Solar Eclipse and More.

It's been awhile since I have waxed loquacious on this venue.  This post will be disjointed and uninspired just to be in catch-up mode.

Eclipse.
Today, the US experienced a solar eclipse.  In some parts of the country, it was total.  In others, like where I live, it was close but no cigar.  But oh my goodness, the hype!  At one point, Walmart was selling eclipse glasses for $1 a pair.  They ran out.  The Plainfield Public Library ran out.  The observatories ran out.  And when the charlatans among us came into a few, they were selling the paper-framed glasses for $15 a pair...for a single use, since we won't be seeing another eclipse for a number of years.  (I hate people sometimes!)

People kept their children out of school just so they could "safely" watch the eclipse at home.  There were all kinds of warnings on the Internet about not looking directly at the sun, and how to make safe viewing devices, etc.  You would think it was going to be armageddon!  Crowds of people were traveling to locations where the eclipse would be total, clogging highways and filling motels and other accommodations.  Crazy!

The most ridiculous eclipse advice that I saw, however, came from a website that warned people to keep their pets indoors during the solar event because animals' eyes are just as sensitive as humans'.  Let that sink in for a minute.  An animal, ignorant of the ways of the solar system, would not know what an eclipse is.  The day that is destined to be just a little darker for a few minutes to them would just seem to be a normal cloudy day.  Only humans are smart enough to know that something is happening with the sun and stupid enough to stare at it.  I don't know of a single dog or cat that has said to itself, "There is an eclipse today.  I think I will burn my retinas by looking directly at that big star up there."  If that were the case, there would be millions of half-blind animals running into things due to sun blindness.  How silly we humans are when it comes to our pets!

Here in Plainfield, when the eclipse was over, it was darker than during the event because rain clouds had moved in.  Whoop-de-doo!

Grandchildren.
My grandchildren are at the end of a 12-day YMCA camp called "Backpacking and Kayaking".  They went off into the wilderness of the Cascade Mountains to hike in the backcountry and learn sea kayaking skills.  It is what their mother calls a ridiculously expensive camp, made worse by all of the gear that had to be purchased just to get them on their way.  The experience sounded quite challenging to me.  The real kicker?  The kids had NO electronics for the excursion!  I can hardly wait to hear their stories.  Dear God, I hope it was good for them!!

Danville, IL.
I just got home two days ago from spending three days with my sister in Danville, IL.  It's a long story.  She wanted to be there to visit with her sister-and-bro-in-law from North Carolina who were in town for business, plus she has old friends there that she hadn't seen in awhile.  Since Danville is almost the halfway mark between her house and mine, she strongly suggested that I should join her.  She was paying the freight for the motel room and I couldn't think of any excuse not to go, so we had a very nice visit!  The first night, we ate at a popular joint with very reasonable prices.  The next day, she went to a semi-official class reunion.  (She didn't actually graduate from Danville because of our nomadic Navy life, but she was adopted by that particular class.)  The day after that, we went to visit some old friends of hers...and OMG!  What a lovely house!  What a beautiful setting!  What wonderful people!  I could have stayed there forever!

The last day, we went to lunch with my sister's sister-in-law.  Nice place that reminded me of a venue in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, where my daughter and husband took the family moms for a champagne brunch on Mother's Day two years ago.   Thereafter, Shari and I went exploring to look for the places of our past in the 3 1/2 years that we lived in that town during the Navy years.  After that, we met the in-laws again at a really nice place called Possom Trot Supper Club, complete with a piano bar and good food.

I was home in good time last Saturday, having had a really nice time visiting with good people, and especially my sister.  People jokingly call us Thelma and Louise, as if we are hell-on-wheels, but the only wheels are on wheelchairs!  We are really just a couple of old sisters desperately trying to stay vital and above all of the drama that life presents.  We are doing the best we can!

Today.
This month, I volunteered to make a dessert for my church's Free Lunch Saturday this week, which is open to the public.  I've done this often, but after my knee blew out back in February, I haven't done it.  I'm back in the saddle now.  Decided I would make my pineapple cake with cream cheese frosting because it is easy.  Got all of the ingredients, sure that I had a can of crushed pineapple in the pantry, somewhere.   When I went to look for it, the pantry was in such disarray, I couldn't find it.  Thus, I took the bull by the horns this AM and took all of the canned goods out of the pantry.  Found it!  All the way in the very back.  Also found that I had many duplicate cans of things because, when I wasn't sure what I had, I just bought more!  Longer story shorter, I have consolidated partial packages of things in the pantry, found ways to cook ahead, and feel better because the pantry now looks organized, even if it isn't!

Diet.
This is a sore subject.  For the first time in 13 weeks, my weight was UP on weigh-in day.  It was only up by .4 of a pound, but it is so very easy to get off track.  I've been off track for days, and still off track even now that I'm home.  It is a daily battle to stay away from things that aren't legal for my diet plan.  I need to have a come-to-Jesus talk with myself so I don't sink all of the work I have done to lose the 20 lbs. I have lost so far!

There is another dimension to this.  My Nosy Neighbor Fred (his label, not mine) brought me my mail today.  I mentioned something about losing 20 pounds but not feeling any different.  He said he could see it, but since I always wear baggy clothes, it was hard for him to tell.  Ouch!  As much as it hurt me to hear him say it, I acknowledged that he was 100% correct.  I need to attend to wardrobe.  I tend to go to loose clothing because it is comfortable, but it also makes me look like a bag lady.  I've been that way most of my life.  Maybe--just maybe--if I can continue to get my weight under control, I will find more stylish ways to present myself in public.  Unfortunately, N. N. Fred only sees me at home!

Attitude of gratitude.
While I'm at it, I might as well express, in retrospect, how very blessed I am.

Neighbor Fred brings my mail up to the house from the street every day.  If I am gone for a couple of days or a week or a month, he collects the mail for me.  Every week, he voluntarily takes my trash can to the curb for collection and returns it to the house.  And when my knee blew out, he came over to help me, went to the drug store to buy me some crutches, and keeps on eye on the house every day to see if it shows signs of life.  Not sure what I would do without my Nosy Neighbor!

My daughter and family anticipate my needs, and voila!  Things that I need arrive.  In this past year, I got a new keyboard (because my old one was failing), a new indoor/outdoor weather system (because my old one was failing), things I needed to take care of my injured knee--heating pad, freezer ice packs, etc.  The most recent blessing was a hand-me-down iPhone, complete with unlimited services on their nickel, which brought me into the latest century.

My sister anticipates my needs, as well.  This past year, she has updated my coffee maker, bought me a slow cooker/crock pot, bought clothes for me, and provided fun times for us--Beef and Boards for my birthday (a really special experience) and the accommodations for our most recent trip to Danville.  The list goes on.  I don't ask.  She just does!  Makes me feel guilty sometimes because I really can't reciprocate, but she's not buying my love.  She already has it!

My co-grandparent friends, Judy and Phil, are high on the list of blessings.  Their son and my daughter were once married, giving us our wonderful grandchildren.  And though our kids divorced, the grandparents did not.  Since I have no family anywhere close to where I live, Judy and Phil are my "first contacts" on the hospital rolls.  Judy came to take me to the ER the day my knee went south, bringing a wheelchair because I didn't see how we could get me there.  She went with me to subsequent Dr. appointments.  Phil accompanied me on surgery day, even signing a paper saying he would be responsible for me for the next 24 hours.  (Okay, so we lied.  I told him to.  I knew they were only a phone call away.)  We have shared holiday meals, Fourth of July events, grandchildren visits complete with Grandma Judy field trips.  These people are the salt of the earth!  Having them in my life is all I could ask of anyone.  They are family!

And so it goes.  The summer is almost over, although the field crops are still green.  I cherish every day because we just don't know when the end will come.  Guess what?  The eclipse happened and we are all still here.  Not the end of the world.  I'm still kicking, too.  Tomorrow is another day!