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.

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.

How Do You Write About the Vagaries of Life and Make it Sound Interesting?

It is a tough thing to do on a night like tonight.

Tracy had class tonight. They have moved into the Baroque period and Tracy said she was listening to harpsichords on the drive home. I was delighted to hear that and told her I had more Baroque music on my computer in the computer room. I told her next will come the Classical period and then the Romantic period leading up to the 20th century.

“It is a quaint sound,” she said to me on the couch of Baroque as we debriefed.

“Quite distinctive!” I added. “And easy to recognize!”

Tracy appreciates the enthusiasm and help I have to offer for her class.

I cooked supper. We had spaghetti and meat sauce and a garden salad. It was pretty good if I do say so myself. I used my mother’s recipe which is always a crowd pleaser. You know anything that starts with sautéed in butter garlic, celery and onions is going to be good – your classic mirepoix minus the carrots.

Dad and Tracy both have to work until lunch tomorrow. I will be sleeping in with Wheezy. That cat sleeps more than any cat I’ve ever seen or it may be normal for cats to sleep so much. She keeps one eye open looking out for Maggie, though.  She recently discovered the dog door watching Maggie come and go and has been making short forays into the backyard. I am hoping we can dispense with the litterbox before long.

All I Did is Wonder How Your Arms Would Be…

“I can move boxes!” my father astutely exclaimed this morning as Charlie and I were about to head out.

Charlie had been down to McDonald’s and gotten all of us sausage biscuits and drinks. Dad jumped in the big U-Haul with us which I had to drive. We did, indeed, need all the help we could get.

We moved my furniture first. The couch, recliner, my bedroom suite, and the entertainment center. All of this went to Charlie’s spare house – the house behind my father’s. This used to be my grandmother’s house. Then we were on the road to Tracy’s apartment and boy, was she glad to see us.

“I thought y’all would never get here!” She said, all smiles.

Dad and Tracy got busy loading boxes into the truck as Charlie and I loaded up furniture. It didn’t take near as long as I thought it would. Soon, we were then headed back to the Valley with Tracy and Wheezy following behind us in her car. Inside my home went Tracy’s much, much nicer furniture.

“I guess I will be bringing three biscuits in the morning,” Charlie said with a chuckle.

Tracy and I profusely thanked Charlie for all the help.

“I owe you a big favor!” I told Charlie, giving him a hug. 

The tell-tale point was when Tracy let Wheezy out of her cat carrier. We all held our breaths as she emerged cautiously. Maggie immediately chased her under a bed and barked for a good half hour. Maggie finally relented and left her alone still eyeing her suspiciously. Maggie’s not happy with the arrangement, but I do think she will grow to accept and welcome Wheezy over time. She couldn’t get a more laidback companion.

On a funny note, Tracy put down some cat food in a bowl on the floor and Maggie was like, “Thank You! I was needing a snack!”

“This is not going to work,” Tracy said, stymied.

She moved the bowl to a kitchen table chair and that did the trick. Wheezy jumped up and ate her food. 

Tracy is just pleased as punch and is settling in – making my home her home. She is busily unloading boxes in the den as I write this. I am afraid my closet space is going to be zilch or none when all is said and done.

Now I Kiss Your Milky Skin…

Tracy’s lease on her apartment is up for renewal in March. We had a long talk about her moving in tonight. My main concern is if Maggie will accept Tracy’s cat, Wheezy. She’s not too fond of cats by any means.

I called Charlie and he said he would help us move Tracy’s furniture. Charlie is going to rent a big U-Haul truck so we only have to make one trip. My next call was to my father for him to lend me his ear. He said he saw nothing wrong with it.

“You two are grownups and know what’s best,” he told me. “This should certainly help with your loneliness. You act like a true grownup these days.”

Tracy can do no wrong in my father’s eyes which is a blessing. He adores her.

Tracy’s bedroom suite is much nicer than mine so we will have to move mine into storage. Her entertainment center is much nicer as well. Mine is a Walmart special from almost twenty years ago. The only thing I won’t give up is my queen sized bed in the back bedroom. Tracy’s bed is too soft and makes my back hurt.

Tracy left my house tonight saying she is going to start packing up boxes. So I guess it is no turning back now.

Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas…

I decided I wasn’t going to be alone on Christmas Eve this year. I took a shower and dressed in the nicest clothes that fit me and headed to my father’s house. There were a crowd of folks in attendance, but I managed to muddle on by socially. I was terribly and woefully underdressed, but nobody seemed to care. It made me feel self conscious and uncomfortable, though. Charlie had already fixed me two plates brimming with food to carry home with me. He was going to bring them to me along with my gifts. I stayed only about a short hour and a half. My sister helped me load up my car with gifts.

I was really blessed this year. My sister basically bought me a whole new wardrobe of clothes that fit wonderfully and that are stylish. I got about five shirts and three pair of pants. I also got a fleece lined jacket that is the most comfortable jacket I have ever owned. Charlie gave me two shirts that feel like silk they are so soft. My brother and his wife got me a spindle pack of 50 burnable 25GB Blu-Ray discs which just thrilled me to death. I needed them badly having only a few left. Time to start backing up computer files in the next day or two. I need a Techmas and not a Christmas.

Tracy is at work right now. She gets off at six my time and is dying to see me or so she said when we talked on the phone earlier. She is going to run by my house on her way home. I can’t wait to see her as well. It seems like we haven’t seen each other in over a week. I told her I took good care of Wheezy while she was gone. That was a long drive everyday to water, feed, and pet a cat. I made sure to spend some quality time with Wheezy before I headed back home every day which entailed me petting her while she lay in my warm lap and I watched the television or fiddled with my tablet computer.

Glittermom, I regretfully never got around to putting up a Christmas tree this year. Maybe next year. Dad and I kept procrastinating about getting it and then it was too late.

My injection was this morning and it was certainly due. It was actually due on Christmas Day. I got to feeling really shaky last night – a jump out of your skin feeling. I went to bed early and headed straight to Kamath medical in the morning. My shot was already in my fridge and I was ready to go. Rebecca took really good care of me this morning. She was in a joyful, happy mood and it was contagious.

Christmas Without You…

I am taking care of my girlfriend’s idiosyncratic cat over the holidays. I am lucky she adores and likes me. I told you all before that I am a cat magnet despite my allergies to them. I just have to wash my hands good after petting them. I don’t dare rub my eyes, mouth, or nose.

Tracy headed out for her mother’s house very late this afternoon. I am already missing her something terribly. She really brightens up a room when she steps inside. I won’t see her until the 26th and she has to be back for work. It is going to seem like an eternity. Luckily, her mother’s house is just an hour and a half drive away.

“I wanted to wake up beside you on Christmas morning,” she told me wistfully as we talked on the phone as she was headed up the interstate this afternoon.

Tracy is a hopeless romantic at heart and it is catching.

Tracy’s and my Christmas went without a hitch last night. She loved the food and her watch. She said I am spoiling her. She’s my little princess I tell ya. She really loved the stocking full of candy and gum. She has a sweet tooth like I do. She said that was very thoughtful and a very nice Christmassy touch. I loved the video games she got me. Yes, Morrowind Online was included along with a game time card for one month’s play. I will have to sign up for a subscription when that month runs out. It will be nice playing with real people from all over the country in that game. Think of Facebook with a 3D world of swords and shields and monsters to fight. I haven’t played an MMORPG (massive multiplayer online role playing game) since Warcraft. 

Charlie will be here in the morning with breakfast. I look forward to seeing him. Maybe we will get bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits again like last weekend.

I Think I Like You!

No amorous affairs last night. Tracy was just exhausted after a busy and full day yesterday. She was just glad to have me as company. I was running late last night and didn’t arrive until 9:30 pm my time. I called Tracy on the drive to Opelika and told her to go ahead and order the pizza – that I would be there in about 20 minutes. We ate pizza and Tracy then fell asleep on the couch full and satiated. It tickled me when Wheezy got up on her curvaceous hip and took a nap as well.

Nothing good was on TV last night even though Tracy has every channel they offer so I got on my tablet and tried countless different blog templates until I found one I liked. I get tired of the same old template and have to change from time to time.

12 am my time rolled around and I woke Tracy encouraging her to go to bed. She followed me to the bedroom and we both put on our sleeping clothes. Sleeping on Tracy’s bed is like sleeping on a sea of feathers. It is so very soft. I usually wake up with a sore neck and back, but fared well last night. I was asleep about the time my head hit the pillow. All I remember is Tracy cuddling up against me and I was gone.

Tracy warmed up some cream cheese and cherry Danishes for breakfast this morning which were fresh and delicious. We were both groggy and sleepy eyed, though. We were also very quiet and not saying much. Tracy and I are both not morning people.

“I envy you,” she said. “You don’t have to work today.”

“I am heading home and getting on the computer,” I told her delicately with a Cheshire grin.