On Death

It seems to me the end of our lives is never pleasant, however it happens. I am working with so many seniors now who have been through so much agony with the death of a spouse. They carry it years later on their backs like a parasite which sucks the good times from their faces. So many seem to go on thenceforth without purpose, much like my mother is still doing. Their health fails; they regale their current state of affairs; there are no longer any daily interests of note save for the passing TV shows flickering on the screen in the background as they relate their stories.

Of course, in case you wonder, I am doing a take-away from all this. The moral of the story is that one does not want to live forever; indeed, one does not want to live for a long time even. Truly—I suspect, one does not really wish to even outlive one’s good health. At least I don’t. I look around at scattered pill boxes which contain sometimes up to 20 pills a day which these seniors take to stay alive. They all complain of dizziness and how they hate it. Where is the boundary between a satisfying, engaged, fulfilled life—and what I am seeing with so many who suffer from ailments beyond comprehension to deal with, as they cling to life like a Remora on a shark. What is the purpose and what keeps them going?

I haven’t found out the secret as yet. Perhaps one will tell me someday. Who is it that coined the phrase “Hope springs eternal in the human heart?” Hope. Such a fragile word.

Score!

I just got my first regular weekly client today; an 88 year old woman who has health and mobility problems which interfere with her ability to cook for herself so she wants me to come in five days a week every morning for two hours to make her breakfast and prep something for her dinner. She has a lovely home about three miles away and as she tells me, a kitchen well stocked with pots and pans! So get to it girl! Just kidding; she was very sweet and it will be nice to have a regular gig to attend to.

Meanwhile, our cat deals with the daily heat by lying on his back all day on the lino with his legs spread like some sleazy hooker. The only thing we can guess is that somehow this position must help cool him off. I can’t imagine wearing a fur coat when it is 100 out.





The fuel economy has fallen so badly on the Dodge with the demise of its exhaust system that Marc decided to spring for a Banks system which he plans to install in a couple of weeks. I don’t even want to mention the thousands it cost! Still better than a new diesel one ton he keeps assuring me. On an added note, I held the light and he worked until well after dark the other evening on my Saturn, which had suddenly lost half its transmission fluid and was shifting badly. Why those engines aren’t made with a dip stick to check that stuff is beyond us. We’re hoping I dodged the bullet of ordering up a rebuilt transmission for it, as so far the leak appears to have been arrested and it is shifting better.

Just life as normal, in good ‘ol hot Yuma, AZ.

With the Heat of the Day

We have this (at most) two inch tall cactus that decided to mightily put forth a bloom. I noticed it at 11:30 and here is how it appeared:


By 1 p.m. I rushed out with my camera again, thrilled to find it fully opened. What a beautiful color and an amazing feat for such a tiny thing!

Kudos to My Mate

Beyond being a builder, a computer geek, a welder, an electrician, a car mechanic, a fabricator, a jack of all trades, my loving husband has become a baker extraordinaire. Now he has all the neighbors begging for his loaves of bread. These are some just before they hit the oven and then as they came fresh out of the oven. Beautiful aren’t they? Loaded with big hunks of garlic and made of heart-healthy whole wheat.



Remember I told you recently about the smoked meats he’s been doing in our magnificent smoker that my son bought us? Well, this is what happens when you have ready to use smoked turkey and chicken: great home-made pizza and even better smoked turkey tostadas. Yum.

Desert Wind

It’s come in blustering the last two days but keeping temperatures oh so cool. What a welcome relief this time of year, despite the gusts. We can keep the door wide open just like all winter and enjoy life without air conditioning. The wind isn’t enough to stir up all the dust (11 mph sustained, gusts to 13 mph) but just enough to clear out the air so my morning walk showed a fine relief to the cutting edge of the mountains. That was further enhanced by no one else being visible in the street relief of the landscape—they are all escaping to climates farther north, where as friends tell us, it is still COLD. Our last northern neighbor is escaping tonight to head back to North Dakota. My boondocking cousin outside of Goldfield, NV has had highs of only 49-57 degrees so far. Are you sure you’re correct in heading north yet, Cousin?

Blooming Season II

I’ve gathered a few more pictures on my walks around the neighborhood since it’s such a colorful time right now. I am still waiting on the emergence of the hoped-for wildflower abundance earlier rain should be bringing. Right now though we are gearing up for our second bout with 100 degree temps of the year—a harbinger of many more to come. Marc finally finished getting the large a/c unit back into the bedroom window for more comfortable sleeping at night. He had thought about cutting holes in the side of the park model to permanently mount the two a/c units but there just really isn’t a conducive wall space to do so, so he just hung them more or less on a temporary basis again in the only two windows into which they would fit. Everything is minuscule scale in a park model.

We spent the past weekend finalizing the total enclosure on the front porch which makes a nice little retreat from which our cat cannot get out. It’s a great spot to watch the mountains and catch a breeze with a cup of morning coffee. Next up will be a permanent set of stairs with a landing. We spent a quiet Easter with Marc taking on cooking duties by smoking a large ham and two whole turkeys. These we cut up and break down for freezing, making for quick and efficient meals later on. In fact, do tonight’s smoked turkey tostadas sound good?





Of all the colorful yards around here, this home takes the cake! I just happened to catch it perfectly one morning with a steady breeze making the flag fly. One wouldn’t think roses would do well in such a merciless climate but this guy has hundreds of them.

I always love these purple flowered trees. This one blooming alongside the Palo Verde caught my eye.

Chollas, of which there are many varieties, are some of the nastiest of cactus, growing reproductive balls of thorns which literally jump off the plant when anything brushes near. The needles are so fine they are like hair and virtually impossible to remove, remaining finely imbedded in skin like the slenderest of splinters. Their vibrant fuchsia flowers are sure pretty though.

The same holds true about some of the prickly pear type cactus as you can see the fineness of the “hair” thorns.

Life in Yuma remains on the same trajectory for us, albeit a little warmer. Too soon, it will have us existing inside almost exclusively.

Blooming Season

The cacti have awoken and put forth the start of their magnificent blooms lately. It’s a relish now on my morning walks since they prove so fleeting; some bloom for only one day. The Palo Verde trees are also awash in color as the bees and hummingbirds swarm to their sweet smell. The neighborhood is nearly empty now, with only an occasional couple still left to wander the streets during early morning and take it all in.




Marc has become quite the bread maker on his days off. Mom taught him this winter—unfortunately a skill not passed along in the genes to me. These loaves are a fairly heavily textured mixture of white and wheat flour flavored with a little butter, onions and just a hint of garlic, fully risen and ready for the oven. It made for a terrific combination. He has stopped buying any bread for himself but since he hasn’t gotten the hang of the California sourdough yet, I still buy most of mine. With really good bread (the only kind we’ll eat—forget the damn “air” bread that mostly passes for bread these days) costing upwards of $3-4/loaf we’re saving a ton of money since Marc makes his for about 35 cents/loaf and just a little of his time. Besides, beating down the bread in between rise cycles reduces his stress!

I ended up volunteering quite a bit this past week; with many of the volunteers gone north but no drop in business of the seniors who need help (since for the most part they stay all year round), the ones of us left are shouldering many more requests. It’s all good though since I received three referrals for my new business and had my first income! There will still be much to be done to build a business and have it become as active as I want it to be, but this gives me hope. Even the temperatures haven’t been too bad, staying in the 90’s and of course, under constant Yuma blue skies.


Happy Easter everyone!