Here a Peep, there a Peep, everywhere a Peep-Peep!

Wall O' Peeps (Photo credit: urtica)

I was reading a Freshly Pressed blog about Peeps and it got me started thinking about seasonal candy and how it seems to have taken over store shelves — not to mention my life. The more I thought about it the more I realized that it’s time to take a stand — I’m not a fan of Peeps. There! I said it.

When it comes to chocolate covered marshmallow eggs, though, now that’s a whole different obsession.

For awhile I bought into the theory that seasonal candy was not bad for you. (Now, I just buy it without wasting time thinking about it.)

I mean it only comes around once a year, right?

Wrong! Seems like it’s always some season or other that brings — you guessed it — candy. Half the year is candy season!

Candy? (Photo credit: KyuubiTamer)

Not convinced, let’s take a quick look …

It starts with Halloween. Candy, candy, and more candy.

No sooner do we get past that calorie laden fiasco than “the holidays” are upon us and the candy just explodes all over the place. There’s peppermint candy canes, and fudge with nuts, and fudge without nuts, and divinity, and, my personal favorite, chocolate covered cherries. Yum!

Just when I feel grateful for surviving another year’s candy laden holiday season, here comes Valentine’s Day followed closely by St Patrick’s Day, chocolate shamrocks and all.

Right on the heels of Cupid‘s favorite holiday comes Easter with chocolate bunnies, chocolate eggs, and Peeps!

So whose fault is this?

I blame it on Hershey. You see, they nabbed me years ago when they started putting Hershey’s Kisses in different color wrappers. I can’t resist them.

Hershey's Kisses (Photo Credit: Wikipedia)

I love the little Halloween Kisses in their Fall colored wrappers and Christmas Kisses in their red and green wrappers. And, let’s not forget the red and silver wrappers for Valentine’s Day and — for Easter — the pastels.

I am convinced that if they’d stop with the holiday wrappers, I could go the rest of my life without eating a single Hershey’s Kisses.

That doesn’t mean I would give up chocolate covered marshmallow eggs or chocolate covered cherries.

I’m not completely nuts!

Mom is leaving …

Posted by goodoldgirl

A single point has guided me throughout my life. A single voice in my head that has kept me on the straight and narrow through times when I couldn’t see two feet in front of me, much less what’s around the bend.

My mom.

She has been the strongest influence on my life, though most times I chafe at admitting it. Her strength of character and determination have seen her through many, many difficult trials — from the loss of an infant daughter to a shattered marriage some fifteen years later. Yet, she remained strong. She never gave up, no matter how difficult the challenge or risky the outcome.

She is my rock.

My mom has Alzheimer’s and is leaving us, slowly, day by day. She’s in the early to mid stage so still knows who we are but, sooner or later, she won’t and I think it will break my heart. So much so that, in moments of weakness, I wish one of us would be released from this crazy world, and it doesn’t matter which one. I know that sounds awful, but the thought of Mom becoming lost to me makes me sad beyond having words to describe it — and angry, very angry.

Throughout her 83 years, she has relied only on herself to see her and her children over life’s hurdles. She is the only person I have ever known who will always tell me when I’m wrong or making a mistake. Her love, though quiet and somewhat reserved, is always there, for now. When she is lost to me, it will be lost to me as well.

Over the years, Mom and I have often not “gotten along.” I guess it’s because we are so much alike that it causes friction. I’m as stubborn as she is and as determined to make my own way in this screwed up world. We don’t talk a lot and seem to find it difficult to chat. Small talk isn’t part of our pattern — Scrabble is our thing. We can get into deep conversations over a Scrabble board and I’ve learned more about my mom while playing Scrabble than I ever dreamed possible. I cherish every game we play.

Mom lives with my sister and for that I am truly grateful. I don’t know how she does it, day in and day out, watching Mom fade away. I just know I couldn’t. It’s hard enough to see just when I visit.

Thank you, Jan — for all that you do to keep our mom safe. For taking care of her every need. For being her rock. I hope that someday, though I’m not sure how, I’ll be able to return the favor.

It gives all new meaning to eye apeel!

Posted by goodoldgirl

It’s my eyes. Yep, them eyes up there in the pic, they’ve got ’em — cataracts!

Turns out my peepers have had them for a long time but now they’re to the point that surgery is needed. Hmmm. Not sure how I feel about that.

On the one hand, it would be nice to be able to see better and, let’s face it, if my vision gets much worse I won’t be able to get contacts to correct it anymore. I mean that thin little disc of plastic can only do so much. And, the only other option is glasses that are thicker than Coke bottles.

On the other hand — cutting into my eyeballs — scary.

What to do?

To add to my dilemma, there are even more decisions to make. For example, which kind of lens implant do I get? I have trouble deciding which book to read. How am I ever going to decide which lens implant I need?

Help!

I know. Let’s take a poll! What do you think I should do?

Okay, here’s the options:

Option 1: Single focus lenses that will allow me to see distance but I’ll still need glasses for reading.

Option 2: Single focus lenses that correct a different problem for each eye. (I’m far-sighted in one and near-sighted in the other.) I tried this route with my first contacts. It worked but was a bit weird to get used to.

Option 3: Multi-focal lenses, what I have now, that correct both vision problems and I may or may not need glasses to read really, really fine print. (Does anybody read that stuff anyway?) I’ve had multi-focal contacts for about three years and love ’em. No problem getting used to them either.

Can’t guarantee I’ll actually do what the poll says I should do. I mean we do still have free will on this planet and, besides, I hardly ever do what anyone else says.

Anyway, thanks for participating — if you did.

If you didn’t, please do.

I mean, haven’t you ever wanted a chance to shape the future of another human being’s eyeballs?

Gives you the willies doesn’t it?

Me too.