Murky Memories

 

Hello, dear friends! How are you? Here in Bethlehem, PA  the days are getting cooler. This morning the temperature  gauge is showing 40 degrees, F. And our landscape is pretty bare after the wind and rain of the last few days. Certainly not like this picture taken about a month ago.

More Like this picture...

Our stray cat, Rascal, can usually be found in his heated house on the back patio. We have been feeding him dry food with a sprinkling of treats on the top as well as a vitamin powder called, Strive. He loves it. I have given him wet food just for a change but he lets me know that I have let him down. 😶  And he is finally putting on weight. He used to be gone for several days at a time, was ravenous when he returned, and so skinny. Sadly, we can not touch him but he will tolerate me and the dogs walking past his house when he's snoozing. Anyway...

Sometimes he sleeps on his cushion under the glass table.

Continuing on with My Thirty Days of Thankfulness, I must be sure to mention how thankful I am for my hubby who tries his darndest, (is that even a word?), to make my life comfortable and secure. I'm sure that most of my readers, if not all, can say the same about THEIR life partners.  Even if, like mine, they are getting testy and complainy in their older years. 💕 We all have our burdens to bear. 😏He's extremely hard working and always on the go.

Speaking of burdens, I have some eye issues that make it very hard for me to see after dark. (Macular Degeneration) So, I do not push my luck. However, my upcoming trip, planned for Tuesday, tomorrow! has become a worry. It's about a 12 hour trip so I am unable to complete it in one day without running out of day light. Normally, (what is that anymore?), that would not be a problem. I would book into a motel/hotel. However, with Corvid restrictions elevated again in all the states I am travelling through I have been denied reservations everywhere! A Corvid test and quarantining required. They don't even want you in their state! The testing results can take days! I obviously didn't think this through! Mom's caregiver has said she can't work anymore after Tuesday. A bump in the road or maybe a huge pothole! After going up, down and around, I have decided to just get up before dawn, get into my already packed car and drive all day with the hope that I will get there by 4 in the afternoon. I get on the interstate 10 minutes from my house and keep on one highway or the other, through New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and end up getting off in Augusta, Maine to complete the last 3 hours of my trip on twisty and turny 2 lane roads. Not fun going through the dense woods in the dark when you have eyes that are looking through a windshield darkly.😗 Everything is murky, not clear, grrr. Oh, to have my young eyes again! If you feel inclined, a prayer for safe traveling tomorrow would be greatly appreciated.💖

MURKY MEMORIES

How well do you recall memories from long ago? Childhood? Teens? Some people seem to be able to recall their past life events, milestones, or just everyday moments with family and friends in perfect detail, in colorful detail even! I must admit I am not one of them. My memories, if they can be found at all in the file cabinets that I call my mind are mostly in the Lost and Found folder; some are lost forever and others can only be found after a lot of searching but still end up murky at best. Why this is, I do not know. What I do know is that in my past I have consciously surpressed really bad, hurtful ordeals from my memory banks. Wiped them out, gone!  

My dad, when he was at the end of his life in the nursing home, lost all interest in TV, his music. He would just sit and stare into space. I visited him most every day to feed him his supper. He had had an injury and his right arm was permanently disabled. I would ask him what he was thinking about. He said he was reliving the past. After that I would ask him every day what was on his mind and he would tell me about the memories he had of his childhood, school, his family or maybe his Navy days, his life as a fisherman, his life with Mom, us kids, or as the owner of a seafood restaurant for over fifty years. How precious to have all those memories!! He could have written a book! I laughed and I cried listening to them day after day. He could not remember what he ate five minutes after supper though. Sometimes I wondered if he recognized me, no kidding.

I am so thankful that my father, who, in the course of his life was very reticent about his personal life, his experiences, or even his beliefs, was finally able to share all with me because I had asked him for the first time, ever, what was on his mind. A treasure trove of memories.😇

Well, I guess I had better get my act together and start packing! Have a great day! 💕

Today’s Happy Pictures!