Random

I have come to realize that mornings are my most anticipated occurrences.  Yes, it's come to that.  When I go to bed, I'm thinking about how quickly I'll be looking at the sunrise on the morrow... if I can only stay asleep all night, which I never do.  Lately I've been waking up at 2 A.M. every single day.  I force myself to stay in bed until 3, but then I get up.  

Years ago I tried melatonin.  It did nothing for me.  Over-the-counter sleeping pills work, but I won't use them more than once a week, and usually just take half of one.  I've had trouble staying asleep for at least 30 years, so I'm used to it.  It's one of those things I can't do anything about, so why fuss and complain?  Seeing the sun come up makes me happy, and I haven't missed many sunrises in those years.  Sometimes I read things on the Internet that tell me if I don't get eight hours of sleep, I'll get dementia, or my life will be cut short.  Well, I've read everything I've found about how to get enough sleep, but none of it works for me.  I know a lot of people are in that same boat with me, and we all seem to be able to drag ourselves out of bed and start doing what we must to make our way in the world.  

I've been going outside before the sun is fully up and then watching the day gradually brighten as I walk around the garden.  I'm particularly interested in the state of my butternut squashes.  By the way, I googled what the plural is for squashes.  It can either be squash or squashes, but the latter really seems awkward.  

The vines have flourished in the southwest corner of my garden, and there are some huge squashes well over a foot long and still growing; but I've only ever had a crop of them one time thirteen or so years ago.  The rest of the time, just as the vines start putting on fruits, squash bugs enter the scene and the vines are dead within a couple of days.  I did notice some vines dying recently, but most of the remaining vines seem fine.  I'm not counting on anything, though!  If it happens, it happens.

We are eating green beans now, and within a week it looks like we'll have all the tomatoes we can eat.

Last week was wonderful, with our son here from Georgia.  Our daughter lives nearby, and she and her husband ate several meals with us and spent time here off and on throughout the week.  Now it's just us.  Cora will be here tomorrow, though, for her every-other-week Tuesday visit.

I ponder on the fact that I'm 79 years old, and wonder if I'll make it to 80.  Wow, eighty sounds really old!  I'd better get back out to the garden while I can still walk.

The best birthday gift

Today  I am seventy-nine years old.  Our son, his wife, and their granddaughter arrived Sunday for his annual Fourth of July trek, a trip that can take 13 hours.  Jim's trip is always a good time for us; his wife is caregiver for her mother, so she usually can't come along.  This time, though, she came and brought their four-year-old granddaughter (our great-granddaughter) and what a joy she has been.

This year, they all slept at the grandson's (Arick's) house, since our only extra bed is just big enough for one person.  They come over here for breakfast, though, and the rest of the day, the men spend a lot of time in Cliff's  Arick's shop.  Daughter-in-law Deb spends her day between houses.  And Maelynn, the child, spends her time going from house to house, often stopping at the shop for awhile.

That girl has a sunny disposition, a bright mind, a wonderful sense of humor, and enough confidence to kill a Goliath if she needed to.  She has been my helper several times this week.

Gabe always loves children, but this kid is a favorite

Picking green beans in the shade of the sweet corn

Grandma-Great (yeah, that's me) with her helper

Ready for the Fourth of July

Playing with leftover biscuit dough while I washed dishes.  She played with a handful of dough for almost 45 minutes.

Yukon Gold potatoes from the garden.  She loved watching me dig them up with the potato fork and picking them up.

We found an ear of corn in the garden that was actually ready

So, you can see that I have had a wonderful birthday week, and Maelynn has had a week of learning where food comes from, as well as many other lessons for life.  Every day is a lesson for life to a four-year-old.