I was upstairs in the kitchen last night when I heard M say “fight, fight, fight!” I thought he was watching the Braves baseball game, so I flew down the stairs – because the Braves don’t usually get into bench-clearing brawls – and there really was a fight! The pitcher for the Pirates and the Braves 3rd baseman were both ejected from the game – wow!
M is concerned because the transfer he was so excited about at work hasn’t happened yet. He’s starting to worry that “something” has happened, but he doesn’t know – or can’t say – what that something is. I’ve suggested he talk to a friend of his who works in the HR department, but he hasn’t done it yet. Of course, this could be the beginning of the end of his job – or it could be that the wheels are s-l-o-w-l-y turning and it will all come together soon. It really could go either way.
All winning streaks must come to an end . . . and so it is with the peaceful, easy time M and I had while I was out of the house every evening last week. Sigh. It was fun while it lasted.
This past weekend, he and I didn’t have much scheduled so we had LOTS of together time. And then it turned out to be a very rainy weekend, which increased the amount of time we got to spend together. Yet another planned kayak trip was rained out – I’m beginning to think that we’re not meant to get the kayaks out of the garage.
Yesterday, I asked M to strip the beds while I got the laundry started. He asked me which beds.
The ones we sleep in.
The ones we strip every Sunday and wash.
I just said the ones we sleep in and he did it without a problem. But I was a little surprised by the question.
Ah well – we now have clean sheets and comforters!
Last night, I had dinner with a friend from church. She’s in her mid-70s and is raising her 10-year-old grandson, and has since he was an infant. The child has just been diagnosed with ADHD and she was talking about some of the challenges she’s had during this school year.
I was thinking, as I drove home, that I didn’t think I could handle raising a small child again. I adore my grandchildren and love spending time with them, but I also love sending them back home and getting some rest. When you start naming your blessings, I guess you have to be aware of the situations you COULD be in.
This weekend should be interesting. M and I are going to try – once again – to get the kayaks out and take them up to the Dan River for a paddle. I’ve never pulled a trailer so, with the added help of his backseat driving, this should be a ton of fun.
Two good days in a row! Wow – I almost don’t know how to act.
I have to admit, I’ve been out of the house for most of the evening both nights, so that could have something to do with how well everything has been going. It’s hard to have a bad day with someone you only see long enough to say good night to. And I’m meeting another friend for dinner again tonight, so it will probably be another good night.
But then, that takes care of all the “nights out with friends” I usually schedule each month – for some reason, they all landed during the same week this time. So the rest of June, we’ll have plenty of “together time,” when we can drive each other crazy.
This morning, as M was leaving for work, he walked out to his car and then asked me to hand him his keys from the key holder. I said they weren’t hanging there. His response?
“What do you mean, they aren’t there?”
Me: I mean, they aren’t there.
And neither one of us had the most pleasant tone of voice at 5:25 am.
Where were the keys? In his hand.
Now, people do things like that all the time. Run around frantically looking for their cell phone while they’re talking to someone on their cell phone, explaining how upset they are that their phone is lost. Search the house and office over looking for their glasses that are sitting on top of their head. It’s not a big deal to look for your keys that are in your hand – along with your lunch box, Ipod, sunglasses and a bottle of water.
I think we both need to work on having better morning attitudes.
Yesterday was a great day! I had a couple of errands to run after work, but I had marked them on our GIANT wall calendar and I texted M about them as I was leaving work so he was aware. I had also made sure he had dinner foods in the fridge, so he could handle all that without me.
By the time I got home, it was only 7:30, but he was already in the shower. When he got out, I told him I had thought about taking the dogs to the frozen custard shop – and he already had his shorts and t-shirt on before I could finish the sentence. He was ready to go! Suggest a break in his keto-type eating and he’s in!
We got small vanilla cones for the dogs (and yes, large chocolate cones for the humans) and everyone had a great time. Our younger dog is 3 years old today, so she suffered through me putting a birthday hat on her head in exchange for the frozen custard. I think she’ll forgive me soon.
It all went well – M was focused and helpful with the dogs. He even got out of the car (without me asking) and helped me back out of a parking spot when a truck beside me was too big for me to see around it .
He and I also had a calm discussion about our finances and how we’ll handle things when he isn’t able to work anymore. He didn’t get snippy and start blustering about “what do you mean, I’m not going to be able to work anymore?” It was actually a productive conversation. No concrete plans, but we have a direction.
I’ll take every good day I can get.
The picture is of the birthday girl, enjoying her treat.
Yesterday, I needed to run by Barnes & Noble for a gift. But for me – someone who LOVES books – I could spend hours in there, looking at all the new titles and adding to my (way too long already) reading list. It’s like a candy store for me.
I asked M as I was leaving the house if he wanted to go with me and I was surprised that he did. As we were backing down the driveway, he looked in both directions to see if a car was coming. I could try to look around him so that I, as the driver, could see if a car is coming, but I decided to wait until he was finished. Then he wanted to know why I was sitting there. I told him we both can’t drive the car – so I’m waiting for him to finish his traffic check, then I’ll do mine. Now that I’m doing all the driving, his “back seat driving” is getting worse and worse. He’s about to find himself actually sitting in the back seat, with a magazine or blinders on so he can’t see what’s going on!
When we got to Barnes & Noble, it was like having a toddler with me – “how much longer are we going to be here?” Well, I had just gotten started! I knew what I had gone to the store to buy, but I had lots of looking to do, just for fun. Talk about annoying . . . he was driving me crazy! I don’t know if it was him being a man or his dementia kicking in, but honestly! I told him I was going to leave him at home next time.
And then the trip home – more helpful hints for my driving, such as showing me when the light turned green. Because I can’t see that on my own. I wonder how I drive to work every day, all by myself.
A friend posted on his Facebook page yesterday – Count your blessings. Name them one by one. I have to take a deep breath and remember this.
M and I had a plan for Sunday morning – we were going to get the kayaks out and FINALLY get them out on the water. We’ve talked about it for weeks, but we were actually going to make it happen. Hahahahahaha!
As soon as M stepped into the garage, he saw that my car (the one we use to tow the kayak trailer) had a flat tire. Sigh. It’s always something. Of course, it took all day to get that handled. M is a very handy guy and was ready to handle the repair – but that’s when the nerve-wracking part started.
To get the tire off the car, we needed to lift it up. It turned out that our older son had “borrowed” the jack we needed, so, M tried to lift the car with a much smaller jack we had on hand. Adding a brick on top of it. And some plywood.
Dangerous? Nah – whatever gave you that idea?
When the car started to slip off this “house of cards” M had created, I put my foot down and said – call the boy (he’s 31, but still) and tell him to bring our jack back here!!
He has always been very careful and not been one to take shortcuts. He would never have done some that dangerous before.
Fortunately, the two of them worked together (yay!) to get the tire off, M took it to the shop where they removed the nail I had picked up and patched it for ONLY $3 – I was shocked!! When he brought it home, he waited until older son and his family were at the house for Sunday dinner to put the tire back on. My nerves were much happier!
While everyone was at the house, but after we had eaten, my daughter-in-law showed me her mother’s day present – she actually got my son to willingly participate in a photo session with the whole family – and NOT give that cheesy “I’m hating every minute of this” smile he normally has pasted to his face. The pictures are beautiful and I can’t wait to get prints made to have around the house!
As I was looking at them, I told my d-i-l that M and I should get some photos done now, before . . . and then I burst into tears!! I don’t know where that came from – I always know when I’m about to cry, but this one snuck up on me.
Of course, I was going to say – before it’s too late. And it IS sad to think about. But I have thought about it. It is a reality I’m aware of. I’m hopeful something will change, but I have to be realistic, too. For some reason, it was all too much yesterday.
I was late for work today. It wasn’t a big deal, but I hate that. I had been ready to walk out the door . . . all I had to do was put one of the dogs into her crate for the day (she has separation anxiety and will chew the furniture if I leave her out) when I looked in the backyard to call them inside and they weren’t there.
???
I walked out the front door and there they were, running from the side yard, into the front yard – like a couple of nutters. I asked them what they thought they were doing, but they had no answers for me, so I brought them in, then had to go and check on the gate for the backyard. It was locked, but it was locked without being latched, so it had opened and they were free to roam.
Now, I know I haven’t used that gate since we got back from our trip. It’s probably been six weeks or more since I’ve gone around the side of the house through that entrance. I know the dogs didn’t do it, so it’s safe to say who did. But if I bring it up, I also know what M will say:
“I didn’t do it!”
And he’ll be all offended that I’m even suggesting that he did. So . . . do I tell him my interesting story from this morning or do I just keep my mouth shut? What is that saying – discretion is the better part of valor? Or do I need to say something about *we* need to be more careful?
Maybe something else interesting will happen today.
The photo is one of this morning’s escapees, contemplating a future jailbreak.
M and I had a really good evening last night. But I have to admit, we definitely miss being able to walk to the dining room and just pointing to whatever strikes our fancy for that evening’s meal and having it served to us. Having to think of a meal, then cook it and eat it, then clean up afterward is for the birds – after you’ve seen how the other half live!
While we were away, I noticed that whenever we walked anywhere – through the ship, around a town we were visiting . . . whatever – M would be two or three steps behind me. I would stop and wait for him to catch up and then he would drop back again. I wanted to talk to him about what we were seeing or what we were going to do next, but he always seemed to walk so much slower than I did and never wanted to catch up.
But when we were in the dining room on the ship and walking around the buffet, he was practically in my back pocket. If I made the mistake of stopping before he realized I was going to, he would plow right into me – he was so close! And I don’t know why. After the first day, we knew our way around the buffet, it wasn’t like he needed my help negotiating the room. But he was right up against me the whole time.
Here’s a picture M took of me in Skagway, AK. Notice how he managed to get into the picture, too?
One of the first things we had to do when we got back from our trip was to take my car to the repair shop. The a/c works just fine as you’re driving down the road, but if you have to stop in traffic or at a light, it starts blowing out hot air. And since the high temperature is going to be 95 today, I decided that was a repair that couldn’t wait. So we dropped it off Monday night and put the key, along with a write-up of the problem, in a box on the door of the shop and left it for the repair folks to tackle Tuesday morning.
I didn’t hear anything from them yesterday, so I assume they had a busy day and didn’t get to it. When I got home and walked through the door, M said “I thought you would bring your car home.” Me: They didn’t call me. M: But I thought you would bring your car home. Me: But they didn’t call me.
We went back and forth like that a couple of times before he finally understood – my car isn’t ready, the repair shop didn’t call. I don’t have it. It was almost as though he thought I was hiding my car in my purse and I was going to bring it out like a magic trick.
He’s gotten some good news at work – a position, doing the type of work he’s doing now, but in the area where he used to be (so he’d be back with all the people he was with for over 20 years) has opened up and been offered to him. He’s very excited about it and looking forward to moving back with his friends. Hopefully, it will happen soon. He did tell me that his current boss told him yesterday that he (the current boss) can stop this move from happening. Why do people have to be jerks, just for the sake of being jerks? M doesn’t think this boss can stop him from going – he’s already put in the required amount of time in the new position. So we’ll see what happens.
