Weather or not it is

This was a wonderful portrayal of fall in the local newspaper last week, I shared it on my FB page.  But this week our weather turned overnight as it often can do here in MN.  There is truth in what the former old timers said, "if you don't like the weather just wait a day or less and it will change.."  So it happened here and although I am fond of four seasons and changes I no longer look forward to winter, it is too long and cold.  I did not mind it so much when we could travel south in our motor home, but this year again that will not be as Jerry still has not regained  full strength and stamina and needs  supplemental oxygen.  

October 6, our back deck corner

On October 6, it  continued with wonderful sun shiny warmth, in fact the thermometer on our back deck registered 90 at 5:00PM as this photo shows.  Well it wasn't that warm but that little corner of the deck accumulates the heat.  It was however a wonderful day, perfect for me to do outside gardening, my all purpose word for all the outdoor work I do, ranging from weeding, trimming, hauling, tidying, etc.  A change was imminent, the weather showed a  storm moving across Montana and snow predicted.  But at least  all we would get would be rain, not that we need more because we have had plenty, too much for the farmers to harvest. 

Me and my shadow Oct 6

 
We have had too much rain early in spring and now again, late planting and  some devastation for harvest.  Apples are running behind and this is prime apple season here, normally.  But for me as long as I get those sun shine days, I plod along and can manage to retain optimism and smiles.  

The  new trees all in a row and one pine stump left behind

We have had several major projects over the past months, having the entire exterior of our house painted, clearing away old lanky, spindly, pine trees gone bad out back along the back hillside, behind the garden.  Then beginning replacement landscaping with s one row of 6 ft. arbor vitae  before winter.  Phew, $$  that is all it takes, but so it goes, a joy of home ownership and  we are blessed to be able to afford the upkeep.  The landscape efforts were huge tasks and  even if Jerry were well we would have hired these done, but at least he would have overseen the efforts.  Not so  now, he  stays inside mostly and has to accept the outcomes.  Fortunately we have good trustworthy  workers who run reliable local businesses.  They are the kind we count on as do many around here, solid working folks.   

 The landscape efforts deserve their own blog post but for now, here is one photo of the back side  and the  new trees along with the fill dirt and  landscape net/hay/grass seed.  These efforts have me wishing I were bigger, stronger, taller, etc and often that I had more than two hands.  I recall several times, when I was a teenager and busy into things and had to choose one activity over another, I would lament to my Mother, " I wish I were twins...then I could do both."  Today I wish I were twins so I could get work done faster or more done in a day than I can solitary. But I am not twins, I am only me,  and at least I am blessed with good health, endurance and enjoyment of outside work.  Many others would like to do but are unable and worse, there are those who are too lazy to enjoy this activity.

Pinot Grigio wine and molasses cookies. 

A big benefit I gain is the ability to work and enjoy my treats without gaining weight.  And after a full day of work along with a morning  workout at the Y, I  treat myself to a nice wine and some bites.    It keeps my metabolism going to burn up calories and  many days I burn more than I consume. 

I just had all my medical  blood tests and got excellent results, so although I may grumble, and I sure do at times, wishing for help,  I am staying healthy.  And with being the primary support person here at home often today, that is a blessing.  And after all life is only what we make of it.  We cannot always  be sure what it will throw our way, but we can try to keep ourselves  as well prepared as possible to handle the tossings.  

Even the weather, yesterday we had our first flurries of snow mixed in with the cold wet rain.  Today it is only about 47 degrees and the cold winds have diminished, but I have kept busy inside.  Yesterday the same, as I changed the bed sheets to flannel, did laundry, domestic chores and even decorated some for fall.  When it is not sunshine outside, we can bring it inside with warmth and autumnal colors.  

This stunning arrangement came from our Festival market but it does brighten the living room on the coffee table.  An advantage of  a home, always something somewhere to keep me busy, maybe not what I want to do, but compared to others, I will take it. 

Autumnal bouquet

Living room coffee table with fall decor

One  part of the mantle with autumnal sprays

Friends are the family we choose

A good blog  friend sent us the most lovely Christmas card, Bea,  yes you did, with a wonderful photo of a cardinal on a snowy branch. with handwritten lines, "friends are the family we choose."  So very true.   Here we are two empty nesters anticipating  more of the care free life and at a time when we  should be free of responsibilities tying us down.     I miss my old folks, or maybe it's that now I am the oldest survivor,  the family historian.  For whoever cares.  That's the point, hardly anyone does care. We have been thinking more and more about things in general this year and how to begin to really live our lives as we choose, not by obligations dictated by the needs of others.   Tomorrow is promised to no one. Good friends recently reminded us of that; another good friend  has suffered strokes and is now debilitated.  We have been blessed with good health.    



December  2012 Florence right seated, blue and gray
 in the SNF with Santa, the annual Christmas party.
For someone who will be 96 in January, not bad.  

 Our retirement move here from CA was to provide a better quality of  life for ourselves. However we had another problem, that remains with us, MIL,  who continues going rather strong physically just as she continues further along the dementia road at almost 96 .  Wherever we moved we had to bring her along and  at the time she still had a sister, aunt Marie living here so she was amenable to return  home to MN.

Florence in the middle uprooting  Jerry and his sister,  Dianne
from MN  for CA 1950

Jerry is a saint he deals with everything without any assistance only from me,  although he has two siblings, neither of whom are involved and neither of whom would be even if they lived closer.  In 1950, shortly after the sudden death of her mother and despite advice and pleadings to not do so, MIL  left MN with Jerry and his sister for CA , to  marry Lyman.   Jerry left CA  returning  to MN alone to live with his grandfather and then enlisted in the Air force at 17, stretching his age to enlist. After Lyman died in 1990, MIL became Jerry's responsibility. She has been one of those women having to be cared for, looked after by someone else all her life and it has worked for her.

Florence and Lyman their 25th anniversary in CA

My career in long term care along with my family gave me an abundance of expertise and experience yet it is tiresome.  Jerry's  full sister has been dead for several years but the other two, his halves, the  younger Larson children,  roll along merrily without any responsibility for their mother. I suspect if they think of anything, could be that they will not inherit the $$ they thought they would; it is being paid to the SNF which has enhanced our lives. Still it is the  overseeing, frequent check in visits, follow ups with medical issues, appointments, my doing laundry, keeping her in clothes, buying, and on it goes.  We have more freedom to travel today yet hesitated to plan too far ahead, the back of our minds nag,  "what if...."   It makes me laugh out loud when some of the "family" say that they would like to come to see her, but then they never give up any part of their lives or plans and so they merely chatter along.  So many excuses.

But slowly we are working through this trial just as  we have others in our lives. Today we booked a 20 day land tour and cruise package to Alaska for August 2013 John Hall's Alaska, the Klondike, the works.  It is expensive, but we are also looking forward to spending our  hard saved money while we can.  Here is the link to the tour package by a local MN company out of Lake City.  They will even babysit our car and take us to and from Minneapolis for the  connecting flight.  http://www.kissalaska.com/   Destined to become good friends,  that's what happens when you lack family, you choose friends. 

Our own plans are going to take first place, if we do not do this for ourselves,  there is no one else who will.  Besides all that, we deserve it in spades. It's a new attitude.  Make way for us.  This is our time of life,  our friends have assured us of this repeatedly.

Unplayed Notes, Unsung Songs Magpie Tales 48

The tattered, burned sheet music
Reflects notes never played,
Songs never sung,
Music unheard...
A symbol of  trips never taken,
People never met,
Experiences not encountered
Promises unkept
A silence of wasted notes.

Alongside the other sheet creased and torn
Where notes of  harmony and melody collided
Music over played, off key
Sharps played as flats,
Minor chords  played in major
Discordance in place of an etude, no silence in the clamor
Reflecting life out of  balance, overwhelmed, out of tune
Unmindful of the Great Conductor.

The Grand Maestro nodding gently tips the baton directing the musicians
Players who recognize the lead blending into a chorus
Of music made to dance, skip and hum.
Live life to the tunes and notes of each day
Strum the heartbeats in perfect meter
Keep the rhythm and balance among harmonies
Leave no unplayed symphony behind.


This is my contribution to Magpie this week. While posts are not too late until Tuesday, I had to cease tinkering with this one.  So many songs to sing! To read more from a multitude of different writers, poets, click on the title to this post to browse  from the Magpie site.