A Place to be Alone
For a long time I have wanted to run electricity to our shed, so, a few weeks ago I decided to make it happen. The timing was really good, because my cousin from Winston-Salem, NC, visited us last week and he is a licensed electrician. His health was such that he could not do it himself, but he could supervise me. We completed the technical part while he was visiting and after he left last Friday morning, I commenced the grunt work of digging the 50 foot trench needed to bury the line. There are a lot of trees and shrubs along the selected route from the house to the shed and the temp was in the 90’s each day. Luckily, the large tree roots encountered were tunneled under and the smaller ones were cut and removed. I finished late Sunday afternoon. Now I have a “doghouse†with electricity. Everybody needs a place they can go and be alone. The Shed is my place. Jerilyn will, occasionally, stick her head in and look around, but she very seldom enters, being afraid something will fall on her head. My tools are my friends. I intend to pass them on to my son when I run my last lap, take my last nap, or, whatever it is you do before the transition to the other side.
I read an article about a man in Claremont, CA, that paid $11,000 in medical expenses for his pet cat that had cancer. That begs the question: should that much money be paid to save the life of a family pet? I guess that could depend on your financial situation. Personally, I would never spend that much to restore an animal’s health, but I do know people that would do so without any reservations. It is generally accepted that animals do not have a soul and, therefore, are not aware of death. I’m not so sure that I agree with that assumption. Dogs and cats have been known to display a remarkable ability to communicate with their owners. My family had a German Sheppard that lived for 17 years before I finally had him put to sleep. His quality of life had deteriorated to a point that he could no longer stand or eat. I held his face in my hands and said goodbye as the vet injected him with the powerful medicine that would put him to sleep permanently. His eyes gazed into mine. He always trusted me. He died before the needle could be removed. I wept. Aw, shucks! I probably would have spent $11,000 to save my buddy if I had it.
The National Weather Service has issued a weather advisory for our area here in Poquoson, Va. They expect the heat index to be 105 – 110 today and tomorrow. Jerilyn said to me this morning that she doesn’t know what people do that cannot afford air conditioners. I was 22 years old before I owned an AC. I do not remember worrying about the heat during those years. I very seldom us the AC in our vehicles, unless Jerilyn, or her mother, are in the vehicle with me. I know, it’s foolish to ignore it when you have it available. After all, we do use the AC to cool our home. Lately, I have begun to worry what my grandchildren and great grandchildren are going to have available for a comfortable life. If we deplete all available oil and in addition pollute their air and water, what will they enjoy during their lifetime? I have given serious thought to buying a vehicle that will get 50+ miles per gallon. We will probably never recover the cost of that vehicle in gasoline savings and, for sure, our safety will be at risk. I just feel that my grandchildren and their descendants will feel the same about me as I feel about the Germans letting Hitler kill 6 million good people. Boy, sometimes I do ramble on!
Our next door neighbors do a lot of traveling. Both of them are retired, like us, and have decided they will travel while they are still fairly young and healthy. I think that is a good plan. Who knows what lies around the corner? We also have travel plans for the rest of the year, but have had to put them on hold until the renovation of the gutters and leaf guards are complete. Contractors are busy people and getting work done on time is difficult, at best. I am looking forward to visiting my son and his family in TN next month and Jerilyn is looking forward to visiting her brother in NY later this month. I have friends in Emporia, & Bedford, VA that I would like to visit before the year is out and we have a trip planned to visit friends and relatives in CA in October. Gasoline has dropped to $2.48 in some places in our area. July and August are our hottest months. In 3 more weeks I am looking for some relief from this heat. Travelling in hot weather is not very much fun.
I hope you’re enjoying your summer, or whatever season it is in your part of the world. Until next time…..
Tommy
“What a wonderful life I’ve had! I only wish I’d realized it sooner.”
Collette
