The last several weeks I’ve been feeling not so well. My stomach was bothering me, and I just felt very tired. I took a look at how I have been eating and I realized I’ve been drinking a lot of sugary drinks lately. So for the last day or two I’ve been laying off the sugar, eating more salads, drinking more water, etc. Already I’m starting to feel better. I still need to get back to the gym.
Well, that’s the update for now.
Russ and I went to visit his parents at their home, for several of reasons.
1. We were in the neighborhood and wanted to say hi.
2. His mom had just gotten out of the hospital, and we wanted to bring her a gift.
3. We wanted to let them know how our house-hunting was going.
We spent a few hours this Sunday afternoon going to “Open Houses” and it was very exciting. We found a couple of neighborhoods we hadn’t known about before that would be EXCELLENT places to live. We also marked off a neighborhood or two from our list, as someplace where we would not at all care to live. So, it’s been educational.
Before visiting the in-laws, we were in a brand new and completely empty house in Englewood Gardens, south of the city, in a very up-and-coming area of town. The neighborhood was good, and the house was beautiful! I was shocked to see SHAG carpeting in a brand new house. The 60’s are alive and well in modern housing development!!! Also, this house was the perfect size for us (1300 sq. ft.), with an open floorplan on the kitchen and living area, three bedrooms down a long hallway, and an interior guest bathroom where you could easily hang out in case of a tornado. The cat box would probably fit well in the separate laundry room (ie—laundry room, not laundry closet.) Oh, and did I mention a fenced yard, 2-car garage and price tag of only $139,900?
We left our name and phone number with one of the realtors, so we expect to be getting calls from them. Supposedly we are in the “just looking” stage at this point, but that’s an assumption we’re making based on what we THINK we know about how real estate works. It may be that we are actually further along than we think, closer to buying than we now hope. Time will tell. In the meantime, it’s a blast going around to look at all these different neighborhoods and houses. When we finally do make a decision, no one will be able to accuse us of being uninformed.
In one of Lori’s recent comments, she said:
It’s funny how certain sentences just stick in your head from so many years ago.
I thought about that, and boy is it true! I know there are several that I remember very well, and I’m thinking about sharing some of them here.
One from my childhood:
One hot summer day, Wendy, our dog, was sitting in the shade. I attempted to commend her for her wise choice, and chose to do so with an accent. What kind of accent, and why, I don’t know, but it started out like this:
“Schmart dog!” (Instead of “Smart dog.”)
I went on to say “You sit in the shade.” But after you’ve added a “sch” to “smart” and at the same time you’re getting ready to say the word “shade”…well, “sit” just kind of gets all caught up in all those “sh” and “sch” sounds, and even though I had no intention of saying this, this is what came out of my mouth:
“Schmart dog! You shit in the shade!”
Now, to a nine or ten year old kid who has just accidentally cursed, this is no end of embarrassment…or humor. And I have never forgotten it.
One from Mary’s childhood:
When Mary was about three or four, it was amazing how nothing that happened was ever her fault. The epitome of this was best expressed when one day she clumsily walked into a wall, began to cry, and proclaimed:
“The wall made a lump and bumped me!”
Honestly.
And most recently:
When I visited Barbara and John last month, they reminded me of how, about ten years ago, when asked how I felt about turning forty, I said, “I don’t mind being forty, I just don’t want to be FAT and forty.” They have always thought this was hysterical.
When they asked me recently how I felt about turning fifty, my reply was the same (with the word “fifty” replacing the word “forty.”) This is not one that I particularly remember, but they get such a kick out of it, every ten years or so, that I thought it was worth mentioning. (Hey, do you think there’s any chance I might reach sixty and be NOT FAT?) 🙂
Now, one more that came up while visiting Barbara and John. They asked me what kind of guy Russ is. I said, “He’s not the perfect guy…but he’s the perfect guy for ME.” Barbara thought this was so profound. And actually, I guess it is. And also, so true.
Well, that’s all I can think of at the moment. If anyone has any sentences that have been stuck in their head all these years (like Lori’s memory of my brother John using karate on my brother James!) please feel free to share them. I would love to know.
I recently had a reply from Lori, one of my cousins, who I remember from way back when I was a kid. In honor of her, and all my cousins, I post this picture. Thanks, Lori, for making me remember what it was like to be a kid.
I could probably write a lengthy disertation on what it was like to have so many cousins, but since I’m short on time, I’ll review only one memory, and ask anyone else who would like to to share some of theirs.
THE MISSING SHOES
One thing all us cousins always liked to do, when we would have summer family picnics, would be to play kickball out in the middle of the street. One time, we were playing in front of Aunt Bertha’s house, and for some reason we decided it would be best if we took off our shoes. So we all took off our shoes and lined them up on the front porch while we went out to the street for kickball.
The front porch was hidden by high bushes, and when we came back after the game, we discovered that ONE SHOE out of every pair was missing! It was funny, and disturbing. It was a mystery.
I think we eventually discovered that our older cousins, Aunt Bertha’s sons, who were teenagers and too old to play kickball with us in the street, had played a practical joke on us and hidden half our shoes. I guess we eventually got our shoes back. I don’t remember. I just remember how surprised we were when we came back up to the porch and found only one of our shoes each!
I also remember how much fun it was to play kickball in the middle of the street.
Soon I will have a website.
My brother James put me on to some free internet space, and I bought a name for ten dollars a year from GoDaddy. Mary told me about DreamWeaver software, which makes doing websites so much easier. Russ has the software and will install it for me. So, in a little while, I should be providing a dot-com address, in case you are interested in visiting my new website.
This website will be a kind of “scrapbook” of my favorite entertainments, a place to store images from my favorite TV and movies, and also make comments and gush about how wonderful they are. When I was a pre-teen I made scrapbooks about the Cowsills and the Monkees with picture I cut from Tiger Beat and 16 Magazine. (I still have one of those scrapbooks on my bookshelf, btw.) This will be like that…only more grown-up and sophisticated.
I still plan to keep up this LJ, as this is much more personal, but in the future, entries about shows, movies, books, and general artistic observations will go to the website.
In anticipation of this new venture, I just now perused the entirety of this LJ, to see if there were any entries I would like to bring to the forefront on my new website. It was an interesting trip down memory lane, going all the way back to July 2, 2005. That was almost three years ago!
Look how much has changed in my life over the last three years!
I have to confess: though generally I am very happy and excited about life, always looking forward to something new and wonderful, every so often (I guess it’s now that I’m getting so much closer to that menopausal age) I get into a little funk, thinking “I’m old. At least I’m older than I’ve ever been. So much more of my life is now behind me than is in front of me.” Thoughts like that can be depressing. I don’t DWELL on them, but as a matter of fact, I have to admit it’s true. I’m not a Spring chick anymore. This is the Autumn of my life.
So on the one hand…yes, it’s Autumn.
But you know what? Autumn has always been my favorite season. Especially now that I have developed an interest in college football!
Yes, I know that sounds somewhat flippant, but as a matter of fact, it’s not at all. In fact, that’s my point exactly! I’m fifty years old, and I have JUST NOW developed this new interest. I’m a little late to the game. But I’m here.
Where does it say that we always have to be who we were? Where does it say that there is an expiration date on the ability to change? We can always do something different, live in a new place, try new foods, listen to new music, have new experiences. Going over the last three years of my life in my LJ just now has made me realize anew how much life is always moving, always changing. It’s absolute foolishness to think that once you reach a certain age that’s going to stop. At least it shouldn’t stop.
Case in point: we rent our house from Russ’ great-aunt who is in her mid-eighties. She still has all her senses. She drives, goes out to lunch with friends, attends church, gets her hair done at the beauty parlor once a week without fail, has people over to play cards every Tuesday evening…and she gets very excited about college football!!! She and Russ have great conversations about football. It’s amazing to listen to. And it’s inspiring.
That’s the kind of old lady I want to be. Still kickin’. Okay, so I might be getting close to menopause, but, God willing, I’m certainly not close to the end of my life. And even when I am close to the end of my life, I want to be enjoying it, right up to the very last moment.
The last three years have been very eventful. I may not experience the same degree of excitement in the next three years (kids going off to college, meeting my soul mate, moving to another state, getting married, getting a new job, etc.) but it’s entirely possible that in the next three years I might:
Finally lose all this extra weight that’s been plaguing me for so many years!
Buy and move into a nice, new house!
Have one or more of my novels published!
Move up into a better paying job!
Take several great vacations!
See Alabama Football become a force to be reckoned with!
Yes, the future lies ahead. No matter how much future there may be, all of it always lies ahead. As I said…the game is not over yet!
(And btw, this just occurred to me: the fact that I have a desire to create a “scrapbook” means the creative juices are still flowing; the fact that I maintain more than a passing interest in “entertainments” means the film studies student is still alive in me somewhere; and no matter what my chronological age, I think that the pre-teen I once was has never completely left me.)
(Note: The following entry was written at Birmingham Airport, while I waited for Russ to pick me up, then posted many days later. I meant to post right away, but as soon as I got back, I began to deal with my toothache, went to the dentist, went to the oral surgeon, had the tooth pulled. All this occupied my mind and took up my energy for quite a while, and it’s only now that I’m beginning to feel that I am really going to begin to get back to “real life.” But in the meantime, I still want to record all this about my vacation and what a good time I had. So here goes:)
I’m sitting in the Birmingham Airport at 1:49 in the afternoon, Tuesday, March 25, 2008. I have just procured the best table in the joint, in a corner, with walls all around me, nobody looking over my shoulder, and no glare from the large windows, through which I can see planes taking off. I will sit here for as long as I can, until somebody chases me out. I have half of my iced tea left, and more than enough York Peppermint Patties to make it through the afternoon.
I want to reflect, because sometimes when I don’t reflect, I tend to forget. My memory is not what it once was. Not only that, but life is so busy all the time, that before I have a chance to think about what just happened, I’m on to the next thing. I’m not going to let that happen. So now, I reflect.
TAMPA
My vacation began on Wednesday, March 12, when I went to work all day, then left a bit early to drive over to Russ’ office, so he could drive me to the airport. There had been some concern on my part that we might run into traffic, and I could be late, but none of that happened. It was a swell trip, without incident.
The flight was good, too. Not bumpy. I realized that the odd sensation that makes you dizzy and makes your ears pop really only lasts for about two minutes, so I made it through without taking any pills. I was quite proud of myself on that account.
When I got into Tampa Airport, I phoned John, who was waiting for me in the “cell phone lot.” What a great idea! He directed me to some kind of tram that took me to the turnstile to pick up my bag. What a big airport in Tampa! And very nice.
I stood on the curb and waited for John, who arrived shortly. We had a nice ride to Trimble’s house, in which he told me all the latest on “the bubs” (the twins, as he calls them) and that Samantha will be going to Mexico over the summer for six weeks. Good for her! She will certainly learn to speak Spanish that way!
Got to Trimble’s house, and everything is just the same there. Well, there are a few things different. They’ve painted some walls, and gotten a wide-screen TV, and there is a grandfather clock in the living room that doesn’t work. I thought that was bad feng shui, but I didn’t say anything to Barbara, as I don’t think she believes in feng shui. The guest room was just as comfortable as I always remember it. I always get a warm feeling of hospitality in their house.
The next morning, I went with Barbara up to the clubhouse for her weekly Bible Study. It was all older ladies, and they are reading a book…getting out of your rut? Out of the Pit? Something like that. The speaker was very good. She said some things that really got me thinking. Mostly what I was thinking is that it is high time I get myself back to church, and re-ignite my relationship with Jesus. I know He has never left me, never abandoned me, even though I have forgotten Him, in all the excitement of my life recently. Going to this Bible Study made me realize that it’s time to stop talking about going back to church, and time to start doing it. Actually, this Bible Study made me realize a lot of things, which were very intense at the moment, but I didn’t take any notes, so right now, I couldn’t really put any of it in words. But all in all, I came to the realization that it’s time to reset my priorities and put God back on the top of the list.
Afterwards, Barbara and I went to Wal Mart, and then we had a nice dinner. In fact, I had several nice dinners while I stayed with the Trimbles. One night was chicken with pineapple (Russ would hate it, but I have to remember to ask Barbara for the recipe, so I can cook it for myself!) and another night we had tilapia. Oh yes! There was some rum cake, which Karin had gotten from a bake sale (I think). I definitely need to find out how to make this rum cake. Also, Barbara and John are in the habit of having a little glass of wine now and then, which is actually quite nice. I’d like to do that, but at the same time, I’d like to lose weight, and I’m not sure if I can do both at the same time.
The next day, Friday, Barbara and I went up to the gym at the clubhouse and I did the exercise bike for thirty minutes. Then we went to lunch at Panera’s, and then we went shopping at Ross or someplace like that, where Barbara got a nice centerpiece for her dining room table, and we ended up in Target, where I bought a couple of skirts on sale, $4 each! Can’t beat that! I had also picked up a long sleeved white shirt at Wal Mart the day before, so all in all, some good purchases.
During this time, there was the fiasco of Obama’s pastor preaching anti-American sentiments. Barbara and John are big fans of Bill O’Reilley, and he had it all over his show. I was appalled to hear the pastor saying the things he was saying, and wondered how Obama was going to get out of it. At this point, over a week later, I think the whole issue has pretty much calmed down, but at the time it was a big deal. Just for the record, I’m still appalled, and definitely won’t be voting for someone who sat under that kind of preaching for so long. This was also the night that a tornado hit Atlanta while the Alabama basketball team was having a game there. Russ was watching the game at the time and said they had to stop it with just a couple of minutes left. I don’t know if they ever got to conclude the game.
HERITAGE PARK
Anyway, the highlight of the Tampa leg of my journey took place on Saturday, which was John’s birthday. 
Mary and Joey drove in, as well as Mom and Dad, and I got to see everyone at John and Karin’s house, and then we all immediately piled into cars and drove to some park, I think it was called Heritage Park, which was a little distance away, but worth the drive, as it was such a nice park. There were all these old houses spread out throughout the park, and you could go in and see how people used to live, in the late 1800’s, and you could sit on the front porch in rocking chairs.
Mary, Joey and I went into this “General Store” where some old guy told us all kinds of information about how people used to live. We also walked through this old house that had no furniture, but you could get a sense of how very small the rooms were. Little John-John especially liked going up and down the stairs in that house. The doorways were so small, Joey could not pass through without bending his head!
We had a nice lunch of sandwiches and salads, and Sammi and I played “Name That Tune” with John’s Ipod, but the highlight for me was that I got to take a walk with Joey, visiting a few of the old houses, and some gardens. It was good to talk with him, and I really got the sense that he’s doing fine. He really hasn’t changed much in the year since I’ve seen him. In fact, I was kind of surprised to hear that what he still wants to do with a business degree is to open a skateboard park! Well, if that’s what he wants to do and he does it, more power to him. It would actually be kind of cool.
After the park, we went back to John and Karin’s house, where we had pizza and played games. When it was time to head back to Trimbles’, John lent us his GPS so that we wouldn’t get lost. Mary, Joey and I were all amazed and said it would be the greatest gift to get anyone. I wish they weren’t quite so expensive.
One more night at Trimble’s house (Mary slept on the sofa in the TV room, Joey on the pullout couch in the living room) and in the morning, they hula-hooped and skateboarded a bit as we waited for Samantha to be dropped off. Some time around 1 p.m. we set out on the next leg of the journey, Joey driving me and Mary and Samantha to Gainesville.
GAINESVILLE
But first we stopped at Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch. Yum! Then the drive to Gainesville. Apparently I was a bit of a backseat driver, but really, I do think Joey’s driving is just fine. I’m just always a little nervous on the highway. But I got to listen again to the kind of music my kids like, and some of it is really not that bad. I made a note to investigate Oasis, Incubus, Sublime, Radiohead (Joey says they’re “mellow”) and Alkaline Trio. Mary and Sammi also reminded me about The Gypsy Kings.
We dropped Sammi at her dorm, then Mary, Joey and I went to a coffeeshop downtown called “Maude’s” which is apparently a reference to the movie Harold and Maude.
In fact, old movies seemed to be the theme of the coffeehouse, and also old music, as they played Cat Stevens music while I was there. Did they do that all the time, or did they know I was coming and wanted to remind me of my college days?? We played Scrabble; Mary won, and I lost, with Joey in the middle.
Then Joey had to leave, and that was one of the sadder moments in this whole trip. I really miss him. But like I said before, it was good to see that he’s doing well. I’m hoping to have him come up for a visit sometime soon. We’ll see when that can be arranged.
Anyway, with Sammi and Joey well on their way, now officially begins the Gainesville leg of my journey! And “leg” is certainly the word, since my legs got quite a workout. Mary walks everywhere! Unless she takes the bus. But then, she still has to walk back and forth to the bus stop. And don’t let her little legs fool you…this girl can WALK FAST!!!! I did so much walking in Gainesville, it was quite exhausting. The first night, we walked up to Wal Mart. Mary wanted to get an S-Video plug so she could play stuff off her computer on the TV in the living room. Wal Mart did not have it, so we walked further on, to Target. We got in just as the store was closing, and she got her plug.
Then we walked back to her apartment and watched “Loose Change” (from her computer, but on the TV). This is a little documentary by some people who are suggesting that the events of 9/11 were caused by the US government in an effort to…I don’t know…what? To give us a reason to go to war with Iraq? To inspire fear in the American people? To get George Bush re-elected? I’m not very sure what the motivation was supposed to be, but some of the arguments they made were quite compelling. If you want to check it out for yourself, you can see Loose Change on YouTube.
Now, I’m not saying I absolutely believe that the US government CAUSED 9/11. I’m just saying, at this point, with as much information as I currently have, I’m willing to entertain the possibility. This is an issue I would like to investigate in a lot more detail. When I have the time. (HA! Like…when will I have the time? But I do hope somehow I can find out more about this.)
Anyway, let’s get on with the trip. While I was with Mary, we saw two movies—Juno, at the local theatre, within walking distance, which was excellently funny, and Sweeny Todd at the Reitz Union for free, which was also excellent, mostly because, as I well remember from my college days, a college audience gets so involved in the movie, and is so vocal in its appreciation. Some things never change, I guess. Love the Reitz Union.
We also ate at two different Japanese restaurants, both within walking distance of Mary’s apartment, and I learned how to eat with chopsticks. I tried sushi for the first time, and while it wasn’t horrible, it also wasn’t something I would order on purpose. But at least I tried it. My favorite Japanese food, I’ve decided, is miso soup, and I would love to make it at home.
The best food by far, tho, on this leg of my journey, was the Krishna lunch in the Plaza at campus. For $4 (or $3, if you buy a $30 card for ten meals) you get “all you can eat” servings of rice, beans, veggies, and something called halvah (at least I think I’m spelling that correctly!). I thought it was good stuff, and as Mary eats there often and her card was almost used up, I bought her a new one.
We studied in the library a little, then, when Mary had to go to her class, I walked around campus, and out on University, finally ending up at the McDonald’s on 13th Street, where I used to go for a 25-cent ice cream cone. Ice cream is $1 now, of course, and I had one, while I perused a local real estate magazine. Far as I can figure, the house Russ and I are hoping to buy would probably cost us about $200,000 if we were to buy it in Gainesville.
Mary and I also visited the Oaks Mall, tho we didn’t buy anything there. We also ate at Bennigan’s, on St. Patrick’s Day, with her friend Savannah, and I took a picture of the girls with a leprechaun.
The night before I left, we met Sammi at The Swamp, a restaurant on University, pretty much right across from her dorm room. We had dinner outside and upstairs, then went for ice cream at Ben and Jerry’s right next door.
I slept well in Mary’s room, tho in my opinion they keep the house a bit too warm, in the interest of conserving the electric bill. I should also mention, Mary had some interesting decorations in her room. She has three Oggz, these egg shaped things that glow in a series of different colors. She also had a serenity fountain that had water falling down a series of lighted “steps.” I’m putting both these on my gift list!
Anyway, one more thing I have to mention about my Gainesville trip. Mary convinced me to watch two episodes of Lost with her. I didn’t want to go forward in the show without Russ, but she reminded me that once upon a time, long ago, I had told her I would wait for her before going on with Buffy, but I went forward and watched those eps with Russ. So, this kind of evens the score. And now I’ll get to watch the eps with Russ. Again. So no harm done. Except that having seen the first two eps of season three of Lost, I’m now more confused than ever about this show!
BUS AND TRAIN
Well, anyway, enough about Gainesville. This leg of my journey comes to a close when on Thursday morning, Mary and her roommates drive me to the bus station in downtown Gainesville. They all had to get on to class and did not sit with me, but while I waited for the bus (which was 50 minutes late!) I got to listen to homeless people talking to each other. It was kind of interesting. They talked a lot about what are the good places to sleep, and where the sprinklers go on in the middle of the night, and which security guards are all right, and how they know that morning is coming because they hear the birds start singing. One of them said that going to Burger King and ordering off the dollar menu makes a good date. Or a cheap date. I don’t remember what he said. I wish I could have been writing it down.
So the bus finally came, and the bus ride was fine, with hardly any passengers, lots of room to spread out. I listened to music, and dozed a little, and got a strong feeling of Springtime. I’m really ready for Springtime. We got into Lakeland for a connection with the train, but the train was later than late, so I still had to wait some more. The train was pretty crowded, and there was this screaming baby a row ahead, so the guy next to me got annoyed and almost immediately disappeared to the dining car, and did not return. I knew he went to the dining car, because midway through, I realized I had to have something “real” to eat (Mary gave me some peanut granola bars, which got me through the morning, but we forgot to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich) and so I went to buy a sandwich and I saw him in the lounge, sleeping sitting up. The “real food” I got, btw, was simply awful. I strongly suggest if you travel by train you remember to pack a sandwich.
Well, the train ride might not have been that bad, but just outside West Palm Beach, we came to a complete stop and stayed there for one solid hour. Apparently some business along the railroad tracks had a bomb scare, and they were afraid the rumbling of the train going by could set off the bomb (if, in fact, there was a bomb). I know it’s not Amtrak’s fault, but all in all, this makes several times that I haven’t had the best experience with Amtrak. My next visit may not include a train ride.
The train was supposed to get in around 5 p.m., but it was somewhere between 7:30 and 7:45 when I finally disembarked. Ah! Good to finally be in South Florida! And good to see Mom and Dad. Now begins my third vacation.
SOUTH FLORIDA
Before I go on, an editorial comment: This was a vacation of 13 days, but as you can see, I really took three distinct vacations. It was great. I didn’t stay in any one place too long. I never had a chance to get bored, and hopefully, I didn’t have the chance to “stink”—as they say about fish and houseguests after three days. There was always something new, new people, new surroundings. I highly recommend this style of vacationing.
So now I’m in South Florida. Mom and Dad’s places look the same. Well, there are some changes, actually. Had I seen all the wood flooring before? It really made an impression, it looks so clean. Dad’s place is very spacious, with the wall between the kitchen and the dining room taken out.
Mom’s place is like a trip down memory lane, as she is using my old dining room set. It looks perfect there. And of course, the birds rule the roost! I particularly liked this item I found in my bathroom. It’s a wood sculpture of a bird, but Buster’s old feathers have been added. Geez! He sheds a lot!
I stayed in the big bedroom at Dad’s place, and it was nice to have my own bathroom, and my own TV, even though the TV only gets 21 channels, and five of those are Spanish! One bad thing, tho, is that you can hear the neighbors right through the wall! Russ is always saying that he wants the privacy of a single family home, and after this, I fully agree with him!
One exciting development while I was staying with my folks: they got a computer and are now hooked up to the internet! James was teaching Mom how to get around on-line and how to do e-mail. I’m hoping this will help us to be better able to stay in touch.
I joked to my parents that after all the walking and bussing and running around that I did with Mary, I really needed a vacation from my vacation. And that’s just what I got here. Mom and I did some shopping. On Friday, we went to Wal Mart, and saw Terry, and she came out to lunch with us at Taco Bell. Latest news: Terry has a new puppy, a boxer named Diesel!
On Saturday, we had an Easter Dinner at Dad’s house, delicious kielbasa and cabbage and carrots, all cooked together in one pot. (I’ve got to try it some time.) I also enjoyed eating quite a bit of Jello for dessert. I really have to make more Jello at home. One night, Mom made a snack of a “fruit plate”— a pretty conglomeration of banana, strawberries, kiwis and apples. The apples were especially delicious, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. I should make something like this at home for dessert!
We watched several movies. I really enjoyed seeing The Russians Are Coming again.It never gets old. I had James make a copy for me.
We also watched quite a few episodes of the British comedy Coupling. Very…VERY funny (even though it really is only one joke, told over and over again). Mom and I also watched a couple of movies from the library, Christmas with the Kranks, and Down with Love. So this turned out to be a most relaxing leg of my journey. I also added quite a bit of new music to my computer, copying it out of Dad’s collection. Most of it is classical, but classical is just fine with me. In fact, I’m listening to it now. In return, I left him a disc of about 50 TV Theme songs.
On Easter Sunday, we took a ride to West Palm Beach to visit Aunt Claire. We went to Golden Corral for lunch, and I hope this will be the end of the big eating. I hate to think how much weight I may have put on during my vacation! But we had a good time with Aunt Claire. She gave us some Victorian beaded ornament covers, very pretty. I’m even thinking I would like to learn how to make them. I’m afraid, tho, that this could be a time consuming task, so we’ll have to see whether or not anything ever comes of this idea.
One thing I ought to record: my teeth, which had been bothering me off and on through most of February, were not a problem for most of my vacation. It was only during the last three or four days that they started to hurt again. Why? Too much sweets? Or is this just God’s way of reminding me that I need to have this problem looked at by a dentist? Joey paid me back some money he had owed me. I was hoping to use it to pay down my credit card, but I think it would be better spent taking care of my teeth….my health.
Teeth aside, during all this time, during all my journeys, I’ve picked up so many good ideas. I already mentioned that I’ve come to the realization that it’s time to reprioritize my life and put God at the top. So I’m looking forward to going to church. Also, I tried several different and new foods that I’d like to try to incorporate into my diet. I already mentioned miso soup and Jello (not a new food, per se, but you get the point…) and Dad also cooked up some escarole, which I found quite tasty. And of course it’s good for you!
While at Mom and Dad’s, I started reading the next Cat Who book, getting through the first 11 chapters. I’ll have to pick up the story at home, I’m pretty sure I have it on a disc. I also want to read some books by Fannie Flagg and Jan Karon, which my Mom recommended.
FINAL COMMENTS
I guess I’ve kind of stepped out of my narrative, haven’t I? How did I get to where I am now, here at the Birmingham Airport? Well, Mom and Dad drove me to the Fort Lauderdale Airport, where I took Flight 616 to Tampa, connected to Flight 187 to Birmingham, and here I am.
So now…this is the end of a wonderful vacation I hope I will always remember. And I feel I am even more likely to remember, now that I’ve taken the time to recall the high points and record them here.
Also, as you can see, I’ve taken some wonderful photos. Another plus: I got some old family photos from both Barbara and Aunt Claire, and I’m hoping to post some of them on my photo site soon.
Update: Also, Mom gave me the old toaster, which I have now incorporated into my kitchen, and I’ve been using it quite a bit. Thanks, Mom!
Also, a great big thanks to my sweetie, Russ, who helped me learn quite a bit about html formatting so that I could get the pictures in here at the right size, wrapping around, bold headlines, italics, etc. How exciting to learn all this new stuff! Thank you, my love!
Such is life….
(This entry was written while I was staying with my Aunt and Uncle. There may be further observations from my vaction, but this is the first.)
I’m on vacation, staying at my aunt and uncle’s house, and they do not have cats. I, of course, have cats, two of them, and I’ve had them, or other cats, for so long now, for most of my adult life, that I sort of forgot what it’s like to NOT have cats. Until now.
When you don’t have cats, you can leave your jewelry on top of the dresser at night and feel assured that it will still be there in the morning. When you open a door, you don’t have to worry about closing it again very quickly, if it’s a place you really don’t want furry little feet running into. In fact, you can open the front door of the house and not to worry about those furry feet taking off down the street. (My cats now are not “adventurers,” but I used to have a cat, Max, who in his younger days would take every opportunity he could to explore the neighborhood. Several times we were sure we had lost him for good.)
So…no cats, no annoyances. These things I put in the Plus Column. Oh, and one more thing, though it may be more a comment on my aunt’s cleaning abilities as compared to my own, but when you don’t have cats, the house seems so much cleaner! You don’t have freaking cat hairs all over the place! And of course, let’s not forget the wonderful aroma of the cat box. (Do you recognize sarcasm when you read it?)
That’s the Plus Column. Now, here are the things in the Minus Column. In a word: you do not have cats. For all the troubles and annoyances they bring, they also bring life and joy into a house. When you open that door, there is NOT somebody there, trying to get in or out. The darkness of the house feels empty. And when you sit down in a chair, no furry feet jump into your lap, rubbing against your arms and purring “Pet me…pet me…pay attention to me…”
Yes, they’re a pain. And they’re trouble…but more trouble than they’re worth? I guess everybody draws the line somewhere. I draw the line on the side of cats. It’s a pleasure to not have to worry about them for a short while, but I am looking forward to getting back to them.
As a little girl, I sometimes wondered what kind of man I might marry. Since, like all little girls of that day, I played with Barbie Dolls, the first image that sprang to mind when I tried to consider the perfect man, was Ken. If Ken was good enough for Barbie, why shouldn’t he be good enough for me? And so I grew up thinking, as I’m sure many little girls of my day did, that my perfect husband, my Prince Charming on a white horse, riding in to gallantly save me from a life of loneliness, would look like a Ken doll.
I grew up, and grew out of my fascination with Barbie Dolls, but somewhere in the back of my mind, the image of “tall dark and handsome” Ken has still always been flitting around in my psyche. After a while I came to realize that men like Ken didn’t really exist (at least not for me, a girl who looked nothing like a Barbie Doll), but somehow, even on a subconscious level, there was always that hope that I might snag myself a Ken.
Then I met Russ, on-line, and fell in love with him way before I ever saw him, when I could only guess what he looked like. We came to discover that we were as perfect for each other as Barbie and Ken. But all this before we ever laid eyes on each other.
Along the way, we exchanged pictures, starting with baby pictures and progressing to the current day, so that there was a “slow reveal” of our physical appearances to each other. That was a lot of fun, and I highly recommend it to anyone who begins a relationship on-line, since it really affords an opportunity to get to know each other, not only who you are today, but who you were before. Sometimes you can see the adult peeking out from behind the eyes of the child. And visa versa. In particular, I really enjoyed this elementary school picture of Russ:
He looks so mischievous! So much fun! A little further on, I discovered that at the time in my life when I was a crazy-for-boy-bands-with-long-hair teenybopper, Russ looked like this:
I kid him now that he was the “Missing Cowsill,” — the Cowsills, of course, being the ultimate boy band with long hair, as far as I’m concerned. If we had been in the same Junior High together, I definitely would have had a crush on him.
But imagine my surprise when he sent me this picture of himself, as an adult, at his sister’s wedding:
Ken! There’s my Ken doll! Tall, dark and handsome…Would you not agree he’s an absolute doll in this picture?
Of course many years have passed since so many of the pictures we sent each other, and neither of us looks as good as we once did. But that’s really incidental, since our relationship has always been—even *before* the beginning— based on so much more than physical appearance. Hair fades to gray, the face sags, and a slender physique is now little more than a memory (For both of us! For all of us). But every so often, I still see the little boy Russ once was, in his eyes, or his mischievous smile. He is my rock star. And he is, and always will be, my Ken.
It’s the end of February, and in the last few days I have begun noticing the first signs of Spring. This is only my second Winter in Alabama, so I’m not really sure if it’s been mild or wild—well, it did SNOW one day, that was kind of wild—so I can only give my impressions, as a former Florida girl.
I like the Winter here. At least so far. It’s still kind of new, the idea of having to wear jackets (and scarves and gloves, on occasion). I also like having to bundle up at bedtime. Long underwear and “heated” blankets (it’s no longer environmentally correct to call them “electric” blankets) are the greatest inventions EVER!
I guess I haven’t yet had time to get “jaded” against the Winter. Maybe in a few years I’ll be moaning, “Oh, when will Spring ever get here!” But, as I said, as a former Florida girl, a short blast of cold air still appeals.
All that having been said…it’s exciting to see these first signs of Spring. Here is the look from outside my kitchen window this morning.
After I took this picture, on the ride into work, I saw my first “Girl Tree” of the season. A Girl Tree, of course, is what Mary used to call those trees that flower in the Spring, usually in pink, white, yellow, violet. The one I saw was midway between pink and violet. And then, coming into the building, there was a bird sitting on the roof, singing its silly head off. It was a cardinal, all red and pretty.
If that’s not a sign of Spring, I don’t know what is.
During the coldest days of winter, when the furnace struggles to keep the house warm, even though you may bundle up as well as you can —think about that scene in A Christmas Story, where the mom dresses Ralphie and his brother to go out in the snow, and he compares it to deep-sea diving—(no, it’s not THAT bad!)—but anyway, even though you are bundled up and mostly warm, there is still a reluctance to do anything more strenuous than sit around and watch movies. I guess that’s “hibernating.” I guess that’s part of winter.
In the summer, the same thing happens, but in reverse. Last summer, there were several weeks where the temperatures remained above 100 during the daytime hours, and no matter how hard our a/c units and fans worked, coming into the house after work each day, there was not much more you could do than lay on the bed and try to cool off.
I guess human beings are not really built for temperature extremes.
When we buy our house, it will be significantly newer and more energy efficient, and I’m sure that will make a difference in the comfort level during the highs and lows of outside temperatures. In the meantime, I’m enjoying experiencing the weather.
Autumn is my favorite season, but Spring has its charms as well. And they are well on their way.
Russ and I play a game every Wednesday evening. On Wednesdays, the local Publix offers a “Senior Discount” for those over 60, so we always do a little mid-week shopping (I love the free coffee and many BOGO’s, he likes the fresh white bread.) When it comes time to check out, we always wonder…will we get the Senior Discount this time, or not? With his graying hair and my extra weight, I guess we look about ten or fifteen years older than we actually are.
To some people.
Russ’ strategy is to pick the youngest looking cashier, because obviously a very young person will make an assumption that many “older” people are OFFICIALLY OLD. When you’re sixteen, 35 or 40 seems absolutely ancient, so people who look like Russ and me MUST be senior citizens. Usually this works.
However, last week we had a kink thrown into his theory. For some reason, we went to the oldest looking cashier in the place, a woman with a white beehive hairdo and granny glasses on a librarian’s chain hanging from her neck. She was obviously way, WAY older than either of us. And yet, she gave us the Senior Discount!
Here’s my theory: Even though she was an old lady, she probably doesn’t THINK of herself as old. She’s probably in a time warp and thinks she looks like Russ and I do, late forties, early fifties. If she knows she’s 65, then it must follow that people who looks anything like how she PERCIEVES herself to look must be senior citizens, even as she is.
Yes, of course, she could look in the mirror and see that she obviously looks much older than either of us. But who really sees themselves when they look in the mirror? We look in the mirror every day, but it’s only when we’re caught unawares by a photograph of ourselves that we say, “Egads! I look like THAT?!”
Russ and I also think the hit-and-miss nature of our getting the discount might have as much to do with how people handle potentially embarrassing situations as it does with how other people perceive us. Most cashiers probably don’t want to ASK if a customer qualifies for the discount. Someone could become really offended by such a question, if perhaps they were nowhere near being a senior. (Sort of like that old Kellog’s commercial, where the party host gushes, “How wonderful! When are you DUE?” and a second later, much more quietly, “Oh…you’re NOT…”)
On the other hand, if someone IS a senior, and the cashier does NOT give the discount, they could get all ornery and start demanding, “Hey! Are you trying to rip me off or what? I want my discount!”
There’s really no graceful way around this situation. So the best strategy for a cashier, I would imagine, is to make an educated guess and quietly give the discount.
No, actually, the best strategy would be for Publix to post a notice at every register that says “If you are 60 or over and would like to receive your Senior Discount on Wednesdays, please show the cashier your Driver’s License.” Sort of like reverse carding.
On second thought, I don’t like that idea. Russ and I have ten years or more to go till our Driver’s Licenses catch up with people’s perceptions of us. And there’s the potential for a lot of misguided discounts in those next ten years.
