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Jun99
Nature Songs ~~~~
JUNE,1999
A flash of harmless lightning,
A mist of rainbow dyes, The burnished sunbeams brightening
From flower to flower he flies.
--John Banister Tabb
June 1,1999 - Harmless lightning - rainbow dyes - sunbeams - who would guess that the poem for June is discribing a Ruby-Throated Hummingbird! Such a vivid picture of the tiny fellow as he darts among the flowers. If you take time to watch and listen it doesn't take long to figure out how aggressive it can be. The wallop one makes as it smacks into another to run it off is quite audible if you only listen for a moment. It will perch on a limb nearby and wait for the other to fly close and then the chase is on. They really are interesting to sit and watch.
I promised Tbird that I would ride up the mountain with her today. It is a pretty day to be out and about. The weather forecast has added a new twist to the predictions. After these past few summer of The Winds, today's forecast was "steady breezes of 10 to 15 miles per hour from the South through tomorrow." She taught a Kindermusik Class in Hickory in the morning, was in Blowing Rock for midday and had to be back to Hickory for another Kindermusik Class at five. That's a lot of driving and running to be done in one day.
The boys were with her for her morning class, but they won out and stayed with me, or rather the computer, when she went back to do her evening class. They were both with me when my Lady came to clean house. She couldn't get over how well behaved they both were. It was no problem for her to have them here while she worked on the house. It is such a joy to look forward to her arrival each Tuesday. It is a real blessing to have her here to help me.
After all had gone, I took time to go back to my webring that was on the blink. By-passing the basic editor for the site, I went in on the advanced editor and just did not own thing. The webring worked! Something about the setup of the basic editor just would not allow for the space I needed for my graphics of the webring. Within minutes, it was working and confirmation was sent to me that I was added to the ring. Well, actually, I did make a whole new page to suit my needs. I will just put all my webrings for that site on that page. Problem solved, I can rest easier tonight.
June 2,1999 - The second day of June and I awaken to see the beautiful quilt displayed on my calendar . It has three dimensional flowers appliquéd on it. I order a quilting book on making flowers like these a few years back, but never got around doing any of them. Now, each day I will be looking at these beautiful creations, being enticed to get started on a project of my own. First I must complete this Christmas quilt I have obliged myself to do with the Guild - five squares finished and seven more to complete. I worked on it some yesterday while I sat in the car and waited in Blowing Rock for the crew to do their things there. All the easy squares are completed and I have some challenges with the remaining ones.
'Twas good to see that some sections of the new widening of the highway up the mountain are being paved. There is yet much to do done before it will be anywhere close to being completed. More dirt and rocks to be moved in the areas where the work is progressing. More preparations to get ready to begin work in the more rugged areas. The hardest work is yet to begin for the construction workers.
In one section of our area surrounding Charlotte, it is believed that maybe a panther has been videoed prowling around a neighborhood. Panthers have been extinct here for ages and ages. Where it would have come from no one knows. Residents are being cautioned to keep pets indoors and closely monitor children when they are outdoors. In another section, a black bear is on the roam! In yet, another section, which is the closest to us, something has been killing the dogs during the nights. Are the animals trying to reclaim some land for themselves that we have taken from them? I'm sure that developers have not made any provisions for what will happen to the wildlife once the habitat has been taken away.
Watching from my bedroom window this morning, I observe a Baltimore Oriole, Cardinal, Robin, Mother Dove with one of her young, a Nuthatcher and a rabbit. I wondered if the dove has its nest in our shed again this year. The squirrels must be running in the tops of the trees. Guess the robin has already started another family for this summer. It takes only a short time for her to have a family reared and on its way.
June 3,1999 - Well, word is now that the panther turned out to be a large house cat probably, and nothing to worry about.
I was up with the sun this morning to unlock the door. The boys came early - at least early for me - to stay for the day while Dad worked and Mom did whatever it is that Mom always has to do. Allan came by and with his help they got the Sega working again. It was unplugged awhile back because they had not been straightening up the sunken room after playing there. The living room is referred to as the sunken room because it is two steps lower than the rest of the house. I seldom go into it even though it is my favorite room in the whole house. For one thing there is not a chair I can sit in and get out of easily. I threatened today to get some bricks and raise up one of the chairs to meet my needs. Long legs can become a problem in a world that revolves around the average person.
After lunch ( biscuits for one and peanut butter and crackers for the other) we ventured over to visit with Mother for awhile and took her some towels and yarn to try her hand at crocheting. From there my venture lead to the Grocery Store. This was the first time I have been shopping since the middle of April. I had the boys with me, so I knew carrying in the bags at home would be no problem today. Once they left, I was back at the computer again catching up on things and getting genealogy facts organized somewhat.
My cousin that moved away from Hickory so many, many years ago when my Uncle decided it was time to move on, e-mailed me this week. Time moves at such a rapid pace, yet just a spark can bring back oodles of memories and fond times. I used to baby-sit her and her sister so many years ago. I was about twelve at the time. Now she has two children and grandchildren of her own and her pride and joy at the moment is her pet pygmy pig. It was so good to hear from her.
What a surprise to learn that her mother has done some genealogy on the family and has some documents on some that fought in the Civil War which is exciting news for me. New facts are coming out regularly about so many of the surnames I have been researching.
June 4,1999 -A late night call to me from Tbird and I agree to have the boys again early today. Dad will pick up one early and Mom will be by to get the other one at some undetermined time. So at daybreak once again I am up to unlock the door only to discover that it was never locked for the night. Good thing I have my trusty sidekicks with me to bark viciously if any intruder should mistakenly try to enter my premises. Then again if Elsie Dawg had a mind to, she only has to give an extra little tug to pull free from her line and join in on the chase.
As the day progressed, the boys were here on opposite schedules than what had been planned. Dad came by to pick up DynoKid and found him fast asleep on the carpet in the sunken room where he had been watching a video with his brother. Dad went on to his appointment and came back three hours later to wake him up and take him on home. NascarKid left earlier to go with Mom and Giggles to make funnel cakes at the Festival in Hickory. Their church has a booth on Main Street selling funnel cakes to raise money for some church activities.
Aside from handing out the key to the shed to one of the Landscape Workers to get inside and retrieve the Kabota and then bringing the key back to me, the rest of the day was a time to collapse! Energy, energy where have you gone! If only …
June 5,1999 -Commitment! Dare I venture out and commit myself to a daily activity? Can I be reliable and uphold my end of the bargain? How will I ever know if I don't attempt to offer what I have to give? So, I sit myself down at the computer and commit myself to taking part in the LOTH Group by becoming an Ambassador! I can do it! I know I can! Yes, I shall set aside some time each day to come in contact with others and offer whatever I may have to offer. If it were something where I would have to leave the house on a special schedule, I probably would not venture to make the commitment. I never know from one day to the next exactly how I will be motivating. Sitting at the computer and sending e-mails, cards, or signing website pages I can chose any time of the day or night and carry out the needed activities.
All the boys - young ones and older ones (except Wes) congregated this morning and went trout fishing. It was a special event provided for the younger ones at one of the trout farms. Only DynoKid and Allan's niece caught a fish. But everyone had a good time just getting together for the morning. Allan called later to say that he and his family were off to the campground for the rest of the weekend. BingoKid came over for a while this afternoon and played on the computer while Mom and Dad went van shopping. Their car is not large enough to take everyone any place when there are some friends visiting them. With the seatbelt laws today, children can't be packed into a vehicle like a tin of sardines as we were done when I was younger or when my children was younger. Back in my younger days, we were always having contests to see who could pack the most kids into a car to go places. Those were the days. Driving was not governed anything like it is today, because there were not that many cars and roads around.
June 6,1999 - Meditation. I've been thinking a lot about meditation and meditating. Any and all of what I am now perusing is apt to turn out to be totally opposite of what I am now thinking. Tbird goes to Asheville for Tai Chi classes every week she can afford the time. It is a form of meditating and movements. Chinese teachers have passed down from teacher to teacher the different forms and movements. The movements are much like the animals around us. The movements help to improve movements and health if they are done properly. They also can help with self-defense if the occasion shall avail.
Yoga, generally considered strictly Buddhist in form, is in reality not a religion in itself. It is being able to put your whole being into a state of meditation; committing yourself to the sounds and senses of the world. A cleansing of oneself of unhealthy thoughts or illnesses bringing peace and health. Inner peace is accomplished if done correctly.
Scanning through the Internet, I find that there are many sites pertaining to both subjects. They both stress the importance of having a teacher that encourages the proper attitudes. Without the right movements and clarity of thought, the full value of either one can not be experienced.
I would like to be able to take part in the meditations and try what I can of the movements. I've heard that some classes are available for Seniors and only wish that one would be close enough that I may try one of the programs. Taking time twice a day to do some of the exercises would be a good discipline for me and would help me to be more focused each day and put some scheduling back into my days. As it is now, I mostly just drift through from day to day without aim - rhyme or rhythm. I see a need to have something on which to focus my time and make definite values out of the now seemingly long disorganized weeks I have been floating through. It is time to begin accomplishing tasks that are worthy to be remembered.
June 7,1999 - Busy, busy, busy goes this day! This right shoulder and now the back and neck are doing their own thing again. It has to be in the muscle, the way it feels. Finding a comfortable position in bed put sleep at a minimum during the night. I need to take time and use the muscle stimulator and see if that helps it, but where is the time to take to do it. I got the confirmation letter from Medicare today that showed how much it cost to get a shot in my back. It was originally $219 for the one shot. Medicare approved only a fraction of that amount and disallowed the rest. How in the world does anyone without insurance ever afford to go to a doctor for even the simplest of conditions!
Now that I have that gripe out of the way - back to the busy day. I didn't even attempt to get my trash out today. Some type of system needs to be worked out so it gets out of the house and to the road to be picked up. The pickup area is near my mailbox. Guess if all else fails I can try getting it in the car and driving it that distance. Then again there is the bending, lifting and turning to balance myself just so and keep from aggravating Mrs. Back! (I changed it from Mr.)
OOPS! I got off on another tangent! Well, anyway, I started out on the computer making some website calls and leaving birthday wishes to some of the LOTH members. This is something that is going to take more than a few hours a week, but already, I can sense the need. There are many lonely people in our world and being able to bring a smile and add joy to the day is well worth the time.
The afternoons this week are being filled with grandchildren. Today ended up with having four at one time. I got to keep Giggles while Mom was taking a course at school and Dad was at work. She would not take a bottle from Dad, but she did take all of it for her Grandma.(No bragging here! LOL) We did just fine together.
BingoKid is now out of school for a few weeks. His other grandmother had an appointment to get her eyes checked about midafternoon and so I added him to my brood. Actually they did quite well together with the Sega working again and the computer and its many avenues to explore. Now my screen saver is changed and then changed again. It was reading early in the day, "IF YOU CAN READ THIS YOU ARE A GENIUS!" BingoKid had to add on his two cents worth with "AND I MEAN THAT IS THE BOTTOM LINE 'CAUSE STONE COAL (a wrestler, I think) SAID SO!!"
After all were here and gone, I had to go to the drugstore and pickup my stomach pills that I had called in for a refill earlier in the day. I rewarded myself for a day well spent with a stop at the drive-through at TCBY - and was it good! That is a treat I don't afford myself very often. (Did I mention about six calls from Mother during the day and having to search her bedroom here for some patterns so she can make a kitten for one of her friends?) When I got back from the drugstore, I decided to feed Elsie Dawg before going inside, then I noticed my plants were wilting from these hot (90 degree) days we are now having. Watering one plant lead to watering a few more and somehow I watered myself in the process because someone had put the spray nozzle on at an odd angle and I could not get it off. I had to stop and rest some propping on my cane quite often to get it accomplished, but finally, I made it indoors; donned dry clothes and got back to some computer work.
June 8,1999 - As I was driving up the road last evening I noticed a tremendous dark cloud of smoke in the sky. I drove by where the firemen were having a training exercise burning down a house that is in the right-of-way for widening Connelly Springs Road. Interesting that here we are in a "code red" alert for ozone and being cautioned not to do a long list of things in order to preserve the air quality and here the fire department is having a training exercise with burning a house. Is it my imagination, or is something wrong with this picture? Could they not have waited until after a rain, or until the air around us is less polluted!
Allan came by from his EMS work on his way to do some of his landscaping work. He promised to stop by and pick up some stuff to put out around the house to keep out the ants! Big ants and little ants! They must be looking for water, or a cooler place for their abode. This is not the place for them. Ozzie Dog used to chase after an ant and play with it or eat it. These two dogs I have now could care less when they see one. They are off in there own little la-la land and completely ignore the presence of one tiny ant in their domain.
I will have NascarKid and his brother and sister again this afternoon. Hope they do as good as they were yesterday. I expect them to be worn out. The boys have soccer camp in the morning for two weeks. They are having Vacation Bible School at their church every evening this week. That means they are leaving home about eightish in the mornings and getting back home about ten at night. That is a long hot day for them to have. Perhaps after Tbird completes her class today, they will be able to be at home in the afternoons for the rest of the week and rest a little.
Meanwhile, I am resting up this morning so I will be able to meet the demands of the afternoon. The Genealogy Group meets at the library this evening. I really would like to go, but then again I would feel better if I had someone to go with me. I shall have to think on that one for the day.
On second thought, I did not go to the meeting at the library. In fact, I had almost forgotten that my cleaning lady was to come. She is beginning on dusting the shelves and shelves - and shelves - of books and just plain stuff mixed in among them. I am so lucky to have someone to finally work on them for me. I love books and my house shows it. I even have some shelves up over the doors in the hallway filled with some of my jewels. Then, too, shelves hang on the back of the door in the craft/computer room filled with nothing but paperbacks. She is reading some of them when she has extra time at her other work. It is good to be able to share them. I love good books!
June 9,1999 - We spent about 40 minutes in the Spa this morning. I had turned back the temperature a little and it felt so good, Ms. Jay and I did not want to get out. But, she had clothes to iron and I had … whatever … to do. There is still no schedule of any type even in the planning stages for me and my life. I am meandering from first one thing to another whenever the spirit leads there. Some way the days go by and things are accomplished, but not necessarily anything that may have been thought about.
This particular day lead me over to spend around three hours with Mother. She has been feeling down and out and missing her sister along with wanting to come home. She keeps wanting me to bring her home and when I say I can't handle moving her around, she throws back, 'Well, I don't need any help. I can do things for myself." If only she could do things for herself. I can understand why it is so hard for some people to visit at nursing homes when they have to be on the defensive the whole time they are there. I try not to pay too much attention to the comments, but it is not easy. It is a fact that she only does it when she is with me. I try to tune out the negatives and focus on the positives.
Interestingly enough, the weather forecaster is reminding people to not burn brush because of the ozone effect, and the firefighters' practice burn on Monday evening is still smoking! According to the forecaster, our area is the hot spot of the nation today. I would believe it. It was 91 degrees at lunch time and our hottest part of the day is mid afternoon. The heat index is even higher.
Surprisingly, my Fibro does not hurt so bad! It is the lower back that wants to yell and scream, "Don't forget about me!" I have noticed since my last fall that I do not have good balance when I bend forward to pick up something from the floor. I am holding on to something to steady myself. All that has been going on with me and how I get around has me wary of attempting to get out and roam around by myself. There is always that, 'What if?' lurching in the back of my mind. Cotton mentioned last week that she had never considered me to ever be homebound. Circumstances have a way of changing one's way of life and the views one may have about life.
My bro'der, BJ, called this evening. He has decided to retire now that he will be turning 65 next month. In reality, he has sort of been retired the past few years because of his back problems. Who would have ever thought that WE would be THIS OLD!!!! Of course, he IS the oldest!!! He has already sold the building his business was in and is now in the process of moving the stuff out of it. He said that much of what he is keeping is going into the Jewelry Store his daughter has and he will do some part-time work from there. Guess the two of us could sit out on the pier at his house and fish all day, or take the boat out and fish, or play around in his swimming pool. It's not like he has nothing to occupy his time and his mind. I am even trying to get him hooked on the computer …That is something that could occupy a lot of his time … and be fun, educational, intriguing, illusive, compelling, mysterious, challenging, time consuming, revealing, frustrating … and the list goes on …
June 10,1999 - Challenge of the day and tomorrow, too; BingoKid will be with me. Perhaps I will be able to get his cousins to come over in the afternoon to help keep him occupied. This is one grandson that gets bored easily, in his words. There are things that we can do to make time pass more quickly. He has played with Charlie so rough that now Charlie is too rough for him. What more would you expect from a dog when that is all he knows to do with that one person? Charlie is not like that with any of the others. Perhaps, Elsie Dawg will get a good run on a leash if it is not too terribly hot out today.
When I agreed to keep BingoKid, I also agreed to keep Bingo the dog all of next week when the family is gone. Bingo the dog is no problem. The last time I had him, he fit right in with my two brats. Brats they are. Lately, Charlie has decided that he is jealous of any attention that may be poured upon Oreo. Charlie is constantly trying to put himself as a shield between Oreo and any other human that may bestow the least bit of attention toward that quiet, reserved ball of black and white fur tiptoeing through the house. Charlie hasn't learned yet that Oreo is out thinking him! Oreo will go and do something that takes Charlie's attention away and then Master Oreo prances right along with whatever it is that he wants to do. They are hilarious to watch at times. Charlie stomps around; clumpity, clumpity kur-flop! He lands on you like a ton of bricks. Oreo is tiptoeing lightly along, barely making a tippity, tip sound, and jumps up landing soft as a feather.
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JOURNAL
© 1999 by Stormy Jeanne