You are truly a sweetheart, Joyce. I hope that the surgery goes well. Just make sure not to drink using a straw for a few days (?) afterwards. Don't worry, they'll tell you that. I love your fantasy about your cat nurturing baby chicks! Fifteen years ago, I had four precious rabbits (Hoppy, Snow, Midnight and Angel) who lived in our backyard. One day, a neighbor's cat appeared. Needless to say, I freaked. But nothing happened. The cat's visits became a daily ritual, and the rabbits seemed fine with it. One night, I looked outside and there was the cat, surrounded by my four rabbits, cuddled up and sleeping together. Talk about a magic moment!
I never even thought to take a picture! My life was insanely busy back in those days (60+ hour work weeks; on-call 24/7; and caring for a multiply handicapped child). The only pictures I ever thought to take were of my precious daughter. Thank you so much for your kind words about "painting the picture with words". xo
I certainly understand that! To be honest the whole "having the phone right handy every time" there is one of these moments makes me wonder if people EVER put the darn things down! As you might guess - not a big fan of cell phones. My kids, grandkids, great grandkids see it differently than I do, of course!
My feeling is my own memories are better than having to have a picture to show others. I have boxes & bags of pictures from years ago that never got put in albums. But I have my memories of my family, my kids growing up, the animals that I knew - they're whats important.
I heartily agree! (Do you remember that old Simon and Garfunkle song, "Old Friends"? There is a sentence that haunted me when I first heard the song as a teenager: "Preserve your memories. They're all that's left you." And they didn't mean "preserve" as in having a cellphone full of images!)
Dont remember the song - I'll look for it online. But that sentence is true. I feel so sorry for people - a couple I knew - who had dementia & lost those precious memories. Getting older is not for the weak!!!
"I gave myself permission to spend time drinking coffee, watching them, and accomplishing little else of any value." Being able to appreciate is the direction we would all like to move... and to my thinking, the highest value.
Hope the wisdom teeth just slide right out... and that your recovery is fast and peaceful!
I suspect Harry will not put up with anyone disturbing you, except for Bob who will, no doubt, wait on you hand and foot.
I'm prepping a birthday luncheon for an 80 year old... BFD to be 80... it's an accomplishment! It will be festive with a bubble machine, sparklers on the bundt cake, balloons on each chair, and gorgeous little cloisonné pill boxes as party favors for each guest, (because for some weird reason, the older we get, the more pills we have!) Food will be too much of a good thing, because it's pot luck and these guests are serious chefs! (except for me. I'm not a cook). Then I get ready to fly out to see my granddaughter graduate from HS -- she's a state champion tennis player, straight A student who spends summers volunteering as a counselor at a camp for inner city kids... AND she got early admission to her #1 choice (which is a notoriously hard school to get into.) At age 17 she is a full 6 feet tall. I am in awe of this child. I'm getting excited to see her... am taking a beautiful linen hanky of my mother's with me to blot my tears of pride... Mom passed a few years ago at age 96, and she will be grinning from Heaven to see our girl step into her adulthood.
Will light some incense on my altar for your quick and painless healing, Joyce.
DeeDee, I have a feeling your grand-gal has a rockin' love for her "grandma D"! I feel her great admiration of you, and wishes to be like you when she reaches ... your ... ripe ... young age. I say this as a grandson son, of many years ago, who lost his 'grandma' much too soon ...
May I say, I showed her needlepointed chair last evening to some guests. A beautiful floral pattern, perhaps Queen Anne style. Tho, the background is/was bIack. A gracious piece, as so she was. She engraved her initials and the year she finished, 1934. She was born in 1883, and I simply cannot conceive of loving someone, in this life, born that long ago. I have her and her husbands letters to my father, one of four brothers and a middle twin. "My Papa" died of cancer in the mid-50s, before I knew him. Much can be revealed in these letters, nestled in a mid-1880s crib, built for my grandmother, and the home to many 'peeps' including I and subsequent cousins. I have long tried to find a home for this heirloom, to realize its home resides in my heart. fwiw
My mother’s mother was an immigrant who was skilled at everything: the biggest most delicious garden; cooking, baking all the bread, and macguyvering anything that needed fixing (including a manual well-pump! She was about the same age as your grandmother. Our parents may have been the greatest generation, but THEIR parents laid the foundation for that. My g’s daughter (aka my Mom) was an avid needlepointer — and I cherish every piece.
The antique crib might make an excellent donation to a museum. ???
I reflect on your lineage and how that parallels my in-laws, which contrasts to we city and suburban folk. There's a lot there, there. My wife grew up w freshly baked bread, and she and her older brother, uhhh, "cultivated" the chicken fort Sunday supper. While I took the bus to downtown Pittsburgh and enjoyed the company of other kids who were black, Latino, Asian, etc. About those chickens, I don't even remember when I first saw a live chicken ... perhaps after ... college?? 😂 🤣
DO you have memories of time with your grandmother, and perhaps helping her in the garden?
I wanted a dog and my husband said fine but he wanted nothing to do with it. I got a shih tzu rescue. True enough he would have nothing to do with my JoJo.
Then I came home from work one day and found my husband cradling JoJo like a baby singing him a Spanish lullaby.
Good luck on the wisdom teeth removal- I think that you pretty much guaranteed some excitement concerning the mar a lago documents- by being down for the count. Thank you for your sacrifice! Haha I will miss you this weekend. LOVE LOVE THE PODCAST- I wish you all did them twice a week! Oh- make this rule before your procedure- NO PHOTOS unless you give permission! My husband and I have that pact- no photos of each other under the medical influence unless we insist - which never happens! You will do awesome! Enjoy the chickens!
First of all, all the best with your surgery. I had mine taken out just before my Jr. year of university and just before transferring to a new college. Heads-up... it's painful, so allow a day or so of much needed pain killers before the desire to be brain-ful beckons. And, so glad that you took some time to just breathe and relax. You've been running non-stop for quite a while!
Thank you so much for explaining that there is a 'prosecution memo' before proceeding to an official indictment. Not being of any legal education, this gives me hope that indeed there will be a strong case against the former guy. Like many, it's been an absolute mystery to me how he has gotten away with so much criming for so many decades, but perhaps at least some of it will finally come to a head. Fingers crossed. Jack be nimble, Jack be quick...
I doubt you read these responses, but I'm delighted to report that on Monday I adopted a very sweet 6-month old rescue dog and named her Joy. We've just finished our 2nd full day together and she is wonderful, intelligent, eager to learn and I think will make a great companion. She has been through the hell treadmill, but hopefully she'll realize that she can relax and feel safe and loved.
I hope you have smooth sailing through the wisdom teeth procedure - and have a Happy Memorial Day, Joyce. Your chickens are beautiful, as is your cat. They don't need to produce an Instagrammable cozy-scene-moment, they're perfect - yes Just The Way They Are :-) I'm thinking Jack Smith may make his announcement this Friday. He seems like he might be one to go for the cut off media coverage of a Friday before Memorial Day. But what do I know?! Back to the topic of animals - they are part of what keeps me from obsessing too much about Jack Smith, the Supremely Flawed Court and all the rest of it. In my case - and since you asked about all of us out here :-) - I've made my little spot of heaven on California's north coast into a wildlife habitat (mostly by leaving it alone). I don't have pets but I help out various wild 'uns. I've watched and loved generations of raccoons, foxes, chipmunks, and birds galore. Sometimes skunks, though it never gets very personal with them. Every now and then an opossum. The intersection between us humans and other animals is endlessly fascinating.
Stay ahead on your pain meds and follow your doctor's instructions. I got a nifty ice pack that I could wrap around my head (it had velcro tabs on the ends that I closed on the top of my head). Controlling that swelling did a great job of dealing with the pain. And please don't do my trick of trying to eat something I had to chew within a few days. That did not work out well. Lots on rinsing gently with warm salt water. Feel better soon!
Another trick with ice Joyce is to put crushed ice in freezer bags and then add an ounce or two of rubbing alcohol, put them in the freezer and they will never freeze solid, with a hand towel they will conform to your face comfortably and be reusable until you no longer need them. Good luck with your surgery, take all of the time you need to recover 🙏
A bag of frozen peaswors very well, too. If they get a littlemsol on the re-freeze they break up very easily. And there is the bonus not having to mess around with it, grab and use!
Best of luck with your teeth!! I had mine out in 1972 -- 3 days in the hospital in the good old days. I currently have 3 projects on the needles. I loaded up 2 pairs of socks on a 60” circular needle and doing 4 at a time magic loop.
I just finished the cuffs and I’m taking photos. I’m doing cuff down -- and these are socks for a 2 and 4 year old. Not nearly as much knitting as for a single sock for their father who has size 15 feet.
God speed, Joyce. I actually flew to Portland (I live in Palo Alto) just to see the 4 of you in person. Such great fun. I hope the wisdom teeth go smoothly and that you feel better as soon as possible. Your clear information, but also your steadfast calm are absolutely necessary for my days.
You are truly a sweetheart, Joyce. I hope that the surgery goes well. Just make sure not to drink using a straw for a few days (?) afterwards. Don't worry, they'll tell you that. I love your fantasy about your cat nurturing baby chicks! Fifteen years ago, I had four precious rabbits (Hoppy, Snow, Midnight and Angel) who lived in our backyard. One day, a neighbor's cat appeared. Needless to say, I freaked. But nothing happened. The cat's visits became a daily ritual, and the rabbits seemed fine with it. One night, I looked outside and there was the cat, surrounded by my four rabbits, cuddled up and sleeping together. Talk about a magic moment!
No picture of this magic moment? Would have been a good one, altho the story alone paints its own picture.
I never even thought to take a picture! My life was insanely busy back in those days (60+ hour work weeks; on-call 24/7; and caring for a multiply handicapped child). The only pictures I ever thought to take were of my precious daughter. Thank you so much for your kind words about "painting the picture with words". xo
I certainly understand that! To be honest the whole "having the phone right handy every time" there is one of these moments makes me wonder if people EVER put the darn things down! As you might guess - not a big fan of cell phones. My kids, grandkids, great grandkids see it differently than I do, of course!
My feeling is my own memories are better than having to have a picture to show others. I have boxes & bags of pictures from years ago that never got put in albums. But I have my memories of my family, my kids growing up, the animals that I knew - they're whats important.
I heartily agree! (Do you remember that old Simon and Garfunkle song, "Old Friends"? There is a sentence that haunted me when I first heard the song as a teenager: "Preserve your memories. They're all that's left you." And they didn't mean "preserve" as in having a cellphone full of images!)
Dont remember the song - I'll look for it online. But that sentence is true. I feel so sorry for people - a couple I knew - who had dementia & lost those precious memories. Getting older is not for the weak!!!
I remember someone saying "old age ain't for sissies." So true!
What a charming and heartening story! Thanks for the share!
And thank you for your sweet comment!
"I gave myself permission to spend time drinking coffee, watching them, and accomplishing little else of any value." Being able to appreciate is the direction we would all like to move... and to my thinking, the highest value.
R & R is of the utmost value. Refreshes the mind and body.
Hope the wisdom teeth just slide right out... and that your recovery is fast and peaceful!
I suspect Harry will not put up with anyone disturbing you, except for Bob who will, no doubt, wait on you hand and foot.
I'm prepping a birthday luncheon for an 80 year old... BFD to be 80... it's an accomplishment! It will be festive with a bubble machine, sparklers on the bundt cake, balloons on each chair, and gorgeous little cloisonné pill boxes as party favors for each guest, (because for some weird reason, the older we get, the more pills we have!) Food will be too much of a good thing, because it's pot luck and these guests are serious chefs! (except for me. I'm not a cook). Then I get ready to fly out to see my granddaughter graduate from HS -- she's a state champion tennis player, straight A student who spends summers volunteering as a counselor at a camp for inner city kids... AND she got early admission to her #1 choice (which is a notoriously hard school to get into.) At age 17 she is a full 6 feet tall. I am in awe of this child. I'm getting excited to see her... am taking a beautiful linen hanky of my mother's with me to blot my tears of pride... Mom passed a few years ago at age 96, and she will be grinning from Heaven to see our girl step into her adulthood.
Will light some incense on my altar for your quick and painless healing, Joyce.
DeeDee, I have a feeling your grand-gal has a rockin' love for her "grandma D"! I feel her great admiration of you, and wishes to be like you when she reaches ... your ... ripe ... young age. I say this as a grandson son, of many years ago, who lost his 'grandma' much too soon ...
Wow Frederick. Thats the nicest compliment ❤️ Thank you.
I will be thinking of you and your grandmother today.
May I say, I showed her needlepointed chair last evening to some guests. A beautiful floral pattern, perhaps Queen Anne style. Tho, the background is/was bIack. A gracious piece, as so she was. She engraved her initials and the year she finished, 1934. She was born in 1883, and I simply cannot conceive of loving someone, in this life, born that long ago. I have her and her husbands letters to my father, one of four brothers and a middle twin. "My Papa" died of cancer in the mid-50s, before I knew him. Much can be revealed in these letters, nestled in a mid-1880s crib, built for my grandmother, and the home to many 'peeps' including I and subsequent cousins. I have long tried to find a home for this heirloom, to realize its home resides in my heart. fwiw
My mother’s mother was an immigrant who was skilled at everything: the biggest most delicious garden; cooking, baking all the bread, and macguyvering anything that needed fixing (including a manual well-pump! She was about the same age as your grandmother. Our parents may have been the greatest generation, but THEIR parents laid the foundation for that. My g’s daughter (aka my Mom) was an avid needlepointer — and I cherish every piece.
The antique crib might make an excellent donation to a museum. ???
I reflect on your lineage and how that parallels my in-laws, which contrasts to we city and suburban folk. There's a lot there, there. My wife grew up w freshly baked bread, and she and her older brother, uhhh, "cultivated" the chicken fort Sunday supper. While I took the bus to downtown Pittsburgh and enjoyed the company of other kids who were black, Latino, Asian, etc. About those chickens, I don't even remember when I first saw a live chicken ... perhaps after ... college?? 😂 🤣
DO you have memories of time with your grandmother, and perhaps helping her in the garden?
I wanted a dog and my husband said fine but he wanted nothing to do with it. I got a shih tzu rescue. True enough he would have nothing to do with my JoJo.
Then I came home from work one day and found my husband cradling JoJo like a baby singing him a Spanish lullaby.
Good luck on the wisdom teeth removal- I think that you pretty much guaranteed some excitement concerning the mar a lago documents- by being down for the count. Thank you for your sacrifice! Haha I will miss you this weekend. LOVE LOVE THE PODCAST- I wish you all did them twice a week! Oh- make this rule before your procedure- NO PHOTOS unless you give permission! My husband and I have that pact- no photos of each other under the medical influence unless we insist - which never happens! You will do awesome! Enjoy the chickens!
First of all, all the best with your surgery. I had mine taken out just before my Jr. year of university and just before transferring to a new college. Heads-up... it's painful, so allow a day or so of much needed pain killers before the desire to be brain-ful beckons. And, so glad that you took some time to just breathe and relax. You've been running non-stop for quite a while!
Thank you so much for explaining that there is a 'prosecution memo' before proceeding to an official indictment. Not being of any legal education, this gives me hope that indeed there will be a strong case against the former guy. Like many, it's been an absolute mystery to me how he has gotten away with so much criming for so many decades, but perhaps at least some of it will finally come to a head. Fingers crossed. Jack be nimble, Jack be quick...
I doubt you read these responses, but I'm delighted to report that on Monday I adopted a very sweet 6-month old rescue dog and named her Joy. We've just finished our 2nd full day together and she is wonderful, intelligent, eager to learn and I think will make a great companion. She has been through the hell treadmill, but hopefully she'll realize that she can relax and feel safe and loved.
Good luck tomorrow!
I hope you have smooth sailing through the wisdom teeth procedure - and have a Happy Memorial Day, Joyce. Your chickens are beautiful, as is your cat. They don't need to produce an Instagrammable cozy-scene-moment, they're perfect - yes Just The Way They Are :-) I'm thinking Jack Smith may make his announcement this Friday. He seems like he might be one to go for the cut off media coverage of a Friday before Memorial Day. But what do I know?! Back to the topic of animals - they are part of what keeps me from obsessing too much about Jack Smith, the Supremely Flawed Court and all the rest of it. In my case - and since you asked about all of us out here :-) - I've made my little spot of heaven on California's north coast into a wildlife habitat (mostly by leaving it alone). I don't have pets but I help out various wild 'uns. I've watched and loved generations of raccoons, foxes, chipmunks, and birds galore. Sometimes skunks, though it never gets very personal with them. Every now and then an opossum. The intersection between us humans and other animals is endlessly fascinating.
and no, Substack, I don't "write Cynthia's Substack" - I don't know where that came from - did someone let Alexa lose in the Substacks?
Stay ahead on your pain meds and follow your doctor's instructions. I got a nifty ice pack that I could wrap around my head (it had velcro tabs on the ends that I closed on the top of my head). Controlling that swelling did a great job of dealing with the pain. And please don't do my trick of trying to eat something I had to chew within a few days. That did not work out well. Lots on rinsing gently with warm salt water. Feel better soon!
Another trick with ice Joyce is to put crushed ice in freezer bags and then add an ounce or two of rubbing alcohol, put them in the freezer and they will never freeze solid, with a hand towel they will conform to your face comfortably and be reusable until you no longer need them. Good luck with your surgery, take all of the time you need to recover 🙏
A bag of frozen peaswors very well, too. If they get a littlemsol on the re-freeze they break up very easily. And there is the bonus not having to mess around with it, grab and use!
This is what I ended up with. Bonus, my husband cooked them for dinner with meatloaf (which I sadly didn't get to eat) last night.
Borrowing this advice for my newly fractured clavicle. Thanks!
Such good advice! Thank you.
Marie Callender's coconut cream pie is THE best way to recover from dental work (don't eat the crust, just the good stuff). Good luck!
Best of luck with your teeth!! I had mine out in 1972 -- 3 days in the hospital in the good old days. I currently have 3 projects on the needles. I loaded up 2 pairs of socks on a 60” circular needle and doing 4 at a time magic loop.
Even when I had my knitting mojo going I was never tempted with the twoatatime socks thing! Would love a picture, however
I just finished the cuffs and I’m taking photos. I’m doing cuff down -- and these are socks for a 2 and 4 year old. Not nearly as much knitting as for a single sock for their father who has size 15 feet.
Joyce, best of luck with your wisdom teeth surgery. Pain medication is ok! Get some rest, eat pudding & ice cream! 🌺🌼🌺
Be careful! Take time to heal😉 Dry sockets are not pleasant after surgery if you don’t take time to heal! Been there, trust me be patient and quiet!!
Best wishes. Do not allow anyone to video you as you are "waking up." On second thought, do , but only share it with us!
God speed, Joyce. I actually flew to Portland (I live in Palo Alto) just to see the 4 of you in person. Such great fun. I hope the wisdom teeth go smoothly and that you feel better as soon as possible. Your clear information, but also your steadfast calm are absolutely necessary for my days.
Oh wow! The Portland show was so much fun. I'm glad you got to join us; thank you for making the trip!
The great columnist Lewis Grizzard said of dentists,"Every society has it's element of cruel and sadistic monster,We call ours Dentists."
Hope you have a speedy recovery!
I loved Lewis’s column. Was so sorry he died so young. Can you imagine what he’d have to say about todays political scene? Lordy!
Prayers and good vibes for your procedure.