Carpe Diem June 25, 2014 Last week I had an opportunity to visit briefly with a friend in Houston. She asked about work and what I was doing to stay busy. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to mention the blog I’ve been posting. She expressed interest and I promised to send the link to my posting. Out of sight/out of mind is one of the ways I negotiate life. Until today, I had not given it another thought. When it crossed my mind, I decided to take action and send the carpediem-lifeblog.weebly link her direction. Who knows how long it might go before I think of it again. The General telephoned me today to ask if I had gone by the church. “Why would I do that?”, I replied. “Don’t you remember our conversation from last night? I asked you to drive by the church to double- check and see if the person who routinely sets the trash on the curb for garbage pick-up did it this week. Last week he was not able to and it really needs to be picked up. This is the day they pick it up and I thought you’d take care to make sure it happens. I asked you last night.” When we first moved to Henly in 1990, getting accustomed to not having garbage pick up was a real adjustment. When we lived in Austin prior to moving to Henly, “the garbage” truck came by once a week. I remember that our son Craig, who was a first grader at the time, often said he wanted to work on a garbage truck when he grew up. He thought it looked like fun to ride on the outside of the truck as it made its way from door to door. He alternated between wanting to do that to being a fireman. I guess both venues require trucks and in some instances riding on the outside of them is an option. When we moved to Henly, garbage pick up was non-existent. Truthfully, garbage poses a real problem! It is one of those things we take for granted when we have a plan in place to deal with it, but if you want an abrupt awakening, try going without it for a while. What do you do with your garbage? It was one of my biggest adjustments related to country living. The only alternative to creating your own garbage pit or having a burn barrel was to haul your trash to the county dumpsite in Johnson City. Obviously the fact that was an option indicates it was a very long time ago. Today that is not an option! We reside in Hays Country. Johnson City is in Blanco County. The fact that Henly is in the Johnson City School District is not an entitlement to use Blanco County’s dumpsite. The only entitlement you get is the privilege of paying school taxes. It wasn’t one of the Ten Commandments, but counties don’t want their garbage co-mingled. Actually for that matter, even the private vendors who currently provide garbage service to the area don’t want anyone else’s garbage placed in your trash receptacle. Who would have thought? We had a neighbor who was taken to task because their garbage for the week included trash from an extended family member who wasn’t paying for monthly service. I’m not making this stuff up. Reportedly, envelopes addressed to a house that was not on the vendor’s list of houses to provide service were found in the garbage. The proper protocol for handling the trash issue is serious business. At the time I was using the dumpsite in Blanco County, the folks who worked there always willingly took my money and allowed me to unload my truck. It was always a good feeling when I drove away with an empty truck bed. Actually going to the dump on Saturday morning was a highlight to my week. It was also a highlight of my daughter’s week as well. She started going with me on Saturday mornings about the time she turned two. We had a routine in place. After I unloaded the garbage, we headed for the Dairy Queen in Johnson City and she could have anything she wanted. It was more than the ice cream. It was a fun time we shared together. I attempted to be as entertaining as I possibly could. I’d make up silly songs to sing to her. We’d sing silly songs together. It was simply the opportunity to talk, laugh, have fun and be together. As I describe it, it sounds like the identical description to how I spend my time with my grandchildren. At the core of my being, I don’t mind if my grandchildren say “I’m crazy” as long as they say “I am crazy and fun.” Getting back to my morning telephone call from the General. She was really put out that I had not followed instructions and checked on the garbage situation at church. When I apologized and said I vaguely remembered the conversation from last night, I was startled by her response. “Don’t you remember, I reminded you this morning to check on the garbage?” The lights then came on brightly in my head and I clearly remembered the conversation. Sure I remembered that we talked about garbage earlier today. I thought she said, “Don’t forget to take the garbage.” Have I mentioned that I have a hearing impairment? I thought at the time it was a strange request for her to make. Our garbage pick up isn’t scheduled until tomorrow. “Hey, I simply do as I’m told. That’s just the way I roll”. Following what I perceived to be my early morning marching orders, I bagged our garbage and took it down to the road and placed it outside the gate. Did I mention it was raining at the time and I got wet? Did I mention that my glasses got wet? Nothing’s too good for the General even if it means emptying the garbage a day early. Out of sight/out of mind is one of the ways I use to negotiate life. However, I do remember I began the blog making reference to a friend asking for information concerning my blog site. Shortly after sending it to her today, she sent the following response, “Just went in and read yesterday’s entry. Do you know what I like best about your writing? You write exactly how you speak and I can hear your voice when I read your blog!!” She isn’t the first person to make the observation that I write the way I speak. My next door neighbor has mentioned that to me several times. Maybe it’s true. Reading my blog might be very similar to having a conversation with me. I’m not saying I do all of the talking, but I really do have a non-correctable hearing impairment. The only time I really know what is being said is when my lips are moving. There is a margin of error when I am listening to others. Earlier this week, following another expose’ on the General, a friend wrote, “Don – You are so funny!!! Today, reading your blog was like having you in front of me, enjoying the morning breeze, having a good Frappuccino and listening to you and smiling and laughing all the way. I love the way on some days that you can mix some of the deepest life lessons and on other days you are more fun and casual. Also I get a kick from the way you talk about your personal life. Treva and you sound like the perfect match.” Conversation is a great tool for relationships. We need them. Others need them. No one can live successfully without them. Thirty years later my daughter reflects back to her early childhood days and our trips to the county dump. It was not the ice cream that built the memories. It is the conversations and fun we shared. I can still think of no better way to spend the evening. Perhaps in the time it’s taken to write this blog, I can envision we’ve just had a conversation. That makes me feel good! Hopefully you won’t perceive it’s garbage. If you do, the dump in Johnson City is not an option unless you live in Blanco County.
Posted on: Thu, 26 Jun 2014 02:27:37 +0000
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