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“Winter dressing is all about having chic outerwear.”

March 16, 2017

Last night I was freezing though I was only outside for about 5 minutes. It was Gracie’s last trip before bed. She sniffed the air, checked out a couple of sounds and walked around outside the fence. She didn’t seem at all inclined to do her duty. I begged. She ignored me. I begged again. She sniffed the ground, but that was it, no squatting. It was the end for me. I brought her inside. We went to bed. She slept the whole night, but I got up once.

When I was a kid, my room was upstairs on the left. The bathroom was also on the left. The stairs were a quick right turn from my room. In the small hallway outside my door was the dirty clothes hamper and the linen closet recessed in the wall. When I was 10, I walked out of my room and turned right. I fell down the stairs. You’d think the sound of me falling would wake someone up. It didn’t. Either I fell quietly or my family slept like the dead. That is an important memory for me, a milestone of sorts. It was my first fall down stairs, the first of many.

Yesterday we didn’t go to the dump. It was because of the weather. The dump is generally cold, and if it is a windy day, like yesterday, the dump is as cold as Siberian steppes. The wind whips and freezes you to the bone. This morning I brought the trash to the car. I decided to bite the bullet and go despite the cold, 33˚ which will be the high today.

My front yard is still covered in branches from the huge pine tree branch which fell on the lawn. The small stones from my front parking space are on the street and in the garden. They were moved around by the plow. My back yard has several different size branches lying where they fell during this winter. One skinny pine tree breathed its last. Another leans and its future is doubtful. Winter is harsh.

Categories: Musings
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“It is not the cook’s fault when the cassava turns out to be hard and tasteless.”

March 7, 2017

Mother Nature has it out for me. This morning as Gracie and I were going to the far side of the deck it started to rain. I walked Gracie down the stairs and went back inside the house. My sweatshirt had gotten wet. I then went to get the papers and yesterday’s mail. My sweatshirt got wetter, and I was cold. The rain stopped not long after I got into the house.

Today is much warmer at 40˚. It may even get as high as 45˚. A bit of sunshine would be welcomed, but I’m stuck with clouds and a rainy day. I suppose I’ll survive.

The other night I had a fluffernutter for dinner. I was in the mood for peanut butter and Fluff was the perfect partner. The only thing missing was Wonder Bread.

I love cheese of all sorts except blue cheese and any of its relatives. When I was a kid, we ate yellow cheese and only yellow cheese. It came in a block. It didn’t have much flavor but made for a wonderfully gooey grilled cheese sandwich. I don’t remember when I found real cheese. The first was probably cheddar.

In the beginning of Peace Corps training, eating Ghanaian food was cause for bathroom runs (think dual definition for this word). One night I fell asleep upright my back to the wall on one of the steps leading to the school bathrooms. I didn’t trust the distance between my room and the bathroom. It seemed to take forever, but by the end of training, my stomach had accepted its lot. Most of the time I was just fine though there were still moments. Ghanaian food can do that to you. Every time I visit Ghana I eat and drink what I want. Living here removed any fears or even thoughts of germs or diseases. It is what it is. I also make bathroom runs. They’re like the price of admission.

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“Sometimes you have to grow up before you appreciate how you grew up.”

January 19, 2017

Today is a beautiful winter’s day. It is sunny and warm. Given how much it rained yesterday, I’m thinking today is a bit of a reward. Gracie and I are going out later. Today is not a day to waste.

Yesterday I actually vacuumed and then washed the kitchen floor. I can only think an alien had taken over my body.

I remember so much from when I was growing up. Without realizing it, I had filed away small things into my memory drawers. On the way to school, we crossed the railroad tracks. Sometimes we were even lucky enough to see a train. The bathroom at school always had a cleaning smell. The stalls and the overhead pipes were painted white. I remember the pipes sometimes had peeling paint.

The bowling alley was never quiet. The air was filled with the sounds of pins hitting the wooden floors. I remember the size of the shoes was on the backs of each rented pair. I never gave a thought about wearing shoes lots of people had worn.

Santoro’s Sub Shop was a block away from school. It was a small shop with a few stools at a counter attached to the wall. Mr. Santoro worked there with two of his sons. I remember Mr. Santoro was short. The bread, two different sizes, was in baskets and the toppings were in a case. The hot stuff like meatballs and sausages were on a stove top in big silver pots. I never got a hot sub. Mostly I got chicken salad or an Italian. I always added pickles and hot peppers.

There were four drug stores. I never thought that was strange. Now I wonder how a small town could support so many.

When it was hot, the firemen sat on big wooden chairs in front of the bays at the fire station. I always stopped to say hello.

The post office felt cool even on hot days, but the church sweltered in the summer.

I have the best memories, mostly simple memories etched forever in my memory drawers

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“What terrified me will terrify others; and I need only describe the spectre which had haunted my midnight pillow.”

March 13, 2012

I am possessed. There is no other way to describe it. I think it is by some old lady who spent her life cleaning homes or buildings. I have proof. Yesterday I attacked and cleaned one of my biggest cabinets. I was tired of stuff falling out every time I was looking for something so I took everything out. In the way back of the cabinet I found all of the chewed pieces of paper from when the mouse lived there. That was disgusting. I also found half-filled bottles of the same thing so I poured and managed to throw away the empty duplicates. I found stuff I didn’t even know I had. Who needs three aluminum foil boxes? Obviously I do. How about two unopened boxes of Cling Wrap? Last week my nephew wanted 3 in 1 oil which I knew I had but he couldn’t find. Well, I have three of those. I also found lemon oil which is on my shopping list. That led to the next chore.

I oiled the old desk in my bathroom. You probably wonder why a desk is in my bathroom. Well, it is a small narrow, pull down front desk, and I keep my guests linen there. That bathroom has a school theme. No, it is not a reflection on my education!

Next, I mineraled oiled the butcher block in my kitchen then I noticed my dining room table. It has a stain but no finish so out came the lemon oil and I oiled the table and a small stool.

I want the haunting to stop and I want the old lady gone. It is not me to tackle such obscure tasks. The most I usually do is use my sleeve to dust and I’m quite happy with that accomplishment; however, I can hear another couple of cabinets calling me, and I’m forcing myself to stay away from them. I know the old lady is itching for me to get at them.

All of that work and staying up too late caused me to sleep until eleven; that’s right eleven. It was a put a mirror under her nose to see if she’s breathing sort of morning. The animals stayed right with me.

I do have to go out as I have a short list of things I need. What is going on? Here I am cleaning and now grocery shopping. I need an exorcist.

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“It is the middle of December. The nights are longer, the weather is colder, winter comes.”

December 18, 2010

I have learned so much since the surgery I figured I’d share as none of my hard earned knowledge should ever go to waste. At first, as I was lying on the couch moaning periodically, I thought about a pamphlet or a novelette but decided my blog will have to do as the other choices seemed just too complicated. We’ll have to call this blog entry “If you find yourself, sick, disabled or otherwise incapacitated, read this.”

Just in case you’re handed a walker and sent on your way, I have a few walker helps and hints. A walker most decidedly has its advantages but getting around a house furnished for two feet makes it difficult. My walker has gotten caught on chairs, the legs of tables, a laundry bag, the butcher block and a couple of open doors. Right away I learned to close one arm of the walker so I could get around those spots. Of course, the directions tell you never to do that. I, always the rebel, did it anyway, and it worked and I was able to maneuver. A couple of times I had to wash some lounge pants as my laundry bag was filled. The walker was a great substitute for a clothes line. It also serves as an ottoman if the need rises. Right now, mine is a linen closet adjunct holding a quilt.

The worst part of being a bit disabled is getting to the bathroom. I wished I could plan my trips ahead of time. I figured an e-mail saying get up because in five minutes you’ll have to go to the bathroom wouldn’t take much and seems quite thoughtful. No, that never happens, and I ran though I don’t think using a walker can really be called running. A few times I breathed a sigh of relief at crossing the finish line just in time. Now, I stop at the bathroom on the way to the kitchen whether I need to or not. That’s my version of an e-mail.

Always have a straw which can be bent. The advantage is obvious. The disadvantages are wet and uncomfortable.

One of those grab things is a must. I used it constantly. It seemed everything I wanted was at the wrong end of the table or maybe I was. I’m not quite sure which. I used it to grab and slide stuff. Anything which fell on the floor would have stayed there without my grabber. Using it to tease people, though, is not a good idea.

Get into bed (the couch in my case) before the dog. Mine likes to be comfy and takes and arranges most of the covers in her quest. When I’m first in bed, she just has to make do.

Keep cookies handy. Sweets are one of the best remedies. I swear aches went away when I ate a star sugar cookie frosted in light purple, but I’m not sure the shape or color matters. It’s the magic of the cookie.

Today is the best day I’ve had so far. They started me on a new medication, and it seems to be working. I haven’t used my walker this morning and I’m still fine. Earlier, I was given a gift of wonder. I walked from the kitchen with my cup of coffee without dragging along my walker and no drops of coffee poker dotted the floor.

Last night I fell asleep really early with the TV, lights and computer on. I was even still wearing my glasses. I think it was a Hallmark movie which put me out. When I woke up it was a round 1 am. That was a long nap for me so I looked around for something to do. I chose a TV program with lots of blood and gore, grabbed a cup of coffee, took my pills and started a jigsaw puzzle. I was up for hours. It was almost light when I fell back to sleep. A phone call woke me around noon.

The pains are less, and I seldom yelp. I don’t seem to need the walker though I do limp a bit. I even went out on the deck a little while ago so I could do a weather report. It’s not so pretty a day, but I don’t care. I will appreciate all of today. I’m hoping for a parade later!

Categories: Musings
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