CHEATERS

 Like many of my fellow septuagenarians, I have had cataract surgery. So, with this corrective surgery, my distance vision is 20/20, and my close-up vision isn't horrible, but it's not great. Therefore, like most of my old-lady colleagues, I use "readers or cheater glasses". 

Prescription glasses have been part of my insightful life, since my teen years. I wore them constantly, because I couldn't see correctly without them. As I aged, I switched to bifocals and finally trifocals. Since having eye surgery, I have discarded prescription glasses for cheapo cheaters, in order to read printed material. 

But, cheaters are a problem. Because, although I have 6 pair (I think), I can never find them. Yesterday, for example, I needed to read a label on a pill bottle. I looked for my glasses and couldn't find them. After several minutes of searching, I noticed the pair that was sitting on top of my head. Great. Then, shortly thereafter, I discovered the pair that was hanging from the neckline of my shirt. Then, when I got in my car, there were three pair, on the dashboard of my car.

I know I'm not the only person who does this. My good friend, Judy, wears two pair of glasses all the time. One pair of sunglasses and her needed cheaters. She deftly shifts, from one to the other, when she needs to. That's a skill, folks. I'm striving for that ability. If ever there was "both a curse and a blessing", it's Grandma's readers!!!!!!!!

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Holy God: Good Vision is a blessing. Like many things we don't appreciate it enough. "Open my eyes that I may see, glimpses of truth Thou hast for me."

 

 

Nancy Does Dallas

Your indefatigable blogger lady has completed yet another excellent adventure. This time, it was a solo automobile trip, from the City of Fountains to the metro area of Big D. Here are a few of my observations.

• Traveling across the State of Kansas, by Interstate Highway, is long and incredibly boring. Kansas however is not nearly as flat, as advertised. There are rolling hills the entire way, which necessitates a monotony of passing struggling semis, going up hill, and being passed by the same, very fast semis, going downhill.
• Oklahoma has gambling casinos. Texas does not. 
• Oklahoma has mountains. Not very high mountains, but hills high enough to require a couple of "slow traffic" passing lanes.
• There are not enough rest stops on Turnpikes for old, incontinent people.
• Dallas must have at least one expansive "fly over", per 1,000 residents. The highway system, in the Dallas/Ft. Worth, area is crazy! And, the traffic is unbelievable. Thank the Lord, I didn't have to drive in the city traffic. I had a steady and patient driver.
•  Each and every elevated strip of pavement, in Texas, over space or water (gully, ditch, creek pond or river) has a sign that says "pavement on bridges freezes before the regular roadway" or something like that. I hope everyone slows down BEFORE they read those signs.
• Driving through Picher, Oklahoma, always makes me sad. It makes me question the intelligence of bureaucratic government. Then I giggle, when I think of the thousands of folks who have lived long and healthy lives, with a piece or pieces of deadly, lead-tainted chat, embedded forever, in their palms or knees.

Travel enriches our lives. Visits with friends and relatives reminds us that relationships are precious.

Safe Travels to all.

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 Dead Lord: We are thankful for our beautiful planet. Thank You for bringing us safely back home, after  our adventures. Remind us to enjoy each moment of our travels. We ask these things in Your Name.

"Call Me AL"

 Name calling is not a good thing. I don't know about you, but I tried to correct my four children, every time they called one of their siblings or playmates a name (other than their given one). It's just not nice. That's one of the things, that I hope they learned at a very early age. 

When they got to be school age, the same suggestions of social appropriateness applied. And, I know as a teacher, there were consequences for "calling names" in the classroom. I am not naive enough to expect that it wasn't done, but I'm sure they were pretty discrete about doing it. 

The first time, that I can recall hearing a person called a derogatory name, my maternal grandmother labeled one of her sisters-in-law..... A Hussy. At the time, I certainly did not know the meaning of Hussy, and I'm still confused about why the woman in question was a Hussy, but I did realize from that very moment, all those years ago, that it was not a nice name. 

If the practice of Labeling and Name-Calling is bad, then why has it become so prevalent today? It seems that anyone, and I really mean Anyone can label whoever they choose a Whatever! No rules of decency apply. Any label is fair game. And, it's often the case that the actual truth be damned.

I don't like it. If asked, my opinion would be to return to civility and decency. I would say, please go back to using given names and titles. After all, although you have every right to disagree about issues, name calling is not appropriate.

Remember the time, when one sign of intelligence and civility was choosing appropriate words when writing or speaking. Name calling, shows the inability to research the truth and label it as such. I see name calling and, as a sign of ignorance, poor judgement and pre-school mentality.

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All Knowing God. Our limitations are boundless. We need You and we need each other.  Grant us the power to be strong in our convictions, but remind us that everyone deserves respect. We are all your children. 

"Those who do not complain are never pitied" Mrs. Bennett (Pride and Predjudice)

 I read where the Princess Kate and Prince William were hosting a Garden Party today. They and other members of the English Royal Family host numerous Garden Parties, every Spring, Summer and Autumn.

We are getting ready to host a picnic. This will be our third large outdoor event of the the warm season, here in Kansas City. Earlier this summer, we hosted the Stilwell UM Church Choir and their families and then we had another party for the past and present members of the Kansas City Grotto Club (Cavers). Gardens in the UK are similar to our lawns, so we have a lot in common with the Royals, when we have a party in our yard. In fact, tomorrow will be a costume/garden party. If the guests choose they may come in casual attire or if they fancy a more formal event, they may come in Regency clothing. That would be high-waisted gowns with long skirts and bonnets, for the ladies, and cut-away coats and top-hats, for the men. Regency Attire is clothing from the very late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Tomorrow, is the annual Box Hill Picnic for the KC Area Chapter of the Jane Austen Society of North American. (JASNA for short.) We are hoping for lovely outdoorsy type of weather, but any activity occurring tomorrow, will be, no matter what the weather, very gentile! Our back lawn will feature Croquet. Food, an assortment of cold meats, salads and tea sandwiches, tea and lemonade will be served on our two back decks.There may be country dancing and a Janite Trivia contest. Guests may also wander the vast garden (think lawn) or perhaps partake in a leisurely boat ride, not on the Thames, but on our pond.

In Jane Austen's lifetime, picnics were quite common. Well, the common folk didn't have them, but the gentry and wealthy folks had them. The servants transported chairs and dining room tables out to the countryside and served the Lords and Ladies, just like they would have in their homes or manor houses. Bone China, silverware and cloth napkins were all toted outside. The term picnic comes from "pick a place" to have outdoor dining. In Austen's novel EMMA, Emma and her friends participate in the Box Hill Picnic. So, we are recreating that event, in a 21st Century suburban setting. We may have a few surprise guests attend the gathering. Perhaps, some characters from other Austen novels......Mr. Darcy maybe. 

Unfortunately, the forecast is calling for a shower or two, tomorrow afternoon. We'll picnic in the house, then. A splendid festive time will, no doubt, be had by all.

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 Dearest Lord. Pride and Prejudice are constant issues for all of us. Patience is difficult to practice. Sense and the ability to practice Sensibility we struggle with daily. We have so many blessings, though. Too many to complain about, too much. We are blessed.

 

 

 

"Mirror, Mirror on the Wall".....

I've commented for many years now, that mirrors must not be a big seller at Walmart. Otherwise, folks would not leave the house they way some of them do! Okay. Nasty, mean comment. I am aware of that. Not judging, but honestly, there are times when people walk right by me and I say to myself, I really did not want to see that! 

I may be old fashioned, but I care what I look like. Not so much for the opinions of others, but for my self- esteem. My personal habits include cleanliness, neatness, and checking my appearance, before I leave the house. No, on second thought, I do that, even if I'm not leaving the house. Self-worth and self-esteem are personal issues for me. They have been a problem for me, my entire life. 

Therefore, I asked (my birthday was last week) for something that I had been missing, in my new residence....a full length mirror. I was gifted with a very nice one, and it was purchased at Walmart. It now hangs on the inside of the bedroom closet door. It's a great addition to my happiness and well-being. 

So, bottom line is, I care. No, I won't be spending hours staring at my image. You won't find me asking the fairy tale Queen's question, to my new mirror. And, you won't find me traipsing around Walmart, in my pajamas and slippers!!

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 Dear Lord. We ask you to help us appreciate the many differences in your earthly children. Help us to refrain from being judgemental. Give us the grace to love one another.

"Yakety, Yak, Yakety Yak"

If someone would have told me, a couple of years ago, that I could forget about doing my most hated household chore, I wouldn't have believed them. But, I have done it. For the most part, Nancy had given up pushing and dragging around her vacuum cleaner. I'm done tripping over the cord. I'm finished with trying to neatly roll up the cord, and dragging it back to storage. It's hidden in a closet, somewhere, and I haven't seen it for months.  My new BFF is a Roomba. 

This chick is amazing. I ask her to "start" and she takes off. She does a great job of picking up all types of surface dirt and crumbs, from floor surfaces. (Unlike moi, who due to my dislike for the job, generally did a half-assed job.) Bless her little engine, she will work until her batteries run down and return herself to her re-charging station. No complaining or whining, ever.   

Occasionally, she will alert us that she is in peril....stuck at the top of the basement stairs or tangled in a throw rug. We have to rescue her and get her re-started. Then, she's off, again. She's a hard worker. 

It's possible that before too long, robots will be doing a lot of our chores. Actually, we have a self-driving car, in the garage. And, the guy down the street has a robot lawn mower. I've observed it doing a good job on the edges of his lawn. Unfortunately, I do not know the name of either the neighbor or his robot.

For what other jobs could we use robotic assistance? I'm thinking that I could use some type of Drone powered "duster". It would be useful for dusting the items that are out of my reach. 5 feet 2 inches, on my tippy toes, is about my limit. I could use it to clean top shelves and the top of the fridge. Someone, hurry and invent a Duster Drone. I'll be the first shortie, in line, to buy one.

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 Dear God. It's impossible to list all of Your Gifts and Blessings to us. As Your children, we are ever grateful. 

Round and Orange

 Well, what happened to Summer? It passed so quickly. Now, the grand kids are back in school. We are all talking about the Chiefs, again. And, of course, the handsome faces of Pat and Travis are everywhere.  Trees have lost their brilliant greens and have faded to shades of olive and avocado. On the back deck,  tomato plants and colorful Coleus are looking pretty leggy and sad. The temps aren't reaching triple digits, anymore. It's warm and humid, but it's not stifling. 

Autumn is in the air. Yesterday, I put away the summer seasonal door wreath, and hung up the Fall one. My collection of ceramic, cloth and crocheted pumpkins are out of their storage boxes and on the various living room and dining room tabletops. (I will later add Halloween and Thanksgiving accents, at the appropriate times.) My plan is not to change the basic theme, until December. Smart, huh?

Maybe it's just me, but I feel very reflective in the Autumn Season. Vegetables and grasses grow and bloom in the Spring and Summer. Those things go dormant or die, in the Fall. Dead leaves...raking them! Not a fan.

So, the underlying purpose of my Fall Decoration is to perk up my spirits. I love the colors of Autumn. Nothing like a bright orange Pumpkin, to make you smile and brighten your day.

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Dear Lord. Each of our earthly seasons is a blessing. We are here, taking this journey, to praise You and do Your will. Remind us to count our blessings and live our lives to the fullest.