Not postmortem yet!!

I have been one sick camper. Dad asked me when's the last time I ate last and I ate last Saturday. Not postmortem just yet!!!

Poor Poor Pitiful Me…

I’ve been running a high fever today along with neck and back stiffness and pain. Hopefully, I will be back tomorrow for a more informative post.

Something’s Amiss! Some Medications are Missing!

My medications are goofy. Many times the color of the pills change due to SoSec wanting cheaper generic drugs. I will give the pharmacy staff this, though: I would never be organized with regards to these Med-Packs helping me know what I need to take.

I was studying my medications after breakfast and my Trazodone is in my noon dose and there aren’t any Lithium in my noon dose as well. I called my father and he said to drive down to the pharmacy and he would check them out.

“Your Lithium is missing and your Trazodone should be taken at night,” he told me. “Everybody bowls a gutter ball sometimes!”

Dad gave me a correct Med-Pack which I had to wait a few moments for and got the girts started in making new Med-Packs right away. 

Back to the Hum Drum of Life…

I saw Tracy off to work after a big breakfast around 7:45am. I will see her again at noon when the animal hospital shuts down for lunch.

“Aren’t you about out of your medications?” dad asked earlier on the phone today.

He was calling me from the pharmacy and told me a pharmacy tech. has four Med-Packs made up for me.

“I’ve got two days left and will head to the pharmacy after I get a shower,” I told him.

It kind of takes a family effort with me sometimes and all the various things that keep me sane. You should see all the medications I take at noon and at night. I take each big handful with a big gulp which always worries my father I am going to get choked. I take ten pills at night in the hopes it will settle me down for sleep. Right now, we have the perfect combination, but it can change as well if bad luck and brain chemistry gone awry afflicts us.

“When is your injection?” he then asked worriedly as soon as a walked into the pharmacy.

“That's next week,” I told him thankfully. “Look at your next appointment card.”

I grabbed my bag of medications and two Cherry Cokes with his permission and headed home situated for another 4 weeks medication wise.

Yes! Back to the Safe Confines of Home!

I made it through the shadowy social veil of Mordor and emerged unscathed. (Lord of the Rings joke.)

It is about an hour’s drive to my sister’s house. Tracy kept drinking these all natural fruit drinks saying she was dire thirsty.

“You keep that up and we are going to have to stop at every gas station and fast food restaurant on the way to Alex City to use the bathroom,” I told her.

Well, it certainly happened. It took us an hour and a half to reach Mary’s house. 

My sister pulled me to the side at one point and asked,”Were did you find her? She is gorgeous!”

I smiled an “aw shucks” smile and said we met when I was volunteering at the Humane Society. It was the first time for my sister to meet Tracy. Of course, Tracy is a mostly social creature that enjoyed getting to know my family.

“You’re right about the grandkids being pod people,” Tracy told me on the drive home. “They walk aimlessly around with their faces buried in their tablets and phones.”

“I am wondering how they manage to keep from falling over stuff,” I quipped back jovially with a smile. “It must be pod people radar.”

Over Hill and Under Dale…

Tracy and I are soon driving to my sister’s house for Memorial Day today. Charlie’s grilling burgers so you know they are going to be good. His secret is Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce. He lets the ground hamburger marinate over night in that sauce. Tracy is also fretting about what to wear. She has already tried on 3 tops.

“What sandals do I wear?” She just asked me walking into the computer room with a few pair dangling from her fingertips.   .

I just chuckled and told her she looked beautiful in anything she wears. That was not what she wanted to hear.

I expect for there to be a lot of people in attendance. My social anxieties are already working on me overtime. Many butterflies are fluttering in my stomach.

Obsessions…

I had this poor deluded soul who lived in Toronto reading my blog in the beginning. She had a vendetta against another homeless blogger named Crystal who she said had Munchausen's by Proxy. She actually found my parent’s phone number somehow and called my mother who gave my phone number to Diana (her name). She began calling me very regular – all a plot and ploy to ensure I was really homeless beforehand. She was an intense woman with a lot on her plate. She was also trying to get the loud ice-cream trucks off the streets and also kids on minibikes. Obsessed would be a better word to describe her. Yes, that would describe her to a T.

My point is I don’t want to be like this woman I so disdained with regards to my campaign against the truck driver in this neighborhood. I won’t write about it again until something more major happens. This is not going to turn into the Andrew vs. Big Truck Show. More normal posts will commence as of now.

Comment Replies…

Summer said...

Do you think he lives in your neighborhood or is he a trucker taking a short cut?

Andrew Replies…

Summer, he definitely lives in the neighborhood. He has some kind of fly-by-night freight service. Sometimes he will be in a big rig, and other times in will be in a large Penske rental truck like a U-Haul. The Penske truck is usually large enough to take out my cable drop as well.  

I Think I’ve Had a Bright Idea!

I’ve put some fresh batteries in my camera and sat it on top of the piano ready to film. Next time that Hombre comes driving down the street, I am going to film it all. Like Tracy said, it’s a matter of time before he shows up again. Then I am going to call the police and let them find where he lives in the neighborhood.

Yeah, I am Friends With the Key Disease…

Dad, me, my brother and my sister all got the key disease where we temporarily lose our house and car keys all the time. Charlie likes to say it is what put my mother in an early grave as my mother always knew where her keys were.

“Y’all all drove her crazy over all these years,” he says.

We inherited it from dad’s mom who could never find her house keys and car keys as well.

Last night, I ran to Kroger to get some sausage and milk for breakfast this morning. I purchased my items and walked back to my car. Well, I put my sausage and a gallon of milk in the truck and got back in the car and couldn’t find my keys. Marshall, a Down’s Syndrome man who works at Kroger, knocked on my window and said, “Your keys are still hanging in the trunk.”

I walked around the car and there they were – still in the trunk hanging from their key receptacle.

Well, dad loved hearing this story when I got home and called him. We both laughed and laughed.

“I can’t fault you, son,” he said. “I have the key disease, too!”

Let Tracy’s Voice Be Heard! She’s the Breadwinner!

The poor soul – missing all her favorite TV shows this week. She is scrambling and trying to catch up online.

“What are you going to do when another big truck passes down our street?” Tracy asked me this morning getting ready for work. “You know it is going to happen again. It is just a matter of time.”

She is always the consummate worrier and rightly so. I can understand now what she’s thinking after all we’ve gone through since last Friday and the other outage as well earlier in the month.

“I’ve got a pad and pencil on the piano by the front door and I am going to write down their license plate of the offending truck and call the police.” I told her. “We are going to start filing a police report every time it happens.”

“We always have plan B as well,” I then told her. “Charlie is big buddies with the mayor of our fair third world city, Kyle McCoy, and we are going to get semis in residential areas outlawed and off limits.”

“Who DON”T your dad and Charlie know in this town?” Tracy replied laughing. 

Tracy heartily laughed some more.

“Savory or sweet?” I then asked her changing the subject which is our custom every morning.

“Let’s try sweet this morning,” Tracy replied. “Let’s have some of those cream cheese Danishes we bought the other night in Kroger’s deli.”

This makes breakfast easier on me. I popped two Danishes in the microwave on a plate and breakfast was served.

I AM BACK ONLINE!

Let’s Try Again Tomorrow…

Well, for starters, they (WOW!) are knocking off half our cable bill next month. Tracy will be delighted. We’ve had no joy with regards to getting my internet back up and running, though. I saw the WOW! guy drive by the house and he didn’t stop. He was looking for downed lines on my street. Just one of the many mix-ups we’ve had this past week. Why he didn’t just stop and look at how things are at my address I cannot fathom.

I Feel Like a One Legged Man at an Ass Kicking Contest…

glittermom said...

Don’t you have other internets you could get? We have AT&T, directv,spectrum,wow and dish available to us. I have AT&T and they just ran fiber optic cables in my area so I’m hooked up to that now. Suppose to be better and faster.

Andrew Replies…

Glittermom, we have two main choices of internet in town and that is WOW! and Charter’s Spectrum. The fastest speed Spectrum offers is 100 Mbps. I am using WOW!’s 1000 Mbps service or Gigabit service. So you can see my conundrum. I want the speed, but it seems to be coming at a price. I would love to have fiber optic internet here as it is fast and reliable as all get out.

As far as Dish and DirectTV are concerned, they are alternatives, but if my memory serves me correctly, the upstream with those services is still old 56k dialup and latency reigns supreme with above 100ms pings.

As soon as dad gets finished eating his breakfast, him and I are riding back out to the WOW! office nearby. Dad is hoping his favorite receptionist and old customer is working today.

Flimflam Man…

I am still without my usual source of internet. I had the bright idea to piggyback off of an unsecured wireless connection in the neighborhood. The connection is slow as molasses, though. Hopefully, I will be back up and running soon. Be thankful for your internet service if they are reliable. WOW! is a joke. Dads already been out to their office once and they said they would send somebody out to look at it and they never came. I hope dad goes back out there this afternoon and raises a little hell. Thank y’all for putting up with my whining or whinging as the British would say.

The problem is semi trucks keep coming through my neighborhood and knocking down the cable drop to my house. Friday, I saw a Southeastern Van Lines truck passing down my street and I said to myself, “There goes my internet.” It was exactly as I foretold. My internet was soon down.

“Be proactive when they come,” my father told me the other day. “Tell them all about your cable drop and these big trucks.”

Internet service is down. I hope to be back soon.

Friday Comes In With a Boom and a Bang…

The alarm went off at 6:45am this morning followed by a very, very loud clap of thunder. Of course, the ubiquitous freight train was rolling through downtown as well, flanges squealing loudly on the curve, as it often does during inclement weather.

“Was that thunder?” Tracy raised up out of the bed and asked with a deer in the headlights look.

“Yes, it was!” I replied happily and I hurried to the computer room to turn my computer on and check the radar.

One small little complex of thunderstorms was just parked and sitting over the Valley and putting on quite a show.

“Is it raining?” Tracy then asked as she was getting in the shower.

“No rain,” I replied. “We are getting what Sally Lou (dad’s mom) would call an electrical storm.”

The rain and humidity would make Tracy’s hair extra curly and she already has an ample head of curls as it is – my girl with the curls and the curves.

I got in the kitchen and made us a simple meal of cheese toast and fried bacon. Maggie was underfoot the whole time I was cooking hoping to get some bacon as well.  

Tracy left for work about 40 minutes ago and Mother Nature is still putting on a grand show of lightning and thunder. It is music to these old addled ears as long as the power stays on.

Computer Woes! How Slow Can You Go?

Charlie’s Janice called me at 9am. I was cleaning up the kitchen after a big breakfast. Tracy hadn't been gone to work for just an hour.

“My computer is running as slow as ever,” she told me woefully over the phone. “It is aggravating to say the least.”

“I’ll be right over,” I told Janice.

She’s running Windows 8.1 with only 4 GB of ram and a cheap Intel Celeron processor. That is her problem. Well, I gathered up a plethora and mötley crüe of sticks of spare RAM and set about hoping one or two would work and fit.

“Surely, she’s still not running DDR2,” I said to myself with a hope and a prayer as I headed to my car.

Janice nervously watched as I took apart her computer on their living room floor.  

Two sticks of Corsair XMS DDR3 8 GB RAM worked much to my surprise! I was elated. That gave Janice 16 GB of RAM. I must've carried twelve sticks with me. It was like a whole different computer. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this first! I was thinking that Dell would have some proprietary RAM and nothing I had would work.

I didn’t leave without getting a big bag of regular and diet Coke which is Charlie’s payment for when I work on their electronic gadgetry. I was happy to get them.

Janice called me back after I had gotten home.

“I don’t know what you did, but you supercharged my computer,” she said with a relieved sounding laugh. “Bless you, Andrew!”

Late For an Important Date…

No one in my immediate life remembered my injection this morning. Not even Tracy and she is so keen on my injections. I was sitting in front of my computer at 9:30am when I realized my shot was due. I almost panicked. I hurriedly put on some clothes with time of the upmost importance and essence. The longer I waited, the busier Kamath Medical would grow. I could be sitting an hour waiting on a nurse.

I was then driving down the Valley to my father’s former pharmacy at a speedy rate – putting my trusty Honda Civic through its paces.

“What are you doing here?” my father asked worriedly looking over his counter.

He thought something dire had happened for me to be at the pharmacy so early.

“My injection is due this morning,” I replied, proud of myself for remembering. 

I even puffed up my chest in bravado a little bit as well.

Dad checked my appointment card that he keeps in his wallet and looked up and said, “Good for you, Andrew!!!”

“I was just about to call you!” Rebecca, my nurse, told me as she called me back to an examining room. “I was just waiting for the clock to hit ten and I was going to be on the phone.”

I thanked Rebecca so very profusely for looking out for me.

I know it is psychosomatic, but I am already feeling better this morning.

Dido - Sand In My Shoes (Video)

Comment Replies…

glittermom said...

Did your mom have a recipe book where she wrote down her special recipes? My mom had one and I like to look through it and remember things she made that I had forgotten. She wrote in it long ago before there were ball point pens. We just had fountain pens. So her recipes are mostly written in pencil. Which after so long are fading.

Andrew replies…

Glittermom, no she didn’t sadly. I know many of her recipes by heart like her tangy chicken and sour cream and mushroom chicken. Those were always crowd pleasers when I was growing up. A lot of her recipes came out of Nadine Knowles’ cookbook Don't Forget the Parsley.  Search for it on the web and you may find a copy. It was printed in 1976. Nadine was a true Southern lady and she cooked Southern food.

Sometimes it is Hard to Say Goodbye…

“I want to be totally lazy and laze in the bed and be with you, Wheezy, and Maggie this morning,” Tracy told me sanguinely as she dressed for work. 

“I know you do, sweetheart,” I replied. “There is a vacuum in this house when you leave for the day. It can only be filled by you.”

Tracy and I also have to go grocery shopping tonight. We try to stick to our old schedule and we never arrive before nine. That’s a little trick my father taught me. Usually, Kroger is a wasteland by that late at night. I spend about eighty dollars and Tracy spends about eighty dollars.

“What’s for lunch?” Tracy then asked me excitedly before she left for work.

“I thought we would be Asian today and cook some soy sauce seasoned ground beef and cabbage over a bed of rice and crunchy chow mien noodles.”

“That sounds so delicious,” she replied to me. “I cannot wait until noon gets here!”

“It was mom’s recipe and I always enjoyed it when I was growing up.”

Mom Delivers Mexican Food On Mexican Night...

Mom went out to eat Mexican with her good friend Mrs. Sandra every Tuesday night. Mom would bring me a plate of food every Tuesday night as well.

Mom On Mother's Day...

I shed a few tears watching this video this morning. It is still hard to believe mom is gone and it has been over two years since she passed away so suddenly.

Charlie Arrives With Breakfast From a Few Years Ago...

Charlie had over 300,000 miles on his Chevrolet HHR pictured in this video. The joke was that if he ever turned it off, it wouldn't crank again. lol

And the Gods Took Great Pleasure in Meddling with The National Weather Service's Affairs…

It was supposed to be stormy all weekend. I guess the weather guessers got it all wrong again. We might get a little rain, but that will be it.

Sometimes it is the Little Things that Matter the Most…

“Are you and Tracy up and dressed?” Charlie asked me over our cellphones around noon. “I’ve got a special treat I want to bring you two for lunch.”

“We’re up and going Charlie,” I replied, glad to hear his voice.

“I’ve got two plates of the best chargrilled chicken wraps that you have ever eaten!” Charlie, the feeder, said.

This got me excited and Tracy quickly got in the bathroom to fix her hair and put on a little makeup. She was making herself presentable as she so often says.

Charlie finally arrived and said the food was payment for fixing Janice’s computer. The wraps were unbelievably tasty. I loved the addition of jalapeños amidst a smoky Southwest sauce. The chicken breast strips were chargrilled to perfection and were accompanied by ample portions of pepper jack cheese. Even the wrap was chargrilled on both sides.

“Call me back on my cellphone and tell me what y’all think,” Charlie told us in parting.

(Days like today it is hard to write while other days it just flows effortlessly.I guess the old prime motivator upstairs is acting on shaky ground today.)

The Storm That Could? No, the Storm in Absentia…

I’ve watched a strong line of storms push across Alabama all day. I grew more and more excited as it closed in on the Valley. It finally arrived about the time Tracy was pulling into the driveway after work. There were strong straight line winds, torrential rains, but where was the lightning and thunder? It turned out to be a bust. At least my power and internet didn’t go out like they often will do with a big storm. The storm looked awful nasty on the weather radar, though. I thought we were going to get a big one!

Comment Replies…

Summer said...

Is your dad over the moon with the new royal baby?

Andrew Replies…

Summer, he has watched about every news clip he could find on YouTube and AppleTV. He especially loves the video of Prince Harry casually walking out to announce the new baby to the press. He has watched that over and over like a man possessed.  

Ah, That Lasagna…

I had made homemade chicken salad for lunch. Tracy thought it was delicious.

“Kudos to the Chef!” she told me.

I garnished our plates with a dill pickle spear and some sour cream and onion potato chips. I was pleased with myself when I asked Tracy what she wanted for supper.

“Let’s have some of the Stouffer’s lasagna and some garlic and butter Texas toast,” she told me.

We are going to be 300lbs, but I said okay. I headed out to the grocery shore after Tracy left for her after lunch second shift at work. She called me while I was in Kroger.

“Cook it twice as long as it says on the package,” Tracy told me seemingly an old hat at this dish.

I got the family pack just to play it safe. I thought it would burn cooking so long, but Tracy was right. It tasted much better cooked doubly long. The sauce wasn’t runny and grew creamy and spicier. .

Supper, Tracy, and Janice…

I’ve got mom’s recipe chili bubbling away on the stove. The house smells wonderful. Tracy should be home in about 30 minutes. Charlie also called me this afternoon and said Janice’s computer is acting up. I’ve already got a good idea of what’s going on and I haven’t even seen it yet. I will have to walk Janice through the process of removing the programs she doesn’t use and thus de-clogging Windows 10’s registry. She probably has forty programs and background processes that open on start up whereas I only have ten. My computer would run rings around hers as well. Charlie is so miserly that he buys Janice the cheapest computers except for the laptop he buys her every few years.

“Can I come pick you up in a little while?” Charlie asked. “Her computer is stalling.”

Charlie rolls into town around seven getting home from work.

“Sure,” I replied. “I hope I can fix Janice’s computer.”

Lord knows, Charlies done enough for me over the years. I am thinking of giving Janice one of my decent spare computers.

The only other thing I did today besides straightening up the house and getting lunch and supper started was to buy two surge protectors for my father’s TV and computer. He thought those little power strips were surge protectors. I woefully shook my head. It is getting that time of the year where we get to experience frequent electrical storms as my grandmother would call them. I wanted to get dad protected. His TV is especially sensitive to power surges and outages. 

For Glittermom...

Not a very good photo as Maggie was showing her underbite (She looks vicious, but wouldn’t harm a fly. Cats and the meter reader are her only quarry.) and she wouldn't quit moving around. Also, the morning light was terribly bright shining through my computer room window very early today.

A Pleasant Morning to You, Sir…

“Charlie’s coming!” I exclaimed to Maggie this morning and she jumped up on the couch to look out the window.

It was almost 9am so I felt Charlie would along any moment now. About as soon as I turned around in my computer chair in the den, I heard Maggie yelp.

“Yes!” I said loudly as Maggie barked jubilantly. Tracy also went with me to meet Charlie at the door.

Charlie was holding three biscuits and two large diet Cokes in a drink caddy.

“Is that Maggie?” Charlie incredulously asked. “She looks like a different dog! I didn’t recognize her at first.”

You can actually see Maggie’s face and eyes now without all that hair around them.

Did Jesus Come in a Boat or Did He Descend From Heaven?

Maggie started to bark in earnest yesterday and then there was a very loud knock on the door. This sent Maggie into a greater state of alarm as she barked ever louder and more frenzied.

“It’s the Mormons,” Tracy said stepping into the computer room. “What should I do?”

“Answer it if you want an earful,” I replied.

Tracy was kind, answered the door, and listened to what they had to say. I could hear Tracy say “good luck” as the boys headed down the steps and to the house next door. She then shut the door.

“What did they tell you?” I asked.

“Oh, just some spiel about Jesus coming to the New World,” Tracy told me. “And how it is chronicled in the book of Mormon.”

“Let me tell you one more thing,” Tracy then said fanning her face and smiling devilishly. “Those boys were hot they were so good looking. One looked like a young Tom Cruise.”

I laughed and told her to not be running off with any Mormon boys on me.

Blessed Be! The Little Lady of the House is Home…

Sweet Jeebus! Maggie’s home! Maggie looks like a different dog as well. I didn’t recognize her first when they brought her into the lobby after her grooming. She recognized me, though, immediately ran over to me and started whining. I picked the chunk up and put her in my lap. She was trying to give kisses as well.

They wanted me to bring her in twice a week to be bathed in a special shampoo. I told Dr. Thomas just to give me a bottle of the shampoo and I would bathe her myself. I will never get Maggie out to the Vet’s office twice a week for a few weeks. That would be playing with fire as far as Maggie is concerned. 

Goodnights Are Better Than Goodbyes…

Sometimes I feel like I am caught in groundhog day – each day repeating itself ad nauseum. The alarm clock once again shrilly rang out at 6:45am. Tracy climbed out of the bed with a moan at being woken so abruptly. I turned off the alarm and escaped to the screened porch to have my first cigarette of the day.

“Just think!” I said excitedly as Tracy dressed. “One more day at work and you have the weekend off.”

“Let’s pray I don’t have to work Saturday until lunch,” Tracy replied.

“It is so strange not having the Magster in the house,” Tracy then told me. “It is too quiet!”

“She’s going to be so mad at me for putting her through all that,” I replied with a weak chuckle.

Maggie should be home around 2pm. She’s getting the “works” including a grooming and teeth cleaning. It is going to take some time to do all they were going to do to her.  I keep thinking of her having to sleep on those cold concrete kennel floors. I know she must’ve been uncomfortable last night.

The smell of breakfast is still lingering hours after I cooked this morning. I fried some sausage patties and baked some Mary B’s buttermilk biscuits. It made for some mighty fine sausage biscuits.

Dangerous Liaisons…

Maggie’s watching me on the floor as I type this. It’s a good thing she can’t read as she would shoot out that dog door and not come in until sundown and the coast was clear.

Dad called me this morning and said he would help me get Maggie out to the veterinarian this afternoon. Her tenaciously persistent yeast infection on her chest and neck is back. It worries me deeply. She smells almost like a bakery. She has been scratching constantly lately. It must itch something terrible.

“You’re going to have to drive while I hold her,” I told my father.

“She’s also going to pout with us for a week after doing this,” I added with much caution.

“Be sure to bring a clean towel,” dad replied. “In case she releases her bladder in the car and/or in the lobby.”

My biggest and most deep seated fear is that Maggie will escape us and we can’t catch her. She’s as wild as an Indian when she gets off her leash or her collar comes loose.

And the Laptop Ascended into the Light of Heaven and God Said in a Loud and Booming Voice, “This is good!”

Well, I copied over Tracy’s old drive to her new solid state drive. It took about an hour. I was just putting the finishing touches on Tracy’s laptop when she came home from work for lunch. I screwed back on the cover protecting the sodimms and turned the laptop back over.

“Here,” I said handing the laptop to Tracy. “Turn it on.”

I about couldn't suppress my elation any longer. Even a jaded computer guy like me was astounded at the difference.

“You didn’t lose any of my data, did you?” she asked worriedly.

“Just turn it on,” I replied insistently.

Tracy sat down on the couch and turned her laptop on. Normally, it would take her laptop several minutes to boot up. Now, it only takes a handful of seconds.

“Oh my god,” Tracy exclaimed. “That is incredible.”

“And to answer your question, no, none of your data was lost,” I replied.

Tracy gave me a big and long hug and dished out many kudos and attaboys.

Mean as a Timber Rattler…

I was passing Walmart on 29 when my cellphone loudly rang. I looked at the screen and answered. “Hello?” I usually hate talking on the phone while driving, but it was Tracy so I felt it must be important.

“Are you headed to get your injection?” Tracy asked. “I forgot to remind you this morning.”

“My ETA is 5 minutes,” I told her.

Tracy doesn’t miss a beat. She’s deft on me getting that injection ever since what happened mentally a few months ago.

Dad and AJ were in the front of the pharmacy when I arrived to get the Risperdal Consta box.

“Tell AJ what you say about me and my temper,” dad told me looking amused.

“He can be a mean little son of a bitch sometimes,” I told AJ

AJ and dad both burst out laughing.

The conundrum for the day was to ask my nurse, Rebecca, whether she was pregnant or not. She’s gained a lot of weight lately. I decided to play it safe and not ask today.

Comment Replies…

glittermom said...

Did anyone move into the house next door yet?

Andrew Replies…

No, but they manicured the lawn and shrubs this week. It makes me think that someone might be moving in soon. I am hoping for a young couple with kids to really liven things up around here. It will take Maggie a few weeks to get used to them, though. There might be some aggravating barking going on at first I fear.

A Wage Slave’s Lament…

I shouldn’t call it wage slavery, but a lot of jobs can feel like that. Tracy poured her heart out to me about going in to work this morning.

“I love working there, except for some of the caustic people who work with me,” Tracy told me. “The women all gossip and backstab each other. I ignore them and I feel like an outsider.”

“I would work a few days for you to give you a break if I could,” I replied. “I certainly would give them something to gossip about!”

Tracy chuckled.

“I know you would,” Tracy said warmly. “I appreciate the sentiment.”

Tracy got up and headed to the front door.

“Remember! In four short hours you’ll be home for lunch!”

Tracy said it was her saving grace.

Front Yards on a Sunday Afternoon in the South…

My neighbor walked across the street to talk to me yesterday afternoon. I warily looked over Tracy’s car wondering what this was about. They never have been the neighborly types so this shocked me.

“I’ve got five cars that need to be washed,” he said with a big goofy grin and very congenially.

“Five?” I asked incredulously with an exhausted look on my face. “I give out at two.”

He laughed some more and told me to have a good day not before I could tell him I want a ride in his Camaro.

“Let me get it cleaned up and we will go for a ride,” he replied.

I finally found out his name and it was Tony.

I was washing both Tracy’s and my car. It’s a good feeling to look out the den window and see the fruits of my labor and to see them so clean with the tires slicked and wet looking. I went the extra mile a put a coat of Nu Finish car polish on Tracy’s car. It gave it that mirror finish look.

I was pooped when all was said and done. I came inside and collapsed in my recliner for a good hour not wanting to move. My back was giving me fits from all that bending over. (I am getting so very old!)

Papa and Charlie showed up at 9pm with our Sunday evening meal. You had never seen a more happy dog than Maggie. She really put on a grand show last night. She had all the people she most loved in one room all at one time. All this commotion sent Wheezy scurrying for cover, though. Maggie also knows that Charlie and Papa bring chicken strips and she eagerly awaited her meal after they had gone. She was underfoot before I could put them on a paper plate and place them on the floor.

A Sunday Good Morning and a Little Laptop Surgery…

I could’ve slept in this morning, but I was up at 8am. I feel like a million bucks. Going to bed early and waking early has made the biggest difference in my life lately. I feel so well and rested.

I never know when Charlie will be here with our Sunday breakfast. It is going on 9am now and he still hasn’t arrived. The earliest he usually arrives is around 8:20am. Tracy is lingering in the bed a little longer than I. (Time warp: Charlie arrived at 9:45am this Sunday)

Let’s Open it Up and Take a Look…

Tracy was complaining last night how slow her laptop has gotten. I don’t know how she stands it. It is slow as molasses, yet she still insists on using it. I ordered a kit from Newegg this morning to convert her laptop from a conventional hard drive to a 500 GB Samsung solid state drive (SSD). That will incredibly supercharge her laptop. The processor is only as fast as it can access data. It will be like a completely different computer. I also ordered enough Crucial sodimms (laptop RAM) to upgrade her memory from 8 GB to 16 GB. RAM is so cheap right now. Why not? That should help as well with no accessing the page file. I love this kind of stuff so it was right up my alley. I get all warm and fuzzy thinking about it.

What’s a Little Bit of Sushi Between Friends?

Tracy and I were spontaneous for a late lunch/early dinner and I drove us to Sushi Huku Japanese restaurant. It is on the west side of Atlanta and about an hour’s drive away. They are supposed to have the best sushi in Atlanta. My ex-wife loved to go there for dinner and I did as well. I thought I would start a new tradition. Tracy thought it was wonderful as well. We both got sampler bento boxes with all different kinds of fried Japanese delicacies. I asked for sweet tea as is common in the South and my waitress brought out hot green tea in a dainty cup. I smiled. We also got to showoff our chopstick prowess. Tracy can thread a needle with chopsticks.

What are your thoughts on sushi or eating raw fish? It is definitely an acquired taste. I especially enjoy the varieties of tuna and I ate some sea urchin roe today as well. I keep wanting to put it on a saltine cracker like we always did “fishing food” like sardines and those little fish steaks in the South. 

Tracy was talking and lamenting on the drive home that she didn’t have enough purses to match her wardrobe. Well, it was just my luck that I turned on the TV when we got home and it was tuned to QVC and they were showcasing purses. I snuck in the computer room, browsed to QVC.com, and ordered Tracy an expensive navy blue purse or tote as they called it. It is going to be a neat surprise for her later next week. You’ve got to take care of your woman folk and spoil them sometimes.

Now, I feel my day is done and I am going to spend the rest of the evening sequestered in my computer room. Tracy’s got her laptop out and is watching TV in the den which is her usual modus operandi. 

That Girl With Richard…

I very happily answered the phone this afternoon under the auspices it was my father or Tracy.

“Hello?” I said with a smile that turned into a frown.

“Heyyyy!!!” a loud. raspy, and obnoxious voice said on the other end. “Will you take us to the pawnshop?”

“Y’all are not going to have anything left to pawn when all is said and done,” I decreed admonishingly and I then told Tuleana I was out of gas.

The “out of gas” portion of the conversation was very true. I have been procrastinating driving down to Rectum and putting gas in my car. The low fuel light is on.

“Call your mother or sister for a ride,” I told Tuleana and quickly got off the phone with my heart pounding in my chest.

One of my blog readers told me that Tuleana wouldn’t give up that easy and they were right. All that shit causes me a great deal of anxiety. They are pests as my mother used to always say of Jermaine.

My Next Goal and Computer Part Acquisition…

I want to get this and install it in Tracy’s den computer. That way she can play Roller Coaster Tycoon and the Sims 4 with smooth framerates. Oh hell, I just need another excuse to buy yet another video card for our computers.

Bah! Humbug!

I just don’t feel much like writing a blog post today. Do you ever feel that way about your own blog? Nothing’s wrong. I am just caught in some kind of writer’s malaise. I was going to write about how I am getting all these links from porn sites. I wonder what that is all about? If they are looking for naked pictures and/or erotic blog posts, then they are going to be sorely disappointed. A thousand visits and not one comment? Makes me think some kind of shenanigan is going on.

Tracy will be home soon and I have some spaghetti and meat sauce bubbling away gently on the stove. I assume you can guess what we are having for supper? We haven’t had spaghetti in awhile so I decided that would be our meal. A quick run to Kroger gathered all the ingredients.

The Shiny Luster of Work Has Woefully Worn Off…

The alarm went off extremely glaringly this morning jolting both Tracy and I awake. I was having the most wonderful dream about Maggie and mom. Maggie would always greet my mother very differently than Charlie and dad. It would be this very, very high pitched squeal of joy. I wonder if Maggie ever worries what happened to her?

“Oh, I don’t want to go to work,” Tracy then whined pitifully. “I wish I could stay home with you all day.”

I put my head on her shoulder as I told her she was lucky to get a lunch break. It broke up the monotony of the day.

“We are getting lasagna to-go from Johnny’s New York Style Pizzeria for lunch,” I told her, hoping to bolster her spirits somewhat.

She said that sounded wonderful and told me thank you.

“Get some of that wonderful garlic bread they have as well,” Tracy urged me.

“I am also getting us a salad with blue cheese dressing.”

“I’ll see you in about four hours,” Tracy then told me and shut the front door behind her.

Trouble Comes in Twos and Threes…

About 45 minutes after Tracy left for work, dad calls me.

“I’ve got a flat tire in the CR-V and I am parked in front of Radio Shack,” dad told me. “I have to get the pharmacy open in ten minutes. Could you come down here and help me?”

“I will leave you my car so you can head on to the pharmacy and I will change your tire,” I replied to my father. “I will be there in five or ten minutes.”

Dad was so very glad to see me pull up beside him.

“Have them replace the tire and don’t plug the leak,” dad directed me as he climbed into my car. “I’ve already called West Point Tire and Auto and they are expecting you soon.”

I got filthy changing dad’s tire, but I was soon underway to West Point Tire and Auto. It didn’t take but a twenty minute wait for Dave and crew to put on a new tire and put the spare and its cover back on the rear hatch of dad’s car.

Who Ya Gonna Call?

Dad’s Honda CR-V wouldn’t crank this morning so obviously he calls me.

“I can’t get it out of gear to push it out of the garage so we can jump it off,” he told me sounding very cranky and worried.

I arrived at his house armed with a flat head screwdriver knowing what to do to get the transmission in neutral and got to work. We got it in neutral and pushed the car out of the garage and then I jumped his car off.

“You’re a genius,” dad told me very happily. “If I would’ve towed it to the shop, they would’ve told me I needed a new battery or possibly a new alternator.”

“That’s an Interstate battery,” I told him pointing to the glaringly bright green and white battery. “They are awesome batteries. It should last you through hell or high water.”

We got in the car and I immediately noticed what was draining the battery. Both of his map lights were on. I showed dad what was wrong and we turned them off.

We drove around town for a long time to charge the battery and just talked. I love the way my and my father’s relationship is now. It’s like we are just buddies shooting the shit like George and I used to.

We rode out to West Point Dam and they had all six flood gates open due to all the recent rain we have received.

“Let’s stop by the river house and check the river level,” dad told me.

Luckily, the river wasn’t over its banks, but the water was very swiftly flowing.  Dad took me on a tour of the river house and it is just gorgeous. I can see now why he wants to move there. It seemed much bigger than what my memory served me.

King's X - It's Love

Right Smack in the Middle of the Bible Belt…

Happy Easter to all my Christian friends! Dad’s an atheist, but he celebrates for the sake of the grandkids. He was making a macaroni casserole last night for their big Easter meal today at my sister’s house in Alexander City. I personally don’t participate as I am not a Christian. I like to call myself a secular humanist. Dad raised all us kids with a healthy skepticism and told us to make our own choices. We all went our own ways religion wise. Mom was Catholic, but I am very ignorant of that religion and I am not sure if Catholics celebrate Easter or not. If you do, then Happy Easter to you, too!

Comment Replies…

 glittermom said...

The pond? Where’s the pond?

Andrew Replies…

Glittermom, we have a several acre pond on some land we own in Waverly, Alabama (God’s country). Dad keeps saying he is going to build a cabin by the pond and get electricity connected which would be neat to stay out there some time overnight. Dad restocked the pond with bream (sunfish), catfish, and bass quite a few years ago and now it is just teeming with fish and is a good fishing hole.   

My Girl is Amiss…

“Do you want to meet us over at the pond and do some fishing?” my father asked me this morning. “I am going to grill hotdogs and hamburgers again. Your brother and sister are bringing the grandkids.”

“Sure,” I replied excitedly after asking for the rendezvous time. “I will meet you there at noon Central time.”

Tracy was still in bed late this morning and it worried me. I thought maybe she was feeling ill. She’s not one to linger in slumber like that.

“It’s just been a tough week of work and I am tired,” she told me. “You go have some fun with your family.”

I felt like the Lone Ranger without Tonto. Usually, Tracy is chomping at the bit at such ventures.

Oh John

Watch the Woman's Hands

Savory or Sweet?

That’s what I asked Tracy about breakfast before she got in the shower to get ready for work.

“Let’s have savory this morning,” she replied with a peck on the lips.

I got in the kitchen and cooked some cheese eggs and buttery toast. I wanted to fry some sausage, but I worried it would take too long. Tracy remarked on the novelty of putting cheese in eggs. I told her it was a delicacy when I would stay at my grandmother’s farm growing up.

Tracy’s schedule has about gotten to where it dictates my schedule as well. We were in the bed at eleven last night and it seemed a short time before the alarm went off at 6:45am. Sometimes, I will go back to bed and catch a quick catnap, but most mornings I am up and ready to go choosing to take my nap after lunch has arrived. I try to have Tracy and I a sandwich fixed when she comes home for lunch between noon and 1pm.

I am going to call my father at 10:45am to see if he is up and at ‘em and mosey on over there for a while while we drink diet sodas and watch an episode of Dr. Phil. I love the days where he doesn’t have to work. My father and I have come so very far in these last few years of my recovery. He is less of an old fuss and feathers and more of a friend. We laugh and have the best time together.

Turn Around – Don’t Drown!

We got over 3 inches of rain last night and have flood warnings all over the place. I hope the bridge is not out on the way to my father’s house. Moore’s creek has a tendency to flood on a grand scale during such events.

And the Last of the Gifts Arrive…

My last gift of eight packages arrived today in the mail. It was a bittersweet moment. The anticipation and excitement has been almost palpable. It was a Sega Genesis USB game controller for my computer. I proudly showed it to my father and told him how I was going to use it. He had never heard of videogame emulation and I explained it to him.

“You got your money’s worth this year,” my father then told me chuckling as I sat next to him in the den this morning.

I thanked him profusely for letting me do that – letting me save up all those months of computer parts money and spend it all at one time. I wanted a whizzbang birthday and I got it.

Now my task is to review all these various products on Newegg and review the individual sellers as well. It will take me a few days as I ruminate over what to write. I also need to use the computer parts a few days to get a feel for them and their performance.

Yay! It’s Finally Here!

I was beginning to think my little pocket weather radio had gotten lost in the mail. I was giving up hope of it ever arriving. It had been over a week since we ordered it. It was the most anticipated gift out of all my gifts this birthday. Well, it arrived today and meets and exceeds my expectations. This thing is so very neat! I was shocked at how tiny and light it is. The shipping box felt as if it were empty.

“Surely, that can’t be that radio,” dad said when he handed me the shipping box earlier today.

Tracy came home for lunch and I was listening to it in the kitchen while I prepared our noon meal. I was picking up the weather station out of Columbus, Georgia to our southeast.

“Look! Its even got a speaker so I don’t have to listen with earbuds,” I told Tracy very happily.

“I could kill Mr. John for ordering that for you,” is all Tracy said with an exasperated smile.

Tracy says the weather radio gets on her nerves because it is so monotonous.

“That thing is not coming to bed with us tonight,” Tracy then said knowing me so very well.

I had this devilish grin on my face as I handed her a lunch plate of ham and tomato sandwiches and potato chips.

Comment Replies…

glittermom said...

Is the trazodone replacing another med. or added to your current meds? Do you suffer from depression? That seems to be what it’s prescribed for.

Andrew Replies…

Glittermom, I was having lots of anxiety and restlessness at night. I called it the stir crazies. My doctor said Trazodone also helped with anxiety and could help me with rest so we tried it. It just makes me really sleepy at the moment. It was added to my current meds. I take it about an hour before I am ready to go to sleep.

Injectionaire…

“Let’s go to bed early tonight,” Tracy said commandingly, turning off the television and closing the lid to her laptop.

I was sitting at the den computer last night and shut it down. It was 10:45pm.

“Sounds like a plan to me,” I said sleepily as I yawned.

I didn’t need much coercion last night for me to turn in early. I had already taken my nighttime meds. I am taking a brand-new nighttime medication called Trazodone and it literally knocks me out. I was just beginning to feel its effects.

“Besides,” Tracy replied. “You’ve got your injection early in the morning.”

I was in my sleeping clothes (t-shirt and boxer shorts) before Tracy could pull on her warm flannel pajamas. Tracy got in the bed and snuggled up against me putting her head on my shoulder.

“Do you ever get scared?” she asked me wistfully with a nervous tone to her speech.

“Scared of what?” I asked perplexed.

“Scared of growing older.”

“You’re just twenty seven. You ought to not be worried about that,” I replied. “I’m the one who ought to be worried about growing older.”

“Will you still love me when I am wrinkly and old?” Tracy then asked.

“I will love you for always,” I replied as we then dozed off to sleep.

Fast Forward to this Morning…

The alarm sounded at 6:45am and we were off to the races. Tracy and I grabbed a shower and went our respective ways. Dad called me about eight to make sure I was up and at ‘em.

“Samantha never came home last night and I am worried sick about her,” dad told me. “Will you go by the house and look for her on your way home from your injection?”

I told my father I would be glad to. I called Samantha and she come running out of the woods next to my father’s house. I immediately called my father and told him that she was okay. He sounded so relieved.

“My pussy is being bad,” he said. “I know she’s got to be hungry and thirsty.”

Comment Replies…

glittermom said...

Which house is bigger? I can’t wait to see the new house and surrounding land, is the river close to the house? I have always wanted to live by the water. I live close to Lake Erie but not close enough to see it. :(

Andrew Replies…

The river house is a smaller house, Glittermom. If you walk out on the back deck, the river is just a few feet away.

A Chill is in the Air…

As Tracy was leaving for work this morning, she walked out the front door and quickly turned around to come back inside and get a coat.

“I told you so!” I said with a smile and a chuckle.

“But it was 82 degrees yesterday!” Tracy complained of the difference.

It almost feels like fall outside today. It never has gotten above 70° degrees.

River House Bound…

Last week, they installed heating and air at the river house (I am going to get you some pictures up soon, Glittermom!). I asked dad this morning if he is really moving in. He said he really is and that he is selling the big manor on the hill. I can only imagine what moving my father is going to entail. It makes me dizzy just thinking about it.

Tornado Watch and Gale Force Winds Be Damned! Let There Be Sausage Biscuits!

“Is Charlie coming in weather like this?” Tracy asked me worriedly as we lay in the bed early this morning.

A good storm was raging outside our bedroom windows. Lightning brightly flashed and the thunder rolled loudly.

“I need to get up and put on some clothes on as he will be here soon,” I replied. “Yes, is the answer to your question.”

I by chance looked out the window and there was Charlie getting out of his car as he opened an umbrella. I smiled a broad smile as Maggie went bonkers at his arrival. I had boldly just told Maggie that Charlie would be here soon. She was vigilantly looking out the den window. The sausage biscuit fairy had arrived.

The Pod People Are Here…

I call the grandkids the “pod people” because they are always walking around like zombies or sitting with their faces buried in iPhones, iPads, and other internet enabled devices.  Well, Papa invited Tracy and I over for breakfast this morning. We had fried sausage patties and scrambled eggs. Oh, I am forgetting the Mary B’s biscuits.

“Thank god for wireless internet,” my father told me. “It keeps the kids preoccupied and entertained.”

“I should have brought my tablet and I would fit in just fine,” I quipped to my father playfully.

I explained to my father why I call them the pod people and he laughed and laughed. Dad then asked me if I am enjoying my birthday computer parts.

“I stayed up until past midnight last night installing my new soundcard and speakers,” I told him. “I was just so ecstatic. My computer has never sounded better.” 

Four parts have arrived and I still have four more computer parts on the way. They should arrive Monday. I am anxiously awaiting my pocket weather radio much to Tracy’s chagrin.

Life Sans Internet…

Monday morning, a big rig drove down our street and took down our cable drop line to the house (low clearance). The police came out and moved the line out of the road and filed a report (I wonder who called the police?). I called that dastardly WOW! and the lady said someone would be out here that afternoon. No one ever came. Dad and Tracy called next to no avail over the next few subsequent days. Each time, the WOW! representative said someone would be out here soon. Thursday rolled around and Tracy and I still didn’t have cable TV and internet. Tracy and I both were at our wit’s end.

“I am driving out to their office and pulling some strings,” my father told me when he stopped by the house to survey the damage yesterday.

Within twenty minutes of my father saying that, two WOW! vans were parked in front of my house and working to restore my service. I am not exaggerating. It took them about another 20 minutes to do so and we were back online.

“How did you do that?” I asked my father over the phone astonishingly grinning ear to ear and laughing jubilantly.

“The receptionist traded with me at the pharmacy for twenty years,” he told me smugly.

I keep telling my father he could make the consummate small town politician. He knows everyone in town.

It was so nice to wake up this morning and look at the weather forecast and radar. I had really missed doing that. You really don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.

Comment Replies…

skinny minny said...

How are Maggie and the cat getting along? Seems like Maggie played a late April fool's prank on you...

Minny, they have an uneasy truce at the moment. I can’t pet Wheezy with Maggie in the room or she gets torn up with jealously. It can be quite comical as Maggie positions herself between me and the cat which sends Wheezy running. Yes, it seems Maggie got my goat so to speak – a late April fool’s joke played on me.

Scared the Living Daylights Out of Me…

“Where’s the Magster?” Tracy asked as she was getting ready for work this morning.

I was in the kitchen warming us up some sweet cinnamon rolls for breakfast.

“You haven’t seen her this morning?” I asked worriedly.

Tracy said no and went about getting dressed for work. I stood in the doorway and watched like a dirty old man.

“What?” Tracy asked smiling broadly as she pulled on her work scrubs.

“It’s just that you are so beautiful,” I replied. “I am lucky to have you.”

My girl with the curls and the curves.

The house was especially quiet this morning. Wheezy was asleep on the arm of the couch. Well, I panicked and looked everywhere and Maggie wasn’t in the house. My worst thoughts were a gate had gotten left open and Maggie had escaped the confines of the backyard which would prove disastrous. The road down from my house is one very busy thoroughfare. I donned a coat and headed out the back door. Maggie was under the laundry room eating a muddy and grimy chicken tender she had buried Sunday evening. I had never been so relieved in my life.

“Don’t scare me so, girl!” I told her scoldingly with a nervous laugh.

Soon, Maggie came romping through the house and used the rug in the den to clean her muddy face and paws. I sighed, but didn’t get on to her this time. I was just overjoyed she was okay. She was just having her breakfast.

April Fool’s Hijinks…

Monday, I was a bad Andrew. I got this large rubber snake from dad and tied some thread to it. I hid it on the other side of the couch. Tracy was sitting on the couch with her laptop when I pulled the thread and the snake came quickly slithering through the room and over the rug. She jumped up, screamed, and almost dropped her laptop.

“I could kill you, Andrew!” Tracy exclaimed exasperated as she then broke out into much hysterical laughter.

My joke on dad was that I called him and asked if he could bring me some left handed toilet paper from the pharmacy seeing that I am left handed. He didn’t take the bait. “April fools!” he hollered as he laughed jovially. My mother would have fallen for it.

Thankfully, nobody pranked me on the 1st. I kept expecting my father to do something dastardly.

Sexual Dreams…

Sometimes my subconscious can surprise me. I had the most pleasant dream last night. It was garnered by an old friend from college. There were many very gentle caresses and tender touching. It left a big impression on me this morning.  I am still daydreaming about it because it seemed so vividly real. .

Just a Simple Meal…

Dad baked a delicious ham today. He told me a secret for his delicious ham was Coca-Cola poured into the baking pan. I know it sounds gross, but it is delicious. Tracy and I were invited over tonight to eat ham and tomato sandwiches. Sandwiches just taste better when someone else makes them. Dad prepared a fine three sandwiches for us to eat.

“What are these green things on my plate?” Tracy whispered to me at one point.

“That’s pickled okra,” I replied. “Beware as it is very spicy.”

Tracy wrinkled her nose as she often does at something distasteful to her. I laughed and popped an okra in my mouth before taking a bite of my sandwich. I assured her they were delicious, but she didn’t feel that adventurous tonight.

Now It’s Time For My Pet Peeve…

Tracy likes to fall asleep to the drone of the television in the bedroom which aggravates me. I have to wait until she is sound asleep before I turn off the television or she will huffily turn it back on to my great consternation. I can’t sleep until it is quiet, dark, and cool in the bedroom.

Loss of Words…

Mom’s birthday was a few days ago. I drove to Waverly about 45 minutes away and put some flowers on her grave today. I still can’t believe she is gone. All this left me in a melancholy mood the past few days. I can’t seem to get motivated to do anything. I keep marveling at the fragility and finiteness of life. My turn to pass will come sooner or later as well.

Maggie got a good bill of health at the veterinarian with just a few nagging problems. Dr. Thomas drained the cyst on her leg which he said was benign and put her on some antibiotics for her eye infection. I also have to put drops in that eye which is no easy feat. I have to catch Maggie unawares as she sleeps on the couch lest she will run out the dog door at the first sign of doctoring. She is so sensitive about such matters.

Spring is fully underway here which brings joy to my melancholy soul. All the trees are leafing out and the azaleas are in full bloom. It got up to 76° degrees today which was really nice.  

Alice In Chains - Would?

Cocktail Hour…

“We won’t stay long,” I told Tracy after driving to my father’s house.

Dad had cooked corned beef hash and a big pan of Mexican cornbread for us.

“Hey Mr. John!” Tracy said as my father opened the backdoor.

Dad gave her a big hug as she stepped into the kitchen.

We sat down for a few moments and dad actually turned off the television so we could talk. Dad wanted to know all about Tracy’s class she is taking.

I was hungry so we bid my father goodbye. Our parting words were that my father said he was now going to have cocktail hour now that his good deeds were done.

“For Christ’s sake don’t drink and drive,” I told him. “Call me if you need a ride.”

The hash was delicious on this very chilly evening, btw. Tracy enjoyed hers as well.

Cause for Concern…

Maggie’s just not a very touchy feely dog unless when it comes to Tracy or Charlie. She will let them pet her as much as they want. I will try to pet her and she will move to the other end of the couch. Tracy and Maggie were sitting on the couch last night and Tracy was checking her out – giving her a good going over.

“Come feel of this,” Tracy said very alarmed.

I got up out of the recliner and walked over to sit on the couch next to Maggie.

“Maggie’s got some kind of big cyst or lump on her leg,” Tracy said.

I felt of it and it felt nasty – a big, hard lump on Maggie’s left front leg right at the joint. Maggie doesn’t seem to be in pain even when I squeezed the lump. I pray hope she’s not miserable and has no way to convey this to us.

“We need to get her to the vet as soon as possible,” Tracy told me.

I told Tracy I would get her out to see Dr. Thomas on Thursday. Dad is going to help me get her out there. This is all terribly traumatic for Maggie this going to the veterinarian.  She has a incorrigible tendency to release her bladder as she sits in your lap on the drive out there. I always have to wrap her in a towel as dad drives.

“Jerry will probably tell us she is dying,” my father sarcastically said on the phone last night.

“Oh, don’t say that!” I replied worriedly.

I wasn’t in the mood for playful banter yesterday evening.    

Just In Time For Warm Weather…

Charlie stopped by this afternoon with his portable air compressor. We filled up my bike tires with air. I am set to start riding again. I’ve got bike fever like I did when I first got this bike back in the fall.

Charlie also brought four Chick-fil-A sandwiches on his journey here. They were very well appreciated. Two for me, the big guy, and one for Tracy and one for Maggie.

“Hey, I want to ride, too!” Tracy told me, feeling left out after Charlie had departed.

“We will have to drive down to the bike shop in Auburn and look for you a bike,” I told her in reply. “Unless you want to buy a bike at Walmart?”

We might drive down to Walmart in a wee little bit and see what kind of bikes they have for sale. We really don’t need anything fancy. Just a women’s bike that Tracy can ride around the neighborhood with me. I am thinking cruiser like mine so that is what we will probably buy.

A Train a Day Keeps the Blues Away…

I spent much of the day down at the railroad tracks watching trains and photographing them. The weather was just absolutely gorgeous. A fine spring day. I think I’ve wrote this on the blog before, but Tracy says that has to be the most boring hobby a man could have.

“What do you do when there are no trains passing by?” she asked me this evening.

“I listen to music on my iPod and read magazines and books,” I replied.

Lunch was some fried chicken livers and a chocolate milk I bought at the Qwik Mart across the highway. I got chided for eating those as well.

Newegg Sells More than Just Computer Parts…

Part of my Christmas coming up later in this year. I am so excited! I have always wanted a weather station.

Prince Philip at 90…

That’s what my father was watching when I drove over this morning. He is absolutely obsessed with the British royal family. I was largely ignored and didn’t stay but about 15 minutes – long enough to drink a crisp, cold, delicious diet Coke. I was hoping for our usual morning banter and playfulness. Dad was fixated with the program on YouTube. I was so disappointed.

“You leaving so soon?” my father asked me cluelessly. “You just got here!”

I didn’t expound upon my reasons.

“Have a good day off, dad,” I told him. “Love you!”

I wanted to make a joke about the revolutionary war and how we, a rag tag army of soldiers and militia, beat the pants off the British redcoats with the help of the French. I refrained from doing so.

Welcome Home Sweet Darlin’ of Mine…

Maggie and I were anxiously waiting in the window for Tracy to get home this evening. Maggie yelped and got so excited at her arrival. It was almost contagious. I wanted to yelp, bark as well, and wag my tail.

“How was your day, Sweetheart?” I asked her when she sat down in the den and took her purse off her shoulder.

“I’ve had a helluva day,” she told me. “A couple brought their Labrador retriever in for grooming. I cut one toenail too close to the “quick” and the dog liked to have never quit bleeding. I felt terrible!”

“Shit happens!” was my best reply.

“Are you hungry?” I then asked her very inquisitively.

“I am absolutely famished and starving!” she replied.

“I am going to treat us tonight and get us some barbecue pork sandwiches from Roger’s Barbecue,” I told her.

I went and called in our order and left to drive across the Chattahoochee and pick up our sandwiches. The lady with the wonky glass eye was there to greet me. I try not to stare, but it’s hard.

Alice In Chains- Down In a Hole Album-Dirt

Surprise! It’s Injection Time!

I purposely didn’t tell my father my injection was today. I wanted to see if he remembered and if he didn’t, then I wanted to surprise him.

I walked into the pharmacy at 9:05am and dad asked me what I was doing. The pharmacy had just opened.

“It is not like you to just show up at the pharmacy,” he said tersely. “What’s wrong?”

“My injection is this morning,” I replied with a Cheshire grin.

Dad fawned all over me that I remembered. I got many accolades this morning. I was beaming with pride.

“It completely slipped my mind,” he said, patting me on my back.

Tracy didn’t miss a beat, though. When she got up at 6:45am, she told me to get up and get ready for my injection. She had astutely remembered.

Ode to a Biscuit…

I cooked more Mary B’s biscuits this morning. I also scrambled some cheese eggs and fried some sausage patties. I cannot express in words how lovely and delicious these biscuits are. I ate mine this morning with real butter and Charlie’s strawberry preserves. They taste just like my grandmother’s homemade biscuits and that is saying something.

A Slice of Life…

The alarm went off early at 6:45am this morning. Tracy got up as well as I and got a clean set of scrubs out of the dryer to wear today. I told her she smelled wonderful after her shower. She was briskly drying her overly curly hair with a towel.

“Savory or sweet?” I asked her about our breakfast.

“I am in the mood for something sweet,” she said.

I got two apple strudels and warmed them in my toaster oven. We sat in the den as the morning television news droned on and we ate our strudels. The news was all doom and gloom as usual. I got the biggest kick out of the Trumpster calling Anne Coulter a “whacky nut job”. I laughed and laughed as it struck me as especially funny.

“I’ll see you at lunch sweetie,” Tracy told me as she kissed me goodbye.

Maggie ran outside to give her a barking send off as she does for us all. I got in the kitchen and washed the dishes we used for breakfast.

The Slimfast experiment didn’t last very long. They claim four hour hunger control, but we must be doing something wrong as Tracy and I were both ravenously hungry an hour after lunch.

I feel guilty sometimes staying at home and not working, but I have a decent income that pays all the bills except the cable and internet bill which Tracy now pays. I worked many, many years under arduous circumstances and it was time for me to retire.

Like Getting Your Grass Mowed…

Charlie’s coming tonight to cut my hair. Tracy is intrigued and finds it very interesting that my father’s best friend cuts my hair. She has been helping me get the house in tip top shape for their arrival.

“He cuts his own hair?” Tracy just asked me a moment ago.

“He cut it this morning and I saw him. It looked good,” I replied. “He also cuts Horsefly’s hair as well. Don’t worry so much!”

“Let me introduce you to one of my phobias,” I then told Tracy. “I hate going to the barber so Charlie saves my butt.”

“Are they bringing supper tonight?” Tracy asked.

“Sure, Charlie will go get our meals and then cut my hair.”

I Didn’t Think Charlie was THAT Cheap…

As you may already know, Charlie goes every morning before work and gets Horsefly a sausage biscuit. He always asks for a handful of strawberry preserves as well. Well, Charlie waits until he has hundreds of packets and empties them into jars. Today, I got a jar of his efforts.

“Keep them refrigerated,” he told me. “That large jar took 250 packs of McDonald’s preserves.”

I was just astounded at the number of packets and Charlie had to empty them all. Even more astounding was that he had more jars to give out to friends. Dad was the receiver of one jar as well. 

Although Too Much Trouble, It is Definitely Delicious…

I ate breakfast with dad this morning. I watched as he cooked his bacon which he broils in the oven on a broiler. It is certainly delicious, but I would never get that pan clean again.

“You don’t have all that grease splatter when frying,” he told me.

We also had some liberally buttered toast and grape jelly. I felt as if I was stuck in my childhood on my grandmother’s farm. Dad’s mom. The smells emanating out of the kitchen were certainly heavenly.

“It smells like Sally Lou’s farmhouse in here!” I exclaimed when I arrived.

My grandfather got a job as vice president of a local bank. He said he was moving into town out of the country where he would never have to step in chicken shit again. My grandmother, Sally Lou, left the farm and moved into the city with him. She never was very happy living a city life. When my grandfather died of a brain tumor in his fifties, she moved back out on the farm and lived out her days until she got dementia. She moved back into town in a house my father bought and remodeled that Charlie now owns. She didn’t know she was living in the city, though.

“Who is that bossy silver haired fellow that keeps coming in here?” she asked her sister in her end days.

“That’s your son, John,” Annie Mae replied.

I Just Don’t Get the Weather Channel…

You would think that some who loves the weather and keeping up with it would just adore and love The Weather Channel. I hate it with a passion. It bores me to tears. That’s what dad was watching this morning after breakfast. They focused on the floods out in Nebraska. They had all these fancy graphics about ice flows backing up exacerbating the flooding. I just wanted to listen to my coveted weather radio and hear about the tornados in our storms the other night – weather that hits home.

Ben Folds - Bastard

Charlie’s Got Gas!

Tracy and I were sitting in the den last night when a car pulled up. I was reading a book (Twilight Series) and Tracy was doing needlepoint while the television incessantly droned on. Maggie went absolutely nuts and bonkers so that meant it was either my father or Charlie or both. It was Charlie.

“Come on and ride with me to go get some gas,” Charlie said, feeling lonesome. “Then we will get us a drink off the dollar menu at McDonald’s.”

Charlie said hello to Tracy and turned his attentions to Maggie. Maggie was in ecstasy as Charlie rubbed and petted her. 

“Let me get my coat,” I said, jumping at this chance to spend some time with my friend.

I grabbed my coat off the bed in the computer room and headed to the front door.

“We’ll only be gone about an hour,” Charlie told Tracy. “I won’t keep him away from you for long.”

“Y’all go have some fun!” Tracy replied, smiling.

Well, the traveling fair is in town and Charlie slowed way down to look at it and all the pretty lights as we passed on highway 29. A car behind us got to impatiently honking their horn because we were going so slow. Charlie shot them the bird and said, “Go around me assholes!”. Charlie’s driving is mediocre at best and can scare you. He swerved in his lane during all the commotion and I grabbed the “oh shit!” bar as if my life depended upon it.

We stopped and got some gas for the Caprica, not before looking at a few stations for the best price on regular unleaded. Charlie and I got on the subject of my ex-wife as we stood by the pump.

“She wasn’t just Mrs. Perfect either,” Charlie said which made me feel better. “Tracy and you are a much better match! Rachel was just too high strung and wanted to control you.”

Next was McDonald’s just across the street from the gas station. Charlie and I both got us a large dollar diet Coke. Boy, did that Coke taste delicious. We then headed towards home.

“What did you and Tracy eat for supper?” Charlie asked as he drove.

“We had shrimp and broccoli fettuccini,” I replied. “It was pretty good.”

“Well, I had peas and cornbread!” Charlie replied. “I don’t eat shrimp and I don’t think I have ever had a fettuccini.”

“You got the better meal,” I told him honestly. “I would die for some peas and cornbread!”

Janice, Charlie’s wife, cooks like Helen always cooked for us.

March's Computer Parts...

Walking With Old Fuss and Feathers…

Dad came and walked with me this afternoon. We are going to try and walk everyday he doesn’t work weather permitting. We talked a long time about my early years as we strode through my neighborhood.

“We should have sent you to a school for the musically gifted,” he told me.

I agreed. I just never fit into that classic mold of a student unlike my brother and sister who excelled in the classroom. I struggled to make C’s and B’s and was socially inept when it came to my fellow students and classmates. I could play a mean piano, though.

“I worried you were autistic at first,” my father added. “I had no idea you were schizophrenic and there weren’t any real drugs to treat you as well back then.”

“Ah, when you mother started taking Zyprexa then the pieces to the puzzle started to fall together,” he continued. “She was a different person within two weeks of taking that drug. We knew then it was schizophrenia that afflicted you.”

Dad drove over here for years to give me my medications knowing that was the only way I would have a normal life. I wouldn’t take them on my own volition fearing they were trying to drug me into submission and controlling me which is common with noncompliant schizophrenics. Dad always thought he could control my drinking with those pills, but he couldn’t. That had to be my choice. 

Things Going On Around Here Today…

• Tracy went and bought a bunch of vanilla and almond scented candles today. They are lit throughout the house. She said the house smelled musty after all those years I smoked inside. She also washed the curtains and hung them back up after drying them. It does smell nice in here. It smells almost like the sweet smell of pipe tobacco smoke.
• I drove to the Literacy Center and talked to the director today about volunteering again. She said they had plenty of volunteers at the moment, but would call me if she needed me. I was a little disappointed, but I will get over it. I have too much time on my hands at the moment.
• Tracy and I had our Slim-Fast for lunch. She cooked her chicken parmesan for supper and it was delicious let me tell you. It was so hard to resist going back for another plateful. She also had a salad with a vinaigrette dressing and bread sticks.
• Yet another niece has a birthday next week and I drove to Kroger a moment ago and got an iTunes gift card and a birthday card. Tracy rode with me and bought some more scented candles while we were there. 
• Dad called me tonight pooped. He had his long hell day today at the pharmacy. He wanted to let me know he remembered to refill my Prilosec prescription. I told him to leave it outside the door and I would pick it up tomorrow. I took my last dosage I had today. We talked for a moment about walking as well. He wanted to know if I was still walking everyday and I said yes. I walk around the neighborhood meanderingly. He said he needs to get to walking as well. His wine drinking has given him a little gut.
• The Cable Guy stopped by with our new cable box. Tracy is delighted at all the channels we get now.

“You Can’t Have That!” “That’s Too Expensive…” “You’ll Rot Your Teeth Eating Those…”

These were some of the responses I got from Tracy grocery shopping tonight. When dad told her to moderate me, she took the responsibility in earnest. I just wanted some Hostess Ding Dongs and Hebrew National franks. I felt like a toddler desperately hanging onto a box of Lucky Charms.

We did our shopping after she got home from class. Tracy and I have both gained some weight recently and we are going to drink a Slim-Fast for lunch. My mother once lost a lot of weight doing that and eating a sensible supper. Tracy also got a lot of Lean Cuisines for us to eat as well. I showed her which ones were good and which ones that weren’t so hot.

“It has cellulose in it,” I told Tracy of Slim-Fast. “That’s why you feel so full after drinking one.”

Tracy said she would give it a try with me. Tracy remarked on how expensive they were as well. Kroger sells their version of Slim-Fast, but we didn’t want to chance it. I’ll probably be so hungry by supper time that Maggie looks delicious.

This would just be our luck, but when we went to checkout, we got behind two ladies with complicated orders with WIC vouchers. Sigh! It took forever and we had too many groceries for self checkout. We just had to be patient and wait.

“At least, we get to spend some quality time together!” I quipped.

Tracy just smiled broadly and then laughed.

Tracy Said I Got Drunk Called…

My father had his fair share of wine again tonight. I got “drunk called” by him as Tracy put it.

“Do you get the Hitler channel?” He asked, slurring his words.

“Do you mean the History Channel?” I replied.

“Yeah, your mother always called it the Hitler channel. She hated when I watched it. Tune in as the Japanese are now assaulting Papua New Guinea.”

I chuckled a little and told my father goodnight.

“Get some sleep, dad! You’ve got to work ten hours tomorrow!”

A Sunday Among Sundays…

Tracy hurried into the bathroom to get ready for my father’s and Charlie’s arrival this evening. This always makes me smile. She will put on some makeup and fix her hair after putting on a different top. Maggie took her station in the den window on the lookout when I said Charlie and Papa are coming. It was just a few minutes later that Charlie’s Chevrolet Caprica came pulling up in front of the house. I walked out to greet them and to help carry all the food inside. It was a KFC themed week this week as much as I tire of KFC. Tracy and I both got chicken sandwiches and Maggie got chicken tenders. Wheezy can’t eat people food as it is too rich for her and she will throw it up every time. She has to stick to Cat Chow (She throws that up too occasionally). 

Tracy wanted to talk to my father about my Cable TV situation. She watches a lot of TV. I get very basic Cable and it seems lacking even for me and I don’t watch much TV. I don’t even get the Weather Channel anymore it is so basic. Originally, this was a compromise I had to make to get one Gigabit internet. Tracy told my father she would pay for our Cable and internet bill.

“I will get him signed up for expanded basic in the morning,” my father told Tracy. “Do y’all want the cable box like I have with the channel guide?”

Tracy said yes and thanked my father profusely. This will give us channels like MTV, TNT, A&E, Sci-fy, TBS, WGN, etc. This will also give us a lot more high definition channels as well.

Charlie was busy doing Charlie stuff. He was getting Maggie fresh food and water and washing the handful of dishes in the sink. He also gave Wheezy some fresh food and water as well. Then, he went in every room to see if there was something he could do. Tracy and I keep a pretty tidy house.

Gotta Love Daylight…

Dad and Tracy both had to work again this Saturday morning. I was disappointed dad and I didn’t get to do our usual routine as of late. Dad finally called me at 12:30pm and told me to come on over. He had some cinnamon buns for me from Daylight Donuts. It is a treat he buys for us all every Saturday. These things are truly delicious and so soft and gooey with cinnamon goodness. We sat and talked a long time while we had a diet Coke. We mainly talked about mental illness and how it can effect your whole family. Before my mother was diagnosed and medicated, she was hell on wheels let me tell you.

“Be sure Tracy gets some of those cinnamon buns,” my father told me as I was leaving.

Tracy was home when I arrived back to our casa. I was so very glad to see her.

“Here are some cinnamon buns,” I said as I handed her the bag and she said thanks.

She gave me a peck on the lips and started to change out of her scrubs. I took a moment to determine her mood. She was tired, but in very good spirits.

“You up for a date night?” I asked, wanting to treat her after a busy week of work and school.

“That would be wonderful,” Tracy told me happily. “Let me go pick out something to wear.”

I told Tracy the eating venue was her choice and she picked Zen House again. Our favorite restaurant. I ate my usual General Tso’s chicken and Tracy ate much milder fare this time, Moo Goo Gai Pan. My mother’s favorite mild Chinese dish and I told her so.

Tracy said the clinic was really busy this morning and that she was pooped. She laid her head on my shoulder on the drive up the interstate and fell asleep. I didn’t wake her until we were pulling into our driveway. I was enjoying the moment as well. I still can’t believe this beautiful and outgoing creature has decided to share her life with me.

When the Cat’s Away the Mice Shall Play…

Mouse or man?

Every morning lately, I call my father at 10:50am to make sure he is up and at home. I then drive over and we watch Dr. Phil at 11am. I drink sodas and my father drinks coffee. This has been one of the most pleasurable times spent with my father in years. We laugh and talk and reminisce about my mother and past times in the family. We love to psychoanalyze the people on Dr. Phil's show. I also want to spend as much time with my father while he is still of able body and mind. Mom was taken too soon and I didn’t appreciate the moments we spent together as much as I should have.

Dad and I sided with the supposedly antagonist male this morning on Dr. Phil. The poor nerve racked fellow didn’t have a chance between his two very demanding teen daughters and ultra demanding ex-wife. I would have changed my phone number and moved to another state to be honest. They weren’t very pleasant people and could learn that lesson about catching more flies with honey than vinegar regarding their father and ex-husband.

I so look forward to a repeat performance in the morning, Sunday and Monday. Dad has to work Tuesday and Wednesday. I am sure Tracy will want to come along Sunday. She is welcome to visit and has expressed interest.

“Now, you and Old Fuss and Feathers don’t get to drinking wine at lunch and raising hell,” I just told her jokingly for which she rolled her eyes at me and laughed.

“You’re the one we need to be watching closely!” she replied huffily to my dismay.

I feigned innocence as I chuckled nervously!   

Her Biggest Pet Peeve…

Tracy came home for lunch today. I prepared some toasted deli turkey sandwiches. I asked her after we’ve been living together for over a month, what was her biggest pet peeve living with me.

“The weather radio drives me crazy,” she responded. “It is the same information repeated every ten minutes.”

I chuckled.

“It is soothing and calming to me, but I will only listen to it while you are at work,” I replied. “You should have told me it bothered you so much earlier.”

Honestly?

I feel “dirty” when I write about my bad times with my mental illness – like I have something contagious and should be avoided. The stigma is palpable. I am shy as to what to write today feeling like a child whose peers are laughing at him. I feel like a fool and feel embarrassed as well. At least, these “episodes” happen more and more infrequently. You never know what kind of curve ball life can throw at you at times. I can’t get out of my head that I wrote Tracy got scared. I don’t want the most important person in my life scared of me.

I just have arrived home from my father’s house. Thankfully, he wasn’t drinking tonight. We sat and listened to NPR while we drank sodas. We talked about what happened some.

“An episode like that would put you in the hospital for a week in the old days,” my father told me. “You get better and better at recognizing the signs and getting help. You also didn’t panic and do something stupid.”

He told me I handled the whole situation with grace and aplomb. That made me feel a lot better about myself this evening. I also told Tracy that we needed to set up a contingency plan for when that happens again like a big, whopping 4 or 5 mg dose of Risperdal in the morning and in the evening. I told her I would call my doctor tomorrow and get the ball rolling. 

Kim Richey's Let It Roll...

Just Another Social and Mental Casualty…

Not quite! This old dog is not down for the count just yet! My loved ones really rallied around me today. Dad just called this afternoon and asked how I was feeling. It’s not like him to call from work so it was very, very special for him to do so.

“I was just so worried about you this morning. You were like a zombie!” he exclaimed. “I was afraid you shouldn't be driving. I kept waiting for a call you had been in a car wreck.”

“I took a long four hour nap when I got home and I woke up a brand new man,” I replied to him. “My medications kicked in while I was asleep.”

Soon, my girl with the curls and the curves walked in the front door.

“You’re like a completely different person today,” Tracy said relieved when she got home from work earlier.

“We need to get you extra medications to take the day before your injection,” she also said to me and I agreed.

I told her we would talk to my psychiatrist soon.

I was mentally perky and very socially amicable this afternoon. I had also straightened up the house and had us some supper on the stove. Tracy hugged me a long time and told me she doesn’t like to see me hurting or in distress. It melted my heart and I hugged her ever tighter.   

It’s All Better Now…

I struggled yesterday all day with my mental illness. My injection was due in the morning and had petered out leaving me without that constant flow of medications into my bloodstream. I couldn’t concentrate on anything my mind was racing so fast. I went to open the front door and Tracy asked me where I was going late yesterday afternoon.

“I am going for a long walk to clear my head,” I told her with a grimace.

Tracy woke me up this early morning before heading to work.

“Remember your injection is this morning,” she told me worriedly.

She had never seen me get in such a state and it scared and worried her.

I got up and got ready to go. I was in a daze on the drive to the pharmacy to pick up my injection. To make matters worse, my father didn’t have my injection ready to go when I arrived. I had to wait about 15 minutes. I finally grabbed my injection and headed to Kamath Medical.

“You’re awful quiet this morning,” my nurse, Rebecca, remarked upon me.

On an interesting weather note, we had a freak sleet storm last night. My car was just covered with ice pellets this morning and I worried about slick roads. 

Weird and Wild Weather…

The weather got crazy for a few moments this afternoon. We had just torrential and blinding rain for about an hour and then the wind kicked up something fierce. A very large pecan tree limb fell on the corner of my house, but it didn’t damage my roof. I was very lucky. Tracy and I heard it fall with a very loud crack and boom. I will have to get dad’s chainsaw and cut it up tomorrow. A tornado passed just a few miles to our south through Tuskegee and Wedowee. I told Tracy we were getting in the basement if the weather got any worse. The alarm on my weather radio kept going off with tornado warnings. Luckily, it didn’t have to come to that. The rain ended and then the sun decided to peek through the clouds almost miraculously – the proverbial calm after the storm.

Spring has definitely sprung in the South and next comes very cold overnight temperatures. We are supposed to get down to 25 degrees the night after next. I fear all these budding and leafing trees are going to get their buds and tender leaves killed in the process. Weather radio is already warning about it and here my lawn was just starting to get green again. C’est la vie!

Nothing Stops the Dynamic Duo…

Maggie, the proximity alarm, alerted me to their presence. I opened the door and welcomed the dynamic duo inside. Papa and Charlie have just left after bringing pizza and Maggie’s chicken tenders. Christmas comes every Sunday night for Maggie. Charlie upped the ante and got Tracy and I the “extra most bestest” pepperoni pizzas with lots of extra cheese and pepperoni. Charlie has always known how to please a crowd. I was just thrilled they remembered to get Maggie her chicken tenders. I forgot to remind them.

Blessings Bestowed Upon Us…

Tracy was telling me this morning we were spoiled when it comes to Charlie.

“He’s one in a million, isn’t he?” I agreed.

Charlie brought us breakfast this morning and then asked what we wanted for supper. I decided to get two large pepperoni Little Caesar’s pizzas tonight.

“Run that by dad, Charlie. I am sure he won’t mind,” I urged him.

Tracy didn’t believe me when I told her a Hot-N-Ready large pepperoni pizza only costs six dollars.

Somewhere down the rumor mill it got to Charlie that I needed some strawberry preserves. He handed me a large bottle of Smucker’s along with our biscuits and drinks.

“That must of been my father’s doings,” I told Tracy. “I told him I bought two bags of Mary B’s biscuits this week.”

We are supposed to have severe thunderstorms today so my eye is to the skies and on my computer’s radars. It was spitting rain when I left my father’s house a moment ago. Old Fuss and Feathers was watching political talk shows which are not my cup of tea. I only stayed a few moments – long enough to play with Samantha and her toys.

SLUGS! I TELL YOU!

Tracy and I have both been absolute slugs today. Isn’t that what Saturdays are for? I haven’t even had a shower and shave yet and it is after 7pm. Tracy had to go in to work to assist with a surgery for a short while this afternoon, but that’s about all we’ve done today.

Apparently, a young Boston Terrier had swallowed a bunch of smooth river rocks. They had to go into it’s stomach and remove them. I know it sounds strange, but it is true.

“What were they feeding that dog?” I asked incredulously when Tracy arrived back home.

“The owner was a sweet younger lady,” Tracy replied. “She didn’t look like the type that would abuse her dog. She was just worried sick. She said the dog got to retching and couldn’t quit.”

I asked how the surgery went and Tracy said it was straightforward. They removed the rocks and then sutured back up the stomach. Tracy also told me the surgery cost over $2000 as well.Yikes! I looked at Maggie and told her she better not be eating any rocks.

Old Fuss and Feathers cooked a delicious supper tonight. I just had to drive over and pick it up. We had his boneless porkchops and rice, green beans boiled in a beef bullion sauce, and pear salad. The green beans were especially tasty as was the pear salad.  

Just the Facts, Ma’am…

It was bound to happen. The stars were aligned just right. Tracy asked me this afternoon if she could keep a few bottles of wine in the fridge and have a glass or two at night as she unwinds. She is one of those normal people who can drink a few glasses and that’s it. I would drink the whole bottle and then drunk drive to get some more. I know my modus operandi very well. I get crazy and stupid when I drink and that’s the god’s honest truth.

“If you want a sober boyfriend, then you wouldn’t do so,” I told her. “It would just be too tempting for me.”

I explained to her how going to the package store is a hardship and helps keep me from drinking. Having wine in the fridge would be like taunting the dynamite monkey. It would just be too easy to walk in the kitchen and pour me a drink during a weak moment.

“Save the wine for special occasions like going out to eat and visiting with my father,” I told her.

Tracy was cool with my answer. She said she would never drink another glass of wine if that meant helping me and keeping me sober. We hugged and I told her she could go down to the pub downtown and have a few drinks in the evenings. That wouldn’t bother me at all.