TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY!!    
I AM 80 YEARS OLD
TOMORROW I START THE TRIP TO BECOMING 81

redbird
the word writer

well I am still here...barely....seems that when you turn 80 special forces arrive to really mess up your life...so if some of you are close...don't tell anyone and for sure don't give out your address...
so it has been a tough month...one of those...doctor says all lab test or normal...humm guess you have never heard that before..and you are trying to explain to "new doctor"...what and how can I say to new doctor...I am sick...old doctor would say...Joyce this is what I think is wrong and this is what I think we should do...but  my forever doctor is gone..moved away...I was thinking I might just go sit in front of her old office and maybe her spirit might come by...

so things for me have been pretty slow at the farm...I have learned to take afternoon naps in my nest...but outside things are humming...doing some looking from my "watching chair"..and I can also tell you that I now am carrying 2 "comfort hankies" ...one in each pocket..that's how bad things have been..

remember when I told you that it was a "skirt alert day" which meant if you were wearing some type of dress or skirt you might be in danger of it blowing up...well we don't have those anymore...we now have...you know how in the three little pigs..one says...I will huff and puff and blow your house in...we now have "huff & puff" days everyday..

my neighbor Mary "from across the pasture" called yesterday to tell me that a turkey was wandering around my fence and in the pasture behind the house...she thinks it is a hen turkey...I wish it was a tom...and I could hear it gobble...other neighbor said she thought it was roosting in one of our big trees..the coyotes are running up and down the fence line now during the dark hours..and several other "things" seem to want to tunnel into the back yard as well...checking my supply of red pepper.

son has been really busy in the yard..he has mowed and cleaned and trimmed...it really looks nice...he also has built a new "high rise" for the birds...I wish I could show you a picture...he made it cat proof because we still have 3 yard cats..one is his favorite Ranger....now Ranger has developed a friendship with son...son lets him in the garage for napping during the day after a wild night on the town...or it could be that he is hiding after some romp with a lady friend...who knows..

the last two mornings I have got to sit on the front porch for a little while..doing some pondering and listening to the birds sing..for years we have had mocking birds and they like the front area so sat and listened to him singing away..he might could win American Idol or at the lest The voice...and suddenly I heard this banging..what ...it sound like a woodpecker...this mixed up bird was finally spotted and he was on the telephone pole...banging away..I had seen him some days ago..a big redheaded one...on one of the trees in the back yard...I don't know..maybe his GPS was broke...but he banged away for some minutes until someone told him...hey you are in the wrong place...tree not pole..
the little black birds were gathering twigs for nest building..seems like lots of stirring going on with everyone but me..however daughter came yesterday and she wanted to go to the "rock place" here in our town..see it is not really new but finding it open is sometimes hard to do...so she ask if I wanted to go and I said yes..got out my cane for walking on uneven stuff and we went..
now let me tell you about the rock place...it is HUGH...tables and bins of rocks almost as far as you can see..you can just walk around forever and if you are a rock person you could spend some time there...like weeks..now as I watched daughter look and hold and pick rocks..I wondered just what she was looking for...see I am not a rock person..but she like rocks and feathers..go figure..I watch the holding and finally the older gentleman who runs the shop came out to talk...and though I am not into rocks..he was interesting as he had a story about each and every "special rock"...he was a rock picker upper from way back..and now even at his age he and his brother go out and pick up rocks...some far and some near..I looked at him and said..you picked up these rocks...yes he said..now that is a true rock lover..and as I listened to his conversation with daughter things that struck her eye...she would ask for a price and he would say...that one is not for sale and tell the story about it where and why it was there..

one of the wonderful things here in the house...you don't need pen and paper for jotting down a note...enough dust on things you can just write what you want..
as you can tell it seems to be a down time for me...just trying to make it "day to day"
hope that all is good with all of you...until next time

redbird
the word writer

"getting old is not for wimps..

so how are all of you???

a couple of days ago...early morning I decided to go to the Mocking Bird concert..have you ever been....you should look for one in your area..it is so amazing that God could give this little bird the ability to make the sound of every bird and in such a wonderful way...
so I was off to the front porch...sat in my chair doing a little...pondering.. waiting for the curtain to rise..
I was lost in thoughts when I heard the first sounds ...coming from behind the curtain of leaves on the big pecan tree...sounds like he is warming up...I sat there an the music became louder and louder...so I am thinking today's performance is going to be in mystery..and in hiding....

SUDDENLY the music bird burst from the tree and landed on the telephone pole just in front of the house...and started with some "rock and roll"....he even did a little dance ...jumping up and down in time to his song...he was pretty good I must say...

SUDDENLY...a dove landed near him...well I wondered did he have a new music partner..and as the dove gave out several notes I knew right away...he would not get the job...
I went back yesterday morning but the mocking bird did not show..guess he moved to the next town...

I want to share with you a new problem that I am having...you see I have lost so much weight that I cannot keep up my pants..now in the winter I wear my jeans but in the summer I have some light weight cotton knit pants..100 % cotton is the key word here.....gosh I cannot keep them up...so I thumbed thru my "fat lady" catalog to see what I could find and there...just what I need ...so I ordered a pair and they arrived..."cotton and polyester"...there they go again making the items appear as they are not..so back they went...
BUT this does not leave me much choices...so I am doing a little pondering ...well surely there is something I can do..first to the pants..ok solution...use a jumbo paper clip...folded over and sure enough it works..so moving on..looking thru closet...hummm here are some mu-mu..that is what we use to call them..now they are called "loungers"..ok a couple of them look like they might work...so now I have some paper clipped pants and a couple of mumu...got it...

THEN...my friend Mary "from across the pasture" and her hubby Ron went on a little trip..to Branson MO...now as you know Mary loves to make little trips almost as much as she loves shopping..so she is telling me that as she makes her way down this shopping aisle in Branson...she hears something calling my name...Joyce....but she just goes on by...but coming back up the aisle...someone is YELLING my name...Joyce...so she stops and gets me a gift..and she brings it over to me..in a little red sack(my favorite color is red)....she takes it out and gives me a lovely (Mary's favorite word) little fridge magnetic...with a lovely lovely redbird...I  put it on my fridge right next to my treasured Thunder basketball schedule...now I have not heard it talking but it seems happy...

really having trouble sleeping..my pattern of sleep is sure gone to somewhere..and has not come back..around 4 AM my eyes pop open..and I am awake..no matter how still I lay...it will not come back..so that makes me want to take a nap during the day..and that makes me not sleep good at night...got the scene..SO...I devised a new sleep plan...when I get so sleepy during the day..I take my shower ...put on my pjs and just go to bed ..
NOW a couple of days ago I did just that...around 6 PM I was so sleepy so I hurried into my plan..shower and bed...and around 8:30 I woke up and looked at the clock..gee I slept late..I need to get up and think about getting lunch...it was not dark and thought it must be cloudy this morning..in the kitchen making my morning coffee and toast..son is on computer..so I went in and ask him if the morning paper had arrived...he looked at me strangely and said...mom it is night not morning...says I..you mean it is not tomorrow it is still today...yes mom...so I drank my coffee and ate my toast and went back to bed...maybe this plan is not going to work..

we are having much needed rain..thank goodness..towns around us were having to come up with lots of different plans and some of them did not sound good..
I am so missing my "forever doctor"...new doctor and I have not seemed to have found a comfortable ground...she is insisting that I see a doctor concerning a problem I have...maybe..

redbird
the word writer

"getting old is not for wimps"

these are some things you really need to know....

an egg will explode if boiled long enough...
and
1 slice of cheese = 1/4 cup of shredded cheese
just so you know

WOW AND WOW AND WOW....

you know the old song....where oh where has my little dog gone...where or where could he be....

looking today...where oh where has my blog count gone...again...

redbird

wellll here I am again.....somedays I wonder if that is going to happen...as being 80 has not be a bit of fun..some days breathing is a big event that I do look forward to...and all kinds of others things come out ...foot trouble..teeth problems..fight with spiders..and stumbles that just spring up out of nowhere..and people asking you ...how are you today...and you really want to tell them...but you just say "fine"..and you suddenly realize that it is almost July and half the time is gone until you turn 81...

now sometimes in life you have to do things that you really don't like and a few days ago was one of those days...it became apparent that a trip to "wally-world"  was needed...now you know the place...my most un-favorite store...now I just don't understand their thinking...my thinking is that coffee filters should be on the shelf with coffee...and not all the way across the store with something else...and I find that when you are sure you know where items are...they move them and of course all the helpers are in hiding..but finally got my items...and out the door
and as I was leaving I had a thought...now you know how sometimes a judge will give a person who has not acted nice  "community service"....why not make them do this service at "wally world"...I really think that would make a bigger...I will not do this again...than getting trash out of a ditch..you could just drive up to the store and hand those people your list and let them run all over the store..while you wait in comfort in a chair...laughing to yourself...and you could even say...good job when they returned with your items...and you could even have a "score card" to be turned in to the judge...

now I have several internet sites that sent me some of their valuable info ..and a couple of days ago...came the news of a new wonderful thing called...get ready.....mason jars salad...seems that someone has invented or at lest made this new item and wanted everyone else to try it...now I read down thru the article and decided that it was not for me..I will just stick to the old fashion way of a bowl..

well my friend Mary...from across the pasture...called to tell me her neighbor killed 3 snakes in her yard and Mary was on her way to the store to buy some of that...keep snakes out of your yard spray...oh that story almost made my heart stop..you know how afraid of snakes I am....

have found a new game on the internet that I played with lots of fun...you might like it..."Call of the Ages"....boy I was just sailing along until I came to the 24th step...now after playing that step over and over at lest 20 times...I cheated...you can you know..just cheated right on by the step to 25..it's ok no one will know..

my state of Oklahoma is becoming known for something new other than tornados...earthquakes...yes we are making headlines on some of the larger papers ...seems we have dozens of them some days..nothing earth shattering..just scary..tornados you can see but those earthquakes..just come on ...right into the door ...and throws stuff in the floor..

well that is about it for me..nothing exciting going on here...just trying to meet each day ...

redbird
the word writer

"getting old is not for wimps"

I have noticed that many things change as you get older...and one of the biggest things for me is TIME....I no longer measure anything in the amount of TIME that requires me to do something...I now measure it in STEPS...how many STEPS will it take to accomplish whatever it is that I must do...
how many STEPS does it take to make the bed...or how many STEPS does it take to get to the front door...you got the picture ...right...

another change for me is CONVERSATION....yup now I find that instead of CONVERSATION ...I spend time TALKING TO MYSELF...as you get older it takes lots of talking..need to get out of the chair...ok you tell self...on the count of three...put all the strength together..need to get into another room...you say to self..ok you are going to make this...just hang in there...almost done...

you see as you get older and the body seems to want to leave before you are ready...you find that many things change...others might not understand but that is OK...just have a long talk with yourself and you will make it

redbird
the word writer

"getting old is not for wimps"