Rallying the Troops and Mustering the Cavalry...

"What do you need from the grocery store?" Charlie welcomely asked me tonight during the Coke and smoke ritual. "I know you have to be hungry."

I ate my last bowl of beefaroni and cereal this morning.

My father was riding shotgun on this venture. He is still coughing and carrying on in a sickly manner somewhat, but he is out and about. He actually worked this morning. Personally? If you have caught this junk, stay home and don't spread it around.

I made a simple and modest list of nutritional needs with pen and paper and gave it to Charlie -- mainly breakfast style comfort foods and lots of fruit juices with tons of vitamin C.

"Please get Maggie the True Instinct Smart Blend of Purina One dog food," I then urged and told Charlie. "That's her favorite variety and it doesn't have poultry by-product meal as the main ingredient."

I explained to Charlie what poultry by-product meal was and it is not a good thing. Basically, it is what is left of chicken after it has been processed for human consumption -- innards, bones, cartilage and all such, dried, ground up together into a meal and added to many pet foods.

I am still not quite up to snuff. I have a lot of chest congestion and a hacking, rattling cough. I've also been running a high fever for the past two days. It has taken my father over a week to get over this mess and he is still pretty sick. I hope it doesn't take that long for me. I literally drink a gallon of water a day as usual and as encouraged. I've cautiously taken a few over-the-counter flu remedies and they have helped some as well. I am popping cough drops like candy.

It hadn't been 30 minutes when Charlie and my father arrived back at my house. We all three got busy unloading all the groceries from the back of Charlie's Caprica. Charlie got me all kinds of treats that I didn't have on my list for which I was overjoyed. Lots of comfort foods and very interesting foods as well. I thanked Charlie profusely and gave him a big hug.

Virulent Happenings...

I've got the flu and I was one of the inoculated millions who got a flu shot. It is probably the first time in ten or more years I have had a cold or the flu. I waved off tonight's grocery visit despite my father's urgings. Dad has had the crud as well. Horsefly is really, really sick, and Charlie and Janice have been sick as well. You feel as if you've been hit by a Mack truck. I might be quiet for a few days so don't think something terrible has happened. I just don't feel well. I'm probably too busy blowing my nose to blog.

You Can Set Your Clock By George...

I am being the consummate nosey neighbor early today. This morning at 6 AM I heard George crank his Dodge Caravan and pull out of the driveway headed to the Waffle House. He does this every morning at the very same time. I bet he gets the same thing to eat every time as well. Probably the two porkchop breakfast that he told me one time he likes.

Dad was over here for awhile the other night when George turned on his porch light and preceded to crank his car and just sit out there. He does this all day long probably ten or more times a day.

"What is he doing?" my father asked intrigued looking out my porch door.

My father can be very nosey himself.

"It is his version of drinking and driving without doing any actual driving," I told my father. "He does it all day and he is going to wear his starter motor out on that engine."

Since I built a new computer and placed it on the kitchen table, I have been better able to see what George is doing out the kitchen window near me. He sits out there drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette while he listens to the radio with the car cranked. The temperature or weather are no deterrent.

"I often did the same thing," I told my father. "I would go sit out in the car, listen to the radio, and drink a beer and smoke years ago. There is something cathartic about it."

Happy Birthday Charlie!!!

I just called Charlie and wished him a happy
birthday. Charlie turned 73 today.

"I can't believe you remembered my birthday," Charlie said over the phone.

"You're the cavalry," I told him. "There have been many nights over the years I was on my last leg and you showed up with something good to eat and drink along with my medications. For that, I am ever grateful to you."

"Love you," Charlie replied. "I will be there in the morning with you and Maggie some breakfast."

Tommorrow is also my brother's birthday. He will have turned 43. He is in Helena, Montana at the moment doing some freelance oncology work. I will have to call him tomorrow afternoon.

There's Light At the End of the Tunnel...

I hope I don't speak too soon, but it seems my insomnia phase is easing. I got some pretty decent sleep last night. Well, I slept about five to six hours, but it was a fitful sleep full of dreams. It seems I am also easing back into a diurnal existence. I think the two coincide. It is odd for me to be awake at 8:30 AM in the morning. It is also weird having all this daytime on my hands. I am waiting until about 9 AM before I call my father to see how is he doing and if he feels any better. I might just surprise him with some breakfast this rainy morning.

I heard from my dear Rosa last night. She called me and I just happened to answer the phone.

"I try to call you all the time, but you never answer the phone," she admonished me.

"Let it ring four times and I will call you back," I told her.

She lives with her daughter in Atlanta now taking care of her grandkids while her daughter works. Rosa is also on disability now so they have some extra income coming in. She has been clean and sober for ten years she told me. I blushed and said aw shucks last night when she told me I was the love of her life. She said I made her feel like a teenager again.

"So? When can I see you?" Rosa asked me catching me off guard.

I stuttered and stammered a little bit.

"I might just have to take a trip to Atlanta," I told her. "I could die for one of those greasy fried peach pies from the Varsity."

Poor Pitiful Papa...

"I've got you fixed up as far as your Cokes and smokes go," my father told me followed by a nasty hacking cough.

"There you are! I am headed that way," I told him. "It worried me when I couldn't reach you on the phone."

Dad said he had the flu and didn't have his cellphone turned on.

Well, when I arrived my father was a pitiful mess. He really is very sick. He said he hadn't eaten all day and I asked him if he wanted me to go get him some soup and crackers.

"Roger's Barbecue's Brunswick stew is like soup and you could eat it with some soda crackers," I told him.

He thanked me and said he would pass.

"I don't think I could keep any food down right now," he told me.

What is happening to my father is what happens when you work in a pharmacy. It certainly is a drawback. You are constantly coming in contact with nasty bugs and ailments.

The Dam Broke and the Water Flowed Forth...

I finally got eight hours of uninterrupted sleep today. It was a true blessing. I feel like a hundred bucks tonight.

"I figured and prayed you getting that injection would knock you out," my father told me during his visit to deliver two of my essentials, Cokes and smokes.

I've been waking up with the most painful, stiff, and sore neck lately, though. Dad got ahold of me and massaged my neck painfully.

"Shit! That hurts!" I exclaimed loudly as my father massaged my neck forcefully as he laughed at my protests.

The Masochist! Dad was worried I had swollen lymph nodes in my neck. The pain subsides about an hour or so after I have awakened.

I have about 30 minutes until my "morning" medications to take effect and I hope I will feel even better then. Yeehaw!

You Got a Haircut!

This is exactly what Rebecca's hair looked like.

That's what I told Rebecca as she opened the door to the lobby and called me back.

"It's so short, but it looks great!" I exclaimed to her as I took my seat in the examining room.

Rebecca is so fair skinned it was easy to see her blush.

"You got a haircut and I decided to get one myself," Rebecca told me. "It is weird feeling the breeze on the back of my neck."

I didn't even feel my injection this morning. I guess the gods decided to look down on me today.

Rebecca and I both had a moment of laughter when I told her my worst fear is the same band-aid from two weeks ago would still be stuck on my butt during my next visit.

Fireside Naps...

More quiet time was had yesterday afternoon. My father was gone all day getting medical tests inflicted upon him, the poor soul. He had triple bypass heart surgery about a decade ago and they were checking his heart and his arteries with an ultrasound and then a stress test on his heart. He came out with flying colors. I was very relieved. I didn't want to hear the word surgery once again.

"Chuck? You can come and get your Cokes and smokes now," my father said over the phone about five in the afternoon.

I was relieved to hear his voice. I got in the car to drive over and Old Fuss and Feathers met me at the door already in his pajamas and housecoat.

Dad got in his recliner and I stretched out on his brown suede leather couch next to the gas heater. We were both quiet and content with the silence. The heater felt wonderful on this very chilly day. Sam was laying on the floor in front of it basking in its warmth. I call it kitty crack and my father laughs. We didn't talk much and I thanked the ethos he didn't turn that raucous and infernal television on. I told my father I had quiet time as well the previous evening.

I dozed off and awoke to a darkened den. My father was asleep in his recliner. It was getting close to 6 PM and darkness was fast encroaching upon the land. I don't like to drive at night in the dark so that was my cue to head on home.

"Call me at 8:30 in the morning to make sure I am up," I told my father as I was stepping out the door.

"That's right! Your injection is in the morning!" dad said excitedly giving me accolades for remembering.

My father wrote himself a note to call me and put it on the kitchen counter next to the toaster oven.

I Don't Even Want to Hear a Pin Drop...

Papa has come and gone. I am in quiet mode tonight. I don't even want to listen to my omnipresent music. The only sounds are that of Maggie licking her paws on the floor beside me and the whisper quiet whir of the fans in my main computer next to me. I have about 45 minutes till my "morning" medications to take effect since I stay up all night. I will take my main dosage of psychiatric whoppers around midnight.

"The exterminator, Charles, is coming by around lunch tomorrow," my father told me. "He's going to put some rat poison under the basement."

Rats are the most clumsy and loudest of rodents. You hear stuff crash in the kitchen all throughout the night when you are in another room namely my computer room.

"Move your car tomorrow," Old Fuss and Feathers then told me tonight as he headed out the door. "I know your neighbors must wonder what you were doing."

I had backed up to my front steps to unload groceries in the deluge last night and forgot my car was out there. I wanted to say, "Yes, Hyacinth!" but I refrained.

As Easy as Sunday Morning...I Hope!

"Dad, it is pouring down rain," I told my father on the phone about eight. "We are going to get soaking wet tonight trying to grocery shop."

"You go on over there at nine and get started. You'll be glad to have it done," Old Fuss and Feathers replied.

Sigh!

It was raining so hard I could barely see to drive on the way to the store. I walked into the Piggly Wiggly to the sound of thunder and got started shopping.

The only thing they didn't have tonight was my Ruth's chicken salad. I got Ruth's pimento cheese spread instead.

I was waiting behind the registers for my father when Mrs. Camille, the manager, got my attention.

"Honey? Come on and we'll check you out and save it in the register until your father gets here," Mrs. Camille said.

In a few moments, we had tallied up all my groceries, loaded my cart again, and I stood to the side with my cart of bagged groceries waiting on my father. I didn't have to wait long.

"I shopped at Kroger every Monday night for years and they never had what I wanted in stock," I told the manager during this idle moment. "Ya'll's store is a lot cleaner and tidier as well."

"There he is," Mrs. Camille said as my father walked through the door. "Sir? You just need to insert your debit card."

"Well, that was too easy," dad said astonished as we hurried to our cars in a pouring rain.

I got absolutely soaked loading my groceries into the back of my Honda. I hurried as fast as I could and almost dropped a gallon of milk. Dad sat in his car next to me until he was sure I was cranked and ready to drive home. Right now, I am waiting for my hair and my pullover to dry. He was right, though. I am glad to have it done. I didn't have a lick of food in this house.

A Song For You!

Snow One Minute and Thunderstorms the Next...

This should be showing up this afternoon just in time for supper.

A Wonderful Bounty Was Had Tonight...

No bland KFC fried chicken tonight folks. My cup floweth over. Charlie grilled steaks this afternoon and my father has just left after delivering a wealth of goodies.

I got steak for Maggie and me. Two slices of Charlie's chocolate pie. Salad and blue cheese dressing. A butter and sour cream infused baked potato. Two big slices of buttered and toasted barbecue bread. Charlie also sent me two leaded regular Cokes to compliment my usual six diet Cokes. Dad then checked my medications and Maggie's food and water.

"Your house looks nice tonight," my father told me which made me beam with pride.

I put some effort into getting the chaos back in order this afternoon. The icing on the cake was that he noticed. I was even washing clothes when my father arrived. I am sticking to my New Year's resolution of dressing nicely every day -- taking some pride in myself as my father calls it.

"Darrell is still setting up my internet this week?" I asked my father with a gleam in my eye after it took an hour to download a video of Starfox 64 game footage this afternoon.

It would have taken seconds on my new internet connection.

"I hope so," dad said. "He said he was going to do it this week."

If my mother was handling this, I would have had this internet service back in November. The week before Thanksgiving when this all started with a trip out to WOW!'s local office. Mom would have driven them absolutely crazy until it got installed.

I am so excited I just about can't stand it. I mentioned Gigabit internet and the debut of the service last week and Old Fuss and Feathers gave me a glaring look and shook his head. We then both broke out in laughter at my impetuousness and the glare and headshake from my father.

Comment Replies...

Blogger Rita said...

I am not sure where you live on this map. How much snow did you get? I often measure snow depth with a ruler poked into the snow to the ground. The most I have ever gotten in one storm is around 20 inches.

Andrew Replies...

Rita, we got around 3 to 4 inches of snow. It has been a very odd winter for us getting so much snow. Of course, it thrills me to death! It has been so cold here this year, but oddly, it is 72 degrees outside today. I have the front door open and a few windows. It smells like spring inside my house.

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Blogger skinny minny said...

What happened to your bed? Is it fixable or restorable? I am holding onto an all wood dining table because me Dad bought it for me and I love it but he chairs are slowly biting the dust...after almost 25 years of use and storage in the humidity of the south...hoping to find someone to fix my chairs.

Andrew Replies...

Skinny,

The rails that hold and support the slats are broken. One broke on one side. I thought I got it fixed with a little do it yourself mojo and then the other side broke as well.

A Song For You!

Dining Out?

I was sound asleep yesterday when the phone rang. It jolted me awake and I let loose a moan. Maggie jumped off the bed on full alert. She gets excited when the phone rings. I stumbled to the phone to answer it like a lumbering Frankenstein.

"You were asleep!" my father said regretfully. "I hate I woke you up!"

He knows I am going through a hard time right now getting enough sleep.

"It's alright, dad," I replied. "Don't worry about it."

"I am going out to eat with my neighbors behind me and I thought you would like your Cokes and smokes as you call them. I probably won't get back home until late."

"Yeah, that would be great," I said deliriously.

"I will be over in 15 to 20 minutes."

Dad arrived and I was caught off guard. If I knew he was coming, I would have cleaned the house up some. My kitchen was a mess. Mainly just disorganized with stuff strewn about on the countertops.

"Don't let your kitchen get so bad, son," he told me.

"I would have cleaned up is if knew you were coming in advance," I told him defensively. "It'll take me only 30 minutes to straighten the house up."

Then he looked in my bedroom at my broken full-size bed. Yes, Old Fuss and Feathers frowned.

"I will get Charlie to see about getting you a new bed," he told me.

That bedroom suite of furniture was my fathers when he was a young boy. I slept in that bed countless times visiting my grandmother's farm. It holds a lot of nostalgia for us both.

Central Alabama Snow Totals...

And the Alarm Clock Blinks 12 AM...

I am so envious of Maggie right now. I picked her up and put her in the bed when I went to bed at 3 AM. Well, I lay there until 5 AM sleepless and finally got back up. Maggie is snoring loudly on the bed oblivious to the world. Oh, I wish I could trade places with her.

It's my fault for letting this insomnia happen. I stay up later and later until my circadian clock finally resets eventually.  Insomnia started last Sunday when Charlie woke me up for my Coke and our breakfast biscuits around nine in the morning. I was sleeping from 4 AM to 4 PM just fine. That set into motion that dire circumstance I put myself into and that circumstance is insomnia.

It Looks Gorgeous Darling...

Charlie came over and got me yesterday afternoon. He is miffed that I am not taking more interest in his new house. I have offered to help him paint but to no avail. I think my father told him not to put too many obligations on my plate. I have nothing but time on my hands if he needs me. He showed me all around and then we had to look at his new kitchen cabinets and appliances. This is all a labor of love for Charlie just like my computers and computer technology are for me.

Gigtopia...

WOW! started offering 1 Gigabit Internet service in our area this week which rivals Google's fiber Internet. That is 1000 Mbps down and 50 Mbps up (the much slower upload is a limitation of cable Internet). I would just have to pay $20 more a month to get this service instead of the 500 Mbps service I am having installed next week. I am sure debating over it. That would double my speed, but just how fast is fast enough? If you hate waiting for downloads then I say it is worth it.

Noble Beast...

The Computer I Built Out of Spare Parts Last Night...

• Intel Core i5 4 core processor at 3.6 GHz
• 256 GB Samsung solid state drive
• Intel 4600 HD integrated graphics 
• Asus Z97-Deluxe motherboard
• 16 GB of Corsair 2400 Mhz DDR3 memory

Just Call Me Slick...

There are still a lot of slick spots on the road. I had to be really careful going over to my father's house this afternoon. Charlie hasn't worked all week -- contentedly painting his new house. He can't make it that far to Dadeville. He tried this morning to go into work and State Troopers turned him around saying a jack-knifed semi was up the road.

"Are you feeling better?" I asked my father as I plopped down in the chair in his den.

"I'm fine today, but I have been swigging Kaopectate occasionally," he replied.

"I've got the bug today," I told Old Fuss and Feathers. "I can't be too far from a bathroom."

"Damn you!" I said with a good-natured laugh. "You gave me this shit!"

Dad gave me some money to go buy some Kaopectate at Fred's. Fred's had yet another new cashier. You can't keep up with them all. It is like a revolving door. I was sure to bring the change and receipt back to him before heading home. I got some Pepto Bismal and sour Skittles candy as well making full use of the money my father gave me.

Despite being addled with a stomach bug and cramps, I was in good spirits and dad and I were laughing and joking about various things.

Don't Pass it Around...

"Ugh," Old Fuss and Feathers said as he sat down on my couch tonight. "I feel like I am getting a stomach bug."

"Don't give it to me!" I chuckled and grabbed my Cokes from his hands hoping we weren't transferring cooties.

"I really do think I am coming down with a bug," my father said. "I was constipated and now I have diarrhea."

Dad then coughed really vigorously and loudly and I turned my head in defense.

Luckily, I rarely get sick, but I am one pitiful little baby of a soul when I do. Whine, bitch, and moan.

"I got some Kaopectate when I left the store tonight," he said. "I am going to take some when I get home."

Fussy Feathers had to rush and use my bathroom while he was over here.

I've felt out of sorts today myself. I can't seem to get enough sleep. I am cycling again and I am in the insomnia phase of my trials that happen from time to time. I did manage to get 4 hours of sleep this afternoon on the bed in the computer room. It drove Maggie crazy as she cannot jump up on that bed as it is very high. I have to pick her up and put her on the bed and we both barely fit as it is just a twin bed.

Please Don't Run Out of Smokes...

George came over this morning wanting to borrow some cigarettes. He usually rolls his own but felt he couldn't get into West Point to buy tobacco and rolling papers.

"You can make it," I told him assuredly. "The roads are about clear."

"Sorry to bother you," George said.

"You're not bothering me," I replied to George. "That's what neighbors are for -- to help out each other."

I also noticed George felt emboldened by his trip for tobacco and made it to the Waffle House for lunch. I bet he was starving. I have never seen him buy or carry in groceries into his house.

Your Light! There in the Darkness...

I came close to calling Jane last night. I picked up the phone. Dialed about four numbers and then I hung up in fear. What would I say? That I am some washed up 45-year-old man that has to ask permission to buy a Coke and some candy at the convenience store? Would she understand that if we didn't do this I was going to die an early and painful death -- if not on the road drinking and driving then of cirrhosis of the liver? I certainly couldn't quit drinking without help and stable living arrangements.   And then there is my mental illness which I medicated with alcohol for years. We've finally gotten me mostly stable on my current medication regimen. It has taken years of trial and error with different drugs and different psychiatrists.

I need a friend and would just like to have a companion to go out to eat with like it was with Laura a few years ago. We had no romantic inclinations and just enjoyed each other's company. She ran off to live with Wayne and that didn't go so well. We've lost touch over the years mostly due to my phone phobias and never answering the phone. Old Fuss and Feathers has to ring twice for me to call him back. Charlie rings three times.

Oh hell, I am blessed beyond measure life wise. I am going to evoke my Auschwitz Mantra yet once again. It is 13 degrees outside right now and I am toasty warm ensconced in my little home. Maggie is laying at my feet and softly snoring -- content as can be after some fresh tuna for supper. Next week, I am getting my 500 Mbps Internet installed. My father talked to Darrell today. That just thrills me to death and gives me something to look forward to.  Yes, I am blessed. I just want someone to share it with.

The Aftermath...

When all was said and done we got about 3 inches of the white stuff. I stayed up all night until the last band of snow moved through. I was definitely in my element. I should have been a meteorologist.

I just have driven to my father's house to get my Cokes and smokes and the roads are still pretty messy.

"Do you think you can make it across town?" my father asked me over the phone.

"I'll be fine," I told him. "It's the other drivers I need to be worried about."

I saw two fender benders on the way. If you don't have 4 wheel drive then you need to stay off these roads.

"Oh good, you made it," my father replied when he opened the back door and welcomed me inside.

Dad said he was going to work in the BMW tomorrow.

"You sure it has 4 wheel drive?" he asked.

"You also have a pretty sophisticated traction control system," I told him.

Charlie got the day off and I hope he stops by today. It would have been an impossible drive to Dadeville for work this morning with these messy roads. I think the Governor closed all nonessential offices.

Live Blogging the Snow Event...

8:00 PM UPDATE -- Right now it is overcast and cloudy. The temperature is 40°F degrees. Rain/Snow is just entering the counties to our north and west.

8:30 PM UPDATE --  The temperature has dropped to 38°F degrees. Still no precipitation. Papa should be here any moment with Cokes and smokes. He had to work today.

9:00 PM UPDATE -- The temperature has dropped to 37°F degrees and continues to fall. The rain/snow event should start in the next 30 minutes to an hour. It is snowing in Roanoke, AL just to our north. Papa has just left. He was in good spirits saying they installed a new Windows-based computer system at work and he amazingly picked up how to use it quickly and used it all day to fill prescriptions. This refutes the old saying you can't teach an old dog new tricks.

Minus 88°F degrees in the Yakusia province of Russia last night. 

9:30 PM UPDATE -- The temperature has fallen two more degrees to 35°F. Still no precipitation yet. though. I saw on TV where the Weather Channel has a crew set up in Auburn just down the interstate.

10:00 PM UPDATE -- The temperature is now 34°F and snow is falling in LaGrange, Ga at this moment. It is just a hop and a skip away from us up the road. Still no precipitation. The weather gods are teasing me and torturing me. 

10:30 PM UPDATE -- It is now 32°F and sleeting. I guess something is better than nothing, but I am still holding out for snow. 

11:00 PM UPDATE -- The winds are just brutal right now. The windchill values are in the teens. No precipitation just yet, but the temperature has fallen to 29°F degrees. All that snow on the radar will grace us soon. 

11:30 PM UPDATE -- Well, it is now lightly snowing with a heavier band on the way. My wish has been fulfilled. This is something we rarely see this far south. 

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

The weather can be deceiving. It is 49° degrees here and sunny. A hundred miles to our north it is 32° degrees and snowing. They say the temperature should drop precipitously as the day goes on. We are predicted to get up to 2 inches of the white stuff -- far more than our cousins to the north. I am just thrilled to death. I love interesting weather -- a gene my father's side of the family seems to carry. I usually sleep until 4 PM but got on up to watch the weather. I am sure I will feel like the dregs of society by the time it actually starts snowing.

Much Ado About Nothing...

I just drove over to my father's house on this beautiful day. I was getting my emergency rations of cigarettes. Old Fuss and Feathers keeps them on the porch in a Ziploc bag on a chair. Maggie ran outside to give me the three salute sendoff -- barking like a mad dog. Samantha seemed embroiled in a battle with another grey and white cat. She was puffed up like a powder puff trying to make herself appear larger than she actually is. .

A Song For You!

Melancholy Me...

Today marks the one year anniversary of the day my mother passed away. I can see it and feel it just like it was yesterday. I had just been over at my parent's house. Mom was in good cheer and sitting on the couch. She told me not to forget my Cokes and cigars as I was headed out the back door. An hour after that, my father called me and said, "Your mother is dead." It took days later for the full emotional impact to hit me. I was stunned. I miss her dearly and all she did for me. If you went to my mother and said you needed something done, you could consider it done that day. If you do the same with my father, it can sometimes be weeks or months for what you asked for to be implemented.

This afternoon my father and I drove to Waverly, Alabama to put some flowers on her grave. It was the first time I had seen the headstone since my father had it placed. It was a quiet ride there and an even more quiet ride back. I told my father I wanted to be cremated and my remains buried next to him and mom.

Life Marches Ever Onwards...

"I'll meet you at the Piggly Wiggly at nine," my father said tonight over the phone.

I actually arrived at 8:45 PM and got started early. It is going to be another breakfast food themed week this week. I bought a thick cut brand of bacon straying away from my "Black Label" brand and we will see how it fares. It will probably take forever to fry to the crispiness I like.

The same cashier I got last week said, "Yes, you like eggs." She had remarked on my egg purchase last week as well.

"Do you think it is going to snow?" the cashier then asked me as we were checking out.

"Oh, it is going to snow. Just how much is the question," I replied to her. "Watch us just get a dusting."

"That would be fine with me!" she exclaimed. "I don't want any snow!"

I was surprised there wasn't a mad dash to the Piggly Wiggly tonight by the citizenry to buy milk and bread. I got my usual four gallons of whole milk and two loaves of Nature's Own honey wheat bread.

I ended up spending $75 dollars tonigiht which was within acceptable parameters.

May the Weather Model Gods Be With Us...

It doesn't look like much does it? The National Weather Service is hinting at a much larger event. They are waiting for the next few model runs and then will update our forecast. Even if it doesn't snow, then we are in for several very cold days and nights after the front passes from the north.

When Busy Gets Busy...

Maggie and I got a nice surprise this afternoon. Charlie stopped by on his way to take Horsefly to his matinee. He had a plate of supper Janice cooked (pork chops and rice), two leaded regular cokes, cigarettes, and my six diet Cokes for the day. I was just thrilled to death at this curbside service. It was only 35°F outside and I dreaded driving to Papa's house to get my Cokes and cigarettes in this weather. I was just about to call my father and set up a rendezvous.

"You look really nice," Charlie said at what I was wearing. "We are not going to wait so long to cut your hair next time."

I told him I was all dressed up with nowhere to go as he chuckled. I am sticking to my New Year's resolution.

"Since you are all dressed up, you can go to the movies with us!" Charlie said.

One of these days I am going to take Charlie up on that offer.

Maggie and I slept from 4 AM to 4 PM so I hadn't been up long when Charlie arrived. It was like breakfast in bed. Maggie and I were so very glad to see Charlie.

Charlie fed and watered Maggie and soon he was on his way -- a whirlwind visit as usual. Charlie is like a man on a mission. On his behalf, the car was cranked and Horsefly was sitting in the backseat.

A Few Songs For You!

A Song For You!

Looking For a Woman to Court and Spark...

I was standing in Fred's this afternoon in the checkout line. I was getting next week's allotment of hard candy and a pack of large cotton t-shirts.

"Andrew!" a voice said excitedly and loudly catching me off guard.

It was a lady named Jane I went to high school with. Oh boy, do I remember Jane. I wouldn't give her the time of day back then and she would come on so strongly sexually. I was so glad I was neatly dressed in nice clothes. I was actually presentable for yet another day.

"How are you old friend?" she asked.

"I am fine," I replied bashfully awkwardly giving her a hug. "You look really great!"

It was her turn to blush under all that makeup she was wearing. She gave me her cell phone number and told me to call her sometime. I meekly said I would.

"He's a good customer of ours," the nosey cashier, Wanda, chimed in boastfully interjecting her thoughts.

I said goodbye with another hug and walked out to my car kind of shaken.

You all know I won't make that phone call. I would be a nervous wreck and make a fool out of myself. The thought was nice though. She's probably married with three kids by now most likely anyway.

Comment Replies...

Blogger Jane said...

what's your dad waiting on? i forget!

Andrew Replied...

Jane, we are waiting for the WOW! guy to make the next move. My father left him a message the other day and he never called back. We've got to get my cable modem swapped out to get the higher internet speed I desire.

Brand New Man...

"You got so many compliments at the drug store today," my father told me tonight excitedly as he sat down on my couch. "Tristan said she didn't recognize you at first and she is kind of clueless, dour and not much one for compliments."

I blushed and said thanks. For some reason, I was expecting bad news tonight. That old doom and gloom feeling I get sometimes. It was nice to get the compliments. This old Charlie Brown is turning over a new leaf.

"It is my New Year's resolution to dress nicely and keep myself looking presentable," I told my father. "It is amazing what a good haircut can do for a man's self-esteem."

"Everybody bragged on you," he said. "Sandra said you had never looked better."

I called Charlie tonight to thank him for the haircut and I gave him many accolades over the phone. I got his voice mail and left him a message. I am sure he will call me back before it gets too late.

A Song For You!

Comment Replies...

Blogger glittermom said...

Your father seems to be stalling. I’m sure if you call the company direct the problem would be taken care of.

Andrew Replies...

Glittermom, dads got me by the balls on this one. I have to have a four-digit code to access the account and he won't give it to me. Believe me. I've tried. It is all just so incredibly aggravating. If I called "Colorado" or customer service as he calls it, I would have someone out here in the next few days to change me over to 500 Mbps internet. It is all just so frustrating, aggravating, and needless. He is just so stubborn. I guess I should just be happy with what I've got and quit bugging him about it, but I can be just as determined as he is. I inherited it from him.

Shots for Societies Sake...

I was the first customer at the Pharmacy this morning. Craig, the owner, had to unlock the door and let me in.

"Good morning, Andrew," he said to me as he patted me on the back.

It took me off guard as he is usually gruff and unpersonable.

Soon, my father and the other employees came trickling in.

"I emailed Matthew about my soundcard and I needed some speaker cables," I told my father who stood behind the partition and frowned.

Dad grumbled a little bit but said he would see about it. I soon grabbed my injection and headed to Kamath medical.

"You look nice!" Rebecca said as she greeted me at the door. "You are all cleaned up and with a new haircut."

It made me feel good to hear that. I smiled and told her thank you.

"It is one of my new year's resolutions," I replied to her. "Dad says I can get the homeless look going and I am turning over a new leaf."

I really hope my father hears from the WOW! guy today. It would make my month if my father called and said an appointment was made for a technician to come and swap out my modem.

Tuna Time...

I made the best tuna salad tonight if I do say so myself. It was nothing fancy. Just some hard-boiled eggs, minced celery, sweet pickle relish, and mayonnaise.  I also added a few dashes of hot sauce to give it some zest. It got Maggie's seal of approval as well. I ate two sandwiches and she had the pleasure of one.

I'll Probably Rarely Turn It On, But...

We had decided not to get me a new TV months ago as I was going to drop cable from my cable/internet/phone plan. Now, since I am going to get the lifeline tier of cable TV, dad decided to go ahead and get me a new TV. Charlie came and measured the dimensions of the television pocket in my entertainment center tonight. It turns out it will accommodate a 32" TV. As usual, he came and went in a flash.

"I am going to get you a Sony television," Charlie told me rolling up his measuring tape. "They seem to last longer."

Well, I am a big Sony fan and heartily approved. I expect Charlie to pull up any minute with a new TV for me. He said he was headed to Walmart when he left about an hour ago.

Hetty Wainthropp Investigates...

I am really enjoying this British television show at the moment. Public television occasionally airs episodes and it is easily found on the web. It stars Patricia Routledge who you will instantly recognize as Hyacinth Bucket from Keeping Up Appearances.

An interview with Patricia about the series...

https://youtu.be/VTs9sA9R_k4

A Song For You!

What's Good On TV?

I just searched for "the boob tube" and boy did I get an eyeful tonight. I've never seen so many barenaked ladies with ample boobies in my life.

******************

"Turn the TV on," my television addicted father told me tonight as we sat in my den.

"What channel?" I asked.

"Tune it to the Weather Channel," he replied.

My TV is about on the fritz. It took 5 minutes to finally come on tonight. My anxious and jonesing father said he was going to get Charlie to get me a new TV.

"I don't need anything fancy," I told him to tell Charlie. "Tell him it has to be 27 inches to fit into my entertainment center."

Charlie will get me something fancy anyway.

There was a show on about cold sea turtles washing up on cold beaches and geometric salt domes in Indonesia. Well, this just thrilled him to death. He ended up staying 30 minutes watching TV. Maggie likes it on as well. I just have to turn the volume down low for her and I kept it on after my father left as she lay on the couch.

"Where was Krakatoa?" my father asked. "The deadliest volcano in recorded history."

"Indonesia," I replied.

"See? You know nerdy stuff as well!" my father exclaimed very happily.

I was personally so happy to get my Cokes and they went immediately in the freezer to get cold. I set the timer on my stove for only 30 minutes as they were already quite chilly.

A Song For You!

He Shoots! He Scores!

Maggie started whining and yelping loudly from in the den. I looked up from my computer and Charlie was here. What a nice surprise. He was carrying a Zaxby's box as he walked across the yard. I hurried to the front door.

"I thought you could use some more chicken," Charlie said smiling with a laugh.

I would be a fool to complain about the chicken. Zaxby's tenders are 10X tastier than the KFC chicken strips and the Zaxby's sauce rocks!

"Your daddy said you shopped at the Piggly Wiggly last night," Charlie then told me. "I have never liked Kroger since they banned Horsefly from coming in and getting his shaving cream -- said he was scaring the customers. Janice and I shop at Givorn's."

Charlie wanted to check the filter on my heating and air. He wrote down the dimensions and was soon on his way again. Charlie's visits are fleeting, but much enjoyed.

"I'll be back in about an hour with you a new filter," Charlie said escaping through the front door.

Our Wild Weather...

If you can believe it, it got up to 68°F or about 19° degrees Celsius today. It was 43° degrees and raining when I was loading up my car with groceries last night. I wore shorts and a t-shirt to go get my cigarettes off my father's back porch. Samantha was on the back deck basking in the sun thoroughly enjoying this weather. Could I wish for a thundershower reminiscent of summer?

A Resounding Success...

The only mar on tonight's Piggly Wiggly experience is that I've got to learn where everything is at. I was a lost babe in the woods on those regards. That store is so clean and the employees treated us like royalty. I managed to spend only $69 dollars so Old Fuss and Feathers was pleased.

"Did they have everything you wanted?" my father asked.

"Pretty much," I replied. "They were much better on those regards than Kroger."

"Did they have your Edward's pie in stock?"

I pointed to the lemon meringue pie in my cart.

It was awesome to get a big bottle of Crystal brand Louisianna hot sauce as Kroger doesn't carry it. It's my favorite brand. That's going to spice up the two cans of "no bean" Hormel chili I bought along with the large can of Poss' Brunswick stew.

I got six of the various Hungry-Man meals as the Piggly Wiggly doesn't carry Marie Callendar's. Well, they carry Marie's "Delights" meals, but who wants turkey meatloaf? Dad was disappointed about that. I tried to explain to him that the Hungry-Man meals come with two vegetables instead of the usual one on Marie Callender's.

"They ought to fill you up," my father remarked about them.

Two of them were "riblet" meals that I am going to make sandwiches out of. My version of the McRib sandwich. I just need some onions and some dill pickles.

I was also so glad to see they had my Hormel "Black Label" bacon. We're having frozen biscuits this week which suits Maggie just fine. She likes them better than my homemade biscuits. Many a biscuit has been buried in the backyard for enjoyment later.

"You must like eggs?" the elder lady checking us out asked with a smile.

"Yes, I'm quite partial to them, ma'am," I replied, smiling back.

My father was in an extreme hurry so he didn't stick around long leaving me to load up my groceries alone in the rain. He said a football game was on that he was watching. Luckily, my father's house is just a few blocks behind the Piggly Wiggly. He could get back to his football game quickly.

To the Pig We Shall Go...

"Are you still up for the Piggly Wiggly?" dad asked me over the phone this afternoon. "Do they have those Marie Callender meals?"

I chuckled. He's absolutely obsessed with those meals.

"I am sure they do," I replied. "Or they will have something similar or equivalent like Stouffer's."

I had just woken up so I sounded kind of dopey. My father remarked upon this.

"You need to get you some meals tonight. Get the ones with vegetables in them."

Vegetables just swimming in a creamy alfredo sauce most likely. Yeah, that's healthy.

I just looked out the window and it is just pouring down rain here and the radar doesn't look like it is going to let up anytime soon. This will complicate matters. At least it is relatively balmy here today being 47°F or 8°C.

"Did you call the WOW! guy?" I then asked my father with much anticipation and hope.

I had told him to call last night and he said he would.

"I called him, but he hasn't called me back," my father replied.

My hopes were deflated. How hard can this get? It makes me want to act ugly with my father and the WOW! guy, but then I will never get the much faster internet being an asshole. I just have to smile, grin, bear it, and hope for the best.

My Hopes are High and Reality Bites...

It is 2:30 AM as I write this. I am slowly watching the temperatures drop as rain moves into the eastern counties of Alabama. I have high hopes we may get some interesting weather before the night is over, but as I wrote about in the title, reality bites. The ultra-conservative National Weather Service says it is just going to be a rain event. I'd even be happy with a little sleet storm. God forbid we get snow, but I can hope.

A Cut Above...

Charlie gave me his best haircut yet tonight. I feel and look like a brand new man. Charlie then shampooed my hair and that is so luxurious to me. He massaged my scalp thoroughly. That means I don't have to hide my head and hair under the multitudes of baseball caps I own for awhile. At least for a couple of months in time for another haircut.

"I wish I still had hair," Charlie said wistfully with a chuckle. "You have pretty hair Andrew."

Dad sat on the couch with Maggie watching Forensic Files as Charlie snipped away (he couldn't figure out how to change the channels). They left and were soon back with Little Caesar's pizza for our usual Sunday night meal. Pizza was my request tonight as KFC has just gotten plain old. Charlie got me the chicken strip fill-up meal last week and I just fed them to Maggie -- my canine food disposal unit. I ate the mashed potatoes and gravy and my cookie.

Medications First...

To Skinny Minny and Glittermom, I have to be very careful about my medications and to not take their importance lightly. I goofed and ended up taking my noon dose about 6 PM the other day after sleeping the day away. That's not good and I am going to start taking them on a nighttime schedule until I cycle back to a diurnal existence. I am going to take my usual noon dosage at midnight tonight which will be in about 30 minutes. I probably need one of these devices that will alarm me to take my crazy meds at the correct time. I better not play too fast and loose with my medications or my father will take control of them again.

Eat Up For Tomorrow May Never Come...

Last night, Old Fuss and Feathers cooked supper and it was delicious. We had roast beef hash and a fresh pan of cornbread. One way I relish eating cornbread is with a large glass of milk to wash it all down with. That is just so delicious to me.

"You have your mother's ability and flair for cooking," I told my father last night with much sincerity.

Dad is only human and eats up such accolades. My grandmother was a most wonderful cook of the highest order.

"Was it good?" my father asked fishing for another compliment.

"It was delicious," I replied.

Still On For the Piggly Wiggly...

I am steadfastly resolved to do my grocery shopping at the Piggly Wiggly tomorrow night. Dad reaffirmed my resolve tonight saying it is up to me. He is going to meet me there at 9 PM which is around 9:30 PM Old Fuss and Feather time. I should be finished shopping by the time he arrives. The first thing that is going into my grocery cart is a big can of Poss' brunswick stew. You can't get that at Kroger.

Don't You Know that Rome Wasn't Built in a Day?

This is how he looks to Maggie...

The Mags and I got in the bed at 3 AM last night. I know. I am still lurking about in the midnight hours. The Magster got a bug up her butt around 9 AM and woke me up. I looked out the window and it was that shady character that walks by several times a day and he was all dressed in black as usual. He was walking by the house and it gets Maggie all torn up.

Well, I felt deliriously tired and as soon as Maggie calmed back down, I got back in the bed. Maggie and I slept until 5:30 PM. The Magster was like, "No, don't get up!" I think that is the most I have slept in forever. I feel fully rested tonight and ready to take on the night.

Old Fuss and Feathers is coming at 8:30 PM to bring my Cokes and smokes. He will also inspect my medications and the bathroom which keeps me on my toes as far as keeping it clean. We can't let Charlie down after all that work he did cleaning it. We will then check Maggie's food and water and he will be on his way -- Maggie's ritual as I call it.

I will probably be up all night playing Metroid Fusion on the Gameboy Advance and Shining the Holy Ark on the Sega Saturn. My two favorite games at the moment.

Comment Replies...

Blogger glittermom said...

And no running into Jermaine!

Andrew Replies...

LOL! Glittermom, they don't have Hov-a-rounds Jermaine can ride at the Piggly Wiggly. No, no more Jermaine bless his aggravating and well-meaning soul.

The Short Road to the Piggly Wiggly...

My father was worried about me tonight. He felt something must be done about my lack of groceries.

"What do you have to eat?" he asked. "Surely, you are out of food by now."

He had brought me a jumbo fish platter from Captain D's for supper for Maggie and I. Dad looked in my kitchen and in my refrigerator and they were pretty much barren. You could've called me the condiment king.

"What do you want to do?" my usually decisive father asked me as he stood in the kitchen looking perplexed.

"Let's run over to the Piggly Wiggly and get me enough food to get by until Monday," I replied with my bright idea.

I was feeling much better than I was just a few hours ago.

"Sounds like a good plan," my tired father replied. "Let's get in and get out."

The Piggly Wiggly is so nice -- much nicer than when George and I hung out down there all the time. I got a pretty good bit of food with my father's help. It didn't take us but 15 minutes to shop and check out. They even had my coveted lemon meringue pie I love so much. They had quite a few as a matter of fact.

"We're coming back here next Monday to do our shopping," my father told me stalwartly. "That store is much nicer than Kroger and they had everything that you wanted. They are now open until ten as well."

I said it sounds like a good idea to me. I get tired of Kroger never having what I need and the shelves and items are always helter skelter.

The Ties that Bind Us...

"I can't make it to the grocery store tonight," I just told my father over the phone. "Mental illness wise something is going on with me today."

"What's wrong?" dad asked worriedly with a tone of exasperation.

It really hit me late this afternoon well after my noon medications. I could've just died for a six pack of ice beer to soothe what ails me. This is why I drank for all those years.

"My mind is racing like crazy and I can't settle down," I told him woefully. "I usually can sit in my lazy boy and look out the window for an hour or more, but I can't do that today. I can't even listen to my cherished music."

"I'll take care of it," Old Fuss and Feathers replied. "What do you want to eat tonight?"

"Just a hamburger and a large Coke would be nice," I told my father meekly -- hoping not to trouble him too much.

"I'll get it on the way home," he said. "I'll see you about eight."

It's a disconcerting feeling when your mind races and you feel as if you are going to jump out of your skin. I hate days like this and wish I could just go to sleep until I feel better. Alas, my mind won't slow down enough for a nap. I just took my nighttime meds and hope to feel a little better soon. Maybe that Klonopin will slow my mind down.

(The nighttime medications did the trick. I feel much calmer and my mind is slowing down.)