Murdock Muse
Fall 2010, Part 2
(Readers' Articles)
BACK TO THE FUTURE
Nancy A. Murdock
August 14, 2010 - Recently, at age 78, I have discovered that my distant past may sometimes be my best bet to solve problems and arrive with useful answers.
Bob noticed, one day, that I was exceeding his ability to open reluctant food containers, new bags of paper clips or other tools, etc. I thought back to my childhood and realized it was usually my father who opened reluctant packets, etc. I was always closer to my mother, but apparently I have stored plenty of “videos” of Dad in action as a problem-solver. So I have decided to think back to the past, when I need a bit more positive results.
On another day, when I opened the fridge to see what to serve for dinner, I found lots of fresh, unprepared vegetables. I remembered my mother’s “boiled dinners.” She did start with a nice piece of meat, usually beef or ham, but then various vegetables were the filler. Since I own plenty of dried herbs, thanks to Bob’s shopping habits, I figured I could probably make a tasty vegetarian boiled dinner. It was a winner! Not only Bob and I, but also Darrel and Mary, enjoyed our version of my mother’s boiled dinner. So now we have repeated the success story a couple of more times already. Bob likes the liquid portion so well that he starts with the “soup” and then adds whatever he wants of the vegetables. I have also found that (another clue from the past) putting a couple of vegetarian sausages in the boiled dinner toward the end of the cooking time makes an even tastier soup, and I don’t have to rely on cheese for the protein. I don’t recall that my mother ever used sausages in the boiled dinner, but she was good at finding whatever would add to the enjoyment, so now we have another angle to work with.
The latest example of having the past show me something for the present was the tomatoes we’re growing. These are the great bargain Bob found when I asked him to buy three tomato plants to plant in the bushel basket of special soil that Darrel brought to us. At K-Mart, Bob found SIX tomato plants in a basket for only $1.89, which was less that he had planned for three plants. Rummaging in my memories, I used the remembered pictures of working with my mother to plant tomatoes and other items in a field she was loaned by a neighbor down the street, who had no plans to use the field that year. I didn’t have Rotanone or whatever we used to sprinkle on the plants, but we had excellent results, anyway.
Our tomatoes took off as if they were trying for the Tomato Olympics . They were small tomatoes, growing in clusters of six or so. Bob and I watched their progress every day. One day, I noticed we had one mostly red one, but some of the others had little streaks of orange coming along, too.
I reached back to my childhood and recalled that our friend Gladys Wheeler used to pick the green tomatoes and put them in her kitchen windows, where they would ripen easily, with no bugs to mess them up. There were two opinions about that method, with some saying that the heat from the sunny window would spoil the tomatoes. I can tell you right now that Gladys was right! I picked everything that was not wholly green, placed them in a dish in the window, and was startled to see that they were nearly all red a couple of days later. I don’t know if the dish made a difference; it was one of my handmade dishes with a deep blue design. Maybe the sun would have done the same for a pink dish, but I have decided to continue with the blue one, as long as there are any more tomatoes to watch as they turn red. Success is a good teacher!
MY COUSIN CLYDE
Nancy A. Murdock
My cousin Clyde
At lofty age
Never stopped filling
An interesting page.
Deemed the oldest in his state
He bought a garden to fill his plate
With red tomatoes and tasty squash
From his seeds and water
On the deck outside
His bedroom and computer.
Boy, do we miss our
Cousin Clyde
Sophie the cat mourned
Right by our side.
Clyde knew all the family
Histories
And used his years to
Capture these.
We all now miss
His handmade cards
Computer generated,
Computer mailed.
A great example
he gave to us all.
We’ll remember him
And always stand tall.
July 20, 2010
YESTERDAY'S PROMISES
Nancy A. Murdock
The sky was mainly gray,
With some clouds that looked like
Overwashed blue clothing
Tossed here and there.
It didn’t rain at all,
But Bob said the forecast
For Friday was
90% rain.
And today, Friday,
It’s pouring!
And the forecast is for more rain
All day, off and on.
We have decided not to go
To the library!
June 11, 2010
ALL CLEAN!
Nancy A. Murdock
ALL CLEAN!
Yes, that is correct – it’s not an error that should have said ALL CLEAR! Today I had my first really good shampoo and shower since moving to the U.P. I’ve been mostly making do with a wet washcloth working on whichever part of me needed it most, along with the hope that my hair would stay okay for a little longer.
It wasn’t because we don’t have water up here. With all the lakes and falls surrounding us, we have plenty of water. However, when we moved in, we found that the bathroom was not set up for elderly folk with canes. Bob did a good job of finding several things that helped make his shower time more rewarding. He’s an excellent shopper, so he has been successful at getting whatever he needed for whatever reason, including stuff for the bathroom.
One day he had a chance to discuss grab bars with a contractor who was here to fix the roof. So they came back with the proper tools and bars and installed two in the shower. I think it cost about $315 and was well worth it. I don’t recall what went wrong when I tried to take a shower after that, but it was definitely not smooth sailing. I barely made it up out of the tub, and it was so difficult that Bob congratulated me heartily.
We then made a firm agreement that I would not take a shower or bath in our tub unless Bob was home, so today I dared to try again, and it went much better. I didn’t even need his strong arms to grab hold of, in order to get out of the tub after I was shining clean. My life is definitely improving! In fact, although I expected to need to use my hair dryer after the shower, my hair is nearly dry now after a good combing and maybe 20 minutes with a good big towel. As Becky Murdock would say, “Life is good!”
Hope to see a lot of you next month, as we celebrate our 60th wedding anniversary.
September 2010
THE FORECAST
Nancy A. Murdock
TV’s Forecast was right –
Hot – Very Hot
In today’s destination area –
Lots of traffic
And lots of Heat
Hard to keep up
Looking Neat!
But the car’s A/C
Is plugging along,
So we’re able to
Sit in peace
And join the throng
Down I-75 South.
Maybe today we’ll meet our goal
Of four hundred miles –
Upper New York State
Or Central, but not
New York City!
July 7, 2010
5:30 - TIME TO GET UP!
Nancy A. Murdock
I rolled over and opened my eyes. Bob was standing by the bed. I was wrapped up in the usual sheets, our pink wool blanket, and the Maple Leaf Quilt, which has been the item that saves me from shivering many mornings. I recalled some of the book I had been reading and hoped the little girl was getting her chance to draw some pictures of the cove for sale.
“Five thirty, time to get moving,” Bob said. I managed to slide my legs off the bed and stand up. Bob had already gone to the kitchen. I stood up and followed him out to the kitchen. “Where is Jean Ogawa?” I asked him. Jean, our guest from Tokyo, Japan, is usually an early riser who greets us as we stumble to the kitchen. The baseball game on TV last night must have been a humdinger!
“She’s upstairs, I think,” Bob said. “She took a nap on the living room couch.” By then, I was even more confused. I was dressed in yesterday’s outfit, so at least I didn’t have to root out some clothes. I put on my shoes and looked around the kitchen. “What is planned for breakfast?” I asked Bob. “Why do you need to know?” he asked. Well, usually Bob gives me a clue or two as to what he’d like for breakfast, and I start getting it ready. Something was different today. The only usual thing was that he was starting the coffee.
Bob looked at me strangely again. Then he got a different expression on his face and said, “Oh, you thought it was morning!” I should have mentioned that it was 5:30 PM. It’s not breakfast time.”
So I shuffled back to bed and got comfortable again. I figured he would call me when some food was ready. But it was a very unsettling feeling to realize I had been half a day off in my timing. I spent the rest of the day carrying my new little clock around, just to make sure I knew if it was AM or PM. But I’m still wondering what happened to the two hours in the afternoon when I was asleep. And why was I sleeping at that hour!
Sept. 11, 2010
THE STORM
Nancy A. Murdock
July 27, 2010 - Darrel called to alert us to an oncoming storm that was expected to be a wowser. The weather forecast showed some ugly red under the orange and yellow. It appeared to be getting worse.
Darrel asked us to go downstairs and sleep on the air mattresses. He didn’t want to lose his parents to a storm, when we had other options.
We got everything ready, which was easy, since we have lots of bedding in the basement, too. We decided to bring down our own pillows, though. It’s hard to give them up, even for one night. So we trotted down the stairs with flashlight, some of Bob’s special snack items, books, pajamas, and pillows. If we were going to have a drama, we intended to be comfortable!
Bob kept his eye on the weather forecast and looked out at what was going on, from time to time. We could see it appeared to be improving.
After a lot of consideration, we finally changed our minds about where to sleep tonight. The angry red area on the computer changed to pussy-cat calmness, so we decided to reverse our actions.
Now we’re on the regular level, and we’ve brought up the bedding we had borrowed from our beds.
The final item that made the decision important was that I couldn’t even get out of the bed. I’d forgotten that I’d had a little problem when we slept on the mattress on the floor. It was even more clear that I couldn’t sleep on the air mattress on its bed! Bob fortunately was able to get me up safely, after my ineffective attempts.
Oh well, it’s better to be prudent. I’m going to remember my findings re my quilt gallery, and hopefully this will all result in updating that offering to include quilts made in the last three years.
Time for bed. Bob is all ready to get between the sheets. Goodnight!
July 28, 2010, 6:50A.M.
All is calm this A.M., except for a little breeze ruffling the big birch tree at the edge of our rear property. The sun is doing a peek-a-boo routine. As I watch from the bed, the tomato plants are looking hale and hearty. I think we got enough rain that I may not need to carry water to my gardens this A.M. I’ll look forward to checking on the key spots:
• the bushel basket of tomato plants,
• the Easter Lily plants that revived after they looked dead, and are now four, instead of the earlier two, and
• the side garden of flowers we started from seed, and the red flowers (possibly perennials) that Darrel and Mary provided for that garden.
I’m really glad the weather improved before bedtime. I slept like a log!
FALL COLOR
Nancy A. Murdock
Sept. 25, 2010 - As soon as Bob opened the bedroom draperies (a task only he has figured a way to accomplish), I saw beautiful colors on a tree. Wearing my heavy flannel pajama pants and a summer t–shirt, I got out my winter jacket, having seen the thermometer on the front door. It was 32 degrees. “You can’t go out the front door,” Bob said. “Those little apples are all over the front steps.” He and I had both spent a considerable amount of time yesterday scraping the mushy little crabapples out of our shoe treads.
While I was getting my camera, he grabbed the kitchen broom and started making a pathway through the goop. Still in my fuzzy slippers, I threaded my way out to the street, where I saw colors in the trees. It turned out that they were a little wimpy, but I took what was offered, anyway.
Then I scanned the side yard and saw light gray on the tops of all the flowers. Jack Frost had sneaked in last night, and it’s been a long time since we lived where we grew flowers and had heavy frost. Weather truths have not really concerned us, except to be sure we checked on whether we needed umbrellas or possibly heavy jackets.
There were some nice spots of beauty at the neighbors’ yards in back of us, so I snapped what I could find, Then I found the one I had been eager to capture in a photo, so I am hoping to have at least a few good ones to send to Jean Ogawa. That is her request, since she felt the outdoors hadn’t cooperated with the calendar in providing her biggest wish. She had been looking forward to our fall display before her trip, and the first we saw were some small patches of bright yellow on the morning we were taking her to the airport. She kept hoping for the full display, but I guess Darrel and Mary are the ones who know how to find those!
My final snaps were of the Easter lilies that were given to us last spring at church after the Easter season. They’ve been doing very well, but all four looked as if they had run uphill for a mile or two in the very low temperatures and were exhausted. Since we started with two pots of drooping lilies, which grew to four strong plants recently, I am not eager to give up on them. If the lilies live through this, I will consult friends at church as to what I should do now. There are several successful gardeners among them. In fact, I had never before heard of planting them outdoors after Easter, when they had wilted. They weren’t part of my childhood, except to give as a gift when someone needed a happy surprise to get past some bad event in their family.
By this time next year, I hope I will be writing that all of my plants are doing well. For this year, I’ll go with memories of how they looked at the height of the season. Of course, the tomatoes were very tasty, and yesterday I brought in most of the ones that I convinced myself were showing a color change, mostly from green to lighter green. We’ve had very good times choosing which little tomato to grab and eat as we’re putting the food on the table for dinner or lunch. Their cheerful red is always a real plus.
A HARSH DAY
Nancy A. Murdock
Grim and gray
A great background for
Ugly gusts of wind -
No birds decorate the gray birch
As its leaves swish hard,
Back and forth -
Not a great day for gardening -
But it rained a little,
Before the angry wind took over,
So maybe the colors will come
On another day.
June 4, 2010
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