Hey, I tried ChatGPT!

Holy Cow!  I asked ChatGPT about quilting, or “how to quilt” and got a whole list of instructions, pretty detailed, actually.  That’s not what I expected, but I found it helpful.

Only problem, I couldn’t figure out how to save it!  Ugh.  Maybe use a different browser?

I discovered, though, that there are lots of things I need that I don’t have if I want to consider quilting, even using my trusty old sewing machine.  Rotary cutters, blades, cutting board, rulers….geez.  Batting.

And of course, I’d need a plan.  Ugh.  I have someone else’s hard work, and only want to put it together, somehow.  And yesterday, I got flustered, and forgot my own phone number!

Maybe, I’m too old to learn this.  But, what the heck.  I’ll toy with it, now and then.

Memories of Morning Workouts

Once upon a time…. we used to go to the races regularly.  Indeed, my beloved mom is on the track at Charles Town Races where she wanted her sweet loved horses to run over her every day!  They still do.  And Saratoga trips for the Travers Stakes were some of the most cherished trips we took, and had breakfast at the track, watching workouts with other visitors.  I did this painting and don’t have it anymore.  My daughter carried it off to Arizona along with my grandkids, leaving us old folks behind!  Ugh.  Miss them all, so much! 

Favorite Pics of Kids

I miss having the grandkids everyday so much.  Sometimes I just spend time looking at old pictures of them.  Of course, they’ve all grown by now, and even the youngest is 16, and far, far away.  Looking forward to a possible visit this spring, though, when school lets out either for spring break, or after the semester.  Here’s a few of my favorites.

This is one of my all time favorite pictures…..

 

God’s Beauty Everywhere

Amazing, but first thing in the morning, when I fetch the paper and walk the dog, this black gum tree just is there, always, reminding me that each tree, each leaf, each human, each living entity is unique, individual, and not really a copy of anything or anyone else.

That tree, with just a bit of light behind it’s beautiful branches, each distinct, is a constant reminder of the wonder of God’s love, that all this and so much more is here for us to remind us of that love all the time.

Yet so many folks have no clue of the beauty all around them.  Maybe God created artists just to show people what they are missing!  Yet, God is the greater artist, having designed all this.  Thanks, God.  Thanks for your son, and thanks for all your creation that you so freely gave to us all, sinners or not!  It’s up to us to choose to see.

Stubborn Old Folks

My husband and I had lunch yesterday at one of our favorite lunch spots, Famous Dave’s.  They have fabulous barbecue, and we go every Friday for lunch, often picking up some lunch for my sis to drop off at her house.

He seemed to have trouble getting up, and I offered to help.  I swear he almost snarled at me.

“I don’t need help!”

Well, I rolled my eyes, and we went on our way slowly.

It’s not uncommon for elderly couples to help one another get out of a seat, or with groceries, or other tasks that come up.  But, I don’t know, we seem to be two of a kind.  Because today, after grocery shopping, he offered to help.  And, of course, I said, I’ll be fine, and continued to bring in the grocery bags.  They weren’t bad this week anyway.

Then I recalled that Friday lunch.  I know neither of us will ask for help, and don’t want help.

What we want is to be fully functional as we’ve always been.  Even though it’s becoming clear we aren’t so young anymore, or so independent.

Frankly, he’s always been a gift from God to me, because we fit, and he’s provided everything I’ve ever needed.  Including independence to do what I choose with my time, and lots of quiet, so I can blog, or read, or do research as I choose.  Always supported my art projects, and always supported our children.  And grandchildren, as well.  Allowed me to homeschool those grandkids, and we enjoyed that so much, took many trips, saw many things, explored and learned so much.

God is good.  And He sent me an angel.  One who insists he can do everything by himself, even though he’s bent over, can’t stand straight from failed back surgery, in chronic pain, and now has COPD.  He’s stubborn.

Like me.  We fit.  60 years we’ve fit.  I love the guy.

Holiday Season in Full Swing Here

And I’ve ordered all my gifts, mostly delivered to other around the country, and am still waiting on a few to wrap here, but really, it’s almost done.  Yesterday, we got our popcorn, and like some of the other gifts I’ve gotten, there was no clue who the sender was.  But, I do know.  It’s what my sweet next door neighbors always send us every year!  And the books, of course, I know came from my darling daughter and her family.  I was so lost in one of them, struggling because it is a big book, a history, Great Society, by Amity Shlaes, and it was compelling, well written, detailed, and heavy, with tiny, tiny print on large pages….but I struggled through 300 pages before a friend found a digital copy online, and surprised me with it.  So, I finished up in my old trusty faithful kindle.  I can usually read a regular book if it’s not too big, but arthritis in the hands, and neck make those big books difficult these days.

Such a good book, though.  History we should all know and understand.  Those were not evil guys, the ones who wanted to solve the problems of poverty, and most were avowed anti-communists.  But their programs were clearly not successful, however well meaning they were.  And the book explains gently why and how they failed.  Even included the fact that most were themselves disappointed and dismayed at the results.  This was the beginning though, of huge growth in government, and government power and programs, NGO’s sucking up taxpayer money and advocating while sounding official, and it’s frustrating today that this system has developed that leaves out the voter entirely.  Just sucks up his money and is spent on partisan crap.

Well, political opinions aside, we are about to again celebrate the birth of our savior, Jesus.  His teaching, His sacrifice, His giving all for us, is the reason for the season.  All the love and family gatherings, giving, and celebrating is to acknowledge a loving Father in Heaven, from whom all good things flow.  Trees, grass, pets, flowers, ice crystals in the grass in the dark, stars in the night sky, the moon, the sun, the universe, water!  All the wonders of nature that we see and largely ignore are gifts from that heavenly Father.  Oh, and our lives.  We are all his children.  And our children, and their children.

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for all your blessings, and your Son, whose sacrifice means so much.

Life is an Adventure, A Challenge

Can’t get over how much I now know that was just not there in my early years.  It’s astonishing how ignorant we were growing up.  We had some true blessings, like each other, and a stunningly courageous strong Mom, who is unforgettable.  We were taught about God, but it’s true and obvious today that God is in everything, and in ourselves, even when we don’t recognize it as a fact.

It takes time, growing up, and experience is the best teacher.  We have to figure our for ourselves so much, and we must, must, must make decisions that are scary.  We never know when we make a decision if it’s going to work out or be a bad experience, but it’s an adventure.  It will be a learning experience one way or the other.

God taught me so much, just by giving me a faithful true husband.  So much I learned was provided by opportunities flowing from that wedding, when I was a mere 19, high school drop out.

Who knew!  Who can guess five years from now, or ten what will happen, what will come our way!  Challenges galore, experience untold, and adventure all through the years!

If you take the challenge, if you do things instead of talking about it, you make mistakes, yes, but you learn.  And after a while, you will know God in everything.

Waking Thoughts, 3AM

Wish I could sometimes go back to sleep when that happens, instead of thinking.  But, thinking just won’t shut off then.  It’s ok.  Most of that, I’ve thought before.  It’s about skin.  We all have skin.  Doesn’t matter what color it is, it holds all the essence of our selves inside, and seldom lets any of it really leak out.  Oh, when we are young, yes, we dare to speak thoughts, and often get ridiculed, or reminded that of course, everyone has silly thoughts, and then we do more research, unless we are stubbornly holding onto our errant thoughts as though they were strongly held beliefs.  But, for the most part, by the time we’ve reached middle age, we look back on our earlier foolishness, and how we tried on thoughts, opinions, and ideas, and either through trial and error, or long experience and learning from living, we reject them soundly.

Astonishing that in this day and age, it’s verboten, not allowed, forbidden to do the same.  How can we grow?  How can we know what we haven’t learned?  How can we discover what is true if we can’t explore ideas, talk about thoughts and dreams and ideas freely?

This sack of skin, this shield, this protective layer can be trained to keep out germs and other bacterial crap, and protect the body, but it’s permeable to ideas, words, notions, thoughts of others, and these days, the young are so cheated out of natural opportunities to share speculations, suppositions, bits of experiences, among themselves, they turn instead to a tiny box of lunatic fringe ideation pumped out by tiktok or whatever silly app they use on their phones, and absorb the weirdest notions, while questioning, questioning, and questioning not the world, not their friend, but themselves, and doing it with such a critical eye, they mutilate themselves in the name of conforming, far too often.

I’m glad I grew up at a time when we could talk about things among ourselves, and not sit together staring at our little boxes instead.  I’d rather not be labeled bigot, racist, white supremacist, woke, lunatic fringe, conspiracy theorist because I “tried on” an idea, entertained a thought, examined a situation from more than one side.  I fear for my grandchildren, each a treasure and blessing sent by a loving God.  I fear for my children who will be here long after I’m gone watching society turn into something other than good old America.

We were once free here.  Are we now?

Haven’t posted for a while…

Yesterday, I had an unwanted visitor.  BPPV.  That’s short for Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo.  If you’ve never experienced it, pray it never happens.  Seems we have tiny crystals in our inner ear somewhere, I can’t recall, and if they become disturbed, we get seriously dizzy.  I mean seasick dizzy, nausea, vomiting, the whole schmere.  And I’ll tell you, it’s unsettling.

When it first happened years ago, I went to the doc, got everything checked out, ct scan, everything.  Nothing wrong.  Checked my hearing too, and found the left ear had lost lots.  So, I’ve been living with one good ear for a while.  That’s ok.  And I discovered after trying a therapy group, that did nothing for me, that there are videos on youtube with different ways to clear the initial dizziness, and restore balance.

Why knew?

Well, I tried the famous Epley Maneuver, and got nowhere.  But I found a lady doctor who had the problem herself who posted a video with a maneuver where you get down on the floor, in a somersault position, and I can’t find it now, but that worked!  And I used it yesterday.  This is the one I found years ago.  And found yet another video by a chiropractor who helps folks with BPPV, and he did a maneuver very similar, but better for old people like me with bum knees.  You can get the same result using a chair!  Well, I tried that one, too.  Very useful.  Can’t find that video now, though.

Today, I’m a bit wobbly, because it takes a bit of time for your equilibrium to come back, and your confidence!  Jeez.

Thanksgiving next week, and to all that I have to be thankful for we can add these nifty maneuvers to solve the BPPV attacks.  Now, pray I don’t get another when I have to cook next week!