My Thoughts for the Blogging Day…

Gentrification…

“Your father is driving me nuts this morning,” mom said over the phone a moment ago as she yawned sleepily. “First, he started some coffee and then realized we had a new coffee maker.  He told me I shouldn’t have spent that money – that our old coffee maker worked perfectly fine.  I wanted one with a timer and a larger capacity.  Then, he has the TV up so loud in the den that it woke me up in my back bedroom.  He’s gotten so hard of hearing.”

I got the biggest smile on my face.  Mom and dad’s interactions can be so interesting and it just gets more interesting the older they get and the longer they are married. 

“I just asked him a question about his day off and what he was going to do and he just grunted something inaudible!  He can be so rude to me sometimes!”

I realized mom and dad are getting older, cranky, ornery in their elder married years.  They are the stereotypical odd couple.  They’ve been married over forty years.

“I want to thank you for going to your eye doctor’s appointment yesterday,” mom then said. “That worried me more than anything that you would have a panic attack and wouldn’t go.  I worry about your eyesight.  And your old glasses looked terrible.  You can’t wear those hard contacts.”

“Mom, you asked me over thirty times if I was going to make it!” I said.

“I know,” she said. “I am sorry.  I was obsessed.  I can be so obsessive compulsive sometimes.  It is only because I care.  I just love you.”

My Favorite Blog…

I have often told Annabel that I am her biggest blog fan.  Story of my Life is your average “day in the life” blog I think most of you who read my blog would enjoy.  She doesn’t do anything special.  There is not a lot of drama.  She doesn’t often air her dirty laundry or reveal sordid details on her blog like I tend to do.  There is no flowery prose.  I don’t think I have ever seen her use dialogue.  But I love her blog.  I love the details of her life she shares.  You really get to know her and what her life is like.  She is probably one of the busiest people I have ever met in my life as well.   She is a constant whir of activity and I think she feels guilty when she allows herself some downtime to watch TV or get online.  Our lives are such polar opposites and I think this I why I find her such an interesting and fascinating person to read about.

Business Talk…

I was overjoyed to have dad back last night for our medication ritual.  Maggie just will not eat her Purina One unless dad puts it out for her.  She is such a choosey and finicky dog.  She loves her routines as much as I, Charlie, or mom.

“I hired a new pharmacist this week,” dad said excitedly. “This will give me much more time off.  I will be 65 this August and need to think about retiring.  I keep hoping Angie will buy the store from me.”

Dad has his first Saturday off in weeks today.  He was so excited last night.   This brings the total number of pharmacists working for him to three.  Dad never talks about the business end of the pharmacy with me so I was very interested in the details of what was going on. 

“A few months back CVS made an offer to buy the store and my clientele,” dad said. “I refused.  I want to keep the pharmacy independently owned for the sake of my customers.”

I have often worried about what dad will do about retiring.  The pharmacy has made him very wealthy, but it has also been a very big ball and chain all these years.  He has worked 12 hour days for decades and I don’t see how he has done it all these years.

The Quest for Soda…

It was thundering and lightning something fierce this morning at 6am as I drove to get my daily sodas.  My windshield wipers were on their highest setting as I pulled into mom and dad’s rear driveway.  I almost couldn't see to drive, but this didn’t stop me on my daily quest.  I tried to do without caffeine, but only made it two days before the withdrawal headaches started.  I also grew wary that my abstinence from one of my favorite daily rituals would make me more mentally interesting. 

I ran up mom and dad’s back steps in a driving rain getting soaking wet.  My cokes were in their plastic sack sitting where they always are in the corner of the back porch.  My curiosity was piqued as the sack felt heavier than usual.  Upon arriving back home, I looked in the sack.  Inside were several goodies much to my excitement.  Mom had included a nice expensive Zippo cigar lighter, a new longer leash for Maggie,  two extra diet Pepsi, and a note.

I thought you would enjoy a few extra things this morning, mom wrote.  Julia bought the cigar lighter for you.  She says they last for months.  I worry about you not being able to light your cigarettes.  Maggie’s old leash was terrible and too short, so I went back to Wal-Mart last night and got her a new one. Don’t tell your father I gave you two extra Pepsi.  I thought you would enjoy that.  Love, mom.