Nature Songs ~~~~
MAY, 2001
"Human beings are perhaps
never more frightening than
when they are convinced beyond
doubt that they are right."
Sir Laurens van der Post
South African author (1906-1996)
Who's Who Index of people in my life.
May 1, 2001 - “Round it up! Move it out! Get a move on - don’t lag behind all the others. Come on, now! You can do it. Keep on the move ...”
Okay. Now I have given myself a pep talk, wonder if I can keep up with everything for the day? I made it through yesterday. Maybe it wasn’t with flying colors, but I made it. That is the most important thing.
The flowers are yet to be set out but the plots are ready. BingoKid came over about suppertime Sunday to spend a little time with me. He got to tell his friend across the road goodbye. He then got out the big shovel and dug up the ground good and deep for my plants. Darkness was setting in before we were finished - and here I am watering the flat of flowers to keep them pretty while they wait for me to get them into the soil. Maybe this evening ...
Ms. Jay was our fearless leader in the water this morning. She didn’t attempt a May Day dance or anything like that in the water, but we did pair off in twos and do a little one-on-one movements with noodles toward the end of the hour. Afterwards, she attended a class out of the water. With the help of another friend I slid down into the hot swirling water of the Jacuzzi. She promised she would help me out, but there was also a chair close by and I placed it near the one chrome post positioned at the step to get in and out of the recessed pool. The idea came to me that perhaps I could back up on the upper rim of the Spa and skip the deep step that gives me such a fit when I try to use all my strength to pull myself up and out. Sure ‘nuff, it worked! Using my arms to lift back on the rim was easier than trying to pull up front-ward on that high step.
I was ready to skip around singing, “I got to use the spa today, I got to use the spa today. Hooray! Hooray!” But I didn’t. Since remembering to be nice, quiet and respectable. Ha!
We had six of us to sign up for the Better Weight Class for the month of May. No, I didn’t lose weight this week. I’ve sneaked too many no-no’s to munch instead of trying to eat properly at mealtimes and in-between. Our discussion focused on the topic of how much a proper portion of food should be like. All I have to do is carry around a deck of cards, a tennis ball and a small plastic cup to compare the size of serving portions and voila! No problem with knowing how much food should pass through these lips of mine! Naturally, all the average servings offered to us out there in this world-of-who-can-give-more-than-anyone-else-BIGGIE-WORLD happen to be many times more than what any one person should have. Ergo, I should always ask for a “doggie bag” and bring home most of the food for other meals.
Two of us tried unsuccessfully to help Mother win at Bingo this afternoon. We brought bad luck with us since she didn’t win even one teeny-tiny game. Once back to her room, Mother did like the pretty violet Ms. Jay had brought for her. The huge light purple flowers look like they are edged with yards and yards of lace. A storm was brewing as we headed back home. We do need the water, so hopefully it was enough rain to help out our critical water needs.
Late afternoon, I do get out and plant the flowers in the yard. Using some new stuff I ordered that is supposed to absorb water and hold on until the plants have need of it and some perlite to keep the red clay loose will help out hopefully. Allan wheeled his wheelbarrow onto the carport. It contains some manure left over from his garden planting Sunday evening for me to use. I added two bags of soil bought from Home Depot in with them and worked them into the ground. Finally, the flowers were ready to be planted. Sure do have expectations it all works and the flowers bloom profusely all summer and into late fall. I need to buy a few more plants now. But, for closure this day, I sat in my chair as the water gently welcomed the plants into their new environments with plenty of nourishment for growth and blooming. Yes, I’ve put my plastic lawn chairs into service since they enable me to reach down to work without worrying about losing my balance and sitting relieves pressure on my lower back. Where there is a will, a way can be created by trial and error when one has perseverance.
May 2, 2001 - Yawn, stretch and listen to the music on the radio. Somehow, the radio has managed to be on a Charlotte station instead of the local one. I must have hit the fine tuner on the side of the clock-radio when looking through the collection of nail polish stuff to chose which bottle might be stronger than any of the other bottles. The chlorine water every day has mangled my fingernails so badly that all of the nails are broken off and paper thin where the layers have chipped away. It’s odd the way the water works on my nails in spite of the remedies used that are supposed to be tried and tested - approved for being the best for strengthening, hardening and preserving all nails. Guess I could use my nails as an excuse for skipping a day in the water, but then again, I enjoy being in water.
Finally, the move is made to crawl out of bed and gather swimsuit and water shoes for the morning tramp down the road to Q4L. Allan stopped long enough to ask me to pick up a water fountain for his wife for Mother’s Day like the one I bought myself the other day. She really liked mine when she saw it No problem there since the store is in the same building as Quest. I was a few minutes late getting into the water, but today the instructor was even later.
Looking at my soft nails and noting how a few of them are getting soft back behind the edge of my fingertips, the thought comes to me that it is time to take action before my fingers start getting sore, or even worse, infected. A friend had mentioned that she gets her nails done not far from Quest in a new shopping mall strip for only twenty-five dollars. That seems like a fair price, so on a whim, off I head down Morganton Boulevard to the nail shop and a new adventure. My nails have never had acrylic on them before, except for the polish type stuff.
A Chinese girl worked on my nails as she and two older Chinese women talked back and forth much of the time in that sing-song twangy sound compared to our Southern accent and drawl. I was always taught that it is impolite to talk in front of other people without including them in the conversation. This was one of those times I could only wonder what it was that they were conversing back and forth. I had to smile as I watched the older one who without a doubt was the one in charge, yet she did the least. There was a movie playing on her wide-screen TV which she watched as she munched on food and talked. When the movie was over she turned the TV off and moved to another chair as she kept chatting away nonstop. Meanwhile my fingers were being transformed into a thing of beauty as the gluing, grinding, buffing, spreading of acrylic, filing and painting took place. It surprised me that the acrylic was a thin coat and not piled up real thick on top of my nails. They look very real and as they grow off a deep ridge at the base of my nails should not glare out like many I’ve seen on some nails. Filling-in time will probably be about every two weeks at a cost of fifteen dollars. We shall see how things progress before making a decision for keeping, growing off, or having them removed.
A bit of excitement happened while I was keeping Mother company for her supper. We heard someone call out something. I recognized the voice and decided to check next door to see what had happened. There was Miss Mary laying on the floor between the two beds with her wheelchair on top of her. She looked up from her position so meekly and said, “I fell.” Knowing better than to try and move her, I went in search of help. There was no one on the hall, the nurses station or anywhere else I looked until I got to the dining room. Two aides were there, but one had to stay in the dining room and the other one went in search of more help. Two nurses were out on the patio on break and they got back to Miss Mary before the CNA’s converged to lift her up from the floor. They seemed to think she was all right, but yet, when I left about forty minutes later, the door to her room was closed and her roommate was having to remain out in the hall.
OOPS! After spending some time at the nursing center, I decided to stop by Kmart and have a look-see at the flowers Wrong idea! This is one human being that has a desire this year to have some pretty colors around the house for the summer. What is planted so far only builds up a desire for a few more. A few more this time led to three hanging baskets (why make new ones out of the old empty ones hanging around the house already as i had planned to do!) The ones I bought are already lush with growth and blossoms only needing to be fed and watered for the summer. A pot of begonias with double blooms may go over to adorn Mother’s room instead of my porch. The other purchase was to replace the hydrangea which BingoKid bought for my Valentine Day’s present. It hasn’t survived the move outdoors - now to replace it. Those plants I bought for the Spa and carport are yet to be planted, but I did buy some gloves to wear when I do plant them.
May 3, 2001 - 3:52 a.m. in the morning. The puppies are sleeping so soundly. Oreo is curled up in his bed on the floor at the foot of my bed. Charlie has opted to sleep curled up in the den closer to outside sounds and activities. He seems to prefer having the light off while he sleeps, too.
Mother has an appointment in Hickory with her eye surgeon in five hours and I plan to meet her at the office. Today should be the time for taking out the stitches from her cornea transplant. Hopefully, she will get her eyes checked and be able to have her old glasses updated to the new vision which will help her see even better. I can only hope and pray that all works out well for her and her vision. She doesn’t feel well with the pain she has been experiencing lately and being able to see better may lift her spirits. (Mother is still throwing up in the mornings and some throughout the day. Being up out of bed appears to make things worse for her instead of better as the doctor predicted. Mother has about decided to level with the doctor and admit all the pain that occurs on her left side.)
Our new preacher should be here now. He was supposed to arrive sometime Tuesday, but I’ve not heard from anyone. Perhaps a call to my aunt would be in order since she has a way of keeping up with things at church. She donated a new bedroom set for the bedroom of the little house being renovated for the pastor’s use until June and had a shower curtain and hangers for it in her car Sunday to be used. Sunday is Homecoming Day at church and it will be the new pastor’s first official Sunday. A past pastor will be preaching, so our new one will have a chance to mingle more and get a feel for the people and some of our customs. Camp Sain will be the scene of the picnic to follow the service - which reminds me - the pool is scheduled to open on June 6th.
The new neighbors are moving in. I walked up yesterday and spoke with them briefly as they were unloading a trailer load of stuff into the garage. Allan has yet to plow the garden for them since he has not brought his tractor back from his house. I wanted to let them know that he had not forgotten them and their garden. I found out that she is a hairdresser. Hummmm.... maybe I see an opportunity to change to her if I should decide not to travel so far to have my few strands of hair nourished, cut and maybe permed. They envision being moved by this evening. Maybe a trip back to the flower store for a welcoming present to them would be in order. There are places for hanging baskets on their front porch.
Looking back:
MAY, 1998
MAY, 1999
MAY, 2000
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Lenoir,NC 28645
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©2001 by Stormy Jeanne
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