"The Time Has Come, the Walrus Said...

...to speak of many things. Of shoes and ships and sealing wax, of cabbages and kings. (And why the sea is boiling hot, and whether fish have wings.)"

Time to update ye olde blogge with stuff and nonsense that has gone on in my meager little life since I last posted on Tuesday.

My sister lives in a lovely, lovely home in the country in central Illinois. She has a sunroom in the back that looks out over their estate to their flower gardens, vegetable garden, bird feeders, woods...to bring nature into their mornings. I have only my tiny backyard and covered patio. It ain't much, but I do so enjoy sitting back there to watch the flowers and birds and other local wildlife (rabbits, squirrels, and sometimes raccoons and opossums) just to be outdoors. Unfortunately, over the past few years, the patio has been the recipient of all of the clap-trap from the house/yard that had no other place to be, so my forays into nature have been somewhat cluttered. All spring/summer, I have worked here and there to get it cleaned off but have been hampered by heat and humidity. Yesterday, I took advantage of a bit of a break in the weather to make some more strides in getting it cleaned off and clean up some messy lawn areas that needed to be trimmed. I can tell the difference. Not sure anyone else can, but I really, really hope to have it done before my family arrives this next week. Wish me luck!

While my grandchildren have been in California visiting their mother, their custodial family in Indiana packed up their home in Muncie and headed for northern IL/southern WI, hoping to find a house to rent so their stepmother could begin a new job at Carthage College in Kenosha, WI. It's all been a whirlwind of activity for them. I got word yesterday that they found a place in Zion, IL, which is a northern suburb of Chicago, near the Illinois State Beach on Lake Michigan. Thus, when the children return "home", it will be to a place they've never seen before. Their house in Muncie is the only one they've ever really known, so it will be different for them. In one sense, I am happy that they will be out of the Muncie area; in another sense, I am devastated that they will be that far away from me. (It's a grandma thing.) As painful as all of this has been, I have no choice but to TRY to roll with the punches--and God knows, there have been a bunch of those over the past year!

I've been nursing a sour belly for the past few days--a result of meds. (My bro-in-law complains of the same things with the same meds.) Silly me. I get these bouts about every 6-8 weeks and figure it will go away soon, so I eat normally, then suffer longer because of that. I'll learn one of these days!

I am trying to pull together a birthday party for my granddaughter who will turn 8 on August 6th while being here in Plainfield. With family all spread out, it will be tricky. Robin wants a kitten and a cell phone--neither of which she is likely to get--but we'll try to make it a special day, anyway. (Interestingly, it will be hard to make Robin's birthday any more "special" than all of the days the children have had this summer. Not too many kids have experienced the things they've done this summer, from days on the beach, to touring wineries, panning for gold, camping in the Sierra Nevadas, visiting a famous aquarium, riding on Boardwalk rides, feeding ducks and beggar squirrels, and swimming in a pool, among others. Not bad gigs for little kids!)

A couple of my friends have been up against it taking care of elderly parents and injured spouses. Never fun. I pray that things let up for them a bit. Summer is supposed to be more carefree. (That's what we've been led to believe, anyway!) Ryan and Mike--keep the faith!

Tour

Today, I went with a large group from my church to tour the American Art exhibits at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, then tour the Lilly home (Oldfields) on the grounds. Eli Lilly founded a major pharmaceuticals company after the Civil War. His sons and grandsons eventually inherited the company. The beauty of the Lilly family is that they have been MAJOR philanthropic contributors to Indiana in general and Indianapolis in particular. The opulence of the house and grounds is actually somewhat modest, considering the fortune that the family amassed. It had all of the loveliness and grandeur of mansion-homes with the European influence that was popular at the time. (1800s.)

The thing that fascinated me most was the fact that the kitchen and butler pantry of the house reminded me a great deal of the same part of the house my family lived in in Oak Park, IL. Same sinks! Same built-ins! The kitchen cabinets were ugly metal, just like our cabinets in OP. The absence of truly modern kitchen conveniences spoke of the times. There just weren't any kitchen conveniences! Wonder how my mother tolerated that old kitchen for so many years...

Megan and the grandchildren will be here in a week, and I'm not ready. The heat has prevented me from getting the patio cleaned off once and for all...and the other interruptions and general laziness have prevented me from cleaning. (Excuses, excuses...)

Looks like I may be providing some child care for the grandkids after they get moved to their new place--wherever that may be--until their school starts. I have committed to it, but a lot depends on their circumstances. Won't know for awhile...

I'm trying to pretend that life is normal, even with the new circumstances. I am doing the best I can!!

Dazed and Confused

I got a phone call the other day from my grandchildren's stepmother. She was giving me the word that she had just received a job offer in southern Wisconsin--that she was accepting it--and that the whole family is moving to that area this next weekend. I was stunned. I still am.

Am trying desperately to make this all not about me, but I feel plenty sorry for myself. I am barely out of the woods from the last emotional setback when this news comes. In the process, I'm learning a lot about me and about growing old alone. It isn't fun...and there simply isn't much out there for people like me. I do so understand (now) how life is about decisions that you make younger in life...that you have to live with the consequences of those decisions, even though you THOUGHT you were doing the right things at the time, with the information you had. Hindsight is 20/20. Wish I could change some things that I did in my lifetime. I might not be any happier now, but maybe I would have found a way to distance myself from the hurts that seem overwhelming.

I could write and write and write, but there is nothing to be gained from blathering on and on. It is what it is. I'll deal with it. I have no choice.

I did enjoy lunch out with the Heffelman grandparents today, then a Sunday School "social" this evening in the country. The purpose of the social was to watch purple martins on the farm of some SS members. The heat was less--less humidity. The desserts were good, the company and converstation was nice, the sunset was gorgeous--and so was the rising full moon. As soon as the birds went to bed, we came home. Lovely, lovely evening.

I don't know what the future will bring. For now, I will have to give it to God.
I am just praying for less stress and more contentment.

Shorter Days

Sadly, I am beginning to notice the shorter daylight on both ends of the days. It's sad, really. In previous years, I would be in a snit to get everything on my summer list accomplished because the summer was quickly winding down and school would start soon. I don't have that rush anymore, but I still feel it a bit. The seasons are not nearly as fun to experience without my family here. In a few weeks, the robins will be gone and life will return to boring without hearing their melodious songs in the early mornings. There is still a lot of summer left, but it is definitely on the downswing. At least I still have my lightning bugs, and the other hot-weather sounds are still with us: cicadas during the day and katydids at night!

I need to find a way to be more productive during the days. It is so easy to slack off when no one is here but me. I'll keep working on that!

Another Day...

We have had a little welcome relief from heat due to extensive cloud cover the last couple of days, but not from humidity. It remains steamy even when cooler. Interestingly, my daughter and son-in-law took my grandchildren to the beach in central California on Saturday...and froze! There are pictures of little Ryan looking very cold. Guess they stayed less than two hours. Meg said they turned the heat on in her vehicle on the way home and stopped for hot chocolate!

A friend was coming over, briefly, today...and I totally took advantage of him. (Uh...don't take that in the wrong way!) I ran out to Aldi's to buy water softener salt. Got six 40-lb. bags and wrestled them into the cart. In the parking lot, another OLD lady helped me get them from the cart to the trunk. (I think she was older than me but didn't have much trouble muscling the bags. I need to do something about my upper body strength!) When my friend arrived, I pulled the helpless female deal to see if he could get the bags to the house. (In truth, I wasn't acting. I really could NOT have managed the bags without a major problem!) Thankfully, the salt is now in place, and as soon as the softener decides to regenerate, I'll have soft water again!!

I haven't accomplished much today. The yard was mowed by another dude. A little laundry was done. I'm ready to get the patio cleaned off. Just need a day without interruptions and distractions to get the job done. When it finally finished, it will be the first time in two years that my patio will be my happy little haven of nature. (If you saw it, you would laugh that I think of it that way, but that silly covered patio was a major draw for buying this house so many years ago!)

Skeeters are out. Got my first bites of the summer today. The earwig problem has dissipated. Now I have to fight the blasted mosquitoes!

To my friends Ryan and Mike who are dealing with loved ones in the hospital, I bid you to keep the faith and take care of yourselves. Taking care of the ailing throws everything else off. Love you guys!

Oh! I Forgot...

In my previous blog entry about the trips we took while in California, I inadvertently left one out. On the day that we went to Napa Valley, we also stopped at a place called the Petrified Forest. (Not the same as the one in the desert elsewhere.) As a result of a volcanic eruption over three million years ago, redwood trees were knocked down and petrified by silica and ash. In modern times, property owners discovered the treasures and have unburied many of them. We are talking about HUGE stone logs. There were other live oak trees on the property that have been estimated to be 600 years old. Awesome! The gift shop at the place was full of rocks, crystals, fossils, etc., for sale. The children got some spending money from Grandma and bought, basically, fossilized shark's teeth. (Ryan kept trying to con me out of more money for things he wanted, but it didn't work.)

It was a little humorous--Megan's pleasure with the place was tempered by the warning that there could be timber rattlers on the premises. "You might want to stay on the trail," warned the gal behind the counter. Needless to say, we did stay on the trail. Then off to Applebee's. It was a great day.

BirdSpeak

Listening to the robins on my patio. They are saying:

Tweedle-dee-tweedle-dum, tweedle-dee-tweedle-dum, tweet!
Over and over.

I will miss them. They will be gone in just a few weeks...