know that? I didn't but now I do. 

I wonder how long I will remember which is which!! 

Sankaty Lighthouse and More Fun

 In 2004 Susan took me, Elbert, Brittany and Owen on an adventure. We went to Maine, Rhode Island and of course, we traveled through Conn. And, we spent several days on Nantucket. It was such fun.

We ate a picnic on the beach. It was a bit chilly but we enjoyed the food and companionship so much.

We visited Sankaty Lighthouse

explored some really rough terrain... it was a blast

So, the last couple of days I have been doing a watercolor of Sankaty Lighthouse using our photograph from there as a guide.

Key Lime Pie Cures Anything

 Feeling more upbeat today. It's amazing what an outing will do for you... not to mention the turkey and dressing. And, you gotta have cranberry sauce with it. We always ask for extra!! Besides, Cracker Barrel has rocking chair to enjoy. 

Getting new hearing aids turned out to be a bust! Shirley had tried to get in touch with them to make an appt but wasn't successful so we thought we'd just give it a try. Geez, we were in the neighborhood anyway. Seems the man who owned the audio portion of Sam's Club sold out so there was no one there. Well, it's not the only Sam's club in the area so we'll try another one. 

What are we going to do now! I seldom make suggestions which drives Shirley nuts. She says she hates making all the decisions but I think she loves to be in charge. I just always don't want to be a bother but I spoke right up and said, 'I want to go to Michael's crafts. I need new paint brushes.' Had a great time wandering up and down the aisles just looking at things that I would have scoffed up when I was younger. But, I just looked, got my brushes, a pool noodle and an American flag. 

I bet you anything you are wondering what in the world am I gonna do with a pool noodle! I can just hear those brain waves twirling! You see, I have this neighbor that lives under me who thinks if she hears one single sound out of my apartment it's cause for complaint. I've never had anyone else complain before so I guess it is her, I am not making more noise. Probably less. 

So, when I turn my Roomba on it has a habit of bumping into doors, walls, .... you get the picture. I thought if I slit that pool noodle down it's length and slid it around the outer part of my Roomba it wouldn't make as much noise. I just gotta figure out how to anchor it around that thing. Glue? Nah... tape maybe. We'll see. 

It was a gorgeous day and only like 2 p.m. so Shirley asked me if I was hungry. I mean, we just ate  but she's thinking dessert at one of our favorite eating places, Decoys. Oh yes... there's always room for that. We both got key lime pie. 

But, while the waitress was waiting on our order Shirley was muttering under her breath about whether to get pie or maybe some of their fabulous hushpuppies. When we got our pie, that sweet waitress brought us a basket of hushpuppies, too. On the house! I think I would have been happy just with those. They are so good. 

So, yes, I do feel better today. I do have to say that the sweet, caring, thoughtful comments I got on that last post made a huge difference in how I felt. Thank you, each and every one of you for caring. Love you girls!! 

Getting Out of The Dumps

 I was down in the dumps this morning, have been inching in that direction for days. 

1. I know that I am isolated too much

2. I know that I am stuck in a rut seeing the same residents and doing the same thing all the time.

3. I know that I see a slow-moving decline edging it's way into my life.

4. I know that I should be on top of the world that I am doing as well as I am

5. Now, what to do about it.

It helps that Shirley will pick me up around 11 tomorrow to eat at Cracker Barrel... It's turkey and dressing day!!

It helps that we will then go to get me some new hearing aids. Can you believe that I LOST my hearing aids at the wedding in Georgia? We never did locate them so I am in the market for new ones. 

It helps that I just watched a documentary on Grounding/Earthing. It sounds weird, I know! But, I asked ChatGPT about it and was told it isn't fully supported by the scientific/medical community. Well, duh..I've known for years that the medical field isn't interested in trying things that will take away their profits. 

Chatgpt said it would be beneficial to be outdoors. sit with my bare feet in the  grass, connect with nature. It can't hurt a thing and will get me out of this apartment. Now, if it will just stop raining! EVERY DAY THIS WEEK!

Writing

 This really made me chuckle. 

I have kept a journal (diary) most of my life. There are things in there that might not need to be read by others but mainly it's okay. It's just my life and how I lived it. But, I had wondered whether I should destroy my journals before I die or not. I finally decided to just either cut out or mark out what little bad was written in them and leave the good stuff for my descendants to enjoy.

Then, in this latest issue of the AARP magazine I found this: 

As I said, I really got a good chuckle out of this! 

The Correspondent

 I have had the best luck in my reading material lately. Thanks to my Susan who keeps giving me books to read. Last night I finished The Correspondent and was completely taken by surprise.

You see, I started that thing and just couldn't figure out who the characters were so I thought 'hey, this is a dud.' The whole book is nothing but letters different people have written to each other, the main one being Sybil. But, it all started making sense and before I knew it, I couldn't put it down. 

A completely original format.. well, maybe not original but certainly not the regular style of writing. I think it was refreshing to read something out of the norm.

And, you know what! I used to love to write letters and did so a lot. Then came email, then texting ... you get my drift. Letter writing is a lost art. But, this book put me back in touch with the feel I always got when I either wrote a letter or received one. I think we ought to bring back Letter Writing!!

I recommend this book. It's all about loss and grief, and joy and sadness, and adventure and love and finding yourself. Pretty much how life really is. Let me know if you have read it or when you do, I would be interested to know your take on it. 

Seeing Savannah

 I had flown down early for the wedding but I was riding back with a daughter and son-in-law. None of us had ever been to Savannah we decided we'd take a trolley tour of the place. So glad that we did. 

Savannah is a charming city. I wouldn't mind living there but that is not in the cards. There are 22 parks! They are all over the place and provide such a calm, peaceful area for people to go. And old buildings and cobblestone streets. Of course, the streets were a bit bumpy to ride over but what the heck. 

It was the day after Mother's Day and I was presented a pink carnation by our tour ticket salesperson. He was such a jolly soul and we loved meeting him. 

I took a ton of pictures so I won't bore you with all of them.  haha but here is a smathering of what we enjoyed. 

One of the many parks in Savannah

Oldest operating restaurant on Savannah's waterfront. Was an old restore cotton warehouse.

The street is made of ballast stones that were put in the small ships arriving from overseas for balance. Unloaded and then used to pave streets. 

Waving Girl statue honors Florence Martus who waved a cloth to welcome ships entering Savannah port for over 40 years, her faithful dog beside her.

A city of live oaks loaded with Spanish Moss

Big Duke Alarm Bell constructed in 1872 as a fire alarm for the city. was also rung at end of Spanish-American War

A familiar sight on Savannah's streets

Me busy taking photos. 

My daughter Shirley