It All Starts After 50

Humbling Experience

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:03:17 GMT

In the states, there is a saying of getting "smacked up side your head", meaning that you get a lesson in life in a rather direct and rude way. In my last entry, I profanely yelled at Willow for yet again getting into my seedlings and wreaking havoc. Well, the saga continues . . . .

I went directly downstairs after finishing my blog entry and started making our tea. She sat across the kitchen with her back to me and her ears back. Humpy little madam! So I continued on chastising her grumbly under my breath. Evening came, dishes cleaned up after tea, and she still sat there . . . pouting. Or so I thought. Finally she crawled into her little hammock on the radiator and slept. The next morning we got up to get ready for work, and she was still sullen and quiet. No amount of fuss or affection could get her to respond with a meow. I thought she was really in a right strop. When we came home that evening, she didn't come downstairs to greet us and in fact wouldn't even come to eat. I noticed that her little nose was dry and she was very warm. No meows, no stories, and that squinty huddled behavior continued.

The next morning I went to clean her sand tray (sorry for this, folks) and found gushes of blood in diarrahea. She was so weak that she couldn't even make it up the steps to her favourite spot to sleep while we were at work. Panic, panic!!

An emergency vet visit confirmed that she had a large bowel infection. Two shots later and two prescriptions to go, and we tootled off home with one very disgruntled cat. The first few days, she was so weak that we didn't have any trouble getting the pill down her gullet and squirting the pro-active tummy booster into her mouth.

Yesterday she started to talk again and even stretched out as far as she could on our rug in front of the fireplace. Her nose was nice a juicy and she was screaming for her tea. This morning she hid when it came time for her medicine. Okay, she's better. No doubt about it. The vet thinks that she just can't handle change in her diet. I had recently switched her kibble and had mixed it with the old half and half. It just was too harsh for her anyways - we think. Who knows?

All I know is that the guilt of fussing because she had been naughty seems awful now. Nothing like a good scare to sort out how important a pet is in your life! I called the states yesterday trying to sort out a retirement payment and she meowed into the phone too the whole time getting in her two cents worth too. I never even flinched. Before I would have been "Shhhhing" her the whole time. This is one of her favourite games. . . talking on the phone too. It is right up there with the habit of talking everytime one of us says something in a conversation. E and I seldom have a conversation without Willow discussing everything too. I swear she can say "No!!".

I just got back from the visiting the nurse with a foot infection. I came limping home with a prescription in my hot little hand. Imagine my astonishment when it was the exact same anitbiotic that Willow is taking! So Willow and I will gag down pills together. Bless. Life's too short to fuss over minor things. I think I'll just enjoy this little piece of skin and bones and china blue eyes and accept her on her own terms. E and I are her whole world. She deserves to live in it securely and happily.

Weekend Musings

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 15:18:55 GMT

This beautiful picture is taken in Pennsylvania where I grew up and spent all but the last four years of my life. It was taken last fall, but oh, isn't it beautiful?

This past week has not been an easy one for me. E became violently ill last Wednesday morning and has not been well since. He had violent tremors and was ice cold and then he started vomiting. The vomiting only lasted about three hours but the cold and the aftermath has been frightening. He is totally spacey and exhausted. He had a tremendous fever with this too. It almost sounds like malaria, but I know it can't be right.We drove to the garden centre today, and barely got in the door when he had to come home. I drove spectacularly though. Grinning here in spite of myself.

E and I had a long talk and have decided that it will not be worth it for me to get my qualified teacher status in this country. There is such a glut of teachers here and I am not one from the European Union. I would have to find a school to hire me as an unqualified teacher, and then sponsor me to get my qualifications and generally pay for most of it too. What school would do that when there are thousands of British teachers look for jobs and they are all qualified? So I have accepted that bitter pill. I don't blame the government for setting up those rules. I think a country should take care of its own citizens first. I can gain citizenship now, but I need the £655 to do so. Anyone out there with the ££££ to help me do this? Nah, I didn't think so. So this week has been one of stark reality and adjustment. My goal now is a much more modest one of getting my driving license over here. I sure would love to get that sorted. I really would. Sigh.

I planted Calendula seeds today. I saw on Gardener's World several weeks ago that one can make a wonderful cream with it that heals. The comfrey was finally planted out on the side of the garage that nothing but weeds grow in. I figure it might as well have a beneficial plant growing there as anything else. I gave up chitting potatoes and and finally planted them, and the sugar snap peas. I was so very excited to see the seeds at the garden centre, as I haven't seen them over here before. The borage still needs to go into the ground. Maybe after work one evening for that. I planted the Bee Balm (bergomot) today and it seems quite chuffed to be in the garden at last. The sweetpeas were transplanted into larger pots today too.

Just when I thought everything was clicking on along, I heard a huge crash and realised that for the third time now, Willow has knocked over the pots with all of the cone flower seedlings in them. There is dirt and seedlings all over the oriental rug. I swore like a sailor, and now have to clean it up . . . . again! I don't know what her problem is with those seedlings. Do you know that she pulled all of my sweetpeas out of the pots too? Doesn't eat them, just pulls them out of the pots. She's a vindictive little sod, she is. It's time for her to eat by her estimation and I'm busy typing on this computer. After all the profanity, she has decided to go right back down the steps and eat kibble for a while.

Sorry this entry isn't all sweetness and light. Life is what happens while we are making plans. It can't always be a bed of roses. I just need to move out of this blue funk and get on with it. Better yet, get Mr. Hoover out and start vacuuming up dirt again. I'm ready to just skip the damned cone flowers. Gggrrrr!!!!!

Signs of Spring

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 08:55:25 GMT

If you look closely at the very top middle of this picture, you will see a tabby cat sitting there. Hhhmmmm, do you think there might be some bird nests in that tree? This is our neighbour's tree that lives behind us. E drew my attention to this little scene this morning and I just couldn't get over that.

During the first spring that I was here, we bought a flower box for our front doorstep. It was a lovely little affair made of birch and was full of daffodils, hyacinth and a tiny green bush. Well, the plants needed taken out after the second year and the box sat all forlorn in our garage until last fall. E decided to take it apart and reconstruct it as a bird nesting box. He finished the project in about a half hour's time and proudly attached it to our back fence right behind our Butterfly Bush. To our delight, two days ago we saw a pair of Great Tits frantically stuffing the box with nesting materials and now Mum is in and out of it and Dad is singing on our fence telling everyone that this garden is his, his, his. We are so very pleased indeed!

We've been watching our £££ as everyone else since the cost of living here has risen so recently. So this spring we are growing everything from seed (Well, almost everything!). We have garlic up in pots everywhere, carrots in another deep pot, basil, and thyme in more pots. Flower seeds in pots are Bergomont and Coneflower. The only potted plants we bought were Borage, Comfrey (for the compost pile) and Marjoram. I am trying to chit potatoes in the hall cupboard with no success. I cut the potatoes up and put them in an egg carton. I just ordered a cheapy bag of potatoes from Tescos - I think the variety is Charlotte - and I might just let them chit right in the bag in the cupboard. So if anyone knows of any way to chit potatoes quickly, please let me know. We still need to buy pea seeds. Time is running out on those!

My driving lessons have improved, I am proud to say. E seldom has much to say other than to slow down, when I drive now. I still haven't mastered backing into ourcrescent-shaped driveway though, and I haven't attempted to verticle park or drive backwards around a corner either. These things are tough with a big Mondeo! I passed my Theory part of the test with 48 out of 50 questions right and the Hazard part with a high percentage too! I was well chuffed about that! Now I just need to get that Practical sorted, don't I? I understand that it is a real bottom!

Everyone have a wonderful weekend. There's alot of rain and wind predicted here so there won't be much gardening going on! Lot's of time then for lazier persuits! Yes!

Our Garden Friend

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 11:53:03 GMT

We have a female Blackbird that has befriended E and I. For those of you in the states, our Blackbirds are exactly like your robins, but without the red breast. They sing the same and have a diet of worms like yours. They are no relation to the American Blackbirds. We have really enjoyed her company in the back garden. She follows us into the garage and has a right thorough snoop around in there, stands right next to us when we are turning up the soil, looking for goodies, and loves when E throws a treat out for her.

My mother once had a male Cardinal that would come to the kitchen window and peck the glass chipping at her until she went out a left a peanut for him. It was the most amazing thing to see. I never thought that we would encounter a bird that has such a bond with humans.

Today, I was moving three clematises out of a shady spot into a sunny one. I would no sooner dig one up and she was right there in the hole looking for worms. I know that this is common behavior for the British robin (which again, is no relation to the American robin), but this is a first for me with a Blackbird. Even if it is chucking down rain, and E is standing by the back door having a fag, she will come along and hop right up to him looking expectantly. She has a mate and as soon as he calls her, she is off like a bullet. She must drive him crazy with her affection for our back garden and the people that tend to it.

I know that both of us will be sure not to enter the back garden now without having a peanut or two in our pockets.

Picture of Devil's Food Cake

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 16:21:02 GMT

This cake was made with the cake mix from home that my brother sent to us. I would like to thank Marie for sending me the sweet little ducks all in a row for decorations along with the little festive sprinkles! That cake was absolutely dynamite! Yum!

Picture of Sewing Machine

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 16:17:21 GMT

This is a picture of the new machine! Isn't it cool?

All Sorts of News Here!

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 16:11:02 GMT

Will miracles never cease to exist? I'm actually writing a blog entry! Wow! The biggest news is that I passed the Theory and Hazard bits of my driving test! Would you believe that there were 50 questions on the Theory test now? I only missed two. Am I good or what? On the Hazard bit where I had to click every time I saw a hazard developing or potential hazard, I scored 55 out of 75. I only needed 43 to pass so I am well chuffed! Considering that only 40% pass the Practical (driving) part of the test, I am NOT looking forward to that part of it. I still need to learn how to back that big boat of a car of ours around a corner and to verticle park ol' Bessie without jumping the curb. Don't get me wrong, I love that car . . . . .it's just that she's so bloody big!

My brother sent me a care package from home last month. I actually got teary eyed over Cream of Wheat, Skippy Peanutbutter, and Sweet Baby Ray BBQ sauce! There was strawberry banana jello (jelly to you Brits) and both chocolate and vanilla puddings (lamouge to you Brits - I think). Johnny also sent me a devil's food cake mix and a pineapple cake mix. They were absolutely scrumptious! E insists that he can't tell the difference between Brit peanut butter and US peanut butter, but he really whoofs down the US stuff when it arrives! The Cream of Wheat flavours were maple sugar and cinammon, apple and cinammon, strawberries and cream, and the original. Oh I just about swooned when I took the first spoon full on that next cold morning. I saw an advertisement the other day for Oreo cookies, so they are here now in the stores. I'm going to look for them tomorrow in Tesco's.

I've been piecing a quilt using his mother's old crank sewing machine. Edwin watched me standing there for hours on end, cranking away and then to my utter delight, surprised me by ordering a wonderful new sewing machine on line! It does everything but cook dinner! That quilt top went together so much more smoothly and quickly with the electric machine. Right now I'm marking the top for quilting after I layer it. That will take quite a while to do too. The majority of pieces I used were from a quilt that I was attempting to make back home called a Wedding Ring. My marriage at the time was falling to bits and even though I was an accomplished quilt-maker, I couldn't piece it no matter how hard I tried. I adored all of the bright batik coloured fabric I had though and so saved them for another project. I brought the fabric pieces with me over here. So I decided to have a go here and changed the pattern to a brear's paw. It fell into place like magic! I couldn't get over how very easy everything just pieced together. Hhhmmmm, must mean something!

E's and my wedding anniversary is on Monday. We still haven't decided how we are going to celebrate it. We're both working. Tomorrow is going to be a Tesco's run, laundry, and footie on telly. So I don't think there's going to be too much going on romantically speaking. I'm not going to wax philosophical here. I will say this, however, the best things in life are free and I am so very grateful for every single day that we have together. Yep! We piss each other off occasionally and we both need our space. But that man just plane completes me and that's that! So when the frozen dinners are served on Monday night along with Tesco's cheapy champagne, it'll be plenty good enough for me! That said, everyone have a lovely weekend!

The Almighty Sunday Roast

Sat, 19 Jan 2008 09:52:09 GMT

You can almost smell it, can't you? Over here by the North Sea, there is no greater pleasure than the Sunday Roast. There's some very basic components to it and woe to the wife that forgets any one of them! For my husband, it's the "roasties" (roasted potatoes) and gravy. A typical British Sunday Roast can be either roast beef, a whole chicken, or a pork roast. Each one has its own little list of "musts" to go with it. For you lot that are reading this from the states, those round things in the picture are called Yorkshire puddings. They are a savory pastry made with much precision, that sadly I haven't mastered yet. Thank goodness for Aunt Bessie's! One fills them with gravy while smiling quietly to one's self. This picture also features "Mash" or maybe "Bubble and Squeak" which I am not going to get into, because I'm not quite sure about that. I'll leave it up to you to comment on it!

I've done some major bloopers like just skipping the roasts altogether on Sunday, serving mashed potatoes instead of the roasties, and the travesty of all times . . . . . didn't make gravy. AAAahhhhhh!!!! What??? No gravy????? It was like the end of the world! So I've learned that my easy-going husband, that never bulks at whatever I put in front of him for the rest of the week, must have his Sunday Roast and prepared properly too.

We had a bloke out to repair our boiler this past fall and hearing my accent, asked some questions about how I was adjusting to living here. After a few preliminery questions, he went for the all important one. "I hope you DO know how to make a Sunday Roast!" What is it with these East Anglian men and their Sunday Roasts? E starts discussing it Friday evening. He looks forward to it all week long. No matter what else is wrong in the world, the Sunday Roast is like a little haven that sets everything right. Here is a link that explains it all! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunday_roast

I generally don't serve a dessert with ours, but sure would love some suggestions of traditional ones that you lot do for this aspicious occasion. I might as well get it right all way round! It's a whole chicken this Sunday in our household. How about yours?

Parallel Universes

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 10:08:35 GMT

One of the nice things about marrying later in life is that we have a whole life-time of experiences to share with one another. My husband and I are both post World War II babies. While the states were booming after the war, England suffered with Reconstruction and a depression.

Last night, while watching telly, we got on the subject of ice pops, of all things. I never remember a time when we didn't have a refrigerator in our house. The first one I recall, as a very small child, was short and had a tiny little shoebox sized freezer. E told me last night that he didn't have a refrigerator in his house until he was around eight years old! I couldn't believe my ears! He told me that no one had them at that time that he knew of in his seaside city. You could have knocked me over with a feather! I sputtered and gasped and asked him how in the world did he keep the milk cold, meat fresh, etc.???? He told me that the milk was kept in a bucket of cold water. Of course, two pints were delivered every day. The milk float still comes through our neighbourhood today and delivers milk in glass bottles over here - same thing.

E talked about a woman that had the rarity of a refrigerator where he visited his cousin. She sold ice pops that she made in her tiny freezer and sold them for 1p. The kids were mad for them.

Then we moved on to discuss his mother's wash house. It was a building in the back garden next to the building that housed the toilet. For you in the states that read this, please know that the toilet flushed just like the ones indoors but the toilet building generally wasn't heated and often didn't have electricity either. Anyways, the wash house held the copper that had a gas pipe underneath it that was turned on and the water was heated that way. His mother had big tongs to swoosh the laundry around in the water and then lift into the wringer.

I talked about my mother having a double wringer washer and the hot water came from the hot water tank. No such thing as a hot water tank in my husband's house. The copper was brought into the kitchen and water put into it and everyone took a bath. More gasps from me. It always amazes me how E can take a sponge bath from the sink without blinking an eye. For me, it is a very frustrating thing to do and I avoid it if I can.

E told me about the day that he came home from school and his mother had a new washing machine installed in the kitchen. It was a very big deal. I believe it was similar to the one above but with a tub beside it that would spin the water out rather than the wringer. Eventually the first refrigerator arrived in the kitchen too.

So it came to me that while he was getting his first refrigerator I was enjoying our newest refrigerator that made ice cubes all by itself. Now I understand why Americans have such a love affair with ice and Europeans don't. To this day, refrigerators over here are small, compact affairs, many with substantials drawers. I recall having two "side by side" refrigerators - one for upstairs in the kitchen and one in the basement for more food used less often -soda and the like. No wonder the Brits are miles ahead of the states in living ecologically friendly lives. Even today, the under the counter, front loading washers here, take only about three liters of water to wash a load of clothes. Amazing!

So E and I continue to discover more and more about each other and why we preceive as we do. Lots to think about!

I Got My Permanent Residency Visa!!!!!

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 19:42:38 GMT

Yabbbbbaaaa, dabbbbaaaaa, dooooooo!!!!!!! After three years, and copious amounts of documentation, £750, and an application form that would try the patience of Job, I have my Permanent Residency Visa!!! E and I had to save two years worth of utility bills, coorespondence with the government, proof of employment, bank statements, the list went on and on, and all with BOTH of our names on each document! I'll give the Home Office its due though, it sorted it all out within three weeks. Imagine, for three years I have been married to a man and we didn't know if I would be able to remain here, even though we were husband and wife. What a relief! I can't begin to tell you how over the moon I am! E, who has been the soul of quiet confidence, let down the personna when we opened up my passport and saw the addition. He released a huge sigh and closed his eyes and smiled widely. "Now we can get on with our life!" So true, my wonderful husband, so true!

So come celebrate with us! It's going to be a brilliant Christmas this year! We got our best gift already! I just needed to share this with all of you! I am so very, very grateful!