Glasses

 Not the ones on the dinner table.  I'm talking about the ones on your face.

I always say I've been wearing glasses since I was 9 years old and I'm pretty sure I'm right but I've been known to confuse dates and times. It's kinda my "thing."  I'm famous, I mean world famous for it.

So, anyway.  I've had them riding on my nose for decades.  

I tried bifocal contact lenses several years ago and it didn't go well.

I actually don't mind wearing glasses.  My first pair of red frames set me on a "snazzy" path.  Hey, if ya gotta wear them, might as well have fun.

Along with advancing age (I'm a hair's breadth away from 75) other fun stuff happens to your eyes: dry eye, glaucoma, cataracts, etc.

Petey and I both have cataracts but we're hoping to out-live the surgery. Neither one of us have started to exhibit symptoms - yet.

But if, in fact, surgery happens I decided I'm not going to go with the corrective lens option.  

Why, you say?  Don't you want to toss those specs and run free?

No, I don't.  Glasses to me are like "face jewelry."  They cover up stuff.  You know what I'm talking about - bags and wrinkles.

I need to distract attention not call attention.

I've also seen people after surgery that are still carrying around "cheaters or readers" when they need help up close or far away depending on what they had corrected.

What's the point?  I'd have to always make sure I had that back-up assistance as opposed to now when I don't have to look in my purse or pat my pockets looking for the dang things.

Nah.  I'll stick with getting new frames every 3-5 years (hopefully) just to keep life interesting.

Pics: the good, the bad and the ugly

 I love taking pictures with my cell phone.  I don't think I did much of that when I had a Tracfone - maybe because I couldn't?  Can't remember.

Well, life opened up in a big way when I moved up to an iphone.  Thanks, Lisa.  

I recently upgraded from a #7 to a #14 and I feel like the picture quality is much better.  I'm sure there are a lot of super cool things I can do with it but I'm happy at this point with the results.

I love saving memories.  I love getting screen grabs from my nieces' FB or IG accounts. I love sending pictures of my bruised knuckle to my sisters.

Probably the biggest benefit for me right now is that I can record (video) myself playing my ukulele and singing songs to send to a group of friends living with serious health conditions.

The other plus showed its self today while we were decorating the house for Christmas.  I'd forgotten that I'd taken pictures of where everything went.  Whew.  Saved some time there.

The ugly happened when Peter thought we elevated the tree a bit last year - using a stool.  I was like "no, didn't happen."  Then I started to doubt myself so I went back to the pics from last year.

Dang it!  There it was.  The stool we used to make the tree more visible so all our neighbors could take joy in our elaborate show of the holiday! 

Did I mention it's a Charlie Brown tree?  

Now for the ugly.  Last week in downtown Holland there was a contest.  The deal was to take a picture of yourself at one of the local stores or restaurants and submit it to the city.  The prize was a gift certificate to one of the shops or eateries.

Dining at our favorite - Hops at 84 East - I grabbed the menu, held it up to my face and took a pic.  I didn't look at it until after the menus had been taken away which was a huge mistake.

Why you ask?  Because with my white hair and having the light behind me the result was freakish!  Not to mention way, way too close.  EEEEEEEEEEK!

I was too embarrassed to ask for a menu again and was pretty sure the result was going to be the same so I just shot the wreath above the door and submitted that.

I didn't win.

The pictures are still a gift.  I love going back, often with tears, and look at the people I miss and taking joy in seeing new and old friends and of course, family that are still hangin' around.

I'll be happy if your "take away" is to photograph your decorations if nothing else.

Music buddies

 I like to sing but I'm not a musician.  Yes, I picked up the ukulele a few years ago and I'm really enjoying it but there's nothing natural that's happening on that instrument. My goal, from the start, was to accompany myself in my little den here at The Red House.  I missed singing so the uke has helped me fill that void.

This time of year has me really reflecting.  Many experiences and people have been running through my mind like crazy little rabbits lately.

One category that's at the head of the memory train is: Musician friends that are no longer here.  I had the pleasure of standing on the same stage as the men I'm going to mention.

Fred Gibson:  I first met Fred when he was in elementary school and hung out at the playground I was working at for my summer job.  I pumped him daily for info on his older brother.  I had a big crush going on back then and needed some insight.  

After that summer I didn't see much of Fred until my Cabaret days.  He was like magic on the stage.  He tore it up.  He owned it.  There were times I considered trying to talk him into running away with me.

His life ended abruptly and way too soon.  He left a big hole in everyone's heart.

Bobby VanStee:  I met Bobby (a lot of people called him Gus) many years ago through a mutual friend. That friend (Mary Spreitzer) and I were rehearsing a song (Desperado) at her house.  She sang it and I interpreted it in American Sign Language.  

There sat Bobby on Mary's couch with his dog, Emmy Lou, with tears running down his face.

Bobby didn't read music.  He sat down at his keyboard and stuff just happened.  His ear was finely tuned.

I was lucky enough to have some meaningful phone (Facetime) chats with Bobby toward the end of his life.  His death still caught me off guard.  I sure miss that big man.

Mitch Wooster: "Rooster," the one-man band.  I remember going into Mitch's record store in downtown Allegan looking for, what I thought, was an obscure musician's Blues music: Delbert McClinton. Mitch knew exactly who I was talking about and ordered some tapes for me right away.

I saw/heard Mitch play many, many times but I didn't appreciate what an outstanding musician he really was until years later.  It was like I was seeing him for the first time and he blew me away.

He helped me out on some recording problems I was having and we also had several private Facebook chats about politics and life. We shared "the same page."

Last time we talked in person was a quick chat at the Eagles.  If I'd known he was going to leave this life soon after that day, I would have stayed longer.

Noah Smith:  Noah was a force to be reckoned with.  He paid me the highest compliment when I sang my first solo ("Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," the Big Maybelle version) at Cabaret many years ago.  "Who were you channeling for that?"

Noah's body took a real blow by some weirdo disease and movement was limited.  The last time I saw him perform he couldn't lift a glass but he could still sing.  The man was determined.

When I started playing the ukulele, Noah gave me some great advice during one of our phone calls.  Some chords were difficult for my old fingers and he said "oh, hell, you don't have to play all the chords.  Just skip the one that's hard and pick up on the other side."

Thanks, buddy.

These men all left wonderful memories behind.  Great stories that will hopefully be shared for years to come.