PNewL PNewS Volume 29 Issue 4

 PNewL PNewS

  Volume 29 Issue 4                    “All the pnews that phits.”              December 2021

A Little of This, a Little of That

In these Odd Times & Other Observations

• It’s a beautiful day and I thought about all the outdoor projects I could attack. I chose to fix the birdfeeder wire that drapes from the shed across the creek to a tree. At the end of last season, I caught a bear standing on the handrail of the shed deck shaking the wire to get the bird feeders down. S/he was successful. All of the birdfeeders are smashed beyond repair I think (I’ve saved them in case I get super crafty and figure a fix but fixing things that bears break is not easy and possibly impossible.) S/he also broke the wire. The wire has been lying across the creek all summer and by late June was covered up in brambles. Out of sight, out of mind. Now I’d like to feed and see the birds. 

It took some figuring and going into the house for tools I thought would solve the problem—several trips. I thought I might need more wire because the break shortened the wire but so far it’s holding. The only birdfeeder that looks useable has to be taken apart to fill and I suspect there will be times this winter when that feels like more than it’s worth. Once again, as I was tightening the bolts on the little doohickies that hold the broken pieces together and wondering if I should cut the exposed wire (no longer encased in…is it vinyl or plastic?), I was reminded of my shortcomings when it comes to home improvement. I do not know what any of this stuff is called, and I don’t have a lot of experience with the best work arounds. But it’s a pretty day and I was actually pretty successful. One for my team!   

• I wish, just by paying for books, they would be in my head. My reading speed is slower than my buying speed.

• The night before I went to a knitting retreat, I washed all of the bedding. I had dropped the dogs off at Puppy Camp and so I was looking forward to a dog-hair-free night. I have a light hand when it comes to the dryer--I let stuff dry on its own--and with the comforter a bit damp, I went to sleep in the guest room. It was different—I should have done it ages ago, surrounded by yarn and basketmaking supplies and sleeping on penguin flannel sheets. A mini pre-getaway getaway. 

• After spending my life collecting stuff, now at 64, I feel like it’s time to use it up or move it out. 

• I got the flu vaccine during my “wellness check” and they gave me a Wonder Woman band-aid. On the way out, I had some blood drawn and when I asked the tech how come I got Wonder Woman down the hall and a cotton ball and tape here, she said, “This is the ‘hood. We don’t get the fancy stuff here.” May not be politically correct but it made me laugh.

• It is Halloween and it is outside of my comfort zone to dress up but I know people who love it—Gini, I’m looking at you!—and I so want to be the person who dresses up comfortably. This year, on Tuesday before Halloween, I was gifted a large poof of pink satin and frills and a plethora of manmade fiber. I fashioned it into a skirt of sorts and decided to just keep going—tights and glasses and leather jacket and “fascinator” and in the photograph, I thought I looked like an Aging Rockstar. It was all about the skirt-type-garment really. In the future, I will know that with the right piece of clothing, anything can happen.

• As I mentioned, I went to a knitting retreat: five days of knitting and books--food provided and room relatively clean. The location was pretty—on a ridge down the Blue Ridge Parkway from here…or maybe it was up the Parkway. The price was reasonable, and I hung out with a bunch of people who spoke my language. It was pretty fun.

• We have just come through Leaf Season which to me is the worst of our tourism calendar. Because I live on a curvy road near the Parkway, I get to see a lot of them in motion. A LOT of them are not comfortable on curvy roads and so their strategy is to either go very slowly or, as the saying goes, take their half out of the middle. Some do both. Taking a blind curve on the yellow line goes against everything that is sane. If you don’t know how to drive on curvy roads, go somewhere else—there are just way too many places that you could hurt someone around here.

• Countdown to Medicare. I was on a Zoom recently instructing us on the intricacies of signing up for Medicare. The presenter spoke very slowly. I kept thinking I’m old, not mentally disabled! (The amount of junk mail around Medicare enrollment is gross.)

• This is also the time of year when I transition into my cold weather wardrobe, reacquainting myself with clothes I haven’t seen in a while. It’s also when I am reminded I may have put a bunch of dirty sweaters away last spring, darn it.

• I finally got the glasses frames I bought in San Francisco turned into sunglasses. I went to my eye doctor and they offered lenses for $850 sans frames. That seemed a little too much. When the woman offered this (she had a chart that showed $850 to be the Medium price which she really recommended), I stood up and said wow, that is a lot of money, never mind and she looked so shocked. It was kinda entertaining. I guess she'd already spent her commission. I found a new glasses place. It’s run by a single woman who works out of her brightly colored home. Her prices were better though she did point out I had cleaning scratches all over my regular glasses—she doesn’t like those microfiber cleaning cloths because they pick up grit in pockets and purses and cause scratches—so I did wind up spending a bunch of money but I have two brand new pairs and that should last me…til next time. 

• I just completed a wonderful class (online, every other week for six sessions) that has made Living easier because it brought some peace to how I feel about Death. (Perhaps I could be more clever but that’s good enough for now.) It’s called Peaceful Exit and it went through the specifics of paperwork and lawyers and options about all sorts of things and did it in such a way that it all feels pretty do-able—the prep work that is. I s’pose the dying part will take care of itself, though there are some preparations we can make for grueling illnesses, etc. There were speakers and a documentary and homework and super nice people and lots of appreciation and care and respect. I am assembling my “Pexit Team,” having good conversations. I didn’t want it to end, so I’m taking it again in January!  

• I am a supporter of https://bittersoutherner.com which westerner Joseph McIntyre introduced me to. I like their stuff and their style and what they stand for (Better South, Better World). And I feel, as part of my support, I must buy their goods. This year, I bought a Merry Christmas Baby sweatshirt which I decided I needed to wear just about every time I leave the neighborhood. It’s Day 15. I’ve washed it twice and it’s due for a third (I only wear it a few hours a day. “Keys? Sunglasses? Purse? Sweatshirt?”). 

 

Adventures of Roger & Buster

     When last I left you, Buster and Roger were having a gay old time. Then Buster got bored and started running free and it was worrisome. I thought for a while about looking to re-home him. It was so stressful and messed with my schedule. Over time, I got used to it and figured he would come back. I have fixed the fence a couple times but he finds a new spot to break through and I am not sure there is a way to fix it. He can get through itty bitty spaces (5x5 inch, I think). Meanwhile, he and Roger still have a good time together and Roger’s advisers are all impressed with his new lease on life, due for the most part to Buster’s “youthful enthusiasm.” I guess we’ll keep him. 

     Meanwhile, Roger’s healthcare team determined the wound on his back was cancer. It was removed and I have to say, it appears Roger’s energy level is further improved. Treatment plan to follow (likely=not much). Briefly, Buster stayed close to home. Then he didn’t and he got in a tussle with the neighborhood bully who chomped on his ear (could have been worse…), which bled like…let’s just say it was very messy. It has been an interesting stretch and I suspect that will continue.

 

End of Year Thankfulness and Resolutions

     I am thankful for each of you—even the ones who never read this. I am thankful for dogs and neighbors and new friends and things I’ve learned. I am thankful for Roger’s support team and mine. I am thankful for science and vaccinations and people who care for our people and planet. I am thankful for artists of all kinds. I am thankful for good food and clean water. I am thankful for all of my privilege.

     Resolutions are all the same as usual—laugh more, read more, lose weight, dance more, be a better person, take better care of the planet and the people, share my privilege and the new one: Finish Peggy’s Pexit Papers. 

Happy Merry Hohoho

 

 

“Things are getting better and worse faster and faster.” David Pearl @Creative Mornings