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Possibilities. What are they – really? I’ve been thinking about possibilities. You already know that Larry used to ask me if I was always thinking. Well, yes. aren’t we always thinking? Even when we appear to not be thinking – I submit, we are thinking.

Several questions have been running through my mind. Are certain things possible? So many events have happened that humans always considered impossible. Man has walked on the moon. Man has just launched the Roman Telescope to look for exoplanets and dark matter in areas of the universe we could never see before. We have already discovered so many more planets, exoplanets, galaxies. Diseases have been prevented and cured. What are the possibilities? And, so – my question – is it possible …?

Is it possible that we live as only one universe among many? Is there another universe that exists parallel to ours? I think I’ve talked about this before. At night, when my house is quieting down, I can sometimes hear conversations coming through the “gap” and, no, I can’t understand the words. but, I strongly feel that there are conversations going on – just over there. In the next room. Down the hall. Outside of my window. And, by the way – I AM NOT CRAZY. I hear these things. Is it possible that this cosmos is just another representation of ourselves?

Many earthlings believe we are the only sentient beings in our universe. It appears to me that thinking that is a bit smug. With all of the galaxies, planets, moons, and those objects that the Nancy Grace Roman telescope will find, surely there are places that are occupied by other forms of sentient beings. Is it possible that we will develop propulsion systems that will get us there to meet them? Such as real “Warp Drive.” And, while we’re at it, is it possible that we can only conceive of life that we have on this blue marble floating in space?

Is it possible that a self-driving car is in my future? I know we already have these vehicles on our streets – automobiles and trucks. I have not seen one. If I do, I might possibly be so shocked that I will drive my car off of the road. But, I know they exist. So, when the elderly are not able to drive any longer and let their licenses expire, will they keep a self-driving car in the garage to make mobility possible? Many elderly talk about losing their freedom to go places when they need to and not always rely on friends or relatives. Is it possible that this “magic” car will give them back their freedom?

Once, ever so many years ago, I read a science fiction book of short stories, all connected to the idea that dogs could talk. Is it possible that dogs will learn to speak English? As you know, I have the privilege of having Kate, a border collie, stay with me, occasionally. And, you know by previous BLOGs that she is the smartest dog I have ever met. Really – she has an incredible vocabulary of English words that she understands. I almost never talk to her in one-word commands. I use sentences. “It’s time for bed.” She goes into the room with her crate. “Ready for your treat? Let’s go to the office.” She goes to the office and does not stay in the kitchen where she often gets “atta-girl” treats. Yes, the smartest dog I’ve ever met – and, I have  had a few.

Kate often vocalizes something to me. More than once. And, when she speaks and repeats the sounds, they are the same. So, is it possible that dogs will eventually be able to speak English? Or, any other language of their home country?

I talked with a friend about my need to change my physical therapy providers. I now work with PTs in a different office. The friend said that he had a similar (although, not as dramatic) situation with that same office. He said that he felt that they were pushing him out of their practice. Perhaps, they knew that they could not be of service to him, any longer, and wanted him gone. Whatever it was, he did decide to seek medical care elsewhere. Is it possible that, knowing their work with patients is done, they figure out some way to “encourage” them to leave and find another practice? If that is true, where is the part of communication in which the PT office tells the patient that the services offered there are no longer beneficial to the patient. And, that finding a new service is advised? Is it possible that they were never taught how to communicate that information?

I have a plains cottonwood tree that is living very well in my back yard. She is at least 115 years old; my arborist tells me that she is in better shape than so many that he sees. I have a concern. I do want her to stay living in this spot that she has occupied for so many years. Is it possible that the people who eventually purchase my property (that time will come, I know) will allow her to live?

Our neighborhood is one in which neighbors help neighbors. It is a truly great place to live. As it happens, two of our houses will now be having new owners. We know that one of the houses has been purchased by a family of three – Mom, Dad, and babe. We are waiting for the second house to gain a new owner. Is it possible that those new neighbors will become an integral part of our community? We are all hoping for the best and will strive to let them know they have come into this terrific community and to make them welcome,

I think I am relatively capable when using my computer and my cell phone. There are times, however, when I want to throw them out of the window. Sometimes, I call my computer man Roger, and the first thing he says is, “Don’t throw the computer out the window!” It is possible that I will ever become good enough with both of these machines that I will be able to handle the problems myself?

Working with both my physical therapists and my chiropractor with the approval of my PCP, we are striving to avoid that back surgery that was ordered for last July. I am completing exercises; I have a list that I finish each day. Then, I sometimes have new ones added. I was walking quite bent over at the direction of one of my docs. Now, I walk straight. I still have a difficult time remembering to stand tall when I walk; breaking the habit of intentionally walking bent over is hard to do. Is it possible that these changes and treatments will keep me away from that surgery in the future? Is it possible that I will regain my strength, my stamina?

Is it possible that future generations will be able to live on our Earth? Will our leaders and citizens work diligently to keep her habitable? Reading recently about El Nino and its potential effect on the world, it is a bit frightening to think that much of the developing problem is due to global warming. Is it possible that we will get our act together to prevent further destruction of our planet?

And, then, there is my house. I am currently in the process of moving my entire office from one room to another. A big job to be sure. My “keeper” Rita is helping with so much. She does the basic lifting and toting, along with deciding what goes where. There are certain things that I can do when she is not here. I strive to work on those. The computer must be moved. The little desk that I now use must be eliminated. The stand-alone floor AC unit has to be moved. Computer man Roger and HM Keith will be involved in that part of the project. We need to make room for paper and files and anything else that I use on a regular basis. My goal is to be finished by the end of October. Is it possible that we will get this accomplished by Halloween?

Our city council has determined that because of the drought, we will have watering schedules based on our addresses my days are Tuesdays and Fridays. I wonder what the people do who only have Saturdays and Sundays to be at home. Since the day those water restrictions went into place, we have had substantial rain. I have not turned on my outside water during this time. Is it possible that the monsoons will continue to provide the rain; thus, the relief we have from watering?

Right now, I’m going to stop thinking about possibilities and try to decide what my next meal will be. Is it possible that it will be a cold sandwich and some hot soup?

Probably!

Be Safe and Be Well
The Cranky Crone
Thoughtful comments are always welcome.

Daughter #1 has been traveling for some time. She thoughtfully brought a gift home for me. The tiny gift is a rock from the Mississippi River. You know that I always ask people to “bring me a rock,” because I so rarely travel these days, and it’s fun to get rocks from all over the world. Croatia. Australia. India. Germany. To name a few out-of-country places.

She also brought a bright pink tee shirt from one of our favorite book stores in Appleton, Wisconsin. The Book Store (clever – right) sells used books, as well as new. The front of the shirt has the stores name, but the back is clever. It says, “Shop local – Read used books – Save the earth.” Pink is my favorite color, and “save the earth” is a great thought! I think I will be wearing this shirt a lot!

Standing in front of me in the checkout line at the grocers was a quite large man in a tee shirt. The front of his shirt said, “you are enough.” The back of the shirt, and this was what caught my eye first, was “Dear person behind me, the world is better with you in it; the world needs you.” My hope is that anyone standing behind him at any time will read that, and it will make his or her day.

I have lots of tee shirst from so many different places – inside of and outside of the United States. I have a wardrobe of tee shirts from a wonderful coffee and food location in Nebraska. My tee shirt wardrobe from Lasso Espresso in Gothenburg, Nebraska,  includes pink, green, black, blue, white, grey, red, and purple. I love wearing those tee shirts. Passersby will often point at the shirt and, then, point to themselves. Kindred spirits. The tee shirts say, “Instant Human, Just Add Coffee.”

Neighbors Keith and Rita were in Croatia some time ago. My tee shirt from there has a heart design as the pillow-lace (or bobbin lace) that is done so beautifully there. They were also kind enough to bring a shirt from Canyon de Chelley; with, of course, an image of a part of the canyon.

Years ago, Larry and I frequented a chocolate shop, owned by a transplanted German. He came to the U.S. and landed in Wisconsin, a sports-related reason. However, that wasn’t to be, and he arrived in the Denver area. In Germany, he had apprenticed to a chocolatier; he made chocolates for more than fifty years in his two shops – the first on East Colfax and the second on East Evans Avenues. His chocolate shop that we frequented was Deitrich’s Chocolates located close to our house.

At the time we visited there most, I was retired and caring for a young boy Sam. We would take him with us to Deitrich’s for breakfast. Sam knew exactly where his food would come from to arrive at the table. If the food that came from the kitchen did not come to his table, he was not happy! Cheerios helped to keep that in check, however. When his food arrived, he ate it with gusto!

The tee shirt from Deitrich’s has a huge chunk of chocolate on the front and says “Give me all of you chocolate and nobody gets hurt!” I only have one of those tee shirts left after all of these years.

When I couldn’t find a tee shirt with an expression that I liked, I made my own. “Life hurts; chocolate helps.” is one of them. The design includes all things chocolate – candy, cupcakes, cake, etc. I learned to use fabric paints to get them finished. I should state here that I believe chocolate is the eighth food group!

Tee shirts are a summer clothing option for me. Winters here are usually too cool for me to go without long sweater sleeves. So, my enjoyment of tee shirts is confined to times when the weather allows me to wear them. Every color of the rainbow hangs in my closet and sets the stage for that spring-to-fall wearing. I really enjoy wearing them. Now, if I could only find one with a Martian in a helmet saying, “Take me to your chocolate leader!”

I wonder what my next favorite tee shirt will be, and what it will say to others as they walk by.

Be Safe and Be Well
The Cranky Crone
Thoughtful comments are always welcome.

I love books. The moment you step into my home you will know that positively – definitely – I love books. Books are everywhere in my house. On tables. In boxes waiting to be put into my computer catalog listing. Waiting to be shelved.  Waiting on the top step to be carried down to shelving in the basement.

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Sometimes, I think I would like to have company as I walk through my day. You are invited to do that today. It is Thursday, August 27, 2026. It’s right at 7 pm with my day winding down. My day started out in a usual fashion. Alarm went off – I wanted about thirty more minutes, so I reset the phone notification and slept for a few more minutes – knowing that I must get up to be ready for my 8:40 am physical therapy appointment.

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AI is a puzzle for me. Sometimes, I think it is the greatest abomination to occur on the face of this earth. Other times, the opposite is what I think.

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DEAR READERS: THIS IS THE FOURTH TIME I HAVE ATTEMPTED TO PUBLISH THIS BLOG. I HOPE THAT IT WORKS THIS TIME. I APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.

I am fortunate enough to live in a comfortable, ranch-style house. For about fifty-six years, I’ve lived in this house. For the past nine years, I’ve lived alone. Which is okay. My house has a garage, a living room/dining room, kitchen, three bedrooms upstairs, two baths, and a nice connecting hallway. The basement is equal in size with two rooms that can be used as bedrooms, a very large “family” room, a bath, and the workroom that serves as a repository for some of the exercise equipment that I own – a recumbent stepper, a Total Gym 2000, and a TRX. It also has my large, upright freezer, my washer and dryer, Larry’s basement workbench, as well as shelves for extra stuff.

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Have you thought about the miracles in your life? I’ve recently been thinking about the miracles in my life. If you’ve been reading this blog for some time, you will know that I see myself as a child of God. I’ve said so before. That being said, I also believe in miracles. Big and small.

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I use my microwave a lot – really a lot. I cook in my microwave oven. Truth-be-told, almost all of my food preparation these days is in the microwave. When I was able to afford this appliance, I had made up my mind that I would learn to cook with it – that it would not sit on my counter just to warm up food. Having a family of five to feed, working as a teacher, and doing all of those things that a mom with a job away from home does, my time was limited. The microwave advertisements promised to make my life easier by using a microwave.

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You need to know that this probably is a rant. Read it at your own peril. It is what it is, however. The truth.

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Today, I had the good fortune to plan to have lunch with my good friend and computer guru (he can absolutely solve the problems that I throw at him regarding the computer – and, often, other things, too). Because of this restrictive diet that I’m forced to follow, I asked if we could go to Denny’s because I know that I can eat what is on their menu. Truth-be-told, I don’t even look at the menu. I just tell the wait staff what I can eat, and they put it together – and, it always good.

Earlier in the day, I’d been at a medical office for an annual test, produced my ID and insurance info as requested, and placed my wallet where it is kept back into my black purse. Getting to the medical office was a bit of a chore because when I pulled into one of the Swedish Hospital parking lots at what I thought was the correct location, it was not. I pulled back onto the street and traveled the two blocks to get to the correct parking lot, walked across the pedestrian bridge, and into the building that I assumed was 701, and I was arriving at Suite 100 on time.

But, getting out of the elevator and walking into Suite 100, I was redirected down the hall to the west. I was in building 799. Oh, good! So off I went, leaning heavily on the cane that accompanies me everywhere, until I saw another human being. Knowing that I was still lost, I asked for directions and was kindly walked to the location where I was expected. Everyone in the office was extremely kind – I think that may come because of the cane. I’m never really sure.

As I said, I provided the necessary documentation to prove that I was me and that I do indeed have the required insurance. I was forthwith ushered into the testing area, put my purse and some clothing into the locker and had the medical test. When finished, I did the reverse – dressed and walked out with purse in hand using the cane, walked to the parking lot, and drove home.

My computer guru picked me up right at noon with Denny’s as our destination. Our waitress was charming and, as usual, helped me order just the right meal. I stressed that this was my turn to pay; when we’d finished our meal, I took the check to the cashier and looked for my wallet that was not where I had put it. Or, at least, where I thought I had put it.

I was very embarrassed because my friend had to pay what should have been my bill. I checked all around our table to be sure that the wallet was not there. When we left the restaurant, I checked the floor of his car to see if the wallet was there. It was not. Arriving home and while my computer was being adjusted, I looked in and around my car in the garage to see if the lost might be found there. It could not.

When I was alone, I determined what needed to be done to protect myself. My wallet contains my life. Credit card. Debit card. ID. And, all manner of things one does not want to lose – family photographs, money (albeit, not much), and nitro, just in case, I should have another heart attack (it’s never happened). Even those gift cards that were given to me for whatever reason have some value!

I decided that I should cancel the cards that could be canceled and, then, hope for the best. The rest of this tale is in the e-mail that I wrote to my friend a short time later. It is below.

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Dear RB,

The lost is found.

The wallet was, of course, not in the place where it is usually stored in my purse. The purse has five places to put things. The two at the front are not large enough for the wallet – only for things the size of my phone.

The other three are, two inside the “lid” of the purse, and one on the “back” side of the purse where I stash papers. Papers with questions that I want to ask docs, etc., my smaller booklets that I use to write poetry when I’m waiting for something – you know, a sort of “catch all.”

The two in the middle of the purse are for things like sun glasses in a case, a medihaler, batteries for my hearing aides, and other stuff that I don’t want to have falling out of the purse. And, of course, there is a “lid” that is secured with two magnet closures to keep all of that safe. That is where the wallet belongs – in the middle. Sometimes, if I don’t close the lid, things do fall out, and that’s what I thought had happened, today.

When I got home I called the Sally Jobe imaging place – the wallet wasn’t there, but she would be sure to notify me if it was found. I know that is the last place I remember having my hands on the wallet because my ID stuff and insurance stuff was needed. I remember putting those items back into the wallet; I thought I had surely put the wallet back into its place in my purse. I called the Swedish Hospital folks and talked to someone about “lost and found” and was told that nothing had been turned in today. But, she would call me if the wallet came in.

I called my bank to cancel (she said block) any purchases on my debit card. Nothing had been charged up to that point. I’ll get my new debit card within a week or so. The person with whom I talked gave me the number to call for my credit card through the bank.

Before canceling that card, I thought I would go back to the parking garage and see if it had dropped out and was on the concrete floor. So, I was picked up my black purse that felt as heavy as I thought it should with everything that I keep in it. I looked, again, in the two spaces inside of the purse – no wallet. Then, and it was just a sort of fluke, I looked in that back pocket where papers are to be kept.

And, there it was, in the WRONG space. I NEVER put my wallet in that space. Well, except that, today, I had put it there. So, I guess the “catch all” caught it!

More later.

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My late sister always told me, “You need a keeper.” I’ve talked about that before, but it may really be “coming home” that I REALLY DO NEED A KEEPER!

Time will tell.
Be safe and be well.
The Cranky Crone
Thoughtful comments are always appreciated.