Those 70ish Girls

I was feeling a little overwhelmed today and something that one of my teachers told me came to mind. I wish I remembered which one. Wouldn’t he or she be impressed that I remembered it all these years later? If I had remembered it 40 years earlier, it might have made a difference. Oh, well. We all do our best with what we’ve got right?

This is how my thinking went today.

1. I need to make a list of things I need to do, then prioritize them.
2. I need to check on a friend who’s been sick.
3. I need to sort out my water tower collection. There are some I need to ask people to help me identify.
4. I need to get back to the Connie stories before everyone, including me forgets what was happening.
5. I need to quit staying up so late. I also need to quit eating so much junk, and I need to make my walking and yoga a bigger priority.
6. I need to call Gus, Bill, Heidi, Heather, Mason, Craig, and so on..
7. I need to write a thank you note to Liz for the birthday gift she sent me a couple of months ago, which reminds me, I need to get a Gift for Heidi today! Her birthday was 2/21, but we’re meeting her family for breakfast after Church tomorrow to celebrate.
8. Heather’s birthday was 7/8. I text her husband for her work address the day before her birthday so I could send her flowers. He didn’t see it until the day after her birthday, so I never did get around to sending her anything. I need to stop doing that.
9. I need to stop procrastinating so much. I need to quit being such a worry wart.

Okay that’s about enough. I could go on forever, but I don’t need to.

One of my teachers was talking to me about my homework, or practicing my saxophone, or something along those lines, and I was sitting there saying. “I know. I need to spend more time studying, or practicing. I need to spend less time running around with my friends, and eat fewer Bings, (I really didn’t have a need to quit the Bings.)

My teacher said, “Mary, if you need to do all those things, you need to remove the word need from your vocabulary.”

“What?” I asked. “I don’t get what you’re saying.”

The teacher said, “I’m saying, if you need to do or not do these things, then replace I need with, I am. say I am practicing, or I am studying, but don’t say I am going to. You can’t say I am, unless you are. When you’ve done it say I did it.”

The teacher made a good point. Mom used to quote Coach Riley, who was with the Lakers. Mom called him Riles. He said, “If you shoulda and you coulda, then you woulda.”

I think I’ve got it!

I am dusting off some water towers.

Juana Cupa Wata?

San Juan Batista, California…submitted by Lav aka Valerie Halla

 Lav sent me this one all the way from San Juan Batista, California where she lives. She says it’s right in her neighborhood. The descriptive words she used are: plain, tan, tank. There is no lettering. Well, that baby is big enough to keep the 1700 residents in water with no problem. At least there shouldn’t be a problem with low flying planes. Thanks for your contribution Lav.

Edit

De Plane! De Plane!

Burelson, TX…submitted by Laura Avant.

Wouldn’t you know it. The very next water tower I come to represents the perils water towers are often exposed to. This is an air traffic controller’s nightmare. You can see the smoke curling along the front. That airplane must have really come close to becoming water logged. Maybe Juana Cupa Wata has the right idea. I’ll put this one in the “Towers with an element of danger” category.

Somewhere in Nebraska…submitted by Eddie Jackson

At last a break from augua! This tower is probably full of coffee. I wonder if there’s a dairy farm close by. That would really top this tower off as being the cream of the crop. I don’t have the location written down where I can find it, but I’m sure Eddie will fill us in on this oasis in the desert of water.

The Juice

Located at Sunkist Growers, Inc., Ontario, CA…submitted by Gus Gustafson.

 My kids call this photographer of towers, Grandpa Gus and I am so pleased to showcase his fabulous entry. I would guess this tower is full of orange juice, which is a much welcomed deviation from the water, and coffee our other entrants boast being full of. You have to admire the moxie of this one. He’s saying you just try to “squeeze” me out. It won’t happen. Must be the vitamin C. Thanks Gus..Great picture. (Sunkist ceased operations of their facility in 2007, so look for this one to be classified as an antique soon.)

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I am.. and then I did.. buy Heidi a birthday present. Do you think she’ll like it?

It doesn’t hold water. It holds your cookbook up, and keeps the page you’re on while you follow a recipe. Kip said she probably won’t use it because she’s a “pinch of this and a handful of that” kind of cook. I got her something else too, but I really liked this cookbook holder.

Lastly, I saw something when I was shopping today that made me think of you Pat Penticoff Bechard. I don’t know how I ever lived without one of these. (Pat said she got her first pomegranate at Sanderson’s Store.)