March 22, 2018

Oops!  I Forgot!

March 22, 2018

Sandhill Cranes

New Mexico

I'm back.  Sorry that I have been gone so long from my blog.  Our lives have just been one event after another for months.  Those events and activities have been fun, good things, but they have taken up hours that used to be used for my blog.  I think that shows that my life is "normal" these days.  I have taken some time for quilting, birding, and travel, as well as assorted celebrations: Christmas, New Year's Day, lots of birthdays, and weekends with grandchildren.

A quilt I made for Bob and Vickey

 for this past Christmas

 

Just last week I had an appointment with a doctor who is new to me.  As I went through what seemed like stacks of forms, I had to list medications, allergies, surgeries, etc.  A little later as I was talking to the doctor and explaining that I have trouble hearing and to please could he speak more slowly.  All of a sudden it dawned on me that I forgot to list my Cochlear Implant surgery on the list of surgeries!  I thought, that is good; it is now a part of me.  I just don't dwell on it.

Wilson's Warbler

 

Yes, I still need to ask some people to try to speak louder, slower, or to turn toward me when they speak, but I was doing that before I went deaf.  I guess I have arrived at my "new normal".  Things progress and things change, but all in all, I get along pretty well.  I still avoid the telephone.  I still have a lot of trouble hearing in church, but when the sermon starts, I go to the foyer, and listen out there.  They have speakers there and have recently added two television screens that are showing the service.  It works well for me.

Rufus Hummingbird  in our yard.

The white on the elephant is ice.

 

If the music director is using the microphone, I can often pick out the melody of a new song, but too often he is not singing right into the mic.  The old familiar hymns may take me a few lines until I recognize the song and join in singing.  I go around humming along to the music in my head and that drives my husband nutty.  When the grandchildren play the piano for me, I rarely can figure out what the song is, but I can tell from the way the play how much they love the music and how challenging the piece might be.

Sandhill Cranes in flight

New Mexico

 

That reminds me of something that happened one day while I was taking care of  our grandchildren.   One of our grandsons is a rough and tumble boy who is a bundle of energy.  It is easy to see him as only a loud, outdoors man.  He loves to hike, play in the dirt, and defend his activities.  I was walking around the house humming and he looked at me and said, "I know that song."  I asked what he thought it was.  He said, Nothing But the Blood of Jesus.  He was correct.  Another day I asked him if he still enjoyed his piano lessons and he gave me a huge grin and a "thumbs up".    God is going to use this guy in amazing ways.  I do wish I could better discern the music they all play.

Bob and Vickey

New Mexico

Speaking of the grandchildren, a lot of times I have to have them repeat things if we are in a noisy place, but as with others, one on one we do well.  The younger ones have now had a large portion of their lives with me being deaf, so that is just the way they remember me.  The older ones remember how it was before I lost my hearing.

Canada Geese

New Mexico

Normally at the office I do fine.  It is rare that I have problems correctly hearing customers.  Ron handles all phone calls.  It is a challenge if there are lots of people in the office, but that doesn't happen too often.

Another quilt I recently finished

 for a great nephew

 

I don't enjoy parties like I used to.  I know it will be a struggle to hear, so sometimes I just don't go.  Other times I don't stay long.  I do plan to go to one this weekend because my daughter-in-law will be there with the girls and I will enjoy them and hopefully give her time to visit with friends she has not seen much lately.

Sandhill Cranes in flight

New Mexico

 

Going birding alone is something I don't do as much as before.  I just don't hear others walking up behind me and things like that.  I also have not seemed to have time lately.  I hope to make it to South Padre Island this month or next to see some of the migrating birds.  It has been a strange year for the birds.

Lesser Goldfinch

New Mexico

 

Weather have been very warm here, and very cold this winter.  We had a very light snow one day and a light freeze another time, but last weekend was very hot and that is not the only time lately that it was been warm enough for the birds to think they can go home.  Yet today on TV I saw snow falling in the background during the usual morning shows out of New York.  The birds better stay a while longer.

Snow on the Palm trees

The last three months have been filled with some trips.  We went to Albuquerque before Christmas and spent 5 or 6 days.  We both got sick while we were there and ended up cancelling the second leg of our trip and just coming home.  Our first full day in Albuquerque Ron and I drove to Apache del Bosque where the Sandhill Cranes spend the winter.  We were able to see thousands of them and it was a real treat. There were also thousands of a wide variety of ducks.

Sandhill Cranes

New Mexico

Our son from San Antonio and his wife came for Christmas.  In February we went to see our youngest son and his family to celebrate a birthday in their family and came home to celebrate mine, my mom's, and my sister's.

Mom and sister Debbie

I have kept grandchildren a couple of weekends and we have made a few trips to McAllen.  One weekend when the grandchildren were at our house, a group of about 15 white pelicans spent all day Saturday in the water behind the house. 

White Pelicans

 

I will try to not wait 3 months to post my next blog entry.  Thanks for reading the entries.

Young Female Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Our Yard