aging

Flowers and Gene and Not Thinking in Years

August 21, 2023 at 9:12 am by Claudia

My smaller Rose of Sharon suddenly started budding late in the summer, though I didn’t think it would amount to anything. Well, lo and behold, it’s blooming! In fact, yesterday I had to chase away a Japanese Beetle who was attempting to dine on a bloom We haven’t had many Japanese Beetles this summer, but I guess I’d better keep a watch on that bush. Excuse the weeds! Too much rain equals lots of weeds and I usually give up on weeding in August.

There are a lot of bees buzzing around the blooms.

I mowed on Sunday – the lilac side of the front lawn – and Don and I mowed the main part of the lawn yesterday. We’re hoping to mow with the unrepaired lawnmower through the end of the season. It makes it twice as tiring, but we have to have a small tree that fell taken away by our tree guy – it also fell on partway on our neighbor’s property. So whatever extra money we have will have to go to that. That tree was already dead and it lives in a soggy part of the property. I think all of the rain hastened its demise. It’s been a summer to remember – and not very fondly.

Today, I’m taking a break, though more mowing has to happen tomorrow. And weed whacking.

In reference to my post about aging, after yesterday’s mowing without a self-propelled lawnmower, Don and I reminded ourselves that we are still pretty darned vigorous. We have made a vow to stop all talk of aging. Period. We are able to take care of our property. We are not retired and are entirely capable of working many hours a day at our respective professions. We want work and we welcome work. Our minds are sharp. And we look pretty darned good.

So that’s it. It will be a challenge because so many negative thoughts about aging creep in our heads throughout the day but we’re going to retrain our thoughts and spoken words. We are not going to think in years except in a positive way.

Just wanted to share this little outfit that I ordered on eBay.

This is called “Mandarin Mood” and the story behind it is that Gene loves to entertain at home when she’s not on the set – this time she’s having a party with a Chinese theme and this is the hostess ensemble she is wearing. It came with the earrings and the black chopsticks (?) for her hair. There’s actually a doll that comes in this outfit, but I put it on Simply Gene (the one who wears the bathing suit.) In addition to the dolls, most of the outfits were sold separately as well.

I always wanted red hair in this shade. Or black hair, like my dad’s. Ah well. I live vicariously through my dolls.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Aging, Bees, Flowers, and Reading

August 19, 2023 at 8:49 am by Claudia

A pollen-covered bee inside a Rose of Sharon bloom. Taken this morning.

This Rose of Sharon is the gift that keeps on giving. I suppose it’s finally reached maturity because the blooms have been non-stop for a month and a half. I suppose all the rain we’ve had has helped as well. The smaller Rose of Sharon, just a couple of feet away from this one, has some buds that I think might open. Fingers crossed!

More rain yesterday morning – pounding rain – and then later in the day it got cooler outside, with quite a strong breeze. This morning it is sunny and much cooler, with a gentle breeze. It feels like a front has moved out and cooler air has moved in. We just might not have rain for the next five days, which seems impossible given the constant rain we’ve had this summer. But, I’ll take it. A lot of weeding and cleaning up needs to be done .

Speaking of rain, I’m thinking of everyone in Southern and maybe Northern California, as Hurricane Hilary heads your way. I know you need rain, but I imagine you don’t need rain, winds, and potential flooding. You’re in my thoughts.

Don took some photos of me while I was painting yesterday. I had no makeup on, I hadn’t really brushed my hair. He was so excited about the way they turned out and showed them to me.

I saw an old woman.

Really, it was shocking. He kept saying, ‘but you look beautiful!’ Trust me, I didn’t. But he looks at me through the eyes of love, a love of 29 years. I see him the same way.

But I was very depressed and wanted to cry. (Truth be told, I did cry a little.)

I was going back through about 5 years of IG posts the other day because I was trying to find some information that I thought I had posted. It’s always fun to be reminded about what happened on any given day, but what became increasingly clear to me was how much I’ve aged in the past 5 years. At this age, I suppose that’s to be expected.

Nevertheless, it made me sad. My hair is almost fully gray now – if you lift up the hair at the back, there is still a bunch of brown showing, but it’s hidden by the gray. I wrote several posts a few years back about embracing gray hair and I’ve never attempted to color it, or disguise what was happening naturally. That doesn’t mean it isn’t shocking on any given day, it is. I’ve gained weight. It’s harder to lose weight these days – for Don, as well. And he used to be able to cut back on food and lose 20 pounds just like that.

I’m trying, believe me, but I don’t like the way I look now. Of course, wearing a bit of makeup would help, even if I only do my eyebrows. I hate wearing makeup these days and I know Don doesn’t care about that sort of thing at all. But maybe I should…

Anyway, I am blessed to be with someone who loves me and tells me I’m beautiful every day.

I just need to see that, as well.

Mowing today.

I read a chunk of War and Peace this morning. And The Bullet That Missed, the third book in the Thursday Night Murder Club series, arrived at my library yesterday and I immediately drove over there to get it.

I started a new painting and I’m not at all sure about it, but I was sleep deprived yesterday so I didn’t have things in perspective. Hopefully, I’ll get back to it later today.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

Reading on Sunday

April 17, 2016 at 9:42 am by Claudia

4-15 succulents

I’m getting to the blog a little late today. Sometimes it’s a treat to allow myself to read for an hour or two in the morning – which is what I did today. The book I’m reading isn’t even all that great – it’s what I’d call “mystery-lite”, but it’s interesting enough to provide a nice respite on this Sunday morning. A cup or two of coffee and a book to read spells perfection to me.

I’m going to be doing a lot of work outside today. As of today, I think we’re past the very cold nights that have been the norm. The temps are hitting the 70s today, with abundant sun, so it’s time to rake the leaf mulch out of the garden beds. Huzzah! Yesterday, I went to Lowe’s to buy a child’s rake because our regular leaf rakes are too wide to maneuver around delicate new growth. It’s something I should have done long ago. It’s a cute rake, by the way, bright yellow.

I read the most interesting article in the New York Times today. It’s about Mary Beard, who is a professor at the University of Cambridge, a prolific author and an authority on ancient Roman culture. She has become an outspoken critic of internet trolling. In her case, as she is seen on British television frequently, the trolling started out as mean barbs about her appearance, written through the vehicle of social media. She was nearing sixty with naturally gray hair and this, apparently, was all trolls needed to generate negative comments about her appearance.

“When you look at me on the telly, and say she should be on ‘The Undateables,’ you are looking at a 59 year old woman. This is what 59 year old women who have not had work done look like. Get it?” -quoted from the New York Times article. (The Undateables is a British reality show. Oy.)

Bravo. I love this woman. She also responds to this sort of thing with dry humor, which is always more effective than anger. There’s nothing wrong with getting work done or coloring one’s hair, of course, but for those of us who choose to look the way we are at this point in time, it’s unbelievably refreshing and affirming.

That brings to mind a lot of things, many of which I have written about in past posts, so I don’t really need to go into it again. All I know is I want to know more about Mary Beard and I applaud her wholeheartedly.

Have a lovely day – I hope the weather is spring-like in your neck of the woods.

Happy Sunday.

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Flowers and Gene and Not Thinking in Years

Aging, Bees, Flowers, and Reading

Reading on Sunday

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