5 July 2026
I received a short hose I’d ordered to connect a hose reel to a water faucet. I thought I’d bought one with two female ends — exactly what I needed — but nope. It was just a regular hose, only shorter. Four feet long. What am I supposed to do with that?
And the punchline: I didn’t need a new hose anyway. I just needed to tighten the connections. That tells you exactly how I feel in the mornings when I first gen up. It’s the perfect metaphor.
There is coffee, though. By some miracle, the doctors haven’t taken that away — knock on wood. As long as I don’t add anything to it, I’m good. I call it my last vice. Something true about aging is that when one thing goes out of whack, the doctor hands you a list of foods to avoid. When something else starts acting up, you get another list. Then another. Eventually it feels like you’re juggling prohibitions. If a food isn’t banned on one list, it’s almost guaranteed to be banned on another. Lettuce, though — lettuce is safe.
My new lunch go‑to is a Marketside Salad. Then for supper, I live in the danger zone and often have real food. It’s just that so many dishes I once took for granted are now off the table. How does a hotdog sound? I love them, but I may have eaten my last some time ago. When my wife asks what I want for supper, I always say meatloaf, knowing full well it won’t happen.
Several years ago, a doctor suggested I give up bread. My response at the time was, “In your dreams, doctor.” But as it turns out, dreams do come true.
“The trouble with life is that it’s daily.” — paraphrased from Mignon McLaughlin
“I’d rather take coffee than compliments just now.” — Louisa May Alcott
“To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.” — La Rochefoucauld
“If you don’t make mistakes, you’re not working on hard enough problems.” — Frank Wilczek
#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #nature #morning #food #waking #landscape #savannahRiver
