Open Writing

Growing into your hat

I don't usually pay much attention to birthdays. But this one is a benchmark of sorts, or so it seems to me. I reached the eighty-year signpost this month. At least if you are reading my column instead of my obituary I did. You never know what the future holds.

"He didn't quite make it, but he never quit trying." I wouldn't mind that on my tombstone.

I guess this will lead to an adjustment in my New Normal. What's normal for you never stands still, you know. What was normal when you were five years old wouldn't seem right today. What's normal next week will seem strange next year.

Maybe I'll get so swellheaded about passing that magic mark, I'll be able to wear my new hat. Nice hat, I thought. One of those one-size-fits-all crushable golf hats, or that's what I thought, until I put it on, and it slid down to my ears. I took it off and looked, and much to my surprise the tag said 'Mens extra large'. I like the Spanish version better, though, "Hombres extra grande'. I stuffed some rolled up paper towel in the band and it fits better. Especially for a two-dollar hat. Anyway, now that I have passed the 80-year milestone, I expect my head will soon expand enough to fit it.

"Hombre extra grande," that has a good ring to it.

Rain

Here's a note I wrote this morning. '10:44 AM last night they said 'occasional showers'. This morning we had total cloud cover. I decided to try to do a little mowing anyway, at least the lawn around the house. I got the side yard and one part-lap on the south side, when the occasional sprinkles turned into a downpour. The old garden tractor can move pretty fast with the mower disengaged and raised, and both ears down. I only got semi-drenched on my way back to the barn.

It slacked off in a little while. I had taken my big cane out with me just in case. With it to help I made good speed through the lighter rain back to the house.

Oh, well. I've been wet a couple of times before. You dry off pretty fast if you aren't wearing too many clothes to start with.

For want of a nail …

Have you ever tried to write anything without using that letter which comes after 'a' in the alpha?et. I just discovered that letter won't work on this key?oard. So, I have these options. Try not to use that letter. Drive in to Le?anon and get a new one. Scavenge a key?oard from an old computer, Or stick in a "?" instead of a ?.Or quit now. Decisions, decisions.

Wait --- I just tried something. Switched to another program and the B's worked fine. BBBBbbbb BBBBB. So I came back here and the problem is ended.

Amazing! I guess I could go back and change all those '?', but you can live with it, can't you? After all, it's a free column. You shouldn't complain about a few glitches.

The new normal again

Avie and I were sitting in the Doctor's waiting room this morning. Avie had her little lightweight and easy to fold into the back seat walker with her. She still feels more comfortable with it when she is outdoors. The other lady had a walker of a slightly different type. We got to discussing the good and bad features of the various walker types.

All of a sudden it tickled my funny bone.

"Would you have believed twenty years ago we'd be sitting here knowledgeably discussing the strong and weak points of walkers?" I looked at her and Ave.

"I don't think so, " the lady said.

We all grinned. Might as well laugh, what is to be will be.

The coon café

Things are changing at the coon café. Most of the raccoon customers still show up, but not always as family groups. Old Tillie, the wise old matriarch and lover of oilseed sunflower seed, shows up early for her supper. Sometimes alone, sometimes with one or two of the younguns.

Later, around midnight, the younger ones show up in groups of three or four. They must have been playing tag last night, knocked down several things hanging on the walls.

Not so many 'possums yet. Old Spike, and another smaller white one. Spike is too big and fat to shinny up a tree with any speed, or hide in a pile of old lumber. I think he stays close to the barn and the empty chicken house, where coyotes wouldn't be likely to follow. I haven't seen any barn cats yet, but they are probably not reduced to accepting handouts from humans this early in the year.