Aging

Someone told me recently that I am "young at heart". That sounds good to me.

I guess I am young at heart. I hope so. Seventy-six sounds so very, very old. Well, it IS very, very old. I do get annoyed at doctors when I mention my age. Every one of them immediately interrupts me to assure me that age is only a number and I should be "thinking young". Doctors, of all people, should be able to deal with the fact of age - and help us deal with it. You learn not to mention the word "age" or the word "death" to a doctor. They jump right on it and decide that you must be depressed. I am not depressed. But I am intelligent enough to know that I am old, and that I will die soon. It shouldn't come as news to them, nor to anyone. It doesn't bother me - It's just a fact of life. You live, you grow old, and eventually you die. I don't think death is anything to fear, or even to worry about, so why are they so touchy about it?

The thing is, people keep suggesting things like going to the Senior Center. I don't do that. It's fine for a lot of people. It isn't for me. I don't like old people much. One at a time - or a couple - that's OK. We enjoy conversation, reminisce. We have the same memories, and that's a good thing. But a whole room full of old people? No thank you. I enjoy being with young people, or with a group of all ages together. Old people forget things, and repeat themselves. Oh, yes. I forget things all the time, and repeat myself, too. But I don't want to listen to all those other old people doing it. And some old people are really rude! They seem to think that age gives them the right to do and say whatever they please, regardless of what it does to the people around them. Or maybe they are angry and frustrated because they are unable to do things they used to, and they take it out on others.

There's a problem with being young at heart. You forget that the body just won't cooperate any more. You try to jump up impulsively and do whatever it is you just thought of, only you're stopped halfway through the jump, and you have to sit back down and rethink it.

Perversely, I get very impatient with my children because they don't seem to understand that I am old. They expect me to act just the way I used to. I can't. I think that adult children tend to continue for a long time to think of their parents as they did when they were twelve years old. And even later, as they begin to realize that the parent is older, they really don't want to believe that he or she is no longer able to do things as they used to. It took me about a year and a half to persuade my son to build me a handicap ramp. He kept telling me I didn't need one. Ironically, the incident that finally did persuade him and sent him running out to buy the lumber, really had nothing to do with my need for it. He saw me fall. I was just walking across the lawn, and must have slipped or something, and went down. It made an impression on him, even though I wasn't struggling to get up the steps.

It's kind of weird being old, and not feeling old. If I'm in a crowded waiting room, and an elderly person comes in, I still feel the impulse to jump up and give them my seat. And it still takes me by surprise when people do something like that for me. But it's nice!

The gray hair and the cane definitely do bring certain advantages.

Click and Clack

Do you enjoy Car Talk on NPR as much as I do?


Tom and Ray Magliozzi (Click and Clack), for those of you who aren't familiar with the show, are just hilarious as they take calls from people all over the country who have auto-related questions. They also manage along the way to give out some pretty good advice. It's on Saturdays and Sundays, around two I think. I don't get to hear it as often as I'd like. They were also the voices in the animated movie, Cars.


Anyway - my whole point is that this Wednesday, July 9th, a new series is starting.
It is also animated, and is called As the Wrench Turns. It's on PBS - WHYY at 8:pm. I guess, if you do listen to them, you probably know this already, so it's just a reminder on my part. I know I'm going to watch. Hope it's as good as their radio program. If it isn't, Ill be surprised, and really disappointed.


You can go to cartalk.com and listen to the show if you want to.

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So, what other news of great import may I impart to you today? Let's see.

Lisa told me about a web site that I like. It's called Snap Shot Cape May. And guess what it's about. Oh - you guessed. It has great pictures of all kinds of places and events in and around Cape May. Kind of fun.

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Ever go driving down Route 9, and suddenly see a very large cow standing by the side of the road? Never fear. It's just Cheesecake World.


Don't mind me. I'm in a silly mood today.


You know, I should start getting paid for all these plugs.
But that would take all the fun out of it.

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One of my favorites.






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OK. This is getting seriously silly. And I am in danger of losing any readers I have attracted up to now. I'm even beginning to frighten myself. Better close before I go right off the edge. Maybe a nap would do it. That's it! I'll take a nap.

Sunrise

It isn't very often these days that I manage to get these old bones moving early enough to catch the sunrise, even though I do believe that it is the best part of the day. Today I did it.


Even during 4th of July weekend, at 6:am you have the streets pretty much to yourself. Only the fishermen venture out at that hour.


I drove down to Cape May. It was a cloudy morning. No brilliant red and gold in the sky. But I thought it was pretty. I stopped first along Route 109 at the spot where fishermen had pulled up in their pick ups and set out on their party boats for the day. Mostly tourists. I really couldn't find much elbow room there, so I went on down the road to the Fishermen's Memorial. There, I was alone. No party boats. Just a few sail boats riding at anchor.



The lovely statue of the widow and children stood with me, watching the sun struggling to rise through the clouds.


It was very peaceful and quiet. As much as I love people, I also love my solitude, and really appreciated that peace.



I haven't been down to the Memorial for quite a while. There is also a large marble monument where the names of all of the Cape May fishermen lost at sea have been inscribed. I see that their families and friends have been bringing small tokens to leave, as they would at graves in a cemetery. Many more names than I remember.


There are now daisies, lilies, and several other flowers planted around the statue. Really lovely. Someone has done a beautiful job here. The garden had not been planted the last time I was here.




I enjoyed my quiet visit, and as I drove home, the sun did make a valiant attempt to break through.


It almost succeeded for a short time.


Later in the day it did manage - at least for a while. Maybe it will stay with us long enough for the yard sale across the street to be successful.

Independence Day

It's the 4th! Have fun! Be safe doing it, please.

And at some point during your day, Maybe try to pause and think of the 4113 men and women from our country who have died in Iraq - so far - and think of their loved ones at home and how they will be celebrating.

Think of the coming Presidential election. Will you blindly vote the party line this time? Or will you give real thought to what has been going on in our country?

It's OUR COUNTRY! It doesn't belong to politicians. It belongs to US. And it will belong to our children and their children.

I was listening to Mr. McCain's political ad on TV the other day. They spoke of gas prices - a sore subject for us all today. What was Mr. McCain's answer? He has new catch words: "Energy Security". And he's talking about "Domestic Drilling". That scares the hell out of me!

Never mind. I'm not going to go on a further rant about politics. I'm really not articulate enough to get my point across anyway. I let my emotions get in the way too often.

Please, do yourselves a favor. Click on a link here. Go over to Dianne's blog, and read what she has to say about time she spent with friends at the V.A. She writes so well, and you might be interested in what she has to say, as well as some of the Vets. It will only take a few minutes. Then you can go back to the bar-b-q.

200 Days Left

Unless my figures are off - that's what is left, folks. From all indications it is going to be a very loooong 200 days.

Sky Watch

The sky in this week's pictures is reflected in gazing globes. All four have been found in the gardens surrounding the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse in North Wildwood, New Jersey. I came across each of these globes during different years, and in each one you can find reflected the lighthouse itself as well as the garden surrounding it, and the sky above.


















Each summer the gardens at Hereford are different from the previous year. I have rarely been disappointed. Thousands of local people and tourists have been through them, and I imagine that thousands of photographs have been taken there.










I don't know why the globes fascinate me so, but they always have, and I usually attempt to capture the lighthouse in each one, and to avoid finding an image of myself there as well.




The most recent is this one, surrounded by yellow flowers.
which we saw on a visit two weeks ago.







If you visit Wigger's World, you will find our kind host, Tom, without whom there would be no Sky Watch, and a list of more than 200 participants in Sky Watch Friday.