Monday Morning This and That

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear. 

Ambrose Redmoon

Good morning, everyone.  It's a grand Monday morning.  The humidity has still not crept up to unbearable levels.  That will be coming on Wednesday.  Hubby is going to have the cataracts removed in one eye this morning.  He said there was no need for me to tag along, but I am going anyway.  Wouldn't seem right for me to be playing a game of bingo while he is having surgery...no matter how minor the surgery may be.  I'll be next for the surgery, but I am so darn nervous.  I can take tremendous pain, but the thought of surgery scares the heck out of me.

He's is my hero, this man, this love of my life.  He's been through so much, but has never given up...cancer, Hep C, emphysema, glaucoma, and now they found a cyst on his kidney.  I was truly blessed the day he walked into my life and sat on that bench next to me.

On Friday I had to go back to my old neighborhood.  Time to deposit again.  Good thing it is only every six months that I have to make the trip.  There is always that negative aura that overwhelms me as soon as I get off the bus.  Yet, this time there was something different.  There were many changes on the avenue.  Old stores closed and new ones had taken their place.  Of course, this was the avenue and not the street where I had lived.  

The bus driver was fantastic.  I overheard him tell someone that he used to be a standup comic, and he kept us laughing all the way with his deep baritone voice.  Here's a couple of the one liners I remember...

 'Remember, the early bird may get the worm, but it is the second mouse that gets the cheese.'

'They say that  money grows on trees.  That's why banks have branches.'

Needless to say, I didn't want the ride to end. 

While waiting for hubby I finished my book on African spirituality and started reading "Romancing Life:  My First 65 Years of Learning a Living' by Amy Aukersmit. Although I have accepted and feel I am handling the aging process well, sometimes it is comforting to find out how others handle it.  Here is a description of the book.

'I have learned that the years pass more quickly after the age of sixty-five, and I've learned to accept the early mornings and early nights that now arrive unexpectedly. I've learned to laugh more often at more things than I did before, and I learned that to worry is a total waste of time...because hardly anything is as bad as it may seem. I've learned to accept the wrinkles where they never used to be...and my hairdresser now blends the strawberry blonde with the gray. I trust that I will grow old gracefully...and if someone doesn't like me it's none of my business. "After Sixty-Five" Is a freedom I do suppose...In that you know more of the basics and care less about the frills. And whether they are here or there...no matter what... My children remain near and dear in my heart forever and always... And I will always wonder if I would have or could have done more. And now... As I wander towards the sunset...There are still rainbows and rainy days and all the sun and clouds in between... And so it is...' 

Went to the fruit stand on Saturday.  Bought some wonderful tasting sweet Bing cherries.  My dear friend,  Jo , turned me onto the fact that they are good for arthritis, and I am doing whatever I can to bring this pain under control.   Perhaps they will do some good for the fibro pain as well.  Other purchased goodies include....

 

These taste just like the ones that used to grow in grandma's garden.  Used to help her pick for her raspberry jam and ate just as much as went in the pail.

Gonna saute the brocolli in olive oil and garlic and cut up a nice salad with the rest of the stuff.  These cucumbers are garden fresh.

Well, that's about it right now.  Gotta jump in the shower now so hubby can have time to get ready.  I think I am more nervous than he is.

Have a good one.