Seven things I thought I knew

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1. I thought I knew about gardening.

But the climate in Texas will make you pull your hair out. In the summer when things should be growing, it gets so hot that even the grass goes dormant. Lantana continues to bloom. Tomatoes give up until the fall. It's crazy and you can't rely on local garden shops to steer you in the right direction. The weather is unpredictable and changes from year to year.

2. I thought I knew what little boys liked

to do on a Saturday night when Mom and Dad are out for the evening. I brought games and books and art supplies. The only games they were interested in was on their tv. And since they have a 6 year age difference, they aren't interested in the same games at all, so the night was spent in two different rooms. I learned a lot that night. But, so did my grandsons. I'm pretty pushy and they didn't get to spend the night with their video games.

3. I thought I knew about facial products.

I did sell Avon 45 years ago. What could have changed? Ha! What hasn't changed? It is now customary to use no less than 5 and up to 7 products twice a day every day and that does not include makeup. That's just the skin routine. You have to have an excellent exfoliant followed by a specially formulated toner then eye cream and special serum and another exfoliant followed by lotion with SPF. That's in the morning. At night it's a different routine.

4. I thought I knew about religion.

Being raised in the Catholic faith made me certain of all things related to God and religion. But my instructors taught me to ask questions. They encouraged me to question everything. Now I've studied most of the major religions and some of the fringe religions. I'm not a Catholic anymore, but I'm not really any one thing, unless it's a questioner.

5. I thought I knew how to shop for groceries,

but now they hand you a scanner and tell you to ring things up and bag them as you shop. I remember when checkers hand entered the number and price from the actual product. Now I'm scanning my own as I shop. I see there hasn't been a noticeable drop in prices for it either.

6. I thought I knew that TV was bad for us.

As I've grown older I've discovered hundreds, if not thousands of documentaries about everything from life around a steam vent at the bottom of the ocean to studies at the Cern Institute and their impact on how we view god.

7. I thought I knew about losing weight.

Stop eating calories. Lose weight, right? Not anymore. There are trick vitamins and smoothies and specially formulated rehydration drinks with apricot and citrus blends. There are special snack bars to keep your energy up while satisfying your craving for chocolate. Eating is a science now. Study up.