Getting Legal

I bought a Bluetooth Car Speaker Kit at Costco today. It was on sale, plus they were offering coupons for $20 off that price, and I couldn't pass that up. I guess that just about every state in the union now has a law against holding a cell phone while driving and I always feel a little guilty that I don't have a hands free device, so when I get it installed I will be legal! It doesn't look difficult to set up, unless possibly if I want to run it through my car stereo speakers, but I will ask my son in law to do that if I decide I need it.

As of Jan. 1st this year, it is illegal to do text messaging while driving in the state of California, and I wonder if that would also make it sort of illegal to enter an address into the GPS while driving. It isn't an easy thing for me to do because I need glasses for close up work but can't drive with glasses, so I have a hard time deciphering the GPS screen. Usually I either wait until I'm stopped at a traffic light, or I pull into a parking lot. Oh the perils encountered by aging eyes!

A tiny bit of improvement was noticed today, speaking of eyes, but I'm still not where I hope to be in the near future. I ordered two pair of sunglasses today - a 2 for 1 offer that came with the glasses given to me by the eye surgeon. I really like how they fit - they have a contemporary look but actually fit so that no sunlight leaks in. One of the pair is a copper tint lens that is suggested for driving and provides improved depth perception. I'm not expecting miracles but I ordered them with anticipation of being able to do better in sunlight than with the extremely dark glasses, though extremely dark is always good in the intense California sunlight.

While at Costco I picked up two more corned beefs which I will keep in Jeannie's fridge until I use them. I will cook three of them for St. Patrick's Day and it will be my offering for the once-a-month family get together for a meal. I will have the meal at Jeanne & Donald's house as they have so much room for everyone there. I didn't get any other food items at Costco today although I was tempted by the food devil, a little imp that appears to me whenever I walk into that store!

Oh, I nearly forgot, but I have just about decided where I will go in April and possibly May. Those of you who love the resorts should probably stop reading right here. I will need to be in Sacramento in March for medical appointments. Then I am going to go up to Orland California, about 100 miles north of here. There isn't much there, Black Butte Lake (a Corps of Engineers lake) and a very small town. That part of California (northern Central Valley) is mainly devoted to agriculture, and olive groves seem to be the only product. There are several companies in the area that offer tasting rooms and sell gourmet olives and olive oil. I may just give all my family some tasty dipping oil for Christmas! You may wonder why anyone would want to spend a month or two in a little farming town in Northern California, but I am ready to get out of the city. While I love being able to see my kids and grandkids, the only other thing to do is shop. I am not really a shopper and I don't want to be one, but the temptation to acquire things I don't need as well as the few things I do need, can be overwhelming. (But the readers who are really sharp will pick up on the fact that I am already doing my Christmas shopping at the olive oil store). I was raised in a fairly large city and liked living in cities and enjoying the fine things in life until I began having my children. That is when my attitude toward life changed, and my world was wrapped up in my kids and what was best for them. I simplified my lifestyle and tried to not expose them to consumerism at its worst, and I'd say I halfway succeeded. It's time for Gypsy to get back to country living where I can walk into town, meet and talk to folks, and enjoy the peace and quiet. It will be a good transition to the wilderness I hope to find at Lassen.