Autumn is Coming in the Winter of My Life

I felt like the following entry was age-appropriate because I closely related to it. I think that some of you might relate too.  ~ Barb B

Autumn is Coming in the Winter of My Life

Early September and at first glance there are no signs of autumn anywhere. It’s just as hot and muggy as it was in July. But the trees and flowers look aged. They don’t look like the children they were in the spring and early summer. Time has worn them down. The leaves on the trees are still green but look old, dark, and dusty. The flowers that bloomed so brilliantly in the spring look weary… with petals and leaves wilted and old. Some are falling on the ground and turning brown. Summer is dying. According to the calendar, autumn is just a few weeks away. But autumn will arrive when it will and no calendar or any of man’s other time-measuring devices will make autumn come one minute before it’s ready.

This time of year makes me pensive. I think the fall brings with it a reminder that our time on earth is limited. That none of us have much time to spend on this planet at least not when compared to the stars and the universe in which they shine.

Our lives are but a flicker in the great flame of time. Even those who live into their nineties are but tiny flickers in the flame of the candle of time or a single grain of sand on the vast beach of time. One hundred years is but a single, insignificant grain of sand on the shores of this vast unbounded universe where time is measured in billions of years. And really not measured at all.

At this time of year, on the cusp of autumn, my thoughts turn melancholy and pensive.

I am past my life’s summer and autumn and for most of it I was not aware I was sliding so quickly down the steep slope of life. And now I find myself in the middle of life’s winter and looking back on the long road behind me. The road ahead is only a fraction of the distance of the road behind me.

Sometimes I get angry with my parents and grandparents for not warning me about how quickly life passes. How limited time really is. How growing old is sometimes not fun – and certainly not for sissies. I am the only one left behind My mom, dad, stepmom, sister, and grandparents have all passed on. My grandfather, whom I loved so dearly, and who I considered my best friend when he was alive, never once warned me about time and aging. He was younger when he died than I am now.

I’m angry that death is a certainty and no one can escape it. Yet sometimes death is welcomed by those who suffer or who are lonely. “All the lonely people…where do they all come from…”

Some people believe in heaven and some don’t. Some people believe in hell, and some don’t – usually the ones who think they’re headed that way. Those who believe in heaven have faith. Faith is all you have when it comes to heaven – because no one I know who has died has come back and comforted me with the news that heaven is a real place. Everything is based on faith.

I would love to have that much faith that I know for certain there is a heaven, but it would take even more faith to believe I belong there.

So, those of us who equivocate have to have something else to believe in when it comes to death that is more – how should I say it? Intellectual?

I figure (assuming there’s no hell – or that if there is I’m not headed there) then there is a heaven – and if there isn’t then I’ll be exactly where I was a thousand years ago. Nowhere. I don’t recall thinking anything a thousand years ago – or even a hundred years ago – “Oh, my, I wish I could be alive so I could eat, drink, live, and be merry.” You know what? I don’t remember worrying about anything or wondering about anything a hundred or a thousand years ago. I was nothing and I had no cares or worries or dreams or desires… and I didn’t miss them.

All these dark thoughts are inspired by the angle of the sun’s rays, the color of the leaves on the trees, and the flowers that now look so weary as autumn approaches.

I get so pensive and introspective this time of the year. I can’t help it. I can’t control it. It’s just how I am.

And autumn is coming in the winter of my life.

Source: https://www.thundercloud.net/infoave/new/autumn-is-coming-in-the-winter-of-my-life/

These are the people I have trusted with my computers since 1995 or so. They have never steered me wrong-not even once!

P.S. When I edit some of you will get it twice. I have edited.

Dispose of grease!(updated)

I love this idea. Sometimes copying and pasting on Facebook gets complicated but I found a way so I could share this idea without getting entangled in something I don't want. 

I happened to check on this entry and found the picture was missing. It doesn't mean much without it! The original photo showed lining your sink drain with foil, pouring in the hot grease, letting in cool therein, and disposing of it. The photo above makes more sense to me because you are not tying up your sink.

Labor Day Weekend

 So it is over...One of our local TV stations did a survey on what people were doing for the holiday weekend. 49% were working!! It is a sad commentary on the state of our country. I am not pointing the finger politically because it takes all of us to make things right. No one person can make things this out of whack just as no one person can fix it as much as they try to make us believe he/she can.

My thought when I saw the results of the survey was how sad it was that the working people cannot take "their day" off!

An update on things taking place around us. Pete of Pete and Jerilynn had his heart worked on 2 or 3 weeks ago and it has been an ordeal for both of them. Pete is still in the hospital, but hopefully on the mend. We are keeping a close eye on that situation.

One of the world's toughest women, Mickey Starr,  is still giving it her all in her battle with cancer. Mickey has been my friend since 3rd grade so I am keeping a close eye on her too.

Butch and Jason are playing golf this morning trying to beat the heat to no avail.

Butch and I still play pool every day at 4. I am still learning and getting better and he is still letting me use his one-shot rule so I do not get overly frustrated. 

This is the time of year we start thinking about heading South. We are going to let the weather be our guide. We plan to build an RV-style bed in our Texas home to match the one we have in Iowa. Butch has been getting that lined up. We are never completely comfortable without a project in the works.

Till next time!

Listening

All narrative begins for me as listening. When I read, I listen. When I write, I listen — for silence, inflection, rhythm, rest.

~Toni Morrison

Lowering drug prices

 Maybe in the future I won't need to go to Mexico for my Eliquis. I thought this article might be of interest to my peers! They list the top 10 that are being targeted.

https://www.npr.org/2023/08/29/1195984752/medicare-drug-price-negotiations?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20230903&utm_term=8931917&utm_campaign=news&utm_id=10921441&orgid=194&utm_att1=

Packing a Cooler

If you haven't figured it out by now I post things I find of interest in one way or another. Perhaps it is something I plan on doing or something I didn't know that caught me by surprise. I have no ulterior motives.  It's a choice of whether you click on it and another if you choose to read it. So Enjoy...or not!😁

 Packing a Cooler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEcRlabZsXs

By Cheri Sicard

Do you make these 9 cooler packing mistakes? Many of us do. These tips will work regardless if you are packing a high-end cooler, such as a Yeti, or your ordinary run-of-the-mill cooler. Using these tips and techniques can significantly extend the life of your ice. At least a day longer and probably longer than that. The video promises an end to ice runs, soggy foods, and unorganized coolers.

OK, let’s count down the top 9 cooler packing mistakes

#9 Not precooling your cooler: The night before your trip take a little “sacrificial ice,” put it in your cooler along with water, and let it sit overnight. The ice water will cool the cooler before you put your food in

#8 Not using a 2-to-1 ratio: Most people buy a cooler that is too small for their needs. For optimal performance, you need a cooler large enough to carry two parts ice to one part food and drink. Any less and you’re sacrificing your insulation and your ice. Watch the video to see an example of what this should look like.

#7 Not keeping your ice melt: The video advises not to drain the water from the melted ice unless needed. Water has a higher thermal density than ice, which means that it will hold the cold longer.

#6 Opening the cooler too often: The less you need to open and go into the cooler, the longer your ice will last. Our host uses a two-cooler system to avoid this, one for drinks, and the other for food.

#5 Not prepping food before it goes in the cooler: This will keep you from going in too often, and properly prepping and wrapping your food will keep it from getting soggy as ice melts.

#4 Underestimating the power of frozen foods: Frozen food counts as ice in your 2-to-1 ratio and can help keep everything cold without the need for extra ice. Watch the video for how to pack and freeze foods for optimal space saving. And make sure everything you pack is refrigerated or frozen before it goes in. No room-temperature foods.

#3: Not using block ice and cubes: Whether you buy blocks or freeze them yourself, block ice simply lasts far longer than cubes. However, once the block ice is in, the video recommends filling the space around it with ice cubes for maximum cooling.

#2 Not making a barrier layer: Once everything is packed, the video recommends covering the top layer of your cooler with frozen reusable ice packs. No ice packs? No problem. Once the cooler is filled and before closing the lid, cover the top with a wet towel.

#1 Not packing properly: The order you pack your cooler is important. Here’s how: Place block ice and frozen food at the bottom, then refrigerated food, then a layer of ice, then more food, more ice, then the top barrier layer. Watch the video to see how it is done. And of course, if possible, place the cooler in the shade or transport it inside your vehicle.

A Quote

 When someone you love dies, and you’re not expecting it, you don’t lose her all at once; you lose her in pieces over a long time — the way the mail stops coming, and her scent fades from the pillows and even from the clothes in her closet and drawers.

John Irving, “A Prayer for Owen Meany”

Very Good Book

I only sometimes do this. Butch and I subscribe to BookBub and get many of our books through them. Many are free. We are both avid readers. Oddly enough Butch reads more books than I do. I forgot to mention we are both "Kindlers". A Prayer for Owen Meany is one we listened to on our annual trip to South Texas. It is one we both fondly remember and frequently quote parts of it.   A Prayer for Owen Meany By John Irving A New York Times bestseller: In post–World War II New England, a young boy hits a foul ball that kills his best friend’s mother — an accident that will change the course of their lives. “A remarkable novel… Readers will come to the end feeling sorry to leave” (Stephen King). Because you're interested in Classics  (Edit) $2.99  $8.99 Limited time only! Amazon

Surprise!!

 Have you ever surprised yourself? 

Several years ago I finished this afghan. It was the last one I did in my "Swedish Weaving Era" if I remember correctly.

From this pattern...

I found in this  very old book

Today I look at this pattern in this very old book and I am more than impressed with myself!!! I do not know if I can repeat it but I am getting excited about trying!

Right now it is looking complicated to me. One step at a time, one step at a time...I say to myself.

Turned

A Glance

 I just glanced at the date today. August 18th. This is my parent's anniversary. I am unsure if they were married in 1940 or 1941. I am sure of the month and day. Those little pop-up remembrances give me pause for thought.

On a lighter note, it is always good to take a 'pause for thought'. There are some people I wonder if they ever do! Or do they bounce about from wall to wall never giving it a second thought? See what I did there? No matter if you are a thinker or a bouncer it will all turn out just fine if you are truly grateful. Gratitude is the key.

Rambling on...Butch is out to the other Brookers (Leo and Keri) helping Leo with the tree issue that Iowa is dealing with these days. Google Emerald Ash Borer you will see what I am talking about. Leo has lost about 20 or more trees. It kills the tree slowly and eventually, the tree does die. Leo's infected trees have been cut down and now all the wood has to be dealt with one way or another. Both Butch and Jason have helped and will continue to do so. It is easy to understand how this can be overwhelming. It is the ash borer pandemic.

In our youth, it was Dutch Elm disease that took the trees. I remember that one because so many of our trees in Jefferson canopied the streets. Jefferson before Dutch Elm was very shady. I had to look it up to see when that happened and here is what I found: "The first reported cases in Iowa were in Lee and Scott Counties in 1956. Since that time, DED has been detected in all 99 counties, and approximately 95 percent of Iowa's urban American elms have been killed."

And now to bring this post full circle, my father died in August of 1956.

And no that was not planned!!

Be careful with emails

 I just received an email that looked legitimate in every way. I did not know the person but she said she had just received my order and that $641.39 cents had successfully been taken from my Zelle account. Of course my heart went pitter-patter because I had not ordered anything. This is called phishing and they hope you will call or email them right away to "straighten them out". I do have a Zelle account so I called the bank right away and there has been no activity on that account. So I reported them as phishing even though the poor person whose name was used probably had nothing to do with it. This is what happens when you get "hacked " on Facebook. They find whatever info they can and use your identity to look legit. I deleted the message and reported them and that should be the end of it. My word of warning is to NEVER feel like you need to set them straight. 

And that is the end of my sermon for today.😁

What am I doing?

 The days fly by even though it seems I am not doing much. The house and pool hall are not spotless but they are clean enough. I do have a mental line in the sand whereby I can stand some clutter but when that magic and invisible line is crossed it calls for a cleaning. Not there yet...

I have two different craft projects going.  A Swedish Weaving one that I had started and still needed to finish. I love the colors, blue and yellow. Not fond of the pattern. It is giving me a few issues, which might be why I quit working on it. Rather than tear it out and start over I shall finish it as best I can.

And then I have a diamond art one going too. It is coasters, and most likely will be a gift for someone sometime. That one is super easy and doesn't take much concentration.

It is funny how your mind slips into your other 6-month life in Texas long about now. Of course, going South now is out of the question. Too much heat. I do have 2 1/2 tubs full of odds and ends that will be traveling with us when we do go. These are things I wished I had with me last season and knowing I had duplicates there was no point in buying new. It is always a challenge in both directions.

Butch is frequently playing golf and we both get some pool in every day at 4:00.

Till next time!

Cut with a knife?

Friends Tara and Craig took this picture and I saw it on Facebook and snipped it. The cloud formation looks like it was sliced with a knife. Wide open spaces of Iowa.

 

Iowa Countryside.

I snipped this picture from Facebook. It was taken in Crawford County Iowa 

This might be lengthy...

" All in favor, say EYE!"

A little more than a week ago I had an event. I was watching TV and on the screen, a car went very fast. Suddenly my eyes started giving me a super fast slideshow. I sat on the edge of my chair and looked off in another direction, closed my eyes keeping them closed for a while. When I next opened them I looked to the side, away from the screen and I still experienced a little jumpiness in my vision. As you might imagine this was quite unsettling. I called the doctor and found out that she wasn't in for a few days. When I could get in, I told her about the event. She said the first thing that we should do is a visual test to find out if it's my eyes, ears, or brain. I called Wolfe Clinic right away and told them that my medical doctor wanted me to be seen and they got me in that day. I had been struggling with some dizziness, very minor dizziness for a couple of years. In fact, I gave up riding a bicycle because of it. When they started doing the exam I discovered I had very little clear vision in my left eye. It was as if I were looking at a foggy day. After the exam, they tell me my vision is very good in both eyes. He said he found a little bit of scar tissue in my left eye along the edge and didn't think it was that bad! However, he did say that it has been his experience that what may not look bad to him can look very bad to the patient. He suggested we do some lasering and see if it helps. It only takes about 5 minutes and that is when I fully realized how terrible my vision had been for a couple of years! The last time I had an exam was in Texas and I knew at that time that my vision was not good on the left side. I told the doctor that but he said it wasn't bad enough to do anything about yet but maybe in a year. Well, it was bad and he had no idea!. My vision is now so clear it is as startling as it was when I first had the cataracts removed! Everything is crystal clear. And even better, the mild dizziness has gone away. It was more of an uneasiness than dizziness. I was not aware of the many ways it was affecting me until it was gone. Everything is easier now. I can walk when it is dark without feeling I need to hold on to something. Before, no matter the task, I needed more light. I have a new lease on life! What a surprise.

When I had the “event” I wanted to google it and could not decide what to call it. I landed on “visual dizziness”. 

This is what I found; Visual vertigo differs slightly from conventional vertigo. Instead of being associated with inner ear problems, it is closely associated with a condition called Binocular Vision Dysfunction, or BVD for short. Visual vertigo occurs when there is too much visual stimulation for your brain to cope.

Now I can cope!

Worried about your sleep pattern?

Maybe you shouldn't!

by Jeremy D. Johnson on August 25, 2013 in stories

8 hour sleeping is a modern invention.

Imagine you are a denizen of the 18th century. It’s just past 8:30 P.M., you’ve got your night-cap on. You blow out your candles and fall asleep to the smell of the wax and the wick, which gently fills the air around your bed. Some hours pass. 2:30 AM. You awaken, grab your coat, and visit the neighbors because they, too, are up. Doing quiet reading, prayer, or even having sex. Well, apparently before the age of electricity, sleeping twice a night was completely ubiquitous.

Back in those times, we slept twice a night, getting up for an hour or two for recreation before heading back to bed until dawn.

From Slumberwise.com:

The existence of our sleeping twice per night was first uncovered by Roger Ekirch, professor of History at Virginia Tech.

His research found that we didn’t always sleep in one eight hour chunk. We used to sleep in two shorter periods, over a longer range of night. This range was about 12 hours long, and began with a sleep of three to four hours, wakefulness of two to three hours, then sleep again until morning.

References are scattered throughout literature, court documents, personal papers, and the ephemera of the past. What is surprising is not that people slept in two sessions, but that the concept was so incredibly common. Two-piece sleeping was the standard, accepted way to sleep.

“It’s not just the number of references – it is the way they refer to it, as if it was common knowledge,” Ekirch says.

An English doctor wrote, for example, that the ideal time for study and contemplation was between “first sleep” and “second sleep.” Chaucer tells of a character in the Canterbury Tales that goes to bed following her “firste sleep.” And, explaining the reason why working class conceived more children, a doctor from the 1500s reported that they typically had sex after their first sleep.

Ekirch’s book At Day’s Close: Night in Times Past is replete with such examples.

But just what did people do with these extra twilight hours? Pretty much what you might expect.

Most stayed in their beds and bedrooms, sometimes reading, and often they would use the time to pray. Religious manuals included special prayers to be said in the mid-sleep hours.

Others might smoke, talk with co-sleepers, or have sex. Some were more active and would leave to visit with neighbours.

As we know, this practice eventually died out. Ekirch attributes the change to the advent of street lighting and eventually electric indoor light, as well as the popularity of coffee houses. Author Craig Koslofsky offers a further theory in his book Evening’s Empire. With the rise of more street lighting, night stopped being the domain of criminals and sub-classes and became a time for work or socializing. Two sleeps were eventually considered a wasteful way to spend these hours.

The science seems to back up our history books. In a 4-week study with 15 men living with restricted daylight hours, something strange started to happen. After catching up on their “sleep debt” – a common state of affairs for most of us – the participants began to wake up in the middle of the night:

They began to have two sleeps.

Over a twelve hour period, the participants would typically sleep for about four or five hours initially, then wake for several hours, then sleep again until morning. They slept not more than eight hours total.

The middle hours of the night, between two sleeps, was characterized by unusual calmness, likened to meditation. This was not the middle-of-the-night toss-and-turn that many of us experienced. The individuals did not stress about falling back asleep, but used the time to relax.

Russell Foster, professor of circadian neuroscience at Oxford, points out that even with standard sleep patterns, this night waking isn’t always cause for concern. “Many people wake up at night and panic,” he says. “I tell them that what they are experiencing is a throwback to the bi-modal sleep pattern.”

Although the article mentions there are no benefits for sleeping twice a night, it’s difficult to imagine there wouldn’t be some major effects on our daily consciousness. How much would we benefit from a few hours of “unusual calmness, likened to meditation”? Seriously. I haven’t tried “bi-modal” sleep, but I think many of us, including myself, have stumbled into it. Our maddeningly busy digital schedules prevent us from considering the possibility, and benefits, of interloping with the sidereal realms of consciousness for more than an 8-hour “sleep debt” crash.

But we can’t go back to a pre-electric lifestyle of early-to-bed, early-to-rise. Yet, maybe we can utilize this knowledge to enhance our quality of life, and open us up to alternative modes of mind and time.

The Years After...

What does one do in the years after you sell your RV? Pretty much what you did before you sold it! Butch golfs, we both play pool and I have about 3 craft things I can turn to if I can find the time. 

I have kept all my craft supplies from all three crafts, Swedish weaving, beading, and Diamond Art and the plan has always been to pick them up again. I am currently working on a Diamond Art project of coasters and am seriously considering starting a Swedish weaving project, especially since the Farmers Almanac says South Texas is going to have a cold winter. Doing a Swedish weaving project in hot weather is not all that pleasant, depending on the size of it.

A pair of our RVing friends have recently had a snafu with their RV and it is going to take some months to get it repaired so they have moved into an apartment. I enjoyed reading about Jeanie and Eldo's adventures. You might like to follow them as well.https://whereseldo.blogspot.com/.../august-in-elkhart.html  Jeannie and I met very briefly when we were in Michigan. I mean very brief...like 15 minutes or so. You know how sometimes you click with a person and feel like you have known them for years. Well, Jeannie is one of those. Butch and I had no idea how wide our circle of friends would become when we took up RVing. It has become one of the sweetest parts of it.

Classmates Book

 Butch's classmate, Clair Tomlinson, wrote a book available on Amazon Books. He has been telling us about it for a long time and now here it is.

"Raspberry Ridge Publishing is pleased to announce the publication of a true story that remained untold for 54 years. The author is Jefferson High School graduate Clair Tomlinson, now in his 80s and living in Arizona. Clair writes vividly about an event at his job site in California in 1969. Photographs, 38 pages. Available at Amazon Books, searched by title. An unforgettable story."

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CF48TZZ6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2P4E4CZ3LY4BC&keywords=the+death+of+willie+quinn&qid=1691597369&rnid=2941120011&s=books&sprefix=%2Caps%2C99&sr=1-1

OK wise woman!

 What are you going to chat about today? In the old time days, I would post pictures, new and old, when I hit a writer's block. So excuse me while I go take a look...

Look what I found. And the time of year is perfect for it. I love this recipe.

To be continued...

Marlene(Butch's sister) is on the beach in South Padre.

Mickey and I were in Denver. I have always loved this picture of both of us. The year would have been in the mid '90's.

Butterfly on the bike trail. I did not take my camera all the time on the trail because it is heavy for one and I usually had reasons I wanted to get back home. Every now and then I would take my camera and shoot photos of whatever might catch my eye.

And that takes care of this time. Butch is golfing with Jason. I just finished vacuuming a half our ago...see you next time!