Thursday

My son plays in a Texas Hold'em league every Thursday night.  Like many sportsmen, he has his own rituals.  He arrives early so that he always gets the same chair and before he leaves the house he calls his mother to hear the same words of encouragement..."be poised", "be confident", don't try to kill the cards and "be the winner".  His calls are like clock work...4:45 pm every Thursday evening.   If he doesn't reach me and the cards aren't kind, it is my fault.  I smile every time I answer his call and hope he plays well.  It occurs to me also, that I hope he continues to play cards every week--otherwise, I might only hear from him if he needs something.

Look where you are going

I had a 3 o'clock meeting at a local coffee shop this afternoon.  Unfortunately, I did not allow myself enough time, so as usual, I was in a big hurry.   I was so proud of myself as I pulled into a parking spot with 1 minute to spare.   I hurried down the sidewalk and quickly opened the door when it occurred to me something wasn't quite right.  I stepped back and went around the corner to the other door--still not right.  When I looked up at the sign, I discovered that I was entering an attorney's office on the corner a block before the coffee shop.   I at least noticed a couple new antique stores as I raced down the block to my destination arriving 5 minutes late.  Grandma always said "haste makes waste!"

winter travel

A month ago, I was stranded for hours at the Denver airport due to weather.  At the time it was far from funny.  However, I had a difficult time holding back a chuckle (really a belly laugh) when my sister called now on Day 2 at the Denver airport to report they are not likely to get out anytime soon.  At least she has a tan!

Hearing limitations

Approximately 18 months ago, I unexpectedly lost most of the hearing in my left ear.  Since then I have made many adjustments to accommodate this limitation.  Others sometimes find my adjustments rather annoying.  For instance, I must maintain control of the remote control because I automatically mute all TV commercials (they play too loudly and often have music);  music is especially troublesome so the radio remains off whenever I am in the car and I try to plug my right ear when music plays during a movie or in a closed space.  I now have a tendency to turn my "good ear" to those who are talking to me on my left side--which means I am looking behind them without making eye contact.  It's funny how many people just stop talking, perhaps feeling ignored.  So most often I just appear to listen intently and shake my head.  This tactic does not work well when someone has asked a question which requires an answer.  It was especially unappreciated tonight by the waitress who repeated herself a couple of times and finally walked away.  I have no idea what she wanted, but I smiled and nodded...repeatedly.

Humerous--not so much

I have been dogsitting for my sister for the past 10 days.  As I have mentioned previously, it has had it perks.  I have pointed out that filling a dozen birdfeeders has not been my cup of tea.  I have changed my mind however since one of the dogs has been sick for the past three days.  Now when I say sick, I mean explosive diarhhea sick.  Cleaning up that mess makes birdfeeding seem like a walk in the park.  I was describing the smelly messes (4) that I cleaned up between 2:30 and 5:30 this morning to my younger sister.  Her response was far from empathetic--"It's kinda funny".  Personally I see nothing funny about this situation.  Especially, since I must have stepped in some in the garage because I could smell dog shit all day....
I'm gonna go feed the birds and smile all the while!!

Stretching my mind

I lead a rather uneventful life but I take a few minutes everyday to stretch my mind by adding new words to my vocabulary.  I do this each time that I try to plug letters into the slots on Words with Friends trying to make the most points possible.  Of course, I have no idea the definition of any of these new words--that's why I don't do crossword puzzles!

For the birds....

Housesitting has its perks...indoor temperature well above the 66 degrees at home; a fireplace in the bedroom instead of the electric blanket at home; 12 times the 21 TV channels I have at home, including UND sports channel and the HGTV Network; a new temprupedic mattress,  15+ years newer than mine; an attached garage with remote entry as opposed to my detached garage without working remote; daily newspaper delivery rather than the e-edition; and a closet full of clothing much more stylish than the well-worn, outdated wardrobe at home.

In spite of the perks, I have discovered that keeping a dozen bird feeders filled is an unpleasant task if one is really not a "bird" person.  Watering plants or walking dogs--no problem but this bird feeder activity requires a talent I lack.  I know this because I managed to inadvertently open a feeder I was filling, leaving a large pile of seeds on the deck AND who knew there are so many varieties of birdseeds in the first place.   There will be no "bird buffet" while I am doing the cooking!

Coffee lovers

I am housesitting at my sister's for a few days while they are out of town.  I slept wonderfully in her temperapedic bed, between the new "sock monkey" designed flannel  sheets.  This morning, like every morning, I headed to the kitchen to make the coffee.  I had remembered to bring my own coffee since Kathy often has the very dark and flavored kinds at her house.   I filled the reservoir and opened the cupboard to locate the coffee filters.  I cleaned out two cupboard shelves, searched six drawers and finally gave up.   Ended up using a couple of those little packets she always brings home from hotels.  I will point out that Kathy is NOT a coffee drinker and therefore, has no appreciation for that first cup of coffee in the morning.  I will also point out that she is NOT a beer drinker, which is why the beer at her house is not in the refrigerator....I will say no more.
(I tried to include a picture of all the stuff I removed from the cupboards in my desperate search, but was not successful with that either)

Nothing off limits when you are 4

I have chuckled to  myself several times in the last few days.  When a bright, happy four-year old is the entertainment, it is impossible not to laugh at yourself and at life.  Last evening we were having dinner at a local restaurant when Haley pointed to her future great-grandma and said  "How come that girl doesn't talk?"  I suspect her mother could have crawled under the table.  Tonight with other members of her future family she repeatedly sang (loudly sang) happy birthday to the ONE person who would rather have a root canal than a birthday.    Had that been the case, my dentist would be a very wealthy man; however, I am perhaps scarred for life.....

Friday night excitement

My income tax return was deposited in my checking account today--Hooray!  I am actually more thrilled at paying off credit cards from the comfort of my office than I would be to spend that money traveling, partying, remodeling, getting some cosmetic work done, ......or anything else that requires money!  This financial diet appears to have an end in sight....such a relief!