A Praying Mantis

This isn’t about an insect. Rearrange the letters of the title – ’tis a praying man. Can you see him? Look across that driveway. He is wearing a bright blue shirt and is sitting with his elbows on his knees. I can’t see much else, but I think he has a mop of dark hair.

I have glanced at this scene for months through my bedroom window, and the man never moves. I’ve never seen anyone out there with him, either. Neighbor Logan’s pond is on the left. I tried to show it to someone who was visiting, but he/she didn’t see him. After all that time I aimed the camera at him. Finally! The camera saw the man, even though people didn’t. I am thrilled to have this photo of him so that I know I didn’t make him up.

Some day the man will change his position, probably when Shawn and Bob move the kayak. I’m guessing it’s their kayak. What else that blue would stay outside near water without fading or moving? If I find out it isn’t their little boat, I’ll update this post to say what it is and how much I miss the praying man.

The Horses are Back

Just a few days, ago neighbor Joyce said she had a feeling the horses would return soon. She has a better view of the rented pasture than I do, and she watches the animals more often. Every year the horses are gone for months at a time, and we miss them.

I was eating a late breakfast when DW and Vixen walked down the hill and went to the corner. The two horses in the next pasture came to greet them. There was no reason I couldn’t get in on the homecoming.

Going back to my meal, I watched them check out the corner closest to Joyce and me before walking again to the shared corner and up the hill. They certainly seemed happy to be back with lots of plants and grass to nibble on.

Vegetating

I have reached a new stage of old age – vegetating. Family members have somewhat resisted my serving fruits rather than vegetables. Some of them, like John before them, need a vegetable to make a meal complete. I certainly grew up that way, since we called my dad the Mad Farmer. My parents were FORCED to eat tons of vegetables, because he loved having a prolific garden with no fruit in sight. Mother never complained about canning and later freezing the things he grew. She was a miser, having gone through the depression with her brother and widowed mother. Mom’s mother told me that once she had only potatoes to feed her children, and she cried that night.

Today I began to feel hungry. As I walked toward the kitchen, I decided to have cauliflower with white sauce before considering what protein would follow. This is probably the very first time that any vegetable called my name and made me listen. I made the white sauce while the frozen cauliflower cooked in the microwave. Since I wasn’t cooking anything else at the time, it came together perfectly. There was just the right amount of salt and pepper, two things I didn’t use when John was eating with me. The food was piping hot when I set the dish on the table, and was still warm as I finished. Nothing could have been more perfect for me. With cooler weather on the horizon, I’ll try to hear the broccoli, beans, and peas when they call.

A Day with David

Daughter Kate and grandson David went out to lunch before shopping, and then they came here. I had invited them to come for dessert, knowing he likes lemon things. We ate the homemade lemon sherbet I had made for Labor Day. The weather was extremely pleasant, so we sat chatting on the back porch for hours. When daylight faded, we had supper and continued to talk inside. I liked hearing about his new job at Lowe’s. He drives a small vehicle around and changes displays, a constant thing in a huge store.

As with many families, things can get a bit silly. When the subject of height came up, Kate measured David. I should have gotten in line, because I don’t know how much I’ve shrunk.

Out of curiosity, I asked David if he could still put both feet behind his head. Although he is quite active, that does not mean that he would still be limber. He tried first one foot and then the other.

After those stretches, he was able to get both feet in place. I took the photo quickly before he dismantled himself.

What I enjoyed most was hearing David and Kate laughing. One doesn’t hear a lot of laughter when one lives alone! Old family anecdotes came out. You know how it is when family members are together. Just saying one phrase can conjure up a whole story that doesn’t need to be repeated, because everyone already knows it. David left at midnight, and bed was not far away for any of us. What a marvelous day it had been!

Days with Kate

Daughter Kate and I have tried to make every minute count while she is here with me. We walked all the way to the creek two days in a row!! The round trip is 2.5 miles.

We reclaimed the living room after Kacey left by removing furniture covers and putting pillows back in place. Kate got chilled while we chatted, so she wrapped herself in a blanket. That was Kacey’s favorite place, where she could monitor the neighborhood by simply raising her head. I thought that worth remembering, and my memories are increasingly preserved with photographs.

The high point of shopping in Walmart was Kate’s trying on a witch’s hat.

My favorite photo of our drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway was of Kate with the mountains in the background. The day was bright and sunny in the morning, but by the time we drove there, mist shrouded many views. We drove slowly through every overlook until we found one with a view. We ate a picnic lunch in the car while watching the clouds play with the mountains. A sign said there was a pedestrian viewpoint. I was not aware of anything like that, so we walked on a short trail and found this delightful spot.

Near the car park, there were wild flowers with this cluster of blueberry-like fruits. Edible? No idea! The phone tried to identify it with Lens, but there was no internet connection there.

For neighbor Shawn we found morning glory blooms. I enjoyed flowers at home from seeds she had given me, so I’m sharing a picture of the same kind of flowers from the parkway.

Morning glories closing in the afternoon

The days have been full of simple delights, and I am grateful.

Saying Goodbye to Kacey

Kacey’s name had been listed with the animal shelter for several months. She saw a rabbit when I had her on a leash. One moment I was standing up, and the next I was flat on the gravel path. She was too dangerous for me to keep after David moved out. Her health was endangered because I couldn’t exercise her.

The call came to bring her in the day daughter Kate and I were burning garden trash. We had 48 hours to lavish love on her before we released her for adoption. It was bittersweet. Each last thing was noticed, from the last time I fed her to opening the car door to leave. Kacey was with Kate before bedtime, then she was on my bed waiting for me to go to sleep. As usual, she slept near my bed until my alarm went off. When I was on the floor exercising, she pushed her head into my lap before flopping down for me to rub her belly. She gulped down a couple of bites of breakfast on my plate after waiting patiently for me to finish eating. Getting in the car was exciting, as was the drive to the shelter.

Kacey realized things were unusual when a worker struggled to get a leash on her. She barked a couple of times, then she pulled the woman toward the door of the shelter, never looking back. Lise interpreted that as straining forward for the next big adventure of her life.

I am praying that an active family will adopt her, people who will provide a stimulating environment and let her run outside as fast as the wind. I hope new people will love the feel of her thick fur and see the beautiful curl of her tail. She will lean against them for petting and do a special dance with her feet and sign of her head to go outside. She will learn to fit into their schedule and try to become the dog of their dreams. Goodbye, dear Quesadilla Puppydog. I will love you and remember you for the rest of my life.

Kate Arrives

Daughter Kate drove from New Jersey to North Carolina in one day. How she did it is beyond my understanding, because it is over 600 miles. She definitely takes after her father! The next day we stayed home for a low-key day, which turned out to be most productive. We began by walking to the stop sign.

Kate had promised to help me burn garden trash, and we were most successful! Daughter Lise had the green barrel delivered here, and friend Toke drilled holes in it. This was the fourth time I had used it and the first time the fire really took off. Flames were coming out of the top! Before we had lunch, we had burned all the clippings, as well as the top layer of the old burn pile. What an accomplishment! I was too busy to think of taking photos, but I did get a quick video of Kate as she checked the fire.

We kept an eye on the barrel from the house as the fire died down. It was wonderful to have it so contained. The next morning the rim was cold, although there was a bit of heat rising from the bottom. There were only about two to three inches of ashes, which I’ll empty next time.

Cobalt Balls in Play

When I have an injection in the eye, the cobalt ball does not always appear. It did this time, and there was a tiny ball floating near it. Both were at the bottom of my field of vision. Moving my eye or my head caused them to change position. I have to play with them quickly, because they will disappear that day or the next. If I flicked my eyes around and up, the tiny ball would go up and over the big one. I’d never noticed that before.

I petted Kacey as soon as I got home and found that the large ball covered the top of her head, since I was looking straight down at her. That was a new experience. I knew to be prepared for eating. It will look like my hand and food are going to hit the ball as the food reaches my mouth. I’ll be in big trouble if they do meet, because I will have poked the fork in my eye.

If I discover any more games to play, I’ll let you know.

A Nutritious Accident

I carelessly left two eggs alone on the counter, but they hadn’t moved for several minutes. I wasn’t thinking of that when I walked into the laundry room and heard a small, unfamiliar sound. As I came back to the kitchen, Kacey and I discovered the broken egg on the floor at the same time. I made some sound like OH!, and she backed away.

“It’s OK, Kacey. Wait. Let me pick up the shell. Here you go! Uncle John is always saying I should give you a raw egg, and now I have. It should make your coat shine.”

The floor looked spotless, but I cleaned it well, anyway. If Kacey hadn’t been here, the egg would have been wasted. Thank you, Kacey.

An Upright Life

For the last few months I’ve been obsessed with living an upright life – literally! I realized I am beginning to lean forward ALL the time. If you were watching me, you’d see me suddenly straighten up as I walk across a room. That’s when the mind kicked in. Just like my dad before me, I often lean my elbows on the kitchen sink when doing mundane tasks. With daughter Lise’s help, I am much more aware of being straight when walking in the morning. She and I would check each other and remind ourselves to keep our backs straight. Recently friend Margo told me her watch tells her when she should get up and walk. Maybe I need a watch to watch me and tell me to stand up straight. I’m certain I don’t want to be a slouch.