Sunday

Alzhiemers

I want to relate my experiences of taking care of people with Alzheimer. Especially one.

Right now I am with an 89 yr old woman (she will kick my butt ... two months she will be 90) that is just one of the sweetest ladies you could meet. And when I say "Lady". She is.
She has been round these parts all of her life. She has family all up and down the hills and dales. And the corn and the tobacco fields as well. Oh and cotton.

This lady was born and bred in these parts. Went to the old Triune Academy, bought a grocery store in College Grove, dated her husband for 9 yrs before marrying him for Petes sake. This is one grand lady.
I won't tell you her name because I respect her privacy.
But this woman is .. WOW. The stories I can coax out of her when her mind is clear.. just blows my mind. She went to ice cream socials with her first cousin every chance they got. They hung out together and got into all kinds of mischief. Hay rides, Church revivals, Sunday church socials.. didn't matter if they had an invite there or not.

This wonderful lady remembered everyone's birthday and had a card with a 5 dollar bill that many! to this day still have in their possession. She has been going to the same hair dresser for over 25 yrs now. Before that? she went to one hair dresser for 20 yrs.!
When you go into town with her... Everyone stops to say "Hi Miss M..." How are you" This woman was a corner stone for lives that have come and gone.
She has a delightful daughter and 3 "not to shabby Grandsons".
This woman is special and it pours out of her with her love for everyone she meets.
It doesn't matter that now with her Alzheimer she doesn't "Quite" know who you are. This woman's love for her friends and past customers and neighbors is unending!.
She thinks of and is concerned about each and every person she comes into contact with.
This rare quality is a time gone by. A time of making sure your neighbors had help when the barn burned down. A time when the kids next street over .. even when Daddy wasn't making the money to feed the kids. those kids were fed.
I feel privileged to have her in my life.

Small Towns

I've said it before. I say it again. Living in a small town and trying to maintain your privacy is ... HELL.
Who Are You.
Who Is Your Kin.
I've Never Heard Of Them.
No, I didn't go to Triune High School in 1950, no I didn't go to Eagleville High school in 1990.. although my children unfortunately did.
Vice Principle Holton at the time was hell on wheels. Now that she is Principle I am thankful my children are long gone. Can't recount the times I spent in her office arguing with her about the difference between the need to educate or bathe the kids coming out of the tobacco fields. Both equally balanced in importance of the times ... Hers just happened to be 30 yrs ago.


Well... yeah I imagine you haven't heard of me, since I've only lived here 20 yrs and I damn well protect my privacy.

Tuesday

Gardening

Made up two 4x8 raised beds using these instructions from The Pioneer Woman. I combined the raised bed with a square foot gardening system. (I only made mine one board high. Had to be frugal with the dirt.)

One bed has been planted with vegetables, herbs and flowers, the other is sitting empty till I get more top soil together.

With all the rain we have had here in Middle Tennessee, I was worried my seed would rot in the ground. Nope. It's coming along nicely. This I believe is because they are sitting up higher in the raised bed and draining.

I have peas along the back North side in half of the bed, zucchini and yellow long neck squash in the other half. Then coming South is one tomato, one bell pepper, oregano and parsley.
Then beets, carrots, lemon thyme, sweet basil.
Then! garlic, spinach and cosmos.

While my neighbors seed rotted in the ground. My garden is growing like a huge weed.
Daily I pull any weeds and check for insects.

Can hardly wait to start harvesting.

Saturday

Bee Buzzed

Looking forward to starting up Bee Keeping next year.
Have ordered a couple of catalogs:
Betterbee-Beekeeping supplies
Dadant
Reading a book:
The New Complete Guide to Beekeeping
And! getting my backyard ready to plant bee friendly.
So far, the last week has been spent cutting, hauling and burning brush. TN is great for plants. Sigh.
Bought Benadryl to stop the poison ivy reaction I am having. The creme and the pill form. Forgot the pill makes me so sleepy I need to be horizontal before I take one.