Dear Reader:

I remember one of Poppy’s (Mr. Dingle) favorite responses when asked how he was doing was to respond, “Couldn’t be better…I can still sit up and take nourishment.” (We all knew it was coming but always laughed anyway!) *And for Poppy it was true…he did love to eat and as long as he had something that satisfied him he was a pretty happy man.

The gerber daisy you see in the title photo just popped wide open yesterday….the funny thing is that it doesn’t have a “neck” (stem)…it is practically lying on the ground but it is as happy as it can be. And look how far the ‘bowing’ gerber daisies have come.

I think these daisies should be called Janus…the god of January that looks backward and forward. I have never seen two daisies turn their backs on each other and not be drawn to the same sun together….must be a long-standing family issue.

Isn’t it amazing what a little rain and sun can do? To just ‘sit up and take nourishment?’ 

Recently I have started thinking that the sixth decade of our lives should come with a warning…”Some Assembly Required.” (Which we all know means a major all Christmas Eve night operation.)

Jackson started hobbling around a few weeks ago and figured if she ignored it… it would go away…it didn’t. So with Matthew’s (her son) wedding just around the bend she broke down and went to the doctor. She still hadn’t heard back from tests when we were up there Thursday but yesterday we got a text saying…”Not good news…bone spurs.” She was advised that she might could try this or try that and maybe this would work in time….but it has become obvious that Jackson won’t be doing much dancing at the party.

She is so bummed, as we all are. As she said, “Here comes Limp-Along Linda” down the aisle.

I can’t get rid of my”bug”…whatever it is….started into hopefully the last stage Tuesday….draining and coughing….whooping and crouping. Dr. Montoya called me in a  Z-Pak yesterday so am praying hard I will be able to “sit up and take nourishment” this weekend.

The first thing I have kept in me for any length of time….was Continental Corner’s lemon chicken soup Friday….so far the best medicine in the world. I should have bought it by the gallon.

If you want to lose weight…get this strange “bug” I have….it seems to keep morphing through different stages…but have lost five pounds since the day after Easter when it hit.

Perhaps the best title for us “Baby Boomers” (who are settling into the sixties) is “Gently Used.” Yep…some constant repair and attention will be needed to keep us up and  moving….but no matter what else happens…so far we can all “sit up and take nourishment.”

So until tomorrow….Let us remember how fortunate we are to live in a time when minor repairs can keep us going…. and we mustn’t forget…the best is yet to be.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh