Leave The Horse Alone
For decades I have heard the adage “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.” Being the stalwart German that I am there is no way I won’t get the horse to drink when I want him to or when.
Yesterday a light bulb went off via the wise words of someone that I taught some of the life’s lessons that he lives by: my son. It was as if Kevin was taking me by the ear and sitting me down for “the talk.” “Mom, if you get the horse to drink when you want you are getting what you want with no regard for what the horse wants. The horse has to feel he is in control and it was his idea not yours.” Humph. “Everyone needs to know that they are allowed to have a treat and the treat is different for everyone.” The whole while during this conversation the horse was silent.
Don’t ya just hate it when the youth comes up with the real deal on sound advice? At this stage of the story the identity of the innocent need not be protected any longer. I am here to tell you Dennis, aka: the horse, I will stop pushing your head under water and trying to make you drink. Your time, your treat and you and I will contend with the consequences if and when they occur. Let’s just give this one — and I repeat one score — to the younger generation. This does not bode well for my credibility.
competitions at the fair that would be preformed in front of an audience. The preparation included having all the ingredients measured out beforehand. From the words “Time begins now,” all the steps needed to be done in sequence. I had practiced over and over at home to make sure I kept the mixing area tidy and didn’t forget any of the ingredients and executed the steps with ease and grace. The judges sat right in the front row and had their check lists and the outcome was not known until the bread or pie were out of the oven and had been tasted. It was a great challenge for self confidence. Who knew that in time to come as a county assessor I would draw from that ability time after time to be in front of a group to state clearly the information I would present.
than Dr. Oz says I should be drinking I do wonder if I am missing the boat and maybe should be doing more for my part in the whole scheme of things. Then I turn back into the mode of being an assessor and insist that I give myself more facts. Do more where? The community has multiple options for volunteer work and I have sat back and observed the playing field here in St. James. Nothing really trips my trigger.
The most wonderful thing at the end of the day is when my computer tells me that I have an email from family. Oh, so priceless!
that Ken’s wife Sarah really likes. Sarah has terminal brain cancer and I am needed to make Sarah’s plants healthier. Oh how I wish I had the power to make her healthier. My small part will bring a smile to Sarah when I bring the pots back to her. Let’s see, where in the potting shed is that bag of Miracle Grow potting soil?
All of the preparation for the Reverse Shoulder Replacement that took place on April 25th was totally worth it. 
In the seven weeks since I have been amazed almost on a daily basis. Twenty four hours after awaking from the actual surgery Dennis and I were on our way home to St. James and everything I had organized for the both of us back home gave me a sense of quietness. The instructions before being discharged where very simple: “Wear the sling as close to 24/7 as possible and wiggle your fingers as often as possible.” I kidded the surgeon if he had put a bit of Super Glue onto the ends of the screws. He went on to tell Dennis and I that the screws were in fact hollow so they would fill in with my very own tissue to truly become a part of me. Wow! I left the hospital in one of Dennis’ large button shirts with the left arm safely kept tucked into the inside. Once home, for the first several days I was either in the recovery chair (wooden chair made of 2 x 4’s), pacing the floor or lying flat on my back in bed.
After the first three weeks I could move the left elbow and below as long as the arm stayed close to the body in the sling. I soon got needles threaded and tackled a few dishtowels. I am not saying it went slick or quick but where was I going? I soon reacquainted myself with hand quilting and thoroughly enjoyed it.
