Everything changes

On my way back from getting my hair cut, I passed the lovely porch gardens that I blipped earlier in the year.  The difference is dramatic.  These bushes, unnoticeable then, are striking now.  And the flower gardens have faded into dried stem and just a few bright flowers holding on.(Extra)

I had a hearing evaluation this afternoon, done free of charge by the audiologist who worked with my mother and with May.  I've been wondering if I need a hearing aid - too many "Excuse me?", "Could you repeat that?"s and "What did you say?" these days.  Turns out that I hear near or within the normal range for only one of the pitch levels, and as the tones get higher. my ability to hear them drops dramatically.  So it is hearing aid time; I'd hoped never to get to this point.  Growing up with hearing impaired parents made me sure I didn't want to have to get one.  She showed me the latest in behind-the-ear aids, which is tiny, barely visible, and easy to accommodate to.  Then, of course, we talked price, and I was really taken aback by how much they cost -.more than four times what I'd thought they'd be.  So I have a lot of thinking to do.  I need them, but I don't know how I'm going to pay for it.

You can see from the blip that we had bright sunshine again today, with a high of 44 degrees.  Tonight, however, we'll dip into the twenties.  I'm not ready for this!