The Atumnal Equinox

What a beautiful, sunny day.  A nice day to look out at all the fallen leaves on neighbor's lawns or go for a nice walk, up the Service Day, scuffing along in the leaves, smelling their fragrance.

Did I do that?  NO!  It's 92 degrees with humidity at 71% out there.  It is stifling!!

A week ago I had the furnace on during the night and in the morning.  Now I have the A/C on--all day long!

We are setting records, or so they say.  The pressure from Jose' out on the east coast, is keeping a cold front in Minnesota from coming in and cooling us off.

It is the weirdest feeling, to look out and see what appears to be a normal, September day and yet it feels hotter than July.

I am not liking this one bit!!!!

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Yesterday afternoon, I decided I wanted to make a casserole that I really like and it freezes well for future dinners. Got all the pans and ingredients out. 

Trying to chop the veggies, with my hand tremor, I narrowly missed cutting my left thumb. Sauteing the veggies, in the dang copper skillet, that I bought because I thought it would work great, the dang thing is so slippery that, again because of the tremors, stirring, veggies wanting to ride up the walls of the pan and escape onto the stove top or floor.

20 minutes into the process, my back was screaming so bad, I had to turn everything off and sit down.

10 minutes later--Turn the gas back on, get everything back up to heat again, add the rest of the ingredients and pour into the casserole dish. However, the skillet was so heavy, loaded with everything, I had a hard time getting it over to the casserole dish.

Now to sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Dump some cheese in my palm to sprinkle, a hand tremor occurs and the cheese goes flying, onto the stove, counter top, floor.

Hm-mm. Okay, just dump the cheese, outta the bag and in the middle of the casserole dish concoction and spread it around that way.

Sit down, rest back, wait for oven to pre-heat.

How to get heavy dish down and into the oven. I actually braced my legs like I was going to lift a bar-bell! Into the oven, slide it back to the middle. Oven heat feels like it is melting my glasses.

Now, I wait 35 minutes and hope the pot holders don't slip and I can get the thing on top of the stove to cool.

I used to love to cook elaborate dishes. Each vegetable chopped to the exact size. Standing at the stove for an hour, stirring and adding ingredients. Now--it is a tedious, painful, experience and one I won't repeat very soon.

ARGGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Dar called last night around 7:00.  "Dad has no energy.  He's been sleeping most of the day and now seems confused.  I just took his blood pressure and it's 80 over 50.  Do you think I should take him up to the ER?"

"Yes, as quickly as possible.  He could be going into heart failure."

"Okay--I knew that you'd know."

Wait.  What?  I am no nurse.  I don't want to be responsible for her Dad's health--for any one's health.  Wouldn't anyone with a lick of common sense know that the BP reading was too low to not get checked out?

I called her at 9:30.  They were still in the ER.  Dad was dehydrated.  He has been sneaking at not drinking his water again--for the 3rd time in 6 months.  Dar hands him a bottle of water and goes off about her business.  When she checks, the bottle is empty.  He confessed that he pours half the bottle in the plant on his chair-side table.  HAH!

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Sheila, Dar's friend stopped in late yesterday afternoon.  She is having a get-together this Sunday for dinner.  She has invited the two new neighbors that have moved in on both sides of her, also Dar, her Dad and me.

Of course, my first instinct was to give an excuse, but I couldn't find one, so I said, "Yes."

Sheila is an odd duck.  The antithesis of Dar.  Short and squat and very quiet.  Never married, about 60 years old.  She is Dar's pet, will do anything she asks and runs errands for her.

She is grilling a turkey that she was given last Thanksgiving, from her work.  It has been frozen all this time.  She's having dressing and mashed potatoes and Sweet Potato Pie  I have a few qualms--like her cats are allowed to sit and roam up on her counter tops.  Her trailer is crammed with all sorts of knick knacks and other stuff.  I will go with an open mind and meet the new neighbor's and try and be nice.  It is suppose to be only 88 degrees on Sunday. I hope she has air conditioning.

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I wrote about this Tuesday and still enjoying and watching the PBS, Ken Burns documentary on the Viet Nam War.  So many things that happened in the beginning years, I did not know about.  The government told us nothing of what was going on, except to report that we were winning.  Which of course, we never were.

The more I watch, the madder I get.  It was in 1967--or 1968, when most of my friends and others our age, lost their trust and belief in our government.  We were supportive in the early 60's, but by mid to late 60's, totally against it.  

We were born and brought up during WWII.  Our grand father's served in WWI and now our Uncles in WWII.  We were patriotic and very much believed in our government and supportive of their causes.  They were there to protect and guide us.

One reason I didn't vote in the 1964 election.  Oh, I voted, but I didn't check the box for either Presidential candidate.  Goldwater stated he would go over there and use everything we had to bomb North Viet Nam into submission.  Johnson stated, "I will not send your boy's to Viet Nam", which was a lie.

All any of the Viet Nam, north and south people, wanted was for the French to get out so they could form their own democracy and run their own government.

Ho Chi Minh, had written a letter to President Truman for talks and how to form their democracy.  The letter was never given to the President to read.  Ho went along with Russia and China (communists) who sent him aid and weapons.  Perhaps, if the President had read that letter..................................?

We never should have gone there in the first place.  Advisors--reminds me of what is going on in Iraq and Afghanistan right now.  Advisors.  Than, more and more troops will be sent in.

Pardon my crude language, but Viet Nam was F.U.B.A.R. from the beginning.

It's a good documentary though.  Not slanted to any political side, just shows interviews and phone calls between the President's and high ranking military men.

Every night at 8:00 on PBS.