Friday, February 6, 2009

A week later

Since I last wrote I had a birthday. Somehow it caused a hiatus in my writing. It brought me back from my travels. I have a granddaughter on a carrier in the Pacific Ocean somewhere. Before leaving she asked me to send her my blogs via email and a message told me that the email had not been delivered. Was it because I mentioned the trouble in Georgia. Is her email, or my email censored? I also sent my blog via email to a young Swedish woman who is working in India, and it came back as undelivered. And suddenly my memories were undeliverable. I am not very swift with the computer and now that I am this much closer to ninety I seem much less swift than I was last week.

As a birthday gift I bought myself a slow cook cookbook and I am going to slow cook all year. There are a couple of reasons for this decision. The smell that the slow cooker produces and the fact that I will save money. Each slow cooked meal should produce three dinners unless I invite someone to share with me. Next visit to the grocery store I will buy the ingredients for a meal and also the three containers I will need to freeze the leftovers. Individual glass containers so I can just put them in the microwave and not worry about the rumors of danger in plastics. Where I live, we have no dish washers and glass is easier to feel safe about. And the containers have to be stackable. And easy to mark so there will be no confusion when dinner time comes.

Super Bowl Sunday I was invited to dinner at Edna's and Butch's and it turned into a great game for a change. I always vote for the under dog team and this time there were a few minutes when the game could have gone my way. But the better team won. But where I won was when I Left. I had such happy memories of the day, spent with such good friends and family and cat and dogs and better yet, I left with a care package of wonderful food which lasted a week. I had the remnants of the baked beans last night.

With a birthday comes the time for check ups. I saw my md and got a good report. I had a small skin cancer removed on my ear. The scar is invisible because of my hair covering it. I have one other visit next week and if the reports are good I think I might make 90. I had my 13 year old car washed and semi detailed and you should see it. It will now go to the lube place and get it's check up. And then I will have done my new year chores.

For you people who comment, please let me know if this chit chat is as interesting as name dropping. I am going to help with the work for maintaining the Pool. Our city has threatened to close it come spring. Our local High school uses the pool for swimming training and contests, the Coast Guard uses it for training for saving people who fall in the drink while sailing, parents use it for teaching children and babies how to swim, we old people can exercise in the buoyancy of the water. I have told some of the driving forces in SAVE OUR POOL about how FDR got enough money to treat and eventually how to prevent 'Infantile paralysis' by asking children to send him some dimes. Could this work on a smaller scale? I will volunteer to go to class rooms to tell the young ones about FDR and his millions of dimes

28 comments:

carol said...

Not boring at all. Good to see life adding more experiences to your history. The way you relate your life story makes me see the story in my past experiences, and how I should appreciate the people I have encountered along the way! Happy Birthday young lady!!

Amy said...

I'm interested!

Anonymous said...

I'm definitely interested, too! And I love your idea of doing the dimes on a smaller scale for the pool. If anyone can drum up support, I bet you can -- you've seen the effects of it firsthand! You've had a fascinating life, and I'm glad you have the opportunity to share it with us.

I'm sorry your blog didn't get delivered to your granddaughter; do save it for her to read when she gets back home, though, because I know she'll love it as much as we do.

Liz said...

I cast my vote for chit chat amongst the memoir entries. There is that odd feeling of feeling like you know someone via blog entries that always leaves me wanting to know more.

Ultimately, it is your blog and you can as little or as much as you wish :) ! I'm pretty sure that anything written from your heart - big or small - will be fun to read.

Anonymous said...

First time commenter. I found your blog through Shreve's and I've been fascinated! I this post because while the past is extremely interesting it's nice to get to "know" you in the present, too.
Happy Belated Birthday!

Sandra @ The Memory Workshop said...

Not boring at all! It's lovely to know that you're as vibrant and energetic and engaged at at "almost 90" as you were in all your stories of days past. Happy Birthday by the way!

And I had a little giggle at your "we old people" comment.

ms. fits chicago said...

I have not commented until now, but I find all of it fascinating... not only the stories of the past, but the idea that an older woman can be as vibrant and active and interested in the world as someone who's my age (35). I look forward to your writing every time I see you've posted something!

Anonymous said...

Do write often about whatever you want. I really like everything you write!
You are a good storyteller and I'd love to read your past and present stories.

Arinn said...

I like to read whatever you write. It's all interesting to me. Happy belated birthday!

Nancy Peacock said...

I really like hearing about your life now as well! You have a very entertaining "writer's voice" and whatever you post is always appreciated.

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday. I thought of you earlier this week when I saw this on PBS. It referred to several of the places and treatments that you've referenced in your blog. I believe this link will let you watch it online. I hope you find it interesting. Perhaps you'll some some familiar people and places. :-)

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/polio/

Sandra

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday! I think you are always fascinating and enjoy reading each day.

Anonymous said...

I love hearing about what is going on in your life now, as well as the past. I admire you so much for doing this and look forward to every update. So please do both! I hope you birthday was just a wonderful as you are.

Cindy from Sonoma, CA

Anonymous said...

Write about whatever comes to mind. We enjoy your stories as well as hearing what's going on in your life today.

It's easy to see where Shreve gets her creative side...and her sense of adventure.

sheryl said...

I enjoy any and everything you write.I can hardly wait for your next post. Happy Birthday!

Ptolemy said...

I love reading your blog, whether it be comments about current activities or remembrances of the past... My own grandmother was teaching classes in rug braiding into her 90s... She would've been a great blogger if such a thing existed while she was still with us... So in reading YOUR blog, I can pretend for a moment that it's MY grandmother writing her life story...

Anonymous said...

Love your writings in the past or in the present.
Happy belated Birthday.
I've been reading since day one and I've enjoyed every posting.
Dottie

Anonymous said...

i'm pretty sure you could post your grocery list and i would enjoy reading it!

Katherine Bennett said...

I, too, love the chitchat, the name dropping, the tales...

And I was watching the same PBS "American Experience" show on polio, scouring each photo to see if I could catch a glimpse of someone who looked like the young you.

Didn't spot anyone, unfortunately.

Keep up the good blogging, and happy birthday!

Jodie said...

Dear Mrs. S,
I love reading whatever you write. You give me hope for my senior years. I've been feeling very old lately at age 48. I just lost my job of 20 years with a very large corporation in the Dallas area. It's a bit disheartening to think that friends just a bit older than me were encouraged strongly to take the "early" retirement offering. I wasn't old enough (had to be 50). The severance benefits are generous including for me six months of pay and health benefits. Plus $6000 for education if I want to take advantage and improve my skills or start a new degree. And some relocation expenses. My husband and I don't think we could sell our house as it is for the note balance, so we're probably staying in Plano TX for now, unless a fantastic job offer for mega bucks comes my way... or we win the lottery. Wish me luck!

Della said...

I agree with everyone else about being interested. It really adds something to get current glimpses of you along with the memories!

Unknown said...

Yes! Please write whatever you wish! I am not not much for comments (this is my first!) but I religiously check your blog every day! In fact, thanks to you, I was able to finally talk my mother into letting me give her a computer and hooking her up to the internet to keep in touch with me! I told her that if you can do it, she can do it and lo and behold, she agreed!

I hope you had a wonderful birthday and have countless more!

Anonymous said...

I don't comment but I visit here nearly everyday to check for new posts. Please keep it up because you have an appreciative audience.

Anonymous said...

Happy Belated Birthday! I hope that you had a very wonderful day. It sounds as though you have been busy. While we (your dear readers) have been missing you, you've been enjoying life and being productive! I look forward to hearing about your life and reading your stories... whether they are grand tales of famous people and excitement in lands far and near, or chit chat about your daily adventures in slow cooker cooking and auto maintenance -- I love them all.

You have such a gift for sharing, please continue to share with us... anything at all.

Enjoy your day!

Joanna said...

Clearly: whatever you write, we will read! Thanks for writing.

Anonymous said...

Please keep up the writing. It's all good, even the small things.

Anonymous said...

I don't usually comment, but wanted to chime in and say I enjoy your stories from now AND then! :)

Happy Birthday (belated)!

Melissa Weisbard said...

I always enjoy reading your blog. So many public pools have closed down. It's sad that the government will send billions of dollars to banks who will give their executives million dollar bonuses (especially since they don't deserve any bonus for the messes they've caused) but they won't invest a little money in the public pool. This government is morally confused.