Hearing

 I’ve mentioned before that my hearing is bad--worse than my friends.  I’ve had hearing aids for years, but they don’t help me hear when multiple people are talking,  or if I’m in a noisy environment.  Last week we took grandson, Jack, out to lunch.  The noise in the restaurant wasn’t that bad, but I couldn’t take part in the conversation.  It’s really hard for me.

This past week I had a three-hour test to determine if I was eligible for a cochlear implant.  I was tested for sounds at different frequencies, word recognition, and even sentence recognition.

The doctor who evaluated the results told me that I could have a transplant, but the average results for a transplant are similar to my hearing now.  She didn’t recommend one but said to get tested again next year.  The doctor recommended some changes to the settings on my hearing aids and thought a microphone with a Bluetooth connection to my hearing aids might help.

Some of my hearing problems are my fault.  I had an 8:15 meeting with a doctor a couple of days ago.  I hurried to get there in time and forgot my hearing aids.  Without my hearing aids, I am almost totally deaf.  Aloma can have the television on at a normal sound level in our bedroom, and when I take my hearing aids out, I can’t hear any sound.  I told the staff at the doctor’s office that I forgot my hearing aids.  They had to shout about a foot from my ear.  I thought it was kinda like a comedy show, but the staff wasn’t amused.

I’m disappointed that an implant won’t cure me this year, but I’m relieved that  I don’t have to go through surgery at this time.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com

Road Trip North

 When we return from Florida, we always enjoy the change of the vegetation as we travel north.  Leaving 80-degree temperature in Naples, we noticed the cultivated areas around town had green grass and shrubs and many beautiful flowers.  But when we were away from the town, the grasses were mostly brown and the trees had not put out new leaves because of earlier cold weather and little rain.

When we reached central and north Florida, we saw that trees were showing their spring green, and it wasn’t until north of Savannah, Georgia that trees were again bare.

We always enjoy watching for flowering Yellow Jasmin vines.  Where we see it depends on how severe the winter has been and the time of the year we’re traveling.  This year, we saw a few yellow flowers in North Florida, and then full bloom from the Georgia state line until Savannah.  It was the most colorful we’ve ever seen.  The woods along I-95 had so many Yellow Jasmin flowers that it looked like a forest of yellow flowers.  It was spectacular.  North of Savannah, we could still see the vines, but the blooms hadn’t opened.

From the South Carolina state line through North Carolina and home, we saw fruit trees beginning to bloom.  White blooms on wild plum trees stood out in the woods along the highway.  I pointed them out to Aloma and she reminded me that I had no idea what their real name is.  Doesn’t matter.  They were beautiful.

Now that we’re home, we see our daffodils are blooming and some of our shrubs are showing new growth.  Within a few weeks, all of our plants and trees will be beautiful.

I’m thankful that we both enjoy our plants.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmal.com

Forty-Fourth

 On January 28, Aloma and I celebrated our forty-fourth anniversary.  We exchanged cards and then went to lunch at one of our favorite restaurants.  We thanked God for allowing us to be together for so long, and we told each other our favorite stories of our years together.

We remembered Bill and Cynthia Hosley, who introduced us after our failed first marriages.  What a gift to find love a second time!  We talked about our children and grandchildren.  Our combined children didn’t turn out like the Brady Bunch as we hoped, but they all turned out fine.  We are proud of each of them.  We talked about how sad we still are about losing Rob, or son, at such an early age.  We remembered special vacations and special people in our lives.  Mostly, we remembered the routine in our lives as we enjoyed each day together.

I’m almost 84 years old, and Aloma is 80.  We wonder how many years we’ll be together.  We promise to make the most of every day.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com