Who's Your Neighbor

Are you a  good neighbor? Apparently I could be a much better neighbor. We live on a sort of semi-circle street that has about 25 houses on it. We have lived here for about 12 years. It is a pretty quiet street without much traffic except for the people that live on the street. Last weekend two of the woman from our neighborhood arranged a tea at this cute little restaurant and tea room in our little town for all the ladies that live on our street.

Out of the 14 or 15 neighbors that attended the tea there were three woman that I had never seen before. All three of them have lived on our street at least as long as I have. One of those three lives in a house that I can see the side of from my front door.....and I had never seen her before. Yes, I felt like a really bad neighbor.

I do know my immediate neighbors, a couple of houses each way next door and across the street, but I have obviously not done a good job of being neighborly beyond that. Most of the women knew me as the crazy lady they see walking the cute dog in all kinds of weather. I really enjoyed meeting and visiting with the neighbors that I did not know and would like to get to know them better. We talked about doing a block party this summer and I hope that will happen. I will definitely volunteer to help with that. I am determined to be a better neighbor (without becoming known as the crazy lady who walks the cute dog who waves them down for a chat when they drive by).

What do you do to be a good neighbor?

Quit Reminding Me

Image from Google Images

I complained wrote about this several years ago and in the ensuing years things have, if possible, gotten even worse. 

It is not that I don't know that I'm getting older. I'm not trying to deny that I'm getting older or to even ignore it completely. What I don't need is a nearly daily reminder in my mailbox.

My name seems to have landed on the mailing list of every company that markets their wares to "persons of a certain age". It is rare that a day goes by without the mailman bringing me information about a free dinner where I can learn how to manage my money in retirement, why I would love living in a newly opened retirement community or the advantages of pre-planned funerals. There are those who think I might be in need of an elevator like lift for my stairs or safety bars for my bathroom. My favorites are the ones telling me about the newest and best hearing aid, the most up to date adult diapers or a senior discount at a local restaurant. Nothing says fun like going out to a discounted dinner where I wouldn't even be able to hear the waiter tell me I had just wet my pants.

I know, the time will come when any or all of these great offers that come in the mail may be on my list of needs. Right now, I would much prefer to find a good offer in the mail for coffee or chocolate or anything that doesn't scream "You're Old!"

It Was A Dark and Stormy Night

In response to some questions from my previous post this is a rewrite of a post I wrote several years ago on my youngest daughter's birthday about the night she was born....in an elevator.

Let me tell you what my mom said

      about the night I was born

It was a dark and stormy night.... I know, I'm sorry, but it really was. There had been rain , thunder and lightning with tornadoes bouncing around us all through the evening. Streets were already flooded and the rain was not letting up.

My baby was due that day. It was getting late enough that I had given up hope that it  would come on the due date. The older kids were already asleep and we were heading to bed at about 10 p.m. That's when I got a sure sign that something was starting to happen. We called the doctor and he said he would meet us at the hospital. We called my in-laws to come stay with the kids and waited nearly an hour while they made their way across town through the storm.

My pains were getting pretty bad by the time we finally headed for the hospital, making several detours because streets were closed by the downpour. I'm sure I was very polite the whole way saying things like "take all the time you need" and "just be careful", or maybe not.

We made it to the hospital, checked in at the front desk, and a very young orderly brought out a wheel chair and invited me to have a seat. It was at that point that I realized that sitting wasn't an option. The baby was coming, right then and there. Instead of primly having a seat, I dropped my pants and and sprawled back into the wheel chair. My husband bent down and looked and said "yeah, its coming, its got some hair." Nothing says dignity like being laid out in a wheel chair in a hospital lobby with your shoes on and your pants and underwear hanging off one ankle.

The, by then, very white-faced young orderly spun the wheel chair around and headed for the elevator. By the time we reached the maternity floor I was holding a beautiful, 8 lb. 9 oz. baby girl in my arms. She was born at 11:55 p.m. on the day she was due. The doctor had some problems getting to the hospital through the storm and arrived about an hour after the baby did. Like I said, it was a dark and stormy night.

Thank You, Shady

Thank you to my friend Shady Del Knight at Shady Dell Music & Memories for choosing me as one of the bloggers with whom he is sharing an award given to him. The award is the Liebster blog award and according to Shady,  Liebster  is a German word that roughly translates as "dearest" . A visit to Shady's blog is a wonderful trip (and education) into the world of music and more.

Among the requirements of the award is to answer 11 questions posed by Shady and to reveal 11 facts about myself. 

At the risk of entering TMI territory, here are Shady's questions and my answers, followed by 11 facts about me. (I'll try not to be too wordy)

1. If you have a pet or pets, do you seem them as merely animals, or are they members of your family?

Our dog, Dodger, a 50 pound guy who came to live with us when he was about a year old is not only a member of the family but pretty much the head of the house.

2. Would you rather read a good book or watch a good movie?
I read books a lot more often than I watch movies so I guess my choice is to read a good book.

3. If you could have a dream come true, what would it be?

Due to my recent obsession with the British TV show Doc Martin, it would be a dream come true for me to be able to visit the Cornish village where the show is filmed.

4. What would you do with a billion dollars?
If a billion dollars landed in my lap I think the first thing I would do is call my attorney.
I actually think I would cope better with something in the millions than with a full billion.

5. If you could watch a creative person in the act of the creative process, who and what would it be.

My blog friend Jeanie at The Marmelade Gypsy is so creative in so many ways. I would love to be able to watch her at work.

6. What helps pull you out of a bad mood?
I don't get in bad moods very often, but planning something fun with friends or family is always a good way to cheer myself up.
And, er, well, uh....nice blog comment are always a good mood lifter. :)

7. What were you doing when you experienced the happiest moment of your life or felt most alive.
The births of my 7 grandchildren were definitely high points for me.

8. Would you rather be single and rich or married and poor?
Oh no, I think I will have to take the Fifth on this one. I can't think of any answer that would not tend to incriminate me.

9. If you are currently in a relationship, how did you meet your partner?
Doc and I met in sort of an unsavory way. A friend of his and a friend of mine were having an affair and without our knowledge were using us for "cover". We all ended up at Doc's house one night and it all came to light....it was very awkward and uncomfortable. It was several months before Doc and I even saw each other again.

10. Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?
This could be a long philosophical answer, but I think I will just be honest and say I really don't know.

11. If you could time travel, which decade or century would you most like to visit? Where in the world would you go? Would you want to stay in that place and time or return to the present?

There are many historical times that I would like to have a first hand view of like the royal courts of Henry VIII or Elizabeth I, or Imperial China, but I am sure I would want to quickly return to the present.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

11 facts (or as close as I can recall to fact) about myself, in no particular order.

1. I used to write a weekly newspaper column. Blogging reminds me a lot of that, except without the paycheck or the large number of readers.

2. My youngest child was born in an elevator.

3. I was a Polio Pioneer....when I was in 2nd grade I was a part of the first group of children to receive the polio vaccine.

4. I thought that once I reached this age that I would be a lot more mature about some things than I have turned out to be.

5. The most fun job I ever had was being an associate producer for a radio talk show.

6. I do not like to shop.

7. I have been lazier since (mostly) retiring than I thought I would be.

8. If it weren't for being away from my family I would like to live in England or Mexico for a part of each year.

9. I drink way too much coffee.

10. I worry  about staying relevant in the lives of my grandchildren as they get into their teenage years.

11. If I don't stop now and get this posted I am going to be late for lunch with a friend.

Thanks again, Shady, for sharing the Liebster award with me.