Random Acts of "Kindness"

Posts tagged ‘weather’

BOTANICAL GARDEN FALL 23

Even though I have a membership, I had only visited the GARDEN one time this year, blooming of the crab apple trees. Easy to explain since I’ve spent many weeks in the country. The weather forecast was for sunny skies, warmer than usual. I decided that it would be good for me to go. Since I have come home, I’ve tried to reclaim our home. I’ve made some progress but more needs to be done. And I decided it could wait.

I planned to leave at 10, after the rush hour traffic. Robin hadn’t eaten her dinner on Monday and she was pesty. I decided to feed her before I left. She was HUNGRY. She ate almost all of it without any fussing. Traffic was still heavy. I knew that the forecast of 80 degree weather would bring crowds to the GARDEN and I was right. Thankfully I now have a handicapped placard that would allow me to park closer if I found a spot. THANKFULLY I DID.

I thought I had planned for the day. I had; I wore a hat that had a string to keep it from blowing off my head. I had a case with my membership card and a credit card so I could get food. I had a bottle of water and a couple of cough drops. I had a vest that I could carry everything in and not take my purse. I had my cane. I DID NOT HAVE FOOD OR PAIN PILLS.

Thankfully my knees were behaving but I decided to sit down every 30 minutes and rest for at least 10. ENJOY THE DAY. I thought I would visit the Old English Garden and the Japanese Garden. I only took a half bottle of water, planning to refill it. It would be lighter. I have to admit that I sat down more than I used to. And of course, when I sat down, I would drink my water.

I reached the rose garden when I decided to refill my bottle. Roses were still blooming. The fountains had already been turned off. One was filled with mums. The great lawn was empty of flowering plants. The GARDEN was preparing for Winter Lights and cold weather. The Bonsa was packed and the greenhouses were closed. An 80 degree day at the end of October had not been expected.

As I walked over to fill my water bottle, I saw a beautiful tree in its Fall colors that called my name. It was in a part of the GARDEN that I hadn’t visited in a few years. I always ended my visit by going down the wilderness path but since my knees have been acting up, I haven’t gone there. TODAY WAS THE DAY!

Over the years, I have sat down on the benches near the path, admiring the crab apple trees. Today I was able to direct two gentlemen to the bells. I was sitting by the path they should take to get to the bridge. One of the gentlemen mentioned he was suffering from neuropathy, and I mentioned Terry’s Naturally Herbal Feet and Nerves that has been of such benefit to me. I was tempted to walk the path, all the way to the end but I noticed the time. Leaving late, sitting and enjoying the day, the time sped by. I DID NOT WANT TO BE IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. I walked a short way, took a few photos and remembered the many times I have enjoyed the path with my husband and daughter. GOOD MEMORIES

I didn’t have a map with me, but I thought I could return a different way. Thankfully the GARDEN has many benches for sitting and I wandered toward the exit. I was surprised to see crocus in bloom. They are a spring flower but there they were. Since I have spent so many years wandering the GARDEN, I didn’t have much trouble. I would have LOVED to stop and get something to eat but I didn’t want to get stuck in traffic. IT WAS A LOVELY DAY! I paid attention to the traffic and headed for the streets before it jammed up. I stopped for hot dog buns for dinner. I wanted to EAT, NOT COOK.

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CLOSING TRAILER 2023

I thought I had learned a lesson last year when I hoped to leave before noon and ended staying until three. I realized last year that I didn’t have the energy I used to have, and things took longer. This year I made a plan. I thought I had things under control. I WAS WRONG!

My son came out over the weekend and easily did all the things that were on my list for him. He loaded up his car with the bags I had packed. I decided that instead of leaving on Monday, I would wait until Tuesday. Take advantage of the beautiful weather one more day and drive home without needing to wear my coat. I neglected to inform the person who was going to winterize my trailer that I was staying another day.

I took Robin with me to the lauder mat to wash clothes. Since I had bags everywhere, she knew something was up. I didn’t want here to think that I had left without her. While we were gone, my trailer was winterized. WATER SHUT OFF. I thought something was different when we returned. I didn’t remember closing the curtain on the door. I was right. A note told me that the trailer was winterized. My oil furnace was unplugged. The trailer furnace was shut off.

Thankfully I didn’t have many dishes to wash. A friend suggested we go out to eat and I had agreed. I had been without running water many times over the years. I knew how to deal with it. I just had the food to pack — freezer and frig. Batteries to take out, things to turn off, or unplug. I had my list.

I hadn’t planned on my knees yelling and my back doing the same. I had to rest more than I planned. Even though I had the vacuuming done, I still had to defrost the frig. It had frozen again after I defrosted it. No problem if I had hot water. Microwave gave me a cup of hot water. I DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH WATER IN THE TRAILER TO FLUSH THE TOILET. I had to get a pail of water from the outside pump. EASY WHEN I WAS YOUNG. NOT SO EASY NOW. BUT I DID IT. I had antifreeze available to pour into the toilet once it flushed.

FINALLY got the bags loaded into the car. It was already after two. I needed gas for the car and decided that I would get gas on property. It was a shorter walk. I could toss out the remaining bag of garbage on the way. When I was getting gas, I remembered that I hadn’t unplugged the microwave. The gas station is close to our trailer, driving back wasn’t a problem. THE TIME ON THE MICROWAVE WAS 3:00. OOPS! I HAD NOT UNPLUGGED THE MICROWAVE. Thankfully I remembered. One year the microwave had run FOREVER. I did not want that to happen again.

Finally leaving at 3:30. I would be home during rush hour. I changed my plan — once in the city, I would take the streets. Rewarded — driving on a street close to home I totally enjoyed the Halloween decorations — skeletons, dragons — OH MY! I wished I could take some photos.

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TIMING

Yesterday I scheduled DUET to post. The theme concerned the back-to-back storms that ended July following a stretch of 90-degree days. I am at my winter home in the city. We just had three days back-to-back that reached 94-degrees.

We had heavy storms last night that are continuing through today. At the camper Robin shelters under my bed. She cannot get under my bed here. At 12:30 she woke me when the rain started. Even though it was only drizzling, I gave her thunder bites. At 4:00 AM she heard thunder. She became nervous, looking for a good place to hide. I was not able to go back to sleep. I finally gave up, turned on the television looking for a weather report. At 6:00 AM I saw the extent of the lightening and gave her more thunder bites.

Coming downstairs at 7:00 AM my phone announced that lightening was detected in my area. I was pleasantly surprised to hear the message on my phone — The Rockford weather AP works on my phone in the city. My phone warned me again when heavy rain was coming.

Somehow, I missed the weather forecast — the warning of strong storms. Too tired? Still trying to catch up? Too much to do? On purpose I haven’t over scheduled. I wrote five thought rambles at the camper but since I don’t have the program to work offline, I’ve had to try to get them scheduled while I’m home. I’m not a typist. I flunked typing in high school. To make life more interesting, they have made changes to the program. And because it is MY LIFE, MY EDITORS HELP. If what I’ve written doesn’t meet expectations or is too rambling, changes are made.

I received notice that one of my prescriptions needed to be renewed. In order to get new pills — My doctor wants to see me. Thankfully I have a free time this week, AND SO DOES HE.

Coming home, catching up on the mail, I saw a notice from the city regarding senior tax exemptions. I sent the paperwork in April, including a copy of my husband’s death certificate and a copy of my ID. I was concerned that it wasn’t received. On hold for 45 minutes, I finally got a human voice, she gave me an answer. Paperwork had been received. I had my exemption. TIME WELL SPENT. I COULD RELAX.

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DUET

Early Friday morning, the Tornado Alert woke me at 1:45 AM. Storm coming — 2:15 the alarm sounded again, Severe Storm. My rain gauge measured 1 1/2″. The temperature continued to climb. HOTEST DAY OF THE YEAR predicted. Heat warnings — remember to stay hydrated, stay out of the sun, and wear loose clothes. I planned to go to water exercise, but I was moving too slowly.

I turned the air conditioner on. I stayed inside once the temperature reached 80. I had a book to read, I still had black bean salad. I DID NOT NEED TO COOK. I don’t know how high the temperature went but STRONG STORMS were predicted.

My granddaughter was attending a Bible camp to the North. My son-in-law and grandson were driving up from the South. I was concerned and said a prayer for their safety.

Earlier in the morning, when I was sitting on the deck, I noticed two of the baby robins had fledged. One remained in the nest. Early in the afternoon I watched the last baby robin hopping on the deck. It hid from my dog behind a bin. My Robin was very interested. Early in the evening it had flown.

Our television reception was very dicey, but Friday night Channel 6 came in clearly. They preempted regular programing to report on the approaching storm. IT DID NOT LOOK GOOD. The possibility of a tornado was forming. Hail and winds of 100 MPH reported, coming from the North. I was concerned for my granddaughter. When I’m stressed, I PRAY. I DID!

The storm came through about 10:00 PM. Winds blowing, crashing of stuff. My son-in-law was just arriving. He was driving through the small town when the wind pushed his truck. I was happy they arrived, were safe and I was inside. The electric went off but before it did, my TV channel changed to 56.1 LAKEVIEW PBS. The channel I watch at HOME. Electric came back on, but tv coverage was affected. I turned the tv off and the air conditioner, but I left the fan on.

Robin woke me at 2:00 AM. It was quiet outside, the storm had passed. My green plastic chair had been blown across the deck. Plants were knocked down. Since the robin’s had fledged, I could turn on the porch light. And I did, straightening up. The solar lights in the Garden were on.

Saturday morning, I noticed more damage from the storm. TWO TREES WERE DOWN. The maple we had planted in 2015 after the tornado had taken out nine trees, And the ornamental pear we had planted for my husband. SAD!

One inch of rain was measured in the rain gauge. I called Above Ground for help removing the trees. They came that morning. They removed both trees and pulled out the stump from the pear leaving a deep hole. I called another person for help filling the hole. Not expecting him to come over on Saturday, I used curtain rods to mark the hole so no one would fall in.

Still early, still cool, Steve came by with four bags of dirt. He pulled a mess of weeds between the stairs and the trailer. He found a small oak tree growing there which he transplanted to the new dirt filled hole. Curtain rods provided support. The new baby helped the sadness. My grandson removed another robin’s nest.

News reported two tornados in the storm. Our campground had 14 locations with blocked roadways, 164 lots with downed trees. July ended with a bang. I’m tired of planting trees to have storms take them out. The baby oak is an exception. It has the leaf that has withstood oak wilt. I will enjoy watching it grow. I plan to plant tall grass and a couple of bushes.

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DISCOVERY

We have had smoke in the air from the fires in Canada. I haven’t noticed a problem breathing but I wondered if the smoke wasn’t affecting my body. My knees and fingers are experiencing problems. I wondered if the poor air quality is causing the issues.

Monday, I did not feel well. I made chicken noodle soup on Friday, more noodles spilled into the soup than I planned. I froze three pkgs and put the remainder in the frig. After I finished the soup in the frig, I raided the freezer.

Sitting outside, taking it easy, I watched 5 bunnies run in a line past me. A butterfly hovered around my head. It stayed long enough for me to talk to it. The hummingbirds visited the feeder and the petunias many times. In the evening the bunnies were back, running in a straight line. I watched a group of deer cross the road, headed to the corn field. It was an unusual day. The air quality seemed better.

Tuesday, I had energy. I was determined to do something. I pulled out the step stool and investigated a corner cabinet. I’m shrinking and so are my arms. The top shelf had something hidden in the back. I couldn’t reach it. Thankfully a fly swatter was on the sink. I used it to retrieve a large 2 qtr. plastic pitcher with a smaller one inside. I was going to leave it on the shelf where I could reach it. But then I realized I wouldn’t be able to get it down without a stool.

Since I had the stool, I cleaned off the top of the refrigerator. It had not been touched since my husband passed. It was LOADED with MICE droppings. Also loaded with cardboard tubes used to keep the frig doors open during the winter. I found a bunch of notes written many years ago. I DID NOT LOOK AT THEM. Bunching the mess up, I dropped it into the sink to be dealt with later. I was able to reach disinfectant kept in the sink cabinet. After putting stuff back, I continued with the small shelf in the corner cabinet. I found plastic storage bins with no tops. I planned to recycle them but plans hanged when with the help of the fly swatter I FOUND THE TOPS. Since I like to cook, they would be helpful in storing leftovers. I seldom make a one serving meal.

I decided I had done enough work for the day. Gathering up the trash, I threw it into a bag. I didn’t tie the bag because I had more stuff outside that I wanted to add to it. Tossing the bag down the stairs, a piece of paper escaped. It was a lovely note from Tom telling me he had gone fishing. Before dropping off the garbage bag, I searched for more notes. Most of them detailed life, shopping, church, etc. I found one in which Tom was taking our Lab, Mabel, to the lake.

I THINK TOM WANTED THE NOTES FOUND. THAT IS WHY ONE ESCAPED.

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STAY HOME

I DON’T WANT TO STAY HOME! Since October 31 I have been in training. Halloween brought inches of snow to our city. It melted and became ice. The ice covered the sidewalks and the alley making it hazardous for me to go out side. When it finally melted after about a week I totally enjoyed my freedom and went SHOPPING.

Another snowfall with more of the same results occurred in January, followed by more in February. Each snowfall brought more ice — more staying inside. It seemed that each storm brought more hazardous conditions for me, restricting my freedom.

Was I preparing for this pandemic? I wish I could say that I’m using my time well — cleaning the house — getting rid of the clutter. I’m not in the habit of telling tall tales. I HAVE NOT ACCOMPLISHED ANYTHING. Part of the reason I’m sure is grief for my husband’s passing. I seem to have no purpose in life. I KNOW I NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT. I don’t have the desire to follow a restrictive eating program. Most of the time I’m eating healthy.

Because my weight is up — my knees are yelling. By suppertime, I have NO ENERGY to do anything. We have been restricted for almost a month. During that time I have possibly gone shopping once a week. My children are EXTREMELY unhappy when I wander outside. For many reasons — I live in Chicago, a hot spot for the virus. I’m in my seventies — more susceptible to catching the virus. Thankfully I don’t have Diabetes or Emphysema. My blood pressure is high enough to warrant medicine but not enough to be dangerous.

When I do venture out, I try to have a list that will cover all the stuff I need. I haven’t gone to Wal-Mart in over a month. I keep my shopping in stores that are close by. I try to go early, before the store gets busy. Thankfully the stores have been restocked. Most of the stuff I require is available. My daughter often asks me if what I needed was essential. Did I really need to go out into the scary world where the virus is waiting.

As the weather warms, I’m thinking of going out to the camper. They don’t have the virus out there and they REALLY DON’T WANT IT. Our governor is impressing us that we should keep driving to ESSENTISAL TRIPS. Going to the camper would not be essential except for my well being. All the buildings and stores are closed out there. Our camper is self sustaining with full bathroom facilities but I don’t want to run water until the chance of freezing is over.

Recently I read of a gentleman who passed at the age of one hundred. He was able to live by himself in his own home and DRIVE. Whatever age I reach, I want to have a quality of life and be able to be independent. My husband would have had a hard time dealing with this virus. He wouldn’t have minded having to stay in the house.

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TAKING STOCK

I really like the fall season. I like the cooler temperatures and the changing of the leaves. I don’t know what the reason is but the fall season also brings on a depression. I don’t know if it is because winter is coming or the seasonal changes.

Fall came early this year. The drop in the temperature at night reminded me that summer was almost over. I knew that there would be many warm days ahead. Suddenly I started thinking of what I have accomplished and what I have failed to do. When I realized that my thinking was more negative than positive, I looked for positive.

Now I will admit that I had HELP! First I did a belly flop on the deck at the camper. Luckily I didn’t break anything. Various body parts PROTESTED. Our granddaughter was on hand to witness my fall and did a great replay for her parents.

Back home, I took Robin for her morning walk and ended up cutting my head on the latch to the gate. Head wounds bleed profusely and I left a trail of blood down the sidewalk, up the stairs and into the house. I had lovely red hair for a few hours. I didn’t want to wash my hair until the wound had a chance to firm up.

My daughter asked what “my friends” were trying to tell me. I really didn’t know. BUT I started to take stock. I didn’t have a thought ramble ready to publish so I sat down and wrote two. My weight has been creeping up again. I’m still trying to find the right food plan for me. I decided that I would cut back on the wine. I would limit it to two glasses. My next decision was to exercise on a regular basis hoping that would help my flexibility. I started, then life interfered again.

On a beautiful summer day, my husband and I visited the zoo. I asked him to call our oldest daughter. When he tried, he learned that his phone had lost ALL contact information. When we went to the phone store, we learned that they could NOT restore his phone book. I had been considering giving up my flip phone for a smart phone. My family was having trouble understanding me when I talked. It was an EXPENSIVE afternoon. We left the store with TWO new phones. They COULD NOT transfer my phone book to the new phone. Days later, I still DON’T have all the numbers entered.

Something is still going on. Last night I noticed that the watch band on my Fit Bit watch was only holding on by a thread. When I contacted the company, they asked me to send a picture of the watch. I used my NEW phone to do that. BLOCKS are on, I was successful in taking the picture, but NOT in sending the photo to them.

In the past few weeks I have been reminded about a couple of things. Deepak Chopra shared that the greatest gift he could give to the world was to show up as himself. I realized that is what I have been trying to do. Whatever the situation, I help when I can and try to be open to learning. I also recently learned that as important as it is to forgive others, it is even MORE IMPORTANT TO FORGIVE YOURSELF.

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DOG SITTING

Our plans for July changed. Because of the change in plans our youngest daughter asked if we could watch their dogs while they went on vacation. Watching their dogs at our home is no problem because we have a fenced in yard. Watching the dogs in the country is a little harder. None of the property is fenced, leaving acres of open land for running.

To make life more interesting, the temperature for the week reached an all time high. Night time temps were maybe 70, daytime hit the high 90’s with humidity adding to the discomfort. Feel like temperature was in the triple digits. The air was very still, barely a breeze.

We weren’t alone. Most of the neighboring states had a high heat warning. Dangerous temperatures for the young and the elderly. My husband and I learned our lesson the year before when high temperatures made us aware that we needed to be more careful. Sun screen was advised for the dog’s paws.

We have a large fenced deck, partially shaded by a roof. The ceiling fan keeps the air moving making it comfortable to sit outside unless it is really hot.

Thankfully we have a working air conditioner and working fans. The dogs didn’t like the hot weather either. They were very happy to remain inside in the cooler air. We had two lines on the deck to attach to their collars when they needed to be outside, off the deck.

Luna is a growing black Lab who is full of energy. She likes to be up before 6 and have her breakfast. She is a good alarm clock. She also makes a good rug, sleeping by my side of the bed on the floor. She thought the bed would be more comfortable but we didn’t agree. She is too strong for me to walk her.

Tessa, on the other hand, is a smaller, lighter King Charles Spaniel who believes she NEEDS to SLEEP with us. Since she is smaller, she almost squeezed through the slats on our porch to chase rabbits. She did escape one time and had a lovely run. It was in the early evening, and I watched a black streak passing up the hill. Thankfully she returned when the rabbit escaped.

In the morning, after I let the dogs out on their rope, I served breakfast. Then Robin and I went for a walk. Next it was Tessa’s turn. Luna watched from the grass, keeping an eye on our progress.

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INGENUITY

RAIN, Rain, rain and more rain. Just watch my garden grow. And IT DID! Because of the rain, we stayed in the city. Our neighbor’s rain gauge measured more than 8 inches in May. It measured more than 1 inch , one week in June. Our garden grew. So did the WEEDS.

Once upon a time I had no problem kneeling to pull weeds. Sadly that is no longer the case. If I get down, I have a hard time getting back up. Not to mention that my knees LOUDLY PROTEST kneeling on them. To make life even more interesting, the weather changed from comfortable temperatures in the 60’s to uncomfortable 90’s. When I was younger, the high temperatures didn’t bother me. Sadly my body isn’t as flexible as it used to be.

PROBLEM — WEEDS, FERNS, ground cover, thistles –EVERYWHERE. Even with the wet ground, they were not easy to pull. I needed equipment. I needed to get down into the ground to get the roots up. I needed to be able to kneel or sit on the ground. NEITHER was an option.

When we lost a huge tree in the tornado, we kept two pieces of the trunk. They stand on either side of the steps going up to the deck. When I stood next to the trunk, I used the tree for support and balance. Moving away from the trunk, my balance was a bit shaky. I decided to bring a cane out to the camper. While I was thinking about the cane, I remembered a walking stick my husband made for me many years ago. I found it standing right next to the microwave, waiting to be used.

The rain brought mosquitoes. I was forewarned about the problem in an e-mail. The person who warned me mentioned she used a hat, covered by netting to protect her face from the bugs when she walked her dog. Still at home, I ordered the netting and found a hat. I was set. Except at our campground they spray for mosquitoes. The second day we were there, I heard a helicopter spraying the lakes.

Mosquitoes might not be as big of as problem, but the flies still were. In fact they LIKED my ears. The hat helped. It protected me from mosquitoes and flies. It provided a little bit of shade for my face. I could easily see through the screening. The netting was long enough that I could tuck it into the front and back of my shirt.

The hat didn’t help with the temperatures. I tried to work in the garden before the temperature climbed. I quickly discovered that wind made a BIG difference. If a breeze blew, it was more comfortable. I got a timer and set it for 10 – 15 minutes. Sometimes I stopped before the timer went off. Sometimes I didn’t hear the timer. Sometimes the roots were too strong for me.

Thankfully my husband took pity on me and HELPED!

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CRABAPPLES

The crabapple trees were in bloom in the city. They reminded me of the pathway by the lagoon at Botanic Garden, planted with pink crabapple trees. Absolutely beautiful when in bloom.

Our cool, wet weather had delayed the blooming of flowers and trees. Normally the trees were in bloom by Mother’s Day. Sun was out, temperature hinted at seventy. Visit to the garden planned.

I could NOT find my membership card. Luckily our old car was back in the city. It had a membership sticker that would allow access to the Garden. I called the Garden to request a new sticker for the new car and a replacement for my missing card. I DID NOT ask if the crabapples were in bloom.

Traffic to the garden was light. Since it was one of the first sunny days in weeks, the parking lots were full but I found a place by the walking path. My knee had been acting up in the morning so I planned a shorter walk, maybe sit at more places.

Entering the Garden, I overheard a child pointing at a turtle underwater. The turtle was huge, reminding me of turtles in Hawaii. I tried to capture it with my camera but it was too far away to get a good shot. Stopping to sit at a bench, I noticed a woman using walking sticks and asked a couple of questions. Two years younger than me, she shared my paternal grandmothers name. She uses the sticks for balance, finding them more useful than a cane.

I decided I would confine my picture taking to flowers that I might want to paint. In the next Garden, I noticed a woman taking pictures with an I-Pad. She was having problems. Stopping to talk to her, I learned that the crabapple trees were not in bloom. They would need another week with warm temperatures.

Thankfully the waterfall was running. I stopped to rest on one of the benches and noticed another woman walking with the walking sticks. She shared that hers had a spring on the bottom which made them easier to use. I don’t know if I’m ready for a cane or walking sticks. But gathering information never hurts.

Sadly my knee started acting up again. I decided to cut my walk short, and get something to eat at the cafe. The salad that I had enjoyed was sold out, I would have had to settle with a pasta salad. The lines made me reconsider. Shortening my stay at the Garden I headed back for my car.

15 minutes to the Kennedy the sign announced when I was driving on the expressway. I was glad I left early. I only passed a couple of exits when the traffic slowed to a crawl. I exited at the next exit. Turning on the radio, I heard a truck had smashed into a bridge, taking out two lanes of traffic. I was very glad I had left the Garden early. THANK YOU!

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