A Different Life II

[Lily&Me]

Up early yesterday morning, had bedding stripped, everything cleaned up, battened down and the tanks empty before 7am.

Home just before 1pm, unloaded, did laundry, cleaned myself up and at my sons by 4pm.

I was tired last night but it was a great little trip.


Came home to a small package of goodies from HistoriCorps, as I’d asked for another bumper sticker to replace the one removed in the recent repainting.

Larger than the last, now proudly displayed on the rear of my rig.

[Lily&Me]

Another very busy day, so when I returned home for the last time after 3pm I indulged in a glass of wine.


I haven’t read this entire article, but came across it when googling this quote I saw somewhere recently.

Food for thought.

"Thou shalt not be a victim, thou shalt not be a perpetrator, but, above all, thou shalt not be a bystander.” -Yehuda Bauer

And this one from Elie Wiesel...

“I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

The excerpt from “The Implicated Subject”, by Michael Rothberg, which I have decided I will not read this evening and then try to sleep with it fresh in my head...

https://www.sup.org/books/extra/?id=...roduction.html

I think I will have to read the entire book... essentially about our personal responsibility for actions taken against others for which we are not active participants...but are implicitly so if we do not intervene.


On a lighter note...

Watched and waited for this gaggle of geese, consisting of several adults and at least a dozen youngsters, cross a busy road here in town this afternoon.

I am astonished at the lack of visible geese carnage on our roads, there being so many babies this time of year and they must routinely navigate traffic from all sides.

These mama geese just line ‘em up and take ‘em across the roads, every day, all over town.

[Lily&Me]

It has been a busy week.

Two doctors appointments, a dental appointment, other various and assorted tasks/errands, and in the next hour or so carpet steamers will be here for an annual cleaning of living room, hallway and my bedroom.

Which means, of course, that I have now pulled everything out in these areas, vacuumed underneath and behind furniture and cleaned all the moldings.

Because, at least once a year, this needs to be done, particularly when you use a wood stove and have a master-shedder like Miss Lily.

Although I brush her regularly, I vacuum up a phenomenal amount of dog hair.

And, of course, stripped the bed down to the dust ruffle, and washed everything.

In the process of it all, wrangled BY MYSELF the mattress and box spring off the bed.

Good for my aging bones, I tell myself...tho there will come a point where I will not be able to do these things, I ain’t there yet.


Finished this book last night, “The Fifth to Die”, by J.D. Barker, and it was very good.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...e-fifth-to-die

One of those long and convoluted mystery thrillers that, if you miss a night, you have to go back and refresh your memory of what has transpired before you move on.


Warm weather and high humidity have reached central Illinois, the ac has been serviced and is keeping the little house comfortable.

We’ve had a very prolonged spring, which has been nice in many ways, but heat is now here.


Starting to pull things together for the Glacier trip, and have been unable to reserve a bus tour for the time we will be there.

On a wait list for Sun Tours, owned and operated by the Blackfeet Indians, I believe, and which I would most like because they will emphasize Native American culture and history...tho I called the day after they opened for the season.

Red Bus Tours are not yet taking reservations for our time period.

The consensus by both tour operators is that 2021 may be at a level of busy never seen before.

We will have a rental vehicle, so if it is all tours-by-Grandma, we will just deal with it.

The whitewater rafting is secured, and that is the biggie for the grands.


Off to pull cushions on my sofa and big chair and vacuum...everything will be free of dog hair for just a minute.

Maggie

[rmkrum]

We had a full-sized collie when I was growing up. We’d thoroughly vacuum the entire house to pick up the dog hair, then she would walk through and it would be ‘wall to wall dog hair’ again.

[westcoastas]

Good stuff, Maggie! More inspiration to keep busy.

[Lily&Me]

Hi, Jeff.

Doing what needs to be done is a good thing, in my opinion.

You and Coffee cross my mind at least once each day.

I’m glad you have each other, and I wish you strength.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

And I am generally taking today off.

Have the little house put back together, furniture polished and returned to place.

My bedroom set belonged to my Mississippi grandparents, so is 100 years old or so.

Needs some extra tlc these days.

But, that’s it for choring, for today.

Tomorrow...going to pull out the reciprocating saw and take off some tree branches.

Maggie

[westcoastas]

Thanks Maggie. I was telling another friend I feel we're doing a reboot of Green Acres but in reverse. I'm still getting used to many things I had let go back in 2014. Some things are big, like registering a vehicle in California, setting up and paying multiple bills (e.g., electrical, gas, water, internet), driving on five, six-lane freeways while driving 70 and still getting passed on both sides, stoplights and traffic, shopping in huge grocery stores; some small things I forgot like an ice maker, a big shower, neighbors, a microwave, and walking 20 feet to the toilet! I can't see what kind of day it is through the Fantastic Fan when I first open my eyes. I can feel the tug of consumerism again after buying furniture; our campfire chairs worked the first few days and we slept in our sleeping bags on our backpacking pads the first night. My daily walk is now on a sidewalk adjacent to cars filled with folks in a big hurry.

I forgot what a different world it was we left.

[Lily&Me]

I’m sure the culture shock is a bit bone-jarring.

I experience a much lower level of that when returning from a long trip, then start to appreciate the small conveniences...like grocery stores I’m familiar with, a favorite Chinese food place just a mile from my house, being able to open the back door and just turn Lily loose into a fenced back yard, etc.

You guys have camped much more remotely than I ever will, so I can’t even quite imagine your adjustment to city living.

But those memories, all your beautiful videos and pictures...what a ride you two had, an experience of a lifetime.

Life, on your own terms. A good thing.

Maggie

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

. . .
But those memories, all your beautiful videos and pictures...what a ride you two had, an experience of a lifetime.

Life, on your own terms. A good thing.

Maggie

Well said indeed. Glad to hear you are adjusting Jeff . . . your “neighbors” point got me laughing . . . so thanks for that early this morning!



Peter

[Lily&Me]

If there can be an upside to losing one’s spouse at 65, it may be that doing most of the heavy lifting once done by them keeps your bones strong.

I last had a bone density test maybe 5 years ago, then one this morning.

Already have the results back...electronic wizardry, ya know...and I only have mild osteopenia in one area, everything else tested within normal limits, basically unchanged.

Hauling firewood, big bags of dog food, moving around furniture and mattresses, etc....good for my aging bones, I tell myself, and now I have proof.


One of the things the doctors tell you when you have cataract surgery is that you “may develop a little cloudiness” in the implants, which I have noticed in both eyes.

Kind of like my contact lenses need to be cleaned.

So, see my ophthalmologist later today, who will laser-clear this cloudiness during the office visit.

No pain to me, no anesthesia needed.

A miracle of modern medicine, and 100 years ago people just went blind from the cataracts that naturally develop as they age.

There will come a time when these implants can be done simply to correct near or far sightedness, is my guess.


Going to be a crazy busy travel season, it seems, and as I am unable to book a bus Tour at Glacier for the time we will be there I tossed out the idea of riding the ski lift at Whitefish Mountain Resort as an alternative way to see the splendor of the mountains.

YESSSS, GRANDMA!!!...so that is Plan B.

Tickets are bought, and so we will take a sojourn into Whitefish that day.

Pivot and punt, right? A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, and all that.

They will probably enjoy the ski lift more than a tour, anyway, having never done anything like that, ever.

I briefly thought about letting them zipline, but no tickets for that are available, period.

Grandma will sit the ski lift out, however.

Maggie

[OTRA15]

Great plan Maggie . . . "pivot and punt" is a new one to these eyes . . . love it!

So apt for these times IMO. Glad your bone density test was sound.

Peter

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=%22pivot+a...&t=ffnt&ia=web

[Lily&Me]

And so, I was wrong about the laser correction being done in the office.

It is done at the Surgical Center, where the laser lives, and requires two separate appointments, a week apart...just in case.

The cloudiness in both eyes is a small bit of scarring, normal and predictable, the procedure requires no anesthesia and I can drive myself to/from.

Sigh.

I’m fighting back the feeling that I’ve been run near to death in the past two months, with one thing and another, but these are all first world “problems” that aren’t really “problems” at all.

Just when I think I have things caught up, something else rears it’s head.

However, as someone said on another thread this morning, I’m not in a third world country where finding food is my major objective of the day.

Be grateful, Margaret...and I am.


Looking more closely at Whitefish Mountain Resort, they offer an Aerial Adventure Park I’m going to sign the kids up for tomorrow...” “an obstacle course in the trees” ..five courses of various ability levels, each featuring different elements for getting from tree to tree. Traverse from tree to tree by crossing cable bridges, climbing rope ladders, swinging on a trapeze and more.”

Does that not sound mind-bendingly FUN???

For them, of course, not for Grandma , but they have done wall-climbing before and will love the intense physicality of this.

Going to be a great adventure.

Maggie

[rosewoodtx]

Maggie - I had the cloudy cataract thing done a few weeks ago and it does make a difference. Amazing how they do these things, in and out in about 30 minutes.

[Lily&Me]

Hi, Rose!

Hope you are doing okay, still early days for you but I promise it gets better with time.

Also, no doubt that your Bruce stays near, because it’s what they do.


Thanks for that info, tho I’m not yet scheduled they tell me that will happen today.

The doctor also told me to use eye drops four times a day, which I have not been doing but dutifully began yesterday.

A small price to pay for 20-20 vision, right?

Take care, Rose, and thanks for dropping in here.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

Got tickets for the Aeriel Adventure Park after spending several hours refreshing their online booking system, which was down for maintenance.

Fortunately, I was home today and could do that, but people who can’t may be SOL this year.

But, for us, it’s all coming together.

Meant to be, IMO.

And, laser-ing for both eyes scheduled for early next month.


Maggie

[rmkrum]

Had the laser treatment a few months back. Very easy, drove myself home after waiting for the dilation medicine to subside. Wore dark sunglasses outdoors for a couple days. Drops were prescribed for irritation.

Vision is really good now.

[Lily&Me]

The post-surgical laser tune-up is apparently quite common.

The doctor said yesterday that my eyes were a little dry, thus the drops which he suggest I use 4xdaily.

Period. Indefinitely.

I can do that.

Maggie

[westcoastas]

I've had cataract surgery and laser treatment to stabilize further deterioration, and yes, it's amazing to have modern medicine allow us to continue to enjoy our senses. The one thing I learned is that those that recommended cataract surgery and the doctors that perform them do not tell you that if you're near-sighted, you're going to lose that capability. I can't remember if there were more expensive lenses that one could get to handle both far and near-sightedness, but I didn't get them. I hated having thick glasses most of my life and looked forward to being able to wear sunglasses, but I sure missed the ability to look at things up close. The first time I tried to tie a fish hook was very frustrating, especially while the trout were jumping and waiting to eat anything thrown at them. Of course, first-world problems. Third-world fishermen would simply throw a net and hit an ocean or lake.

[Lily&Me]

Hi Jeff!

We’re given a choice between seeing better close up or far away, and I took far away because I need to be able to read road signs.

Those of us terribly near sighted have always moved the glasses or the contact lense out of the way to get things a few inches from our eye to read the tiniest print or see whatever, but that is gone.

I did have a pair of bifocal readers made, where the bottom section is 2.50, but I still sometimes also need a magnifier and a flashlight.

And if I am out somewhere and don’t have that, I ask someone to read something for me.

Maggie (adapting)