My mother, Evie Busk, was a perpetual fount of pithy sayings which could be deployed at each and every appropriate moment: A stitch in time saves nine; Children are to be seen but not heard; God helps those who help themselves; Look before you leap. The list is seemingly endless. Because many of my readers are in what my daughter-in-law refers to as my demographic, you probably heard all those things growing up as well, and that\u2019s exactly why this blog\u2019s for you, babe.<\/p>\n
Pat Hall has been my best friend since fourth grade when her family moved into a house more or less a block from ours. From our place on Yuma Trail, I would go out the front gate, walk down the path between our house and Mrs. Corbett\u2019s garage, cross Cole Avenue, walk past the east side of Harriet Smith\u2019s house, duck through their carport and into their backyard. (FYI, blocks as such aren\u2019t really a thing in Bisbee, Arizona!)<\/p>\n
I spent a lot of time at Pat\u2019s house. For one thing, there were only two kids in their family as opposed to seven in mine. It turns out, my readers have been in Pat\u2019s house, too, because I based Joanna\u2019s childhood home, the one Eleanor lived in both as a wife and a widow, on the McAdams family home on Campbell Avenue.<\/p>\n
As I said, Pat and I met in fourth grade and were thick as thieves from then on. In Miss Stammer\u2019s fifth grade class room, we used folded up wire hangers to pass notes back and forth. After going home for lunch, we\u2019d each eat a garlic dill pickle on our way back to school. I\u2019m sure we reeked every afternoon.<\/p>\n
We walked back and forth to grade school and rode together during high school. Our senior year we were co-editors of the school newspaper, the Copper Chronicle. After high school we remained friends, seeing each other through marriages\u2014two each\u2014and divorces\u2014one for me and two for her. She had a teaching degree and spent most of her career teaching kindergartners how to read, bless her! <\/p>\n
For years now, she\u2019s lived in Florida with a miniature poodle named Hazel. Last week, coming home from the grocery store, Pat felt funny\u2014as though something wasn\u2019t quire right. She made it out of the car and into the house where she collapsed with a stroke. She lay on the floor for close to twenty-four hours before she managed to drag herself over to her purse and use her phone to call for help. She\u2019s now in the hospital and recovering. It sounds as though she should make a good recovery, but had she been treated sooner, the damage might have been less extensive<\/p>\n
And why was her phone in her purse? Because, as most women know, the pockets on ladies\u2019 clothing are only for show. They\u2019re not deep enough or wide enough to hold anything useful. That\u2019s one of the reasons I usually carry my cell phone in my bra! <\/p>\n
So here\u2019s the stitch in time part. CARRY YOUR PHONE WITH YOU AT ALL TIMES! No pockets? No problem! My daughter carries hers on a lanyard around her neck. It\u2019s called Gear Beast. It consists of a lanyard similar to name tags lanyards used at conventions, but the bottom is a stretchy web made up of nylon cords that holds the phone in place. If you live alone and don\u2019t have access to a cell phone, you can avail yourself of one of those life alert systems that allow you to call for help at the push of a button.<\/p>\n
I spend an hour and a half almost every day walking outside my myself, marching along mostly on the driveway or other hard concrete surfaces. And yes, I did fall once, on the steps going down to the fish pond. On that occasion I was able to get myself up and drag myself inside, but the only thing that saved me from banging my head on the edge of the steps was having my hair in a bun, and the bun is the part that hit the step. If I had knocked myself silly, Bill would not have been able to hear me or see me from inside the house.<\/p>\n
As of yesterday, I\u2019m now wearing an Apple Watch. It makes me think of that long ago car used dealership on South Sixth Avenue in Tucson\u2014Ugly but Honest. My Apple Watch isn\u2019t a thing of beauty, but it comes with an important capability. If I take a tumble, the watch notices and sends me a text: \u201cI see you\u2019ve fallen. Are you okay?\u201d If I don\u2019t text an appropriate response within a minute, the watch automatically dials 911, and because of the watch’s GPS system, emergency responders will be able to find me.<\/p>\n
Apple Watches are expensive. I\u2019m lucky to have one, but wearing your cell phone on a lanyard is a cost-effective alternative. <\/p>\n
If any of this sounds at all familiar or like it might possibly apply to you, I urge you to make Evie proud and take action now, because it’s true. A stitch in time really does save nine.<\/p>\n
PS. Last week I heard from a fan in Kansas City. He\u2019s a school bus driver who, at my urging, has taken up walking while waiting for his passengers to show up. Two weeks ago, while walking he, too, felt like something \u201cwasn\u2019t right.\u201d After a trip to the doctor, he\u2019s now has three stents aiding his heart\u2019s blood pumping capability. <\/p>\n
So maybe there\u2019s another possible saying for you: Reading blogs can save lives! If not yours, maybe that of a friend or neighbor.<\/p>\n
PS. Last week I heard from a fan in Kansas City. He\u2019s a school bus driver who, at my urging, has taken up walking while waiting for his passengers to show up. Two weeks ago, while walking he, too, felt like something \u201cwasn\u2019t right.\u201d After a trip to the doctor, he\u2019s now has three stents aiding his heart\u2019s blood pumping capability. <\/p>\n
So maybe there\u2019s another possible saying for you: Reading blogs can save lives! If not yours, maybe that of a friend or neighbor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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