So Saturday/Sunday was the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower. I was determined to see some. The news kept saying it was going to be a great year for them because of the new moon, less light so lots more sightings. Came that middle of the night, The Husband was up and said he was going out to see what he could see. I mumbled, rolled over and tried to get back to sleep. He was back inside of 5 minutes having seen one. Yup, I felt all those emotions that come with choosing to miss out.
Fast forward a few days and I decided to get out of bed when I woke instead of lingering for a half hour as is my usual practice. So we were out earlier. That half hour earlier made the difference. It was quite dark when we left the house for our walk. Partway down the street I was stopping and looking at the skies, searching for that bright shooting star. And mentally resigning myself to the knowledge that I'd missed them this year. Then, both of us caught our breath - we had both seen it. Happiness sigh.
Last Sunday's musical number (missionary homecoming) went well. I'm still uncomfortable with the specific song. It felt too "rock" for me. That driving beat (that I toned down as much as I could), the words, pretty much everything about it felt inappropriate to Sacrament meeting. But she sang well, the family seemed pleased and I played it without mistakes (a rarity for me). Several women I spoke with agreed that it wasn't the best song for that church meeting. But...the next morning, the missionary's mom (who'd invited me to accompany their friend) came over. She brought me a gift. Said that is one of her missionary's favorite songs and he was so happy to hear it. I'm uncomfortable with such attention when I play. I'd like to be invisible. (Even had a phone call from a member of the Stake Presidency who was at the meeting thanking me for playing.)
And it's odd. I try to properly thank people for their help. But this felt a bit too much. A Minky blanket ($$$!!)and a box of See's candy accompanied by a card. It took me a few days before I would even open the card. Still haven't opened the candy or the blanket. "If you already have this shade of Minky blanket, just go exchange it." I hadn't the gumption to tell her we don't own even a single one of those blankets, let alone have multiple colors (and we're fine with that). Clearly we run in different financial stratospheres. Frankly, I have been a bit overwhelmed at how much was spent on a thank you. It was only a single number I accompanied, and some hours at the piano. I love to help people. I enjoy serving, especially when there's truly a need and something that I can do.
And I give up. The bright lights from the sport court next door are problematic. They go on after ten thirty at night - when the city ordinances clearly spell out bright lights are to be off by ten thirty p.m. Those neighbors have been talked to by the city, we have had multiple conversations with them. We have been met with shrugs ("that's what the kids want to do" - obviously a different-to-me parenting style), instructions from them to put up blackout window coverings, promises that "for sure those lights will be off by ten thirty", and dismissive texts. So, now, I've three different companies coming out in the next week or so to bid for some shades. I've learned that the same kind of window shades we currently have in there, that we love the look of, now come in blackout. I suspect it'll be w-a-y more money than I wanted to spend. And I could hand the neighbor the bill. But I'm so ornery about the constant strife and stress it causes that I won't even talk to them, let alone accept money from them. I dislike hypocrisy and lack of integrity and blatant selfishness.
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| Not ready to eat quite yet. |
The Husband's garden is happy under his care. He doesn't mind diving into what I affectionately call "the jungle" to bring out the veggies. We are taking bags full of tomatoes and corn and cucumbers to anyone who will take them from us. I keep saying "next year...the garden will be smaller" because I'm the one that is overwhelmed with such abundance all over the counters. He loves to share - and really, I do, too. Lots of people around us are already growing their own produce. But there are some that seem happy to eat what we have. We don't really have much in our lives that we can share, but what we can, we do. And enjoy doing it.
The watermelon are so interesting. This year they're kind of doing well, so far. Because of the labeling snafu, we're not sure what kind they are so don't really know when they should be ready to eat. But they've been so fun to watch grow.
We're off in a bit to look at security cameras. We had hoped to never need them. The neighborhood has changed a little. We bought one of the highly rated Amazon Blink cameras, and it's a great camera, just not really right for our particular goals/needs. So we're off to look at some different ones. Between the new hearing aids, the blackout shades, the tree trimming we need, and perhaps the new cameras this is proving to be an expensive month. :^)
The best news of the week: our third great-grandchild arrived!! The picture we received (they live clear across the country) shows a real cutie, who, in my opinion, looks just like his siblings. So happy they are all doing fine, so far as we know.
I know that one of the reasons I have felt discouraged is because I haven't been putting my thoughts down here. I have historically tried to end each of these "journal entries" with some gratitude. And I think my mind has been missing that focus on finding something specific each day to be grateful for. I keep trying to stop this little blog, but that gratitude thing keeps me coming back. I feel a difference when I express it. Today I'm so grateful for a certain someone who never hesitates to forgive me. I'm grateful that I can pray and ask Heavenly Father for not only help, but also forgiveness. I truly do try to be a better person. My natural tendency toward negativity/pessimism is somewhat alleviated when I avail myself of that kind of prayer. I'm grateful for projects that keep me interested, books to read (and kind souls who bring them to me from the library) for the ability to communicate via text - it's a huge improvement over the pre-text days. I'm grateful for kind sisters from the ward who invited me to lunch yesterday, it was so delightful to chat and laugh with them. And I'm grateful still, and always, for our working air conditioners. They not only help keep us cool, but the ability to keep our windows shut and block out noise and light is definitely beneficial.
