Well, this time, I just forgot! You would think that, after all this time, that could not happen. But a column was not the only thing I forgot last week. One of my neighbors has a diabetic cat and cannot see well enough to draw up insulin in the syringe, so I go once a week and draw up a week's worth. I forgot him, too! It might be because I'm not really fond of cats. But I like my neighbor and volunteered to help him out with this.
I did a lot of entertaining last week; I think that had something to do with it. At a lunch for three friends from church, we got into a discussion of how silly we are about saving a buck here and there. I started the conversation because I had a bowl of cut up fruit: blueberries, strawberries, and grapes. The grapes were red ones and I realized, too late, how much better the green ones would have looked, but the red were a dollar a pound cheaper! All agreed with me they would have bought the red.
For a dollar, I did not have the right colors for my fruit! And that is not the only thing I'm often “penny wise and pound foolish” about. We all do it. One of the guests said her husband has to use oxygen when doing anything that takes exertion. He likes to play golf, and he convinced himself the oxygen backpack was a good investment. The next day he refused to pay twelve dollars for something he also could have used. (The backpack was a bit more, we won't say how much.)
A few years ago, my neighbor, Shirley and I were commending ourselves for buying TWO rolls of stamps, thus saving ourselves a total of ten dollars because they were going from fifty cents a piece to fifty five. Now, they are sixty cents and I just peeled one off an envelope I was going to have to throw. I'm seriously thinking of doing away with Christmas cards this year. Holy cow, by the time you print a letter with photos, buy envelopes, and then put those expensive stamps on, you've spent a lot. I do like to get them, but sometimes, if all they have is “Merry Christmas” and a signature, you feel a bit cheated. Plus, I found lately that when I look back on all those nice photos I've received through the years, I don't know whose kids those are! And I have kept all photos while throwing the letters.
The friends in Orlando bought a generator after the last hurricane and were mighty glad to have AC and power last week. They also live in a senior living conglomerate that is on higher ground in Orlando, so they got along okay. Thank goodness! Others were not so fortunate; the death toll is still growing.
Sis-in-law Linda in South Carolina does not get too worried about weather; she says she prepares as best she can and leaves it in the Lord's hands. We should all pay attention to that advice.
And, of course, they remind us about tornadoes. It does seem as if Nature is getting wilder all the time. I believe the climate is changing; I'm just not sure how much we could do about it. And we have nothing to complain about when compared to the flooding in Pakistan. Unbelievable.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainians keep winning territory. I am amazed at their spirit and their ability. I grieve for all the loss of lives and property and such. And we wonder where and when it will end. I have a letter from Samaritan's Purse detailing tons of food and other products going into the country every week.. It takes a lot of work to feed folks whose grocery stores are gone, and they don't necessarily have something to cook on. Again, we have nothing to complain about.. I remind myself daily.
AND, last but not least, we won a football game---in the Fourth Quarter! And in the total scheme of things, it really is not that important, is it?
