Graduations are being held all over the country....

and we went to see our youngest granddaughter graduate from high school last Friday night. 

We met up with the rest of the family and went to Hickory Tavern for dinner. While seated at a tall table, my granddaughter's sister reached for her glass of water (a giant one) and knocked it into her sister's (the graduate's) lap; drenching her from lap to feet.  She had on a pretty yellow dress with a chiffon overlay, and it was dripping.  That put a considerable damper on the festivities, as she had to go home and change. When she returned, she was not hungry. I felt sorry for her.

Then we went to the football stadium at her high school (Union Pines in Moore Co., NC, near Pinehurst) This photo appeared in their local paper that Sunday. You can find me by looking for the q-tip white hair (below the balloons) on the far right. I am surrounded by 7 of my family; three kids and two grandkids, and my son-in-law. Jim stayed at home; his knee has been bothering him and even with a walker, he would have had a hard time negotiating the parking lot and field.

The grads enter the field; it was 7:30 pm and 88*.

Notice how far we are from the graduates and the stage?  I cannot fathom why they would set up the field this way. Why not place the chairs and stage between the bleachers; not at the far end of the field? Hardly anyone could see or hear anything that went on. 

The principal asked that no one shout and scream when their graduate's name was called, so that everyone could hear....of course, it did no good at all. How inconsiderate!! In fairness, the yells were short enough that most names could be heard, but it was not nice of those people to disregard the request for quiet.

When we left the stands, it was 82* (8:45 pm) and we were all drenched with perspiration. I would have liked nothing more than a shower and something to drink - but we headed home for the hour-long ride. This is our last graduation for a while.  Two more granddaughters will graduate college in the next few years and this latest graduate in 4 years. It is wonderful to see all of them getting a good education; I hope they all realize how lucky they have been, and show gratitude to their mother, who made it possible.

On Saturday, I went to a play.....

And despite the sad premise, I enjoyed it.  Below is a pic of the stage, minus a very fancy hospital bed. The whole play takes place in a hospital room and doctor's office. 

The main character has become a paraplegic, due to a car accident.  She has been in the hospital for 5 months and wishes to leave. The docs tell her she will die if they release her - which is what she wants - rather than to live in a bed for the rest of her life. 

I won't give away the ending....

This is the stage, with the nurse's station and doc's office in the rear.



I was impressed with the cast, crew and director of this play and I will look forward to seeing some of their productions in the future.

Big Doings in May

Two graduations down and one to go. Our younger grandson graduated from UNC - Greensboro with a bachelor of science in Biological Anthropology; winning five awards, including outstanding senior in anthropology. We are so proud of him. He leaves in August to start his doctorate in NYC with a consortium of NY colleges and universities. We celebrated with dinner at Green Valley Grill at the O'Henry Hotel. I ate shrimp atop a kale salad, but the dressing was way too sour for me.

His older brother graduated yesterday from NCSU with a bachelor of science in construction engineering. No awards, but getting through that rough curriculum is enough. We celebrated his graduation and early Mother's Day at Lucky 32 in Cary. The catfish was excellent and I am sure to return soon for an encore. 

Between those two events, I attended a going-away luncheon for a former neighbor who is moving to California. It was held at Farina (the former Paparazzi) at Lafayette Village in Raleigh. I had Carbonara and it was really good. That night, my son and I ate at our favorite Mexican place, Los Tres Magueyes, and I had fajita quesadillas. They were scrumptious. 

On Wednesday, my granddaughter came for dinner with a guy from her school, who had just graduated from UNC-G in Business Admin.  I cooked  pork tenderloin, baked potatoes and fresh green beans, with cherry pie for dessert. 

If I don't quit eating like this, my next doctor's appointment will not go well, as the scale will tip into the danger zone for me.  My birth mother told me that she gained five pounds per year in the last 5-10 years of her life, and it was not hard to do it. I can vouch for that now. I wish I had adopted good eating habits in my younger days, but when I smoked, I could eat my weight every day and never gain a pound. When I quit smoking, that rapidly changed, but it was too hard to limit myself, as I had never had to. Lesson learned too late for me - but take heed if you are younger.

I wanted to include photos here, but it is too complicated at the moment. If I figure it out, they will come later.  

Passing Too Fast

Edited below:

Time is, that is. I can hardly believe we are at the end of April 2018 already. Seems like only yesterday......

We have a busy May coming up; three grandchildren are graduating between now and June 8th. Then there are several luncheons, Mother's Day,  doc's appointments,  etc.  Plus the cat needs to go to the vet and it is time for my annual mammogram. I go see a movie nearly every Saturday afternoon at our clubhouse, as well as a documentary or foreign film once a month. Sat. we saw "Lady Bird" which was good, and the documentary yesterday was titled "Young@Heart". I heartily recommend this one, if you can find it. It is a good lesson on staying young as best you can while heading into old age. Music can help, as can community with like-minded people. I am so lucky to have that.  

At the movie on Saturday, a couple approached my table and asked if they could sit with me. I agreed and we began to chat. I asked them how long they had lived here in the area, and she replied one day. Then I asked where they moved from, and she said Charleston, WV  (my home town.)  Imagine my surprise!! She went to my high school, but graduated 5 years after I did. We chatted a bit more, but I never heard their last name. I hope I run into them again soon. I think they were brave to attend the movie on their first full day here; I'd have been busy unpacking boxes!!

Spring has finally arrived and flowers are blooming all around. The fruit trees have all gone now, but roses are popping out daily. I wish I could do some gardening; my flower beds need trimmed and weeded and pruned  (so do I) lol, but I have a hard time getting to it (can't kneel or bend over).  Oh, well, they will get on without me. So many things do.

Edit:  I forgot to mention that I visited an old friend in her nursing home this week. She turns 93 on May 1st. About a month ago, she had an aneurysm and was taken to the hospital and operated on. I was pleasantly surprised to see her looking well - considering her age and recent troubles. The poor thing is enduring physical therapy and all sorts of medical treatments. We always go out to eat for our birthdays, although not always on the day or even in the week of......but this time we have to wait until she is healed and able to leave the nursing home. I hope that comes soon!  

A Day so Busy that I was not on Facebook until 10:00 pm!

We had company for an early dinner today and I was so busy getting ready for them that I had no time to get on Facebook until after 10:00 pm - which is not the end of the world -  but surely late for me. 

Our guests are some we do not see often (unfortunately) and we always enjoy their company. I made lamb chops (rapidly becoming my favorite "company" meal); sauteed asparagus and gingered carrots. Two apple pies awaited - one to eat and one to take home.  Everything was delicious (according to Jim) and I say the dessert was to die for.  I meant to take a photo of the platter of chops, but as usual, I forgot. Too eager to dig in, I was.

One brought me a gorgeous orchid plant and the others brought 8 jars of home-made jam/jelly and 2 doz. fresh  eggs!! They are pretty too - shades of blue/green/tan. I am grateful for those gifts! 

I did not make our usual poached eggs for breakfast today, so I think I will do that tomorrow. It's no wonder I cannot seem to lose any weight. I have been cooking more over the last 5 months than I have in the past 5 years. My son is here often for dinner and I really enjoy feeding him! Unfortunately, I eat more as well. 

A visit to the doc this past week resulted in her cleaning wax out of my right ear; after which I could hear better, but now I also get terrible feedback from my hearing aid in that ear. I can't understand why. 

My doc said my lab results are nearly perfect; I am pleased to hear that and have no idea why....lol  It's not like I'm trying for the record. 

Daughter One called tonight; she has just returned from a 10 day cruise to the southern Caribbean, which she pronounced a good trip.  I am pleased for her that she got to go, as she works very long and hard hours as a cardiac nurse. Having three children in college, she works her butt off!! 

Speaking of that, we have several graduations to attend in May; two from college and one from high school. It is hard to believe that our grandchildren are old enough for that. I pray for good weather for the outdoor graduations. 

So... here I am at midnight, perusing Facebook and writing this post. It's a good thing I can sleep late tomorrow!!

No News, Good News and Bad News

No news?  refers to my new glasses. The store has not called yet to say they are ready and I am still having headaches (from wearing an old pair, I think.) I am really looking forward to the new ones, and if I still have headaches, I can blame it on the pollen that has appeared overnight everywhere.


Good News?   Moppet turns three this week, and while her living to this age (and still being in our home) was not promised, she has settled down a bit more than last year, so there is hope for the future.  I do have a rather nasty scratch on my arm from last week. I hope that will be the last one.

We had a nice family get-together on Easter. Daughter One had to work and two grandchildren were out of town, but the nine of us enjoyed our buffet. It was overpriced for what they had - but isn't that true of almost all buffets?

Bad News?  My good friend Nancy (93 years old on May 1st) had a brain aneurysm then angioplasty and remains in the ICU after 6 days. She came through the surgery okay, but her blood pressure is erratic and she is too weak to eat, so she has a feeding tube. That's not easy for anyone, but especially a 90+ year old! Please say a prayer for her recovery.

On Easter, I wore a new (never worn, but older) pair of "thigh high" hosiery.  The left one was fine, but the right one fell to my knee (or below) every time I walked to the buffet. Luckily, my dress was mid-calf, so I don't think anyone saw it hanging at half-mast, but what an annoyance!!  I hate panty-hose, but I don't think I will ever buy another pair of thigh highs; it is money down the drain!

I must be living right!

Today I went to the place I usually buy new glasses, expecting to pay a boat load of money for them. I soon found a frame I liked and sat down to be measured.  My daughter mentioned an insurance we all have that gives us discounts on such things.  I didn't have my card with me, but she had hers. The optician had never heard of the program before, but he looked it up on their computer and said it gives a 5% discount. Well, as you know, 5% is better than nothing.

The guy started measuring my eyes and eventually said they would discount my new glasses by $40  (even though that was more than 5%. I was ecstatic - plus the lenses didn't cost as much as the last pair - bringing the cost even lower than I expected.

Then the good news:   I get a refund once a year from the use of that store's credit card.  I had no idea how much it was this year, but they checked and said I'd get $50 back. So my glasses cost less than $90 below the cost of my last pair.

Can you say "VERY HAPPY WOMAN?" 

I'm supposed to get them within 7-10 days, so I'll let you see what they look like later.