Sunday, August 28, 2022

Forgetfulness

I am succumbing to forgetfulness.

My blogposts may become fiction . . . unintentionally. Fortunately, I have a live-in copy editor who still has a sharp memory. 

The post day before yesterday would have been wildly inaccurate if Hubby hadn't reacted to my plea that he read my draft. As May West (I think) said, "Getting old ain't for sissies."

I hope as long as I can see humor in daily life, I won't become a sissy! 

Blessings to all you out there who are facing challenges due to age, changing relationships, health and other bumps large and small in your life.

And thank you dear blogging friends for helpful and encouraging, comments and for posts on your blogs that enrich my life with humor, wisdom and new ideas for coping.

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Friday, August 26, 2022

Anniversary

Hubby and I are celebrating our 55th wedding anniversary today. 

We launched our low-key celebration with breakfast at our second favorite hang out, Coffee Fusion. 

Hubby had come prepared for a surprise. He had two of the baristas come out to our table with a huge banana cupcake on a plate. A flaming candle adorned the middle.

We quickly discarded the candle and then promptly dug in to the cupcake goodness.

Suddenly we remembered we should have taken a picture. But it was almost too late.

Undaunted, he poked the candle back in to a remaining hunk of anniversary goodness, whipped out his small box of matches and lit the candle. 

It was an impressive performance that had both of us laughing. 


Appetites derail presentation!

Once again, Hubby had created a memory of love and laughter that we will continue to enjoy for days to come.

After we made the last crumb disappear, I went to the counter to take a picture of the untouched cupcakes wrapped and displayed in a plastic case by the register. 

The barista offered to take one out so I get could get a better photograph. 


Helpful hands!

Those wonderful employees are just one more reason I love that coffee shop!

With both of us well past age 70, our downsized home for six years and four months takes first place among favorite hangouts. We are surrounded by abundant foliage, entertaining wildlife, and good neighbors.

Plus we are only about an eight-minute drive to Coffee Fusion, unless a train blocks our way for awhile.

-30- 

 

Sunday, August 21, 2022

Scratching the Travel Itch #2

January 2022, Hubby had already planned some major trips for September and October. But his itch to travel had us going on day trips.

"We won't go farther than Wiggins," he said as we headed out. 

Wiggins is a small town just an hour or so north of the Gulf of Mexico coast.

We headed north on a backroads route that we used to travel when we first moved to the coast long before the interstate.

I recognized a number of landmarks that were still standing--a church that was still in use. Another church had grown and included a large addition. 

A number of the old farmhouses and brick ranch-style houses were still in use and in great condition. A few houses, a gas station and a couple of small grocery stores were abandoned, decaying and disappearing among vines and trees.

The rural character of that road may soon vanish, too. We passed a new development of homes jammed close together and all built to the same couple of plans with only a few cosmetic differences. The reality is that with population growth, people have to live somewhere. 

Sigh!

We made a turn west at a familiar intersection. A spacious brick home still sat far back from the road. The large field adjacent to it still looked the same as I remembered. But the field was no longer occupied by a dozen or so goats and periodically new babies, or should that be "kids"? 

I sure do miss the antics of those little ones.

When we hit U.S. 49, it was north to a lovely coffee shop we had discovered April 23, 2021, in Wiggins.

That coffee shop is a bright spot in a once thriving downtown area. 

Meeting and visiting with owner Jane Ann Maddox had been a delightful experience. She is retired from her career of teaching physics at the nearby Perkinston campus of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.

She and husband Scott offer a welcoming spot for locals and visitors interested in great coffees, teas, and pastries, or shopping for art and crafts by local artists and art students at the community college. 

Coffee Shop Owner Jane Ann Maddox

Scott also conducts lessons in the demanding woodturning craft. Jane Ann was absent on the day of our January visit, but evidences of her character and creativity were still evident. 

The coffee shop occupies a portion of a huge old building just off the town's main street.

Soaring ceilings are the original wood, restored  to a beautiful finish as are the original brick walls. 

A large picture window allows a view of Scott working in his wood turning studio Southern Turnings. Sound-proofing shuts out the din of the woodworking machinery.

Bowls and other useful items that he creates highlight the varieties and histories of wood he salvages from various species of downed trees. He has a gift for unlocking unexpected beauty.

We enjoyed drinks--hot chamomile tea for me and a vanilla latte for Hubby. And we still had plenty of daylight to continue scratching Hubby's travel itch.

 -30-



Tuesday, August 2, 2022

Oops!

Missing keys

Monday I had another senior moment. Hubby spends a lot of time enjoying the outdoors working out and about on our property or on our screened porch with his computer.

His recent strategy to make sure I can alert him if I need to is to leave the van keys with me. Pressing the red button starts the horn blowing.

It is extra loud and he can hear it wherever he is outside.That translates into my carrying his keys in my fanny pack. 

I had pulled them out of my fanny pack when I was rooting around for a pen to make a note while I was reading. 

I was stretched out comfortably on our window seat reading when Hubby burst through the door. 

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Where am I going? Are you joking?"

He was.

While sitting on the porch, he had heard the van horn sound twice and then the motor started running.

"Where are the van keys," he asked

We rummaged around. I searched my fanny pack and all around the window sill where I usually stash items I want in easy reach. I felt around on the window seat. 

Hubby calmly suggested I look under me. 

There they were.

Oops!  My bad!

Somehow those keys had wound up under me. That pushed the button on the remote which triggered the van's starter, and that started the engine.

My butt on the button! Sigh. 

Old age is definitely not boring!

-30-