Everyday Fun

I had just dumped a pile of sticks and leaves on the burn pile when I heard flapping wings. I was facing the right way to see two ducks swoop down from the pasture and fly under the lowest limbs of the old oak tree. That put them almost at eye level, only a short distance from my head. They flew over the back yard at the end of the street, landing near the creek. Perhaps they were the couple that I watched walk through our neighborhood only days ago. They have been hanging out in Shawn and Bob’s pond. Shawn said they wanted to watch the ducks, but a couple of nesting robins screech at them every time they go out on their deck.

The forecast said rain would come about the time I would finish walking. Scratch that, I thought. I threw on walking clothes and went straight into the garden. The waterfall had been perfect the first day, but I fiddled with two stones the second day, making it leak about an inch an hour. The pump would have been sucking air if I had left it going all night. I used two pieces of slate to change the slant, and I think everything is going to be fine. A few sprinkles hit my head, so Kacey and I went inside. The sprinkles were an empty threat, because it never did rain.

Kacey accidentally locked me out!!! I stepped outside to get the lead hanging on the stair rail, and the dog dropped a soft plastic toy right inside the screen door. It was a perfect door-stopper! Before panic could set in, I reminded myself that I could walk around the house and use a code to get in the front door. Whew! Thank you Lise for getting me a fancy new lock.

I wonder if any of you move an object to an unusual place to remind yourself to do something later. It’s much quicker than writing a note. I’m finding it amusing that I now have to really think to follow my direction. A number of times I have forgotten to clean the bathroom on Friday, so I moved a washcloth to the other end of the rack. When I was ready to shower, I wondered for a second why I’d put the cloth there. Oh! Yes! Clean, then get cleaned. Fast forward a few years, and someone might ask me why the rocking chair is facing the wall or the bed pillows are pointing upward. Hope I’ll remember.

May Day!

I don’t normally celebrate the first day of May, but I opened the waterfall this morning. As I write this, I’m sitting on the back porch where I can see AND hear it. John built it for me a year after we moved here, helped by grandsons David and Nathaniel. Two years ago brother Bob and wife Beth helped me clean the pools, as well as choose and install a new pump and new hoses. Last year Chris Pollock connected the new hose to the splitter. As you can tell, this has always been a family project. This year I spent a part of a morning raking the leaves out of the water, and another morning bailing out the pools. Today I checked the pump, filled the lowest pool, and let the pump fill the rest. Soon I will see if neighbor D.’s offer still stands of putting the decorative slates back where they belong. She is an enthusiastic volunteer landscaper and says she enjoys working with stones. I would never be able to do what she does.

The Cross was Slammed!

Neighbor Logan (13) and I were in the living room when we heard a loud noise. He looked quickly and said it was the back door slamming. I didn’t think about it again until after he went home. What a funny sight to see the balloon in a strangle hold! It was in the wrong place when a draft caught the door. The cause was good weather – warm enough that I had left the back door open. Lise gave me the balloon for Easter, and I’m glad it wasn’t damaged. It seems appropriate that one of the hymns in the service today was Lift High the Cross. This cross was able to float again.

Can You Function Without Your Phone?

I left my phone at home when going shopping at least once in the last ten years. I don’t remember trauma, but then I was probably with John at the time. One phone in a group is much better than none. I was half way to town today when I realized my phone was not in my pocket. I had put it down to take the dog outside and failed to pick it up again. There wasn’t time to go back without being late for my appointment.

What exactly could I not do? If something happened to the car, I wouldn’t be able to call a neighbor for help. The only telephone number I had memorized was John’s! David would have many helpful numbers in his phone, but I couldn’t dredge up his number in my head. I couldn’t easily tell what tine it was, because I couldn’t see the clock on the dashboard. Ready entertainment would be lacking while waiting for the appointment. That’s about it! It wasn’t as dire as I first thought.

Luckily, my brain’s map function would get me where I needed to go. I had my wallet, so I could pay for things. I could also prove I was driving legally, having my license in the wallet. I could also prove that I didn’t need glasses to drive, as stated on the license. The two cards were in the wallet that showed I’d had cataracts removed from each eye.

I arrived at the address, looked at the clock on the dashboard before turning off the engine, and found I couldn’t see it at all. I remembered the camera names each photo with the date and time, so it had to have a clock function. That was in settings, and I found I had fifteen minutes to wait.

I could see the door to the office in the car mirror, and the CLOSED sign was hanging there. All I had to do was glace at it from time to time to know when to go in. It didn’t change when I thought it would, so the camera showed me I was three minutes late. I twisted around and found I was looking at the wrong door! I had failed to realize the car was parked on an angle, and I wasn’t looking straight back. I rushed in quickly. My apology was accepted as we moved onto the business at hand.

My phone hadn’t missed me! No calls had come in, and only a few notifications showed people had sent messages. I escaped with no harm done, but I’m not likely to forget the phone again soon. How easily would you cope if you had left your phone behind?

Below are wildflowers neighbor Joyce and I saw while walking. She knows lots of local ones and shares her knowledge with me.

She Waited!

This day I didn’t hide from the dog. My alarm had already gone off, so I knew she would soon tell me she needed to go out. I lay snug under the covers, checking out the weather before getting up to walk. Despite not wearing hearing aids, I heard Kacey’s paws on the carpet. Still, she didn’t jump on the bed with me. Only when I turned over to put the phone on the bedside table did she leap up beside me. We had a snuggle time, and then we headed outside.

The photo was taken on my way to the stop sign. The sun was shining on the nearest small mountain, making it stand out. The contrast is not nearly as sharp as my eyes can see, which I suppose should please me. A better camera might win the contest. Today I won!

The Dust is Settling

For a whole month I had family with me – daughter Lise for three weeks, and John $ for one. They overlapped, so it wasn’t a full 30 days. It felt like several months of talking, laughing, and going places. Kacey was in dog heaven, lapping up the attention of two dog lovers. They helped me by taking her outside, and she took turns sleeping on their beds at night. I could adjust quickly, knowing when they were leaving, but she grieved for several days.

Thankfully, the weather was a bit cold while they were here, so I couldn’t hear the garden calling. I have now cleaned old leaves from the the back porch area. Checking the pools for the waterfall will be next. Many things will need attention until November chills us.

The house is in good shape. Both Lise and $ washed their sheets and towels before leaving. I know this is the second time I’ve written that, but I am impressed. It has absolutely nothing to do with childhood training and everything to do with consideration of their mother. I wouldn’t have minded changing the linens, being thrilled that they were here. I used the time to order a new shower head to replace the one that exploded. $ picked out one, got Lise’s approval, and I ordered it. It needs to be installed before the next visitors come a few weeks from now. He reminded me that special tape should be used. He found it in the garage and put it in the bathroom.

There isn’t time to be lonely. Neighbors (Joyce) walk with me and come over to sit on the porch (Holly). The others always wave as they go about their busy lives. We chat when we are outside at the same time, and we keep up with text messages. It’s marvelous to live among the world’s best neighbors.

I saw a Mallard duck walking on my driveway when I had Kacey outside. I ran through the house onto the front porch and took photos of the pair in Joyce’s yard. They strolled in Holly’s yard and walked to the pond behind Shawn and Bob’s house. The photos show Holly’s yard. Even wildlife draws us together!

One More Explosion

Son John $ got up early to be ready for the plumber. When he turned on the shower, the connection to that hose burst! I never asked if he stood under the pipe coming out of the wall to get wet. The plumber called to say he was eleven minutes away, and we were ready to greet him. He remembered he had replaced the filter system the last time he came, and he commented on how very helpful David had been. John’s suspicion was correct. It was back pressure that blew up the line to the toilet, as well as the connection to the shower hose. The plumber was very impressed that John asked to video his comments on the filter when they went under the house. John assured him that his face would not be splashed all over the internet, something that had happened to John before. We now know to turn on the faucet near the entrance to the crawl space, and then to turn on every faucet in the house after changing the filter. John is going to put a note about it on the filter.

I heard John telling the story of the original explosion, and it was funny. He said he was facing the shower as he turned it on and is sure he had a funny expression on his face. “Why have I turned water on in front of me, but my back is getting wet?”

The plumber finished the repair in minutes, and we were free for the rest of the day. John fixed our breakfast, frying thin slices of livermush and putting them on the ramp-flavored bread he’d bought the day before. He melted cheese on top, and we had a feast.

We drove to Big Creek, a favorite place to look at the water and hike. There is now a parking fee, so we drove back and admired the creek from a bridge.

John knew a casual place to have lunch beside the Pigeon River. We enjoyed our meal, then he took back roads to avoid traffic on the interstate. It was a lovely drive home.

Goodbye Lise!

Below is a peaceful picture, taken at the Chinese buffet in town the day before Lise left. We were sated, having eaten ourselves into a food coma before going home.

Daughter Lise and I walked to the stop sign the day she left. We expected a pleasant day, not an explosion. Son John $ came from his shower as we arrived at home. His explanation was shocking. When he turned on the water, the toilet behind him exploded! Water shot across the room, knocking a bottle of shampoo off the shelf in the shower. He knew where the cutoff valve was behind the toilet and pushed against the spewing water to reach it. The hose that brings fresh water to the toilet had broken. Gallons of water covered the floor, but he sopped it up with towels and kept the flood from reaching the wooden floor in the hallway. His first thought was that it was good that he was the one in the line of fire, not one of us.

We are not sure what happened. The day before, both Lise and $ went below the house with me to change the water filter. (We have a well, and all the water we use goes through that filter.) I couldn’t turn the valves, nor could I unscrew the container with the filter. $ did it all, and he pressed a button to release the pressure. He thinks it was back pressure that caused the water line to the toilet to explode hours later. Lise immediately called the plumber, and he promised to come first thing the next day. Whew! Things were under control. We proceeded to take her to the airport. I took a shot of my son and daughter as they smoked outside the airport.

John and Lise washed all the towels, and they were drying as we drove her to the airport. As we put them away, he pointed out the bits of toilet paper that were clinging to the wall. I took quick photos before he cleaned the wall.

I’m very thankful $ will be here to tell the plumber exactly what happened in the bathroom. We hope the man will be able to diagnose the problem so that it won’t happen again.

Days Fly By

We had a marvelous day with former neighbors Connie and Marla. We headed for a favorite restaurant, only to find it closed for spring break. The second choice did not disappoint us. We came back to my house to watch the height of the eclipse and remained on the porch to chat. It’s always such a pleasure to spend time with them.

Son John $ flew in from Washington to spend a week with daughter Lise and me. We hadn’t expected to spend a day at home getting two heat pumps replaced. One unit stopped working before we got the first quote. Thankfully, the business we chose was able to install both in one long day. It was a day with high winds and cool temperatures, with a promise of rising temps over the next few days. We were happy to have both heat and air conditioning in a short space of time.

Lise had been longing for beef, since the canteen in her office has dropped it. A steak house was the answer that day, and it was a good answer.

We’ve taken care of most of the house-related chores that Lise wanted to accomplish during this visit. A tedious job was pulling out all the tablecloths and putting them together by length, which Lise did all by herself. Years ago we inherited a round table with four leaves from John’s godfather. That was the table where Uncle Walter and John’s dad did their homework a hundred years ago. Through the years, John and I bought tablecloths to fit the five possible lengths of the table. At first I knew which was right for each size, but I lost track. We kept a couple for each size, which Lise measured and labeled. They should go with the table when my possessions are given away.

No matter what we were doing, there was talk – lots of talk! You’d think we might run out of things to say, but we haven’t yet.

Pleasant Times with Neighbor Joyce

Daughter Lise and I had good visiting times with both Logan and neighbor Joyce when walking to the stop sign. Joyce works in the afternoon, but she often walks with us in the morning. There are no photos of Logan this time.

Joyce gave me a stake and wire lead that she’d had for her grand dog. Kacey loves the backyard venue with a wider range than she has in the front. She indicates there are more interesting smells in the back, too. Here she is sharing her new space with Lise.

Lise and I had a lovely excursion with Joyce, going to the mountains near Highlands and Cashiers (pronounced cash-ers). She has an acre of land there and needed to replace the For Sale sign that had disappeared. The day was sunny and warm, and the mountain views were glorious. Someone is going to want to build a house there. The property has one or two natural springs and a small stream.

We enjoyed watching butterflies on flowers across from Joyce’s plot. The butterflies seemed carefree and didn’t mind our watching them.