Summer Days

Summer is flying by, which is fine with me. With its normal heat and humidity, it is my least favorite season. The days after daughter Lise went home were filled with walking and gardening. The shrubs at the front of the house were given a haircut, and the ground cover beside the garage was cut back. I finished the eight sides of the evergreen growth at the back and cleared out a periwinkle bed choked with weeds. I have one more bed to go. My goal is to have everything under control before daughter Kate comes for a week. Having complained about summer heat, I must say that it hasn’t been bad the past few weeks. Right now the nights are cool, and sunrise is held in check by thick fog. I can walk half a mile and get home before the sun shines on the weedy places. I have breakfast after gardening, usually before noon.

As I was walking, I told myself to keep my eyes sharp. Joyce is no longer here to point out wild turkeys near the woods and inch worms hanging in my path. With that, I spotted two deer near the blueberry bushes. I immediately stopped still and stared at them. They stared back for what seemed like a long time. As soon as my hand inched toward the phone, they flicked up their white tails and ran up the steep hill into the woods. A photo might last longer, but my memory is still bringing them into focus.

The sun was shining in full force as I ate breakfast on the porch. After making a quick cup of coffee, I went back outside to see buckets of rain pouring down. That evidently stopped the farmer neighbor and his helper from tapping all the fence posts that divide our property. A short while later, they were back. It’s always a good thing when his cows and horses can’t escape their pasture.

School starts in four days, marking the end of summer for children in this county. I can’t claim autumn yet, but that’s where my thoughts are.

Aware of Danger

The photo shows the most dangerous spot in my garden after I cleared it. I warned myself to be alert, because the ground is terribly uneven. It was also covered by overgrown evergreens and big weeds that hid two electric wires. The shot was taken above and to one side of the waterfall.

I began at the pathway, using a step stool for stability while climbing over the low stone wall. My feet are not particularly big, but they felt enormous in that setting. I shuffled and tested my balance before pulling up the greenery to cut it with hand clippers, keeping the wires in sight.

Soon the red basket was full, but I wasn’t going to empty it. Instead, I threw the cuttings behind me, not caring where they landed. It was much easier to pick up the debris on level ground after the trimming was done. I laughed when I came back to the pathway and saw that I’d made a good semi-circle of cuttings. The burn pile is once again tall with highly combustible cuttings.

Back to Normal

I didn’t do any yard work while Lise was here, and everything vied for my attention when she went home. Most of the plants were out of bounds and feeling their freedom, but not for long. I gave the shrubs along the front pathway a haircut. I also trimmed the ground cover beside and behind the garage. I’ve cut back evergreens near the pathway, finishing four out of six sides. The trick is to attack early before the sun reaches those spots.

Two days after Lise left, I had a rather wild day. The bus was late, late enough that I called the company to see if it was coming. It showed up just as I called. The driver was given the wrong address in a neighboring town. Luckily, I was able to tell him to get out of the hospital area, go down another street, cross the railroad tracks and turn right. By this time I was slightly late for the appointment. Just after I checked in, my name was called. The injection in the eye was routine, but I stumbled when getting out of the chair and almost fell on the floor. David offered to pick me up after he finished work. He had the wrong address, too, and I knew how to direct him. We went to a restaurant in the next town, stopped at the local apple orchard for our favorite fruit, ate dessert in Waynesville, and shopped for groceries. Since I had left my house without a car, David took me home. We drifted through the evening, chatting, teasing, eating, and resting. He was home before 2:00 am, and I was sleeping as my head hit the pillow. It had been a very full day.

The excitement for the following day was driving my new used car by myself for the first time. It was a humdrum excursion, taking garbage to the convenience center just down the road. I was very happy nothing leaked in the still-clean car. The sky didn’t leak, either, but it rained most of the day after I got home.

Lise is Home

Daughter Lise was here for six glorious weeks, and now she is safely home in Denmark. We seem to have had an eating frenzy the last few days, but that’s because I don’t think of taking people’s photos until we sit down for a meal. Neighbor Holly took us out to eat quite close to home, and I was happy to be at Kobe’s once again. We enjoyed Holly and Denise, who divides her time between Florida and here.

Lise and I were with neighbor Shawn at Jukebox Junction. Lise and I wanted to go there for fried clams, but clams are no longer on the menu. Other choices were good, though I doubt we’ll go back often.

Because of my facial surgery, Lise and I had not been taking a daily walk in the morning. We made an exception to go halfway, where we stopped for Lise to pet CAT.

Our final eating expedition was at Culver’s before dropping Lise at the airport. Denise was our driver, since I won’t drive in heavy city traffic. On the way home, there were several cloud bursts.

Lise had a long wait, since her flight was quite late. She wasn’t sure she would make her connection in Atlanta. Everything seemed to finally be working out, until the plane landed and did not proceed to a gate. There was a medical emergency on another plane, which kept all other planes away from the terminal. As she sat there, she knew her flight to Amsterdam was boarding. By the time she got to the gate, the door had been shut. Normally that would mean she would wait for the next flight the following day. Marvelously, they opened the door for her and left immediately after that! Whew!

The next morning an app showed me she had landed in Amsterdam, and a few hours later she was in Copenhagen. She texted that she thought her suitcase made it with her! There have been numerous times when luggage followed her a day or so later, both here and in Denmark.

Goodbye, Joyce!

Neighbor Joyce is between residences at the moment. Her former home next to mine now has new owners, and she has a contract to buy another near one of her daughters. In this interval, she is floating between friends and relatives before heading south. She came to pick up her houseplants that had been in my living room. This was the last day in this area, so it was our formal goodbye. Joyce, Lise, and I enjoyed visiting on the back porch, the place where Joyce and I often sat to chat. Of course, I’m happy for her, but I’m sad to lose a very dear friend, walking partner, and neighbor.

Lise and I enjoyed our last lunch with David before she goes back to Denmark. We’ve had such fun together on our weekly lunch and shopping days! David and Lise shared a giant sweet potato topped with barbeque, although it doesn’t show in the photo. They finished it all and were both very full.

3:22

I read the clock from my bed. It was 3:22 in the wee hours, and I couldn’t sleep. The surgery site felt like there were 1,000 ants crawling on it. My nose had been itchy the day before. The only relief I had was pushing the area around it. There was no way I was going back to sleep, so I decided to take a shower and let warm water flow over my face. Instant relief!! This could have been done the morning before, but I had been in a rush to get ready for the day. Now writing seems to provide the necessary distraction. Thank you for enduring this with me.

As I walked to the desk, I saw a glow outside and stepped onto the front porch. What a beautiful sight! The photo isn’t good, but it gives you an idea of what I saw.

A Most Delightful Visit

Favorite relatives, Myra and Rick, planned to camp in the mountains one night and come to visit Lise and me after that. Camping did not go as planned. They pitched a tent in the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest and went to a nearby town for dinner. While they were eating, they noticed extremely heavy rain falling outside. Back at the campsite, they found a small tornado had passed through. They talked to a ranger at some point and were told they couldn’t get out immediately. The tent was still there, but they slept in their car. They were hemmed in by fallen trees. The next morning they waited until the trees were removed and finally could drive to us. Rick let us know there had been a storm, but then communications went out. We knew they were fine when Rick was able to text again.

They treated us to barbeque at Ben’s, the closest eatery. The travel talk started there, and then we came home to sit on the porch for hours. I thoroughly enjoyed the converstion between these three world travelers. At hourly intervals I iced the sugical site on my face and was content to listen to them comparing notes. They had been to exotic places and asked each other, “Did you see this or that?” Their memories are sharp! Rick told me they enjoyed talking to Lise, because many people don’t share their enthusiasm for foreign travel. Lise said she would really love to travel with them some time. I hope they can meet in some faraway place and explore it together.

When the air became chilly outside, we moved to cozy chairs in the sitting room. Conversation continued unabated. We reluctantly went to bed, still wanting the fun to continue. I hope we four can get together again when weather is not an issue.

On the Nose!

I had the second surgery on my face, this time on the nose. The surgeon, his staff, and daughter Lise were marvelous. After hearing others talk about procedures in this area, I had begun to dread it. There was no need. The procedure was straightforward, and they got the cancer the first time. They numbed me again to close up the hole and pulled skin from the surrounding area to cover it. This time the bandaging will be minimal and easy to manage. Lise listened carefully to the instructions and asked a few pertinent questions. It’s always a good idea to have someone with you if you feel you might miss something important. Lise has been a marvelous nurse/companion.

On the way home, the bandage began to leak a little bit. To stop the bleeding, I tried to put light pressure on the spot. That was easier said than done, since we were on an interstate with heavy construction in several places. I’m thankful I didn’t mess it all up. Half an hour in a recliner seemed to put everything to rights.

Here is what I looked like late that afternoon.

One Frenetic Sunday

Thank heavens the day did not continue as badly as it started! A bit after 5:00 in the morning my phone beeped an alarm. Jabbing at it did nothing. I jabbed my way to the settings where none of the three alarms were set. Needing light, I used my voice to mistakenly turn on the kitchen light. Another four words got the bedroom light on, and four more darkened the kitchen. Beep! Beep! Beep! I finally realized the phone was still plugged in and remembered I had a new app to warn me when it was over-charged. Pulling the plug, I sighed with relief while mentally kicking myself for being careless.

It took a while to get back to sleep after that rude awakening. I struggled through a vivid dream, where I was working at a company with a fancy computer system. I had to get an alarm stopped before it started, and I couldn’t find it. Thankfully, I woke up before everything exploded. That is the first time in my life I’ve ever had a dream directly related to an event I had just gone through.

I did not have time for my usual Sunday routine. I always sit before the computer fully clothed, including rings and earrings. Today I wore a nightshirt and slippers. I put down my phone and couldn’t find it seconds later, even though I made Alexa call it. I couldn’t see or hear it! Lise rang my number, and we found the phone under a hat on the computer table! How it had time to crawl under a hat is still puzzling me. Lise found it was recording our conversation because I hadn’t hung up. I turned on the iPad for the church service and discovered the service hadn’t started on time. In trying to hurry, I failed to log in correctly. She did it quickly and accurately, so I didn’t miss anything. She was cool and collected, in sharp contrast to me. During the service, I calmed down so that nothing else went awry.

In high contrast to the bumbling this day was the time Lise and I spent with neighbor Holly the day before. Holly’s company had a family and friends day for employees at Ten Acre Garden. It included a pizza dinner and a jar for cutting flowers from certain areas in the garden. How peaceful that was!

Reading Glasses

These days I wear reading glasses upside down and backwards. Because I can’t put any pressure on the surgical site near my eye, I had to think of another way to look through them. The lenses would work better if my eyes were equal to my eyebrows. As it is, I keep my head ducked down to see straight ahead. This is still better than the first days after surgery, when one eye was bandaged shut.