This and that

What is it?

Alien in my window

I noticed the apparition above while I was sitting on the sofa, strapped into a Dynasplint for my left elbow, a 75-minute daily chore to combat permanent shortening of muscle and nerves affected by my stroke. 

Since I am not supposed to walk around while in the splint, I had plenty of time to enjoy experimenting with different settings to snap a photo from where I sat.

Can you identify the bizarre visitor on my windowsill? The answer is at the end of today's post.

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How old is old?

Ronni Bennett’s post today on her blog Time Goes By, click here, addresses “At What Age Is Someone Old?”

As usual her post is thought provoking, as are the comments. Many folks, it seems, consider “old” as any age beyond their own accumulation of years. I can remember at 14 or 15 thinking of my mother as old, not as in elderly but definitely not young.

But at a family reunion several years ago, someone had photos of the reunion when I was in my mid-teens. One snapshot was of my mother and me outside, carrying our “reunion” foods. At 42 she looked like a sister, and not a much older sister either. Wish I had a copy of that snapshot now.

 

I mentally passed an aging milestone on my 45th birthday. I was driving when I suddenly felt a pebble in my mouth. It was no pebble. It was the top of a front bottom tooth that had fallen off.

Ever since, I have just been thankful on each birthday, including my recent 67th, when no other body parts have fallen off.

Old, yes. Stroke survivor with major limitations, yes. Still enjoying life, definitely.

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Happy birthdays

Charlie, the birthday girl

  

Participation in celebration of our Georgia grandchildren’s birthdays is often an impromptu affair long after the official celebration. But parents, birthday grandchild and siblings all seem to accept the informal, low-key affairs executed by their grandfather Baboo with the help of their mom.

 Get ready!

And we all appreciate the extra opportunity to eat cake and ice cream and sing “Happy Birthday.”

Get set!

Charlie, a January birthday girl, was the honoree during our February visit to Georgia.  She and Baboo returned from a Saturday afternoon trip to the store with a “cookies and cream” ice cream cake. Yes, we enjoyed!

Blow!  

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Answer to “What is it?”

It is a seed pod of an amaryllis with the two dried blooms still attached. The blooms were deep red. The bulb and everything I needed for planting  was a much enjoyed Christmas gift from our Georgia tribe. I hope the seeds will be viable and a source of more of those red blooms.

An April 2010 amaryllis