INHALE THE FRAGRANCE OF SPRING RAIN

“Has it stopped raining yet?” That’s the first question someone will ask on a rainy day.  Most of us find rainy days depressing.  But wait. Walk outside after the rain stops.  Smell the sweet, damp, fertile earth.  Enjoy the scent of lilacs  and hyacinths in the air. Inhale the fragrance of spring rain.

If you live in an apartment, you can walk to a park or drive to a college campus and enjoy the fragrance of spring
NOW IS THAT TIME OF YEAR TO ENJOY THE FRAGRANCE OF FLOWERS AND TREES AFTER A SPRING RAIN.

What if you’re a big city apartment dweller?  Ride your bike, walk, or drive your car to the nearest park, or college campus.  This week, you might see magnolias in full bloom, or other flowering trees with pink and white blossoms.  It’s a magical wonderland.

For me, spring is offering fresh hope for my rose garden.  For two years now, i have planted rose bushes and seen them struggle for survival during the strange, hot dry summers we’ve endured.  Five of them survived the winter, and I bought a dozen more at Rural King, employing the help of a young man to help me plant them.

After researching the care of roses on the internet, I discover I made some serious mistakes.  I didn’t realize you’re supposed to soak the roots of the new bushes overnight before planting.  Then, after digging an 18 inch hole, you’re supposed to fill the hole with water before planting each rose.  Water, Water.  I planted the poor things with dry roots, in dry soil, and thought I could spray them with the hose for awhile.  That wasn’t giving them nearly enough water. But it got worse during the summer.  I watered them every night over the top of the leaves, and several of them got infected with bugs, or rotted.

This year is going to be different.  We got two inches of rain this morning and I’m already seeing new growth on my little rose canes.  It’s supposed to rain off and on all week, so I won’t have to do a thing. And when the rain stops, I will water them at the bottom, no more than every four days.

I’m loving spring, and looking forward to roses blooming in June.  Fingers crossed.

SHOULD WE BAN CARS AND TRUCKS?

Having never owned a gun, or even fired one, I am not a member of the NRA.  On the other hand, my husband grew up on a farm in Nebraska where guns were considered a necessity for hunting and self defense.   Every time  a mass shooting occurs, there’s an outcry for more gun control, which is a reasonable reaction.  Why, then, don’t we have the same response when a car or truck mows down a bunch of pedestrians.  Should we ban cars and trucks?

Since cars and trucks are proven to be deadly, should we ban them from the road?
CARS AND TRUCKS KILL MORE PEOPLE THAN WARS AND GUNS

What if would-be shooters can’t find or buy a gun?  Does that erase the hatred in their hearts or the insanity in their brain?  Probably not.   If they really want to carry out their despicable acts, they will find a way.  As in the case of 9/11, simple weapons like box cutters—not guns—caused the death of thousands of Americans.  And now, we’re seeing more and more groups of pedestrians being mowed down by trucks or cars.  Just yesterday, a man was arrested in Washington DC  hours before he carried out his horrific plan to ram a U Haul truck into as many pedestrians as possible.. Afterward, there  was not a single suggestion from anyone, any where in the media, that called for a ban on U Haul trucks.

As a matter of fact, vehicles cause more deaths than wars or diseases.  Witness the alarming carnage on the nation’s highways over holiday weekends.

The point I’m trying to make is that even if there were no guns available anywhere in the world, someone who’s determined to wreak havoc on their fellow human beings will find a way. Look at the Boston Marathon bombers.  While it’s illegal for US citizens to own an explosive device without a permit,  that didn’t stop the  Oklahoma Bomber.  Arson is another tool for the criminal mind.  Shall we ban matches and cigarette lighters?

We can ban every potentially lethal product in the world, but we can’t eliminate hatred and criminal insanity.

6 REASONS TO GET SOME SUN THIS WEEK.

Sun tanning has gotten a very bad name, due to worries about skin cancer.  And rightfully so.  I’m not recommending that you cook your skin until you look like a lizard.   But now is the time for Hoosiers to catch a few rays without much worry.  Here are 6 reasons to get some sun this week.

# 1.  It isn’t too hot, yet.  To me, there’s nothing more uncomfortable than lying out in the sun when it’s 80 plus degrees.  You’re  sweating and burning, and it’s just plain miserable.   But spring sun  is gentle, and the cool air is not so humid.

#2.  You’re  probably looking a bit pasty after being shut inside all winter.  Hopefully, you took your vitamin D, but that didn’t brighten your skin at all.  It’s important to use sunscreen, but that won’t prevent a few rays of ultra violet light from giving your face a little color.

#3.  The bees and mosquitoes are still in hiding.  You can enjoy the cool air and sunshine without swatting away bees and angry wasps that are headed straight for your skin.  Another week, when the magnolias and other flowering bushes and trees are in bloom, those busy little pollinators will be out in full force.

#4.  It will brighten your mood.  Many of us suffer from seasonal affective disorder without being aware of it.  For some, SAD is a very serious problem, leading to suicidal thoughts.  But even the happiest souls feel a little  blue toward the end of  winter, when they tire of looking at gray skies and barren landscapes.

#5.  A little morning sunshine will help you sleep better.

#6.  You will probably get more exercise the natural way on a sunny day.  Get out of that stinky gym, plant some flowers, ride your bike,  or take a walk in the park.   You might even lose a few pounds.

Experts recommend that everyone  should get 15 to 20 minutes of sunshine each day. Just don’t overdo it!

WANT JOE BIDEN TO SMELL YOUR HAIR?

New reports  show former vice president, Joe Biden,  kissing and smelling  a woman’s hair.  Aside from the creepiness,  I see this as an extremely egotistical act.   Apparently, he imagines that any woman would be thrilled to be nuzzled  by himself. But, would you want Joe Biden to smell your hair.?

Joe Biden is not only creepy, he's egotistical. He imagines that young women welcome a creepy old politician sneaking up from behind and smelling their hair.
ISN’T IT RATHER EGOTISTICAL FOR JOE BIDEN TO ASSUME WOMEN WANT HIM TO SMELL THEIR HAIR?

Let’s turn the tables here.  Instead of an old geezer like Biden nuzzling a younger woman, imagine if an elderly lady such as Judy Dench came up  behind some young man and started smelling and kissing him?   Would he feel flattered?  Would he welcome her actions as a sign of support?  Or would he see her as a nasty old lady who could be in the first stages of dementia?

The nationally syndicated newspaper journalist ,  Kathleen Parker , defended Biden’s hugging- smelling- kissing routine in her latest op ed column, stating that this  is merely something southern  people do.   No dear, they don’t.  I have two granddaughters,  born and raised in Atlanta, and I can assure  you they would not welcome some old guy sneaking  up from behind, rubbing their shoulders and smelling their hair.

The smelling part is really weird.   It’s almost perverted.  I thought only dogs sniffed strange women.

Some  people are touchy-feely-huggers.  They will throw their arms around anyone who  walks in the door.  I once knew a person  who hugged  everyone.  But later, when the huggee was not present, she might severely criticize that very person she hugged on an earlier occasion.  Obviously, her hugs were not a sincere sign of affection—she was simply a good actress, playing the role of a warm, loving person.

I only hug people whom  I sincerely care about and feel close to.  Or perhaps to show sympathy for someone who’s going through a difficult time.  I do not want, or welcome, hugs from casual acquaintances or politicians.  A light tap on the arm is all that’s needed if you want to show that you’re glad to see me.   You  really  don’t need to smell my hair.

ARE YOU TOO OLD TO BUY A NEW STOVE?

About six years ago, my oven door became  slightly loose.  In  order to shut it tight,  I had to prop a kitchen chair under the handle.   The repairman said that after 25 years, they  no longer had parts to fix the hinge. That’s when I had to make a decision. When are you too old to buy a new stove?

I reasoned that I seldom used the oven, now that my days of hosting holidays meals were in the past.  The burners worked fine, and I mostly used a small toaster oven. My husband was 82 and I was on the backside of 70.  The possibility of one of  us getting sick, and having to sell the house  in the near future,  seemed like a good reason not to invest in a new stove.

In the years that followed my children teased me when I had them over for lasagna and had to prop the oven  door shut .  And then, last year, the knobs on one of my burners got twisted and couldn’t be replaced.  Now I was down to three burners.

At what age should you stoop buying new furniture and appliances?
Although we’re most comfortable with older appliances, you’re never to old to buy a new stove

My husband started making visits to appliance stores, coming back with pricing and information about a replacement stove.  I looked at a new stove, and it appeared very little changed from the one I currently had.  Seems they don’t make many changes in new appliances the way they do with automobiles.   Anyway, how would I feel if I bought a new stove, and had to go into a nursing home a month later?  What a waste!

Suddenly, this  year, we got a tax refund for the first time in our 30 years of marriage.  What would we do with this unexpected windfall?  A trip to Hawaii came to mind, but unfortunately, our traveling days are over, due to various physical limitations. Having spent 93 days decluttering our house,  we didn’t really want to start accumulating more household goods ..https://livingwellafter80.com/decluttering-diary-day-93/

 

And so, guess what we did today? Bought a replacement stove!

You’re never too old to buy a new stove.