July 13: I Don't Like It

This post is dedicated to Phil Drago. Phil is Jackie’s father. He will be 90 years old soon. Everyday I see him out in the garden. He also enjoys riding the lawnmower and mowing the copious amount of grass here. After he’s worked in the yard he sits on the porch and throws the balls for all the dogs, who have an insatiable urge to chase them all day everyday. I really hope to have the same sort of attitude toward life when I’m 90.

“A joyful spirit is always young.” Unknown

Checking out the corn maze

giant dragonfly that landed on my outdoor rug

That's me on the ATV

Phil in the garden

Thumbs up on the tractor.

Today I went with, then followed Terry to pick up his pick up truck. Then we went to the Price Chopper for some groceries. Max has always laughed and said, ‘’You have to see our grocery store, such as it is, you know it’s the only one we have.” So, in my mind I’m picturing a general store where there is nothing to choose from, you get what they have and that’s it. Not so, it is a very nice grocery store, with a bakery, fresh produce, a butcher counter. I found gluten free bread and crackers. There wasn’t anything that I was looking for that I was not able to find. It is the only grocery store in Granville, but what she failed to say is that, just on the other side of Granville is Glens Falls and there is another grocery store there. It’s like she has to put down this beautiful place because she is miserable. Anyway, got all my groceries and put them away. That takes about a minute. I only have the fridge and the one cupboard for food, which makes it oh so easy.

When we got back I helped the old people put up a screened porch cover. I was trying to give them a place to be outside. They’re inside the entire day, every day. Here an ailment, there an ailment, everywhere an ailment, ailment. After our visit, Terry showed me how to drive/ride the ATV. I don’t like it. I really don’t feel in control. It was hard to give it steady gas on the throttle, so it kept leaping forward. After that fiasco, I was instructed on the working of the tractor. I found it to be easier than the ATV. Kayla was here for a while. She was able to see her Aunt Laurie looking ridiculous on those vehicles. We had gluten free pizza for dinner. It was quite good. The folks asked me over for their “daily one glass of wine.” Yeah right. They were both already sh*t-faced when I got there. They must think every time they pour a glass it’s a new day. I don’t drink wine anymore because it upsets my stomach, but I did bring over a glass of tea. My dad told me this story about when he was in the navy that he was a fighter pilot and was shot down three times. (My brother said when he heard the story it was two times.) The story was so detailed with names and descriptions of people and places that he sounded so believable. But, all my life he told us that he peeled potatoes in boot camp and that he was a radar man on an aircraft carrier. He even told us that the radiation caused him to be infertile for a time. Now he says that it was the jet engines that caused his hearing loss. He said that it was our mother who made him quit the navy. “If I’d stayed in the navy, I could be a general by now.” He taught school for about 10-15 years as a substitute teacher when he moved here to live with my brother. Before that he was a buyer and a salesman for different electronics companies. He kept chasing the almighty dollar instead of finding something that he loved more and sticking with it. So they both have a lot of woulda, coulda, shoulda’s in them. It makes me so sad. I’m going to cry. Dealing with Ben’s death has taught me to live without regret - go forward - make something good happen when I can - accept the bad things that happen as lessons learned - be kind to others because I am kind - live with love and forgiveness in my heart because bitterness and regret are not a good look on anybody. I even forgive that lady in Walmart who accused me of neglecting my dogs. She’s just a foolish person who has nothing better in her life than to tell everyone about how she told that lady from California what a bad person she was. I hope all her friends rally around her because that is what she must need.