I Can Hear Again!

In the past year or so I have slowly been losing my hearing.

My brother Ken is "deafer than a post" as we say in New England but refused to wear the hearing aids the Veteran's Association provided because he said he felt like he was in a wind tunnel. So we've all had to get used to him saying "what?" after everything we said.

Brother Rudy just quietly went to have his hearing testing because his wife was telling he to stop saying "what?" all the time and got hearing aids. I hear his marriage is doing better.

Oldest brother also complains of not hearing well. I decided we all must have the hard-of-hearing gene so I made an appointment with an audiologist and made Jim go with me. Just as I suspected, I too was deafer than a post.

I went back today for them to set me up with a two week demo of these tiny little things call hearing aids. My hair barely covers my ears and if you didn't know they were there there's no way you could tell. They're going to take a little bit to get used to. Noises like the car doors automatically unlocking or the blinker signal in the car are downright loud, and crumpling up a piece of paper is annoying as all get out, and those are just the things I've noticed since I got them an hour ago.

They are going to be so sweet when I'm watching TV at night in my bed! And Jim is going to love not having to repeat everything two or three times. I won't have to try and lip-read!

I think I'm going to go outside and see if there are any birds singing for me.

Death

Last week my neighbor was killed by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan. Corey Dodge worked as an independent contractor helping to train their police and military for eight years and was coming home in October for good. He had a job lined up with the Maine State Police. Before he went to Afghanistan he had been a police officer and apparently very good at his job. He was 40. He has four children.

His funeral was emotionally charged and very sad. Everyone was crying, even the police officers that lined the walls of the Church. The Chaplain for the State Police gave the message, and one of his former Captains spoke, His mother sang. That blew my mind. I have sung at the funerals of my father, my stepmother and my stepfather and it was not at all difficult because I knew they were in heaven and that I would one day see them again. Corey's mother is a Christian woman and maybe that's how she got through it, but no one said whether Corey was saved or not. Maybe that's why the service was so sad; no one knew.

Maybe it was so sad because he was only 40 and he and his wife were so in love you could see it in their faces in every picture of them. Maybe because their youngest child will most likely have no memories of his father, or that he won't have the honor of walking his daughters down the aisle. Maybe because it is just so senseless. He was making a difference in the lives of many people in Afghanistan, believing it was his calling to serve and protect.

Death is just sad. 

My Little Backyard

I like to think that I have a large yard. I know when it comes to mowing or raking, I have a large backyard. From any seat on my deck, you cannot see any cars in the driveway, so therefore it is a private backyard back deck. I rarely hear a car drive by; I am more likely to hear the cries of Pileated Woodpeckers or goldfinch trying to find a bite to eat or a turkey or two seeing what we are offering.

If you are in a state of undress on our patio and the dog does not bark, you are safe.I'd love to think that last sentence covers it all, but our dog, when he is busy chewing on his toenails. is oblivious to any outside activity and there, his fault is exposed.

If you were to come, as a surprise visitor, and the dog doesn't announce your call, please be aware.
that the people you could see could be in various states of undress..  I just awoke from a nap and I am wearing a peach colored tank top and white granny underwear. My dog is completely naked, and Jim, who is mowing the lawn in wearing shorts and a white tee.

Although this is not the best time to visit us,it is not the worst. As we have no near neighbor, we are often wearing our birthday suits, which is not a sight anyone should see. Thankfully, we live in the country and only have one neighbor who is rarely at home. There are many trees and shrubs between our houses, thankfully. If we had our "druthers" we'd come back from Florida mid-April.By then, Winter is moving out and Spring is moving in.

Summer in our backyard is perfect. We see tons of birds (this year we saw two pair of indigo bunting and two pair of Pileated Woodpeckers. Goldfinch, Pine Finch, Purple Finch.Chick-a-dees and the Thief, Blue Jays, are all around. And of course, our resident Chipmunk is ready to grab anything too slow. They are omnivores and will eat seeds, millipedes, and even birds if they stay too long at the bottom of the feeder.

Chipmunks are unusual creatures; they seem quite laid back and are happy to find a peanut feeder unguarded, but do not be fooled, they eat anything stupid enough for them to catch. They will take foods that won't spoil into their tunnels, but will not take foods that will spoil. Bit by bit, you will see them disappear.

Our trees overhang enough that we can't see much of a starlit sky. One of the reasons I am looking forward to seeing Cape Breton is that the very north of the Island is said to be one of the world "dark places" where there is no lights from neighboring towns to  darken the natural sky. I am hoping to see the stars in all their glory, perhaps a shooting star or two, and it would be just amazing if the space station were going overhead.

I cannot grasp that all these things would come into play at all the perfect times. Rest assured I will have my camera at the ready to catch anything I can.

Ya Know What Ticks me Off?

Ticks.

I am totally grossed out by ticks, and in Maine, we have a lot of them.

Early this summer, we discovered a tick on Cooper, our beloved Maltese/Shihtzu. He didn't want us messing with it so Jim held him down and I went to work with a magnifying glass and tweezers. I won't do that the next time.  I don't think I got its head but Cooper tested negative for Lyme disease.

The next time, I will soak a q-tip in rubbing alcohol and rub it on it as I make it turn in the hole. It gets dizzy and releases its grip. Be sure to drown in the alcohol and Dawn afterwards.

I have never had a tick get a grip on me; I have pretty sensitive skin and feel it crawling on me and Jim and I keep a watch of each other's backsides. I think I would faint if one ever got engorged on me. What's funny is that I am not a squeamish person; I watch surgery on TV and am fascinated. I would have watched Jim's surgery last year if they'd let me. But the thought of a filthy, disease-laden tick makes me gag, and if they are engorged....I don't even want to think about it.

We know several people who have Lyme disease and don't ever remember being tick bait. That's pretty scary. I already have a lowered immunity because of fibromyalgia, so I am trying to be extra careful. Fibro knocks me off my feet often enough without worrying about Lyme disease. My grandmother taught me when I was a kid to only worry about the things you have no control over, so I'll just be cautious.

I am very grateful for the flea/tick treatment Cooper got because he has not had a single tick or flea all summer, and he loves the tall grass!

I hope you have a tick-free summer!

I Love Being Right.

To set things straight, I have an IQ of 148. I am no dummy. I don't like to brag how smart I am because I am likely to prove it wrong at least once a day.Slowly, I am learning to keep my lips sealed when Hubs says something that I don't think is right. I slip off to the side, find at least three articles that prove ME right and give them to him once at a time. I love being right.

I have three older brothers and one of them thinks he is always right. I must say he demands a bit more research, and sometimes argument, but I don't mind losing in a fair fight, This usually doesn't become an issue because I've done my research. I hate to lose.

The only time I like being wrong is when I learn something. My brother Ken is a huge source of often correct information and he is the best there is when it comes to argueing a point.He really should have been an attorney.

One Little Brain Cell

We have a Shihtzu Maltese and we teasingly say he only has one brain cell. He can think about eating, playing with his favorite toy Flea or napping but never more than one thing as a time. I can understand this because I too have only one brain cell.

Maybe I have used too many cells doing algebra in my mind (if you knew me, you'd know this is ridiculous), or in randomly figuring when the next big chunk of rock will hit the earth, but let's get a bit more real. Most likely it has to do with calculations having to do with using coupons in a store that double or will take more than one coupon per product as long as they aren't the same. Did you know this was possible?

We tease our darling dog, Cooper, About having only one brain cell. If he learn a new trick, the old one gets tossed out the window. He pretends he is the dumbest dog on the planet, but open a cheese stick and he knows. Even if he's next door terrorizing Tazer, the teacup Yorkie, a ripping of cheese plastic will bring him right home, as soon as he has pooped over there..

algebra

My daughter can go to the grocery store with six bucks and a handful of coupons. She emerges with $102 dollars in groceries and still has four bucks. She starts to explain that it as to do with it being the second Tuesday of the month, they double coupons, plus which items were on sale...I tell you now that this is a different language. I don't understand French, Spanish, German or Coupontalk.

One month I decided I would venture into this couponland of which they speak. I carefully cut coupons, poured over the sale fliers and went armed with a list. My monthly budget for groceries is $340. When all was said and done. I had purchased a whole lot of groceries, mostly paper products, cleaning stuff and dog food (Yes, I do have a dog) and paid $375 after coupons. Some were expired, some were not the right size product and some were good only if your bought another product along with it. We ran out of stuff to eat quickly, although the dog ate well

I have decided that I will continue to clip coupons on the items that I usually buy, When I get to the cash register and had put all my items on the counter, I pull out my stack of coupons and pull out the relevant ones.  Last month my groceries came to $333.14; my massive pile of coupons brought that total way down to 329.99/ I was so glad I'd spent two hours cutting coupons out of the local paper and that I had requested online. Big whoop!

With the extra 2 hours now back in my schedule, since I decided that coupons just didn't make a huge difference in the world of groceries, I will be learning Spanish.  Hubby and I are going to become Snowbirds right after Christmas, and it would be nice to not be completely stupid in any store in Miami.  I have already started and I can say Hello, Goodbye, bathroom, and a few minor cuss words,

Since my husband and I have both retired we will have plenty of time to learn new things. He wants to really get into photography, learn Spanish and travel a great deal; I want to write more, travel more and speak Spanish well enough that I don't end up getting beat up because I pronounced something wrong. All it takes is one little brain cell that likes to stir things up.And it is in my nature to stir things up...

Plugging Along

About ten years ago, I wrote a book, although it is fiction, I used characters from my real life family, ancestors, actually.. Although I thought I was done with it when the did the 800th edit and used Kindle editing services to upload it. I even designed my own cover. 

I'm not done with it; it needs a sequel which I have started writing.  I took a long step back from writing for awhile, but it just drew me back in like a big magnet.

What have I been doing with me time, you might ask.Well, mostly gaining about 40 pounds, It came on SO EASY! Especially since my favorite time to eat is about midnight.

I go to the gym a few times a week with my newly-retired husband and we have a good time playing some raquetball to get our hearts pumping, then we hit the serious stuff.  He looks like the goes to the gym; his arms,chest and legs in particular.

Me? I just look dumpy. Last week I discovered a little secret and being the good gossip that I am, will share it with you.  Break up with your scale. I refuse to let one three digit number determine how I feel about myself all day. I had to buy something to wear to our daughter's wedding over the weekend, which was very casual and on the shores of Moosehead Lake in Maine.I was so depressed when I found my dress in the woman's plus section. It fit and didn't pinch or pull anywhere. The size on the tag kinda threw me for a loop, but as one of my brother's always says, "It is what is is."  I have to say I was really comfortable all day. I should work on not letting myself ignore what other people think, or what I think they are thinking. 

I supposed I could have put about three layers of Spanx on and wore something I already owned, it was predicted to be in the upper 80's and I would have been so uncomfortable and couldn't have relaxed at all, so I bought the dress. It is a two piece maxi dress and I wear maxi skirts a lot, plus I can wear the top to Church.

I got to thinking about that stupid size tag and decided to take a more positive outlook, telling myself that it's just a number. My husband is bothered quite a bit that he turned 65 and I just keep telling him it's just a number. At my age I shouldn't even be thinking about my size. I recently joined a gym, I take the dog for long walks and I ride my stationary bike almost every day. I am eating healthier and taking my supplements, I've cut out all soda and fruit juices (the only thing I drink is one cup of decaf in the morning, water all day and a glass or two of wine at night. I eat plain organic oatmeal and berries for breakfast, vegetables and a hard boiled egg for lunch, and I eat a small plate of whatever we are having for dinner. I also eat a small piece of dark chocolate each day. I snack on fruit, nuts or popcorn.  In September I am having a fasting blood test to see if I have been able to lower my cholesterol. I hope to also lose ten pounds by then.

So how do I hook the book I wrote with my size and cholesterol?  I guess I should have thought about that before I started...

Whether you're writing a book, shopping for clothes or trying to get healthier you have a keep in mind that they are all possibilities for positive outcomes. Whatever is going on in your life, the battles you are fighting are all winnable. Just keep plugging along.