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Wednesday, July 8, 2020

ALSTROEMERIA, GRANDDAUGHTERS AND FEAR


          A previous boss very kindly gave me an Alstroemeria start many years ago and I’ve tried everything imaginable to eliminate it from my garden once I realized just how invasive it is. I planted it in one area and it began to take over that spot. Then, the roots tunneled beneath the sidewalk to where the majority of my lilies and dahlias reside. I even found it in the far corner of my yard, but managed to eliminate it from that spot, a spot I really don’t care much about.

          This year, I decided I’d just let it go and it’s gone, believe me. I have two huge clumps in two different areas and I’m sure it’s going to try to creep even further into places I do not want it. I love the color, but the stems aren’t very strong and it ends up laying down on other plants. The wonderful man who gifted me this plant eventually had his yard professionally turned into a Japanese garden which contains none of this plant…lucky guy.

          Well, my Wednesdays with Haley have come to an end. She has a job which requires her presence eight hours a day, Monday through Friday. When she called to tell me, she said she could come on Saturday or Sunday, so we’ll see how that goes, and at least we accomplished probably 98% of the needed work.

A friend of her fathers works for a construction company and last year they hired Haley to spend early mornings watering the new landscaping at the newly built homes. This year, the development they have or are building is adjacent a hill with lots of trees. To make the area even more forest-like, as well as stabilize the hill I’m assuming, the company has planted lots of plants. I think Haley said it’s something like five acres, so she’s going to get her exercise pulling hoses around and going up and down that hill.

          Today is also my other granddaughter’s 12th birthday. This will be the first birthday I’ve missed since she joined the family at the age of about three. I plan to call Thor’s phone and ask for her so I can sing the birthday song. I’m also debating about putting a card with a check in the mail or actually driving to Snohomish to drop off the card with real money…most 12-year-olds don’t have a bank account. I wouldn’t get out of the car or go into the house, but I could at least blow kisses and see her open the card. As I’m typing this, I’m still debating with myself.

          Finally, what’s really at the top of my mind since I watched the first 20 minutes of Good Morning America is FEAR. Yes, I don’t go many places or associate with folks who aren’t taking this pandemic seriously. Yes, I always wear a mask. Yes, I keep hand sanitizer in my pocket ALL the time and use it ALL the time. Still, watching the reports this morning about how this is still the first wave and how many other states and people are falling ill with the virus terrifies me.

          It also makes me quite angry at the people who won’t participate in wearing a mask. They are extremely stupid, and hopefully, this is Mother Nature’s way of eliminating Darwin-challenged people from the gene pool. Unfortunately, the virus doesn’t pick and choose who to inhabit, so the gene pool is also losing some very good people. Seriously, I don’t have a Ph.D. or any kind of college degree, but you don’t have to in order to understand just how grim the pandemic statistics actually are.

          If that isn’t enough horrible news, then you have the reports of shootings and killings and protests. I don’t have a problem with people protesting peacefully, but why does anyone have to bring a gun to or drive through people at what is supposed to be a peaceful protest. It seems as though the world is becoming even more divided, ugly and forbidding. Is this the kind of world in which my life will end eventually???

          How hard is it for anyone to understand that if you treat people the way you’d like to be treated at all times, all of us would be so much better off. At my job, when I was a supervisor, that’s exactly how I treated my staff and how I wanted my supervisors to treat me. When I was complimented on a project one of my people had accomplished, I suggested the person saying nice things to me say them to the person who actually did the work. Then, I also shared what that person had to say about the job, just in case they didn’t follow through. I believe I had a happy staff and they always met my expectations.

          A perfect example of this was someone retiring. After the send-off, my boss was talking to me about the event and I said I was extremely happy that person had left because I didn’t like her/him one bit. My boss was surprised to hear my comment because I had never provided a negative indication about my feelings for that staff member. My response was that I was the supervisor and my personal feelings had nothing to do with the way I needed to treat that employee. I was just glad I’d never have to deal with her/him again.

          Perhaps my viewpoint is too simplistic. Perhaps people can’t deal with their envy, greed, negativity, or whatever it is that causes them to act in a way that is so hurtful, divisive and irresponsible. I, of course, haven’t said anything about or alluded to the IDIOT in the White House. He is the prime and premier example of what people shouldn’t do or say to each other. If the President of the United States can be that way, it only serves to encourage others to be like that.

          In any case, I’m not feeling particularly hopeful about the next few years of my life. It’s a good thing I do like me, myself and I because it’s entirely possible that may be the only real companionship in my future. Today, I’m feeling frightened and sad. Tomorrow’s post will, hopefully, be more uplifting.

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