Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Mary brought in the coffee to get the day started!
After our cup of coffee and the morning garden tour, we got ready to go to the Elks for Girls Night Out, but first, a stop at Home Depot was required! We needed supplies!
HD is right on the side of the Elks, so we stopped and shopped.
We got some strawberries, flowers, watermelons, compost, and other items needed to complete today’s planting activities. Carefully tucked away in Nellybelle, our new pickup truck, we drove next door to the Elks.
Nellybelle was Roy Roger’s jeep, which was used in his movies and TV shows (we had The Silver Fox with us today).
They have a nice, albeit limited, selection of veggies!
We popped next door to visit Bill and Sandy, Bob and Bob, George, and Iris and Will. There are always rip-roaring activities, with casting of dispersions going on at an alarming rate.
I looked around our table and thought to myself:
Those born between 1930 and 1946 are part of an exceptionally small group; only 1% of their age cohort survives today. Ranging from 77 to 93 years old, this generation represents a distinctive and irreplaceable period in human experience.
Here’s why:
Our beginnings were marked by difficulty. We emerged from the economic devastation of the Great Depression and witnessed a global conflict. We experienced rationing, collected scrap metal, and practiced extreme resourcefulness, where nothing was discarded.
We recall the era of milk delivery when fresh milk arrived at your doorstep. Life was less complex and focused on essential needs. Discipline was enforced by both parents and educators, and there was no tolerance for justifications.
Our imagination served as your primary source of entertainment. Lacking television, we engaged in outdoor play and constructed elaborate imaginary worlds from radio broadcasts. Families gathered around the radio for news and entertainment.
Technology was in its early stages. Telephones were shared, calculations were performed manually, and newspapers were the primary information source. Typewriters, not computers, captured thoughts.
Our youth was characterized by safety. The post-World War II period ushered in a hopeful future—free from terrorism, the internet, and discussions about climate change. It was a period of great hope, innovation, and expansion.
We all represent the final generation to have lived through a time when:
* Black-and-white television was considered advanced.
* Highways were not yet freeways.
* Shopping involved visits to city center stores.
* Polio was a dreaded illness.
While our parents dedicated themselves to rebuilding their lives, we grew up in a world brimming with potential. We flourished during an era of peace, advancement, and security that may never be replicated.
If you are over 77, take pride in navigating these remarkable times. We are among the fortunate 1% who can declare, “I experienced the most favorable period of time.”
Mary wore her new top that Dianne gave her, so we took a photo and sent it to Dianne.
Wow! What a lovely girl! She is all mine!
Bill was behaving today, and he even had a halo around his head.
Banker Bill
We headed home and began a four-hour-long session in the yard, beginning on the patio and moving toward the big garden.
While Mary was attacking the yard, I attacked the heaters, which needed repair and adjustment. This season’s wind storms blew them over and, crashing to the ground, bent the tops and somehow un-adjusted the gas starters. I unwrapped the towers, bent them into the best shape I could, and manually started them with a lighter. Tomorrow, they will go to the garage and get permanently adjusted. I will also bolt the heaters to the concrete when they return to the spa area.
We got fired!!!
So, is the garden big, you ask? Using the drone, I snapped a photo, and the little red spot is Mary working on one of the beds. The garden is 50′ x 30′ or 1500 square feet, NOT counting the grape vineyard next to Mary!
Each of the beds are 25′ long and four feet wide except for the bottom one which is nine feet wide to accommodate corn, cantelope, and watermelons! So there are more than 750 square feel of planting space when the vineyard is included!
This bit of land keeps us out of the bars, haha!!
We took out the trash and plopped into the swim spa for three cycles of hot water and some light conversation. We sipped our wine, felt the heat from the two heaters, and watched the stars begin to come out and twinkle! Romance is in the air.
We watched TV until almost 11:00 p.m. We are now in season two of Everwood, and the plot thickens.
