Rightful Heritage by Douglas Brinkley

This book is both an exhaustive examination of the conservation movement in the USA, and a biography of FDR.  I have always been a fan of FDR but had no idea that he was a lifetime conservationist. It tells the story of the farsighted people who made possible our national parks, national monuments, many state parks, national seashores, and wildlife refuges. It is a fascinating account of land preservation during the FDR years of the Great Depression and World War II, of FDR's love of trees and 

the Hudson River Valley, and of the people who helped to make it happen. The book also notes the understandable for the time lapses in judgment or knowledge that actually harmed the environment. 

FDR and his team of New Dealers were able to get millions of dollars granted for 

conservation projects even in the midst of fighting both the Great Depression and World War II.

This book is the second in a planned trilogy by Brinkley on the conservation movement in American history. The first being Wilderness Warrior about Theodore Roosevelt’s contribution to the history of American conservationism.  I can hardly wait for the third volume to come out. 

Around OakMeadows

Our new kitten, Tigger, destroys my closet. 

We were supposed to meet P&W&B for lunch at Gringo’s in Texas City last Friday but W is in the hospital. She has “fluid around her heart”” and so they are carefully diuresing her. I suspect that her cardiac output isn’t sufficient to perfuse her kidneys leading to fluid retention. She is on the lung transplant waiting list so she is being closely monitored and everything possible will be done to keep her alive until the transplant.

I watched 2 really good movies lately.  I watched Book Club on Prime and haven’t laughed so much in a long time. It is definitely an older woman hen flick. The second good movie was American Factory which makes it abundantly clear why the Chinese are kicking our butts. 

I had planned to make Veggie Soup and get all sorts of things done today but by 9 am I was sound asleep for a 2 hour nap. Don’t know why I was so tired but I decided to eat leftovers for lunch and get burgers for dinner. 

T and Lucy came for a visit. We are working on insisting that Lucy not jump up on people. 

We read and watched HGTV. It is just so pleasant. We discussed modifications to the bathroom to make it easier for me to take care of necessities safely and easily as this dratted neuromuscular condition progresses.  

That’s about all that’s going on at OakMeadows. 

September Menu

September Menu

1. Bacon Sandwiches, Oven Fries

2. Slow Cooker Chicken

3. Baked Fish, Carrots/Thyme, Coleslaw 

4. Chicken - Spaghetti Casserole 

5. Steak, GMP, GB

6. Leftovers

7. Out

8. Macaroni and Cheese, Corn, Salad

9. Schwan’s 

10. Tuna Salad

11. Oven BBQ Chicken, Beans, Coleslaw 

12. HB Pie

13. Leftovers

14. Out

15. Scrambled Eggs, Schwan’s Sausage and Potatoes 

16. Slow Cooker Beef

17. Baked Fish, Potatoes, Coleslaw 

18. Chicken Tenders, Carrots/Thyme, Corn

19. Pizza

20. Leftovers 

21. Out

22. CB Hash, CSC

23. Veggie Soup

24. Fried Shrimp, FF, Coleslaw 

25. Schwan’s 

26. Spaghetti and Meatballs

27. Leftovers 

28. Out 

29. St. Wieners, Corn

30. Pork, Sweet Potatoes, Spinach 

Small Pleasures

I love Ronni Bennett’s wonderful blog, Time Goes By.  A recent post was about some of her favorite small pleasures so I thought I would list some of my small pleasures. 

My greatest small pleasure is when my daughter and her dog come over on Sunday. We eat Chipotle burritos and watch HGTV home remodels and read or chat or take a nap. We walk the dogs and play with the kitten. 

I’ve been retired for several years now but it still gives me such pleasure to be able to wake up slowly.

Buying things from the Refugee Services of Texas Amazon Wishlist.  

My Housecleaners. 

Reading a good book. 

Whataburgers.

Watching birds at the feeders and butterflies in the garden. 

We are not helpless.

Three mass shootings in one week. Only in America. Really, no other developed country on earth has anything remotely like this. Why? We are awash in guns, semi automatic guns, and large capacity magazines. Why? Because so many of our elected officials have been bought and paid for by the gun lobby. 

In watching or reading the news, I see people expressing their grief, anger, and feelings of helplessness to stop this madness. But we are not helpless. II can be stopped. We do have a choice. The choice is to continue with the same politicians or take a minute to determine your Senators‘ and your Representative‘s stand on gun control legislation. If they have been bought and paid for by the gun lobby, work like hell to unseat them. Find candidates who will pass rational gun laws and support their candidacy— send a contribution, volunteer to stuff envelopes, canvas a neighborhood. IMHO, votes are more effective than thoughts and prayers.

July Wildlife at OakMeadows

Just kidding.

July Wildlife at OakMeadows 

Birds

Red-winged Blacku

Killdeer 

Mockingbirds 

Caracara

Cardinals 

Barn Swallows 

Cattle Egrets 

Tufted Titmouse 

Whistling Ducks 

Mourning Doves

Hummingbirds

Re-bellied Woodpeckers 

Black Vultures 

Grackles 

Blue Jays

Chickadees

Collared Doves

Great Egret 

Snowy Egret

Turkey Vulture 

Crow

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher 

Butterflies 

Monarchs 

Giant Swallowtails

Little Sulphur 

Painted Lady

Pipevine Swallowtail 

Queens

Mammals 

Raccoons 

Squirrels 

Deer

Armadillo 

Other 

Green Anole

Eastern Pondhawk 

Blue Darter

Rules for Elder Living

Some advice for people “between 65 and death.” I don’t remember where I found this but I do think there is some good advice here. 

1. It’s time to use the money you saved up. Use it and enjoy it. Don’t just keep it for those who may have no notion of the sacrifices you made to get it. Remember there is nothing more dangerous than a son or daughter-in-law with big ideas for your hard-earned capital. Warning: This is also a bad time for investments, even if it seems wonderful or fool-proof. They only bring problems and worries. This is a time for you to enjoy some peace and quiet.


2. Stop worrying about the financial situation of your children and grandchildren, and don’t feel bad spending your money on yourself. You’ve taken care of them for many years, and you’ve taught them what you could. You gave them an education, food, shelter and support. The responsibility is now theirs to earn their own money.


3. Keep a healthy life, without great physical effort. Do moderate exercise (like walking every day), eat well and get your sleep. It’s easy to become sick, and it gets harder to remain healthy. That is why you need to keep yourself in good shape and be aware of your medical and physical needs Keep in touch with your doctor, do tests even when you’re feeling well. Stay informed.


4. Always buy the best, most beautiful items for your significant other. The key goal is to enjoy your money with your partner. One day one of you will miss the other, and the money will not provide any comfort then, enjoy it together. (For us this should read buy the best for yourself.)


5. Don’t stress over the little things. You’ve already overcome so much in your life. You have good memories and bad ones, but the important thing is the present. Don’t let the past drag you down and don’t let the future frighten you. Feel good in the now. Small issues will soon be forgotten.


6. Regardless of age, always keep love alive. Love your partner, love life, love your family, love your neighbor and remember: “A man is not old as long as he has intelligence and affection.”


7. Be proud, both inside and out. Don’t stop going to your hair salon or barber, do your nails, go to the dermatologist and the dentist, keep your perfumes and creams well stocked. When you are well-maintained on the outside, it seeps in, making you feel proud and strong.


8. Don’t lose sight of fashion trends for your age, but keep your own sense of style. There’s nothing worse than an older person trying to wear the current fashion among youngsters. You’ve developed your own sense of what looks good on you – keep it and be proud of it. It’s part of who you are.


9. ALWAYS stay up-to-date. Read newspapers, watch the news. Go online and read what people are saying. Make sure you have an active email account and try to use some of those social networks. You’ll be surprised what old friends you’ll meet. Keeping in touch with what is going on and with the people you know is important at any age.


10. Respect the younger generation and their opinions. They may not have the same ideals as you, but they are the future, and will take the world in their direction. Give advice, not criticism, and try to remind them that yesterday’s wisdom still applies today.


11. Never use the phrase: “In my time.” Your time is now. As long as you’re alive, you are part of this time. You may have been younger, but you are still you now, having fun and enjoying life.


12. Some people embrace their golden years, while others become bitter and surly. Life is too short to waste your days on the latter. Spend your time with positive, cheerful people, it’ll rub off on you and your days will seem that much better. Spending your time with bitter people will make you older and harder to be around.


13. Do not surrender to the temptation of living with your children or grandchildren (if you have a financial choice, that is). Sure, being surrounded by family sounds great, but we all need our privacy. They need theirs and you need yours. If you’ve lost your partner (our deepest condolences), then find a person to move in with you and help out. Even then, do so only if you feel you really need the help or do not want to live alone.


14. Don’t abandon your hobbies. If you don’t have any, make new ones. You can travel, hike, cook, read, dance. You can adopt a cat or a dog, grow a garden, play cards, checkers, chess, dominoes, golf. You can paint, volunteer or just collect certain items. Find something you like and spend some real time having fun with it.


15. Even if you don’t feel like it, try to accept invitations. Baptisms, graduations, birthdays, weddings, conferences. Try to go. Get out of the house, meet people you haven’t seen in a while, experience something new (or something old). But don’t get upset when you’re not invited. Some events are limited by resources, and not everyone can be hosted The important thing is to leave the house from time to time. Go to museums, go walk through a field. Get out there.


16. Be a conversationalist. Talk less and listen more. Some people go on and on about the past, not caring if their listeners are really interested. That’s a great way of reducing their desire to speak with you. Listen first and answer questions, but don’t go off into long stories unless asked to. Speak in courteous tones and try not to complain or criticize too much unless you really need to. Try to accept situations as they are. Everyone is going through the same things, and people have a low tolerance for hearing complaints. Always find some good things to say as well.


17. Pain and discomfort go hand in hand with getting older. Try not to dwell on them but accept them as a part of the cycle of life we’re all going through. Try to minimize them in your mind. They are not who you are, they are something that life added to you. If they become your entire focus, you lose sight of the person you used to be.


18. If you’ve been offended by someone – forgive them. If you’ve offended someone - apologize. Don’t drag around resentment with you. It only serves to make you sad and bitter. It doesn’t matter who was right. Someone once said: “Holding a grudge is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die.” Don’t take that poison. Forgive, forget and move on with your life.


19. If you have a strong belief, savor it. But don’t waste your time trying to convince others. They will make their own choices no matter what you tell them, and it will only bring you frustration. Live your faith and set an example. Live true to your beliefs and let that memory sway them.


20. Laugh. Laugh A LOT. Laugh at everything. Remember, you are one of the lucky ones. You managed to have a life, a long one. Many never get to this age, never get to experience a full life. But you did. So what’s not to laugh about? Find the humor in your situation.


21. Take no notice of what others say about you and even less notice of what they might be thinking. They’ll do it anyway, and you should have pride in yourself and what you’ve achieved. Let them talk and don’t worry. They have no idea about your history, your memories and the life you’ve lived so far. There’s still much to be written, so get busy writing and don’t waste time thinking about what others might think. Now is the time to be at rest, at peace and as happy as you can be!


22. REMEMBER: Life is too short to drink bad wine or warm beer.