Not On My Dime

 Seldom do I run errands to the post office. I, like others, order things on-line, and use e-mail way tooooo much! However I love the post office, beautiful stamps, weighing my little parcels, people watching, yes it is a fascinating place. I prefer them to have an old wooden floor, and a similar smell of the library, but that has long gone. So a few days ago( it could have been a month, I'm on retirement time, and that means no clocks, or calendars!) ( I love to clarify, when it doesn't matter!) continuing on, I had two big envelopes to mail to my grandchildren. Back to school treats were headed their way, and a chance to buy the newest stamp, a fun mini trip I had planned. OF COURSE, there has to be a kink in my chain.

I arrive with a skip in my step, mail in hand, looking at the stamps through the glass shadow box, when I heard an elderly (probably 50!!!) man ask for the manager, boss of the mail room. Damn it, not on my dime, are we going to have a bad confrontation, especially when I am next in line!!! I refuse to let somebody that is having a bad day take us all out!!! So I start looking to see if he has a gun, nothing. He seems to be leaning into this postman's space, and talking in a whisper, LORD!!! I begin to look in my purse for a weapon, I had a metal fingernail file, that would have to do. At that time, two other post-people come out from the back, and I hear the man say something to the effect that his mailbox lid is never shut properly. For the love of Jesus, people have way too much time on their hands, how bad could this be?? So he was ranting and one post-person said maybe he could put a magnet on the lid, when they opened another lane, NEXT, which was me. How am I suppose to look at stamps, and pick the perfect ones, with this Cra-Cra man still going on, and my post-person was acting a little snippy!!! I leaned over, and loud enough!! said, " Looks like you all may be having a bad day, but I wasn't until I walked in here, and I'm holding a finger nail file, so be nice!" He handed me my Finding Nemo stamps, and some with trees on them, plus mailed my gifts.

Yes the man was still in conversation about how to open and close a mailbox, and my nails were filed to perfection!!!

And the Songbirds Know the Score....

Songbird by Eva Cassidy has been playing constantly all summer long, and now I understand it!!! The birds know all!! Lately I can smell fall in the air, its percolating right outside my door. Although the sun and heat still embrace me, there is something in the air, and you know with me, panic starts!!!
This has been a very hot summer, and I am not yet ready to let go of the reins.
Music and Foreign films have been my passion of the summer, along with many other delights. Those two, just seem to have touched my soul.
As I mentioned above Eva Cassidy, started my end of May off to a good start, and she remains a daily prayer. Then one day, feeling stuck in my Eva rut, I re-remembered Joni Mitchell. I bought a CD of her greatest hits, and am still above the clouds with joy. Every song, each note, heavenly chords of long ago songs, Chelsea Morning come to me. She came through all of July, and then late August I found an old Dusty Springfield CD, that has brought me to the alter!!! Female vocalist have spent the summer at my house, and it's been grand. I know why the birds are wildly singing, its not frantic fall coming, they have heard my music. The ladies called their names, and they are thanking me, in the only way they know how, singing the score.
Brilliant Summer nears her end, with music in the background, always.

T.M.J., WHAT???

Last week I had the unexpected visit to the Emergency Room. This "I" is the same person that walked for a week on a broken leg, so you know I was hurting. My reason for this brief trip was my jaw would not open. I could not talk, eat and thought my teeth were falling out of my mouth. Had an earache, and spasms in my jaw. If I had just smelled burnt toast, a stroke was headed my way, instead I knew what the problem was.
T.M.J., temporo-mandibular-joint screwed up, or by another name, Too Many Jackasses making me stress out!

Major home repairs had caused me to clinch my teeth so hard, my jaw snapped. My face was swollen, ears were ringing, numbness and then when I could not talk, lord I was headed to the E.R.

So when I get to the front desk and Nurse Ratchet asked me if she could help me, I pointed to my face. She looked like she had stepped out of a Tim Burton movie, so I timidly whispered, "I can not talk." So my angel of mercy walked me like I was blind to a triage area, where she proceeded to ask me questions???  I still could not speak, so I muffled though some information, most of which was not true. Like " How much do you weigh mam?" " Oh, about 120" she kept writing....finally I went to the back, and had x-rays. Left with three different pain meds, and the doctor asked me if I wanted a shot to speed up the pain relief, NOW this is a good E.R.

When Bill picked me up( people thought I could not walk, very strange?) he asked if I wanted to stop and get some lunch?? " Bill I have just been to the E.R. for two hours, I can not open my mouth, and food would disturb the pain medication that is now traveling through my body!" he looked funny and said, " I can't understand you?" So I just pointed to my TMJ joint and frowned, sometimes the old school Helen Keller skills work the best.

I was better in three days, give or take a dozen, and have used my mouth guard at night and sometimes in the day, to give my jaws a well needed vacation. I have even come to the realization that I have a tendency to "over share" by talking too much, so now I just stay quiet and type!!!

You didn't think I would stop talking??did you?? 

All Bets Are Off The Table!!!

 A few days ago, I turned sixty. It does not have a good sound to it, but embrace it, I will. In fact change is in the air, I feel it.

Bill has been home lately, due to his semesters at Georgia Tech changing, sooo....I have felt the need to find us things to do. We have been going to Home Depot, daily, so to change it up, I mentioned breakfast out. He jumped at the chance to dine with me, so Waffle House we parked. Twice a year, I go to Waffle House, no more, no less. I stay at Waffle House if my feet don't stick to the floor. This particular time, the floor was a little tacky, so Bill looked at me with the "we are not staying " look in his eyes. He knows me very well, but I shrugged my shoulders and took a seat. I quickly drink three cups of coffee, to cushion the grease. We order waffles and one scrambled egg. They do have the best waffles, so we eat. Enjoying our pre-depot morning date, I dropped a huge piece of syrup covered waffle down my chest!!! It was lost in the crevice of no return!!! So I went in, all the way down, elbow deep, to get this off of me!! Bill looked away, until I dipped my napkin in the ice water, and proceeded to ALMOST take a bath!!  Hubs said, " My God Bonnie, we are at a restaurant!"......."People are watching you!!!"

So I responded to his near hysterics, " All Bets Are Off The Table, I'm sixty!"

I felt such joy! This sixty seems pretty good so far!!!!

People Who Need People, Many People!

  How the Olympics get organized astounds me. So many people involved, to make the cogs turn. I know how many people I need to function, surely the Olympics need more, right?

Just yesterday, I found it hard to understand why I could not view the festivities in real time. We live in the age of "now", so why wait until night?? No delayed gratification for me. I'm turning sixty! As Homer would say, " I don't even buy green bananas, you never know if you will be around to see them ripe!"
So you see, I knew there must be some computer something  to plug me into the Queens Quarters!
My precious, number four son, Hart Baron recognized my angst and said, "Mom just download the blah-blah app." ( I truly forget what he called it??) Stunned with a smile, I asked, " Can't you just do it for me?" Angel child spoke saying, " I'm trying to teach you to fish mom!"
Well that explains so much, here is the great divide.
"Sweet nine pound ham from my loins, you need to catch the fish, clean the fish, cook the fish and feed it to me, here is my i-pad!"

Queen Elizabeth meet your match, I have people. PLUS I don't have to wear those god-awful hats mum!!!

One Punch Bowl Over the Top!!

 If I'm blogging, it must mean I have found the kitchen table. You see??? the punch bowls have had me cornered. Yes there has been more stuff to shuffle,but the punch bowls fascinated me. How does one acquire four punch bowls, with glasses and sixty glass platters to lay out the spread?? Did we get these things from wedding showers, or people in coffins?? A mystery in the making, this July has me throwing away things, but not without a story to unscramble.

Redoing your kitchen will do this to a girl. All spaces had to be emptied, hence the BOWLS!!! We did drink punch in my lifetime, for every holiday and new baby. Weddings brought out the big ones on pedestals!!!and oh the ornate ladles to scoop and pour. The parties were many, and often, joy flowed from these crystal deep wells!!! BUT.....its time to let go.

Someone will find it at the Hope Store and shout, like a child on a swing, look what I found!!! A PUNCH BOWL. To use for a BIG salad?? a terrarium, or a large ass quantity of Mimosas for the ladies brunch.

The things we hold onto, for a day or sixty, help shape our personalities.

Funny bowls filled with stories, and Yes I did keep one!

There is a Way!

July continues to be my month of repairs, some say demolition?? Updates, watching too many home improvement shows, whatever you choose to call it, I call it "Up the Meds Time!" or " Is eight o'clock too early for vodka?" or " Mother of God this is a hot mess!" I know there is a light at the end of the paintbrush, but its just a flicker! I want to see the "flood-light" of something finished, I want serenity now!!!! Instead, I breathe and read. Yes, I can read in the jungle of house remodeling without missing a page!!

July I have had the privilege of reading; The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown, The Patron Saint of Dreams by Philip Gerard, To the Last Breath by Frances Slakey, Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson (loved this) and just finished Wild by ??? Oprah?? her new book club book, it was awesome. No Oprah did not write the book, she just reviewed it.

Wild was a book about walking the Pacific Coast Trail, something that would never appeal to me, yet fascinated me immensely. It is more about a person and her grief, and how nature teaches us. That is more as to the "Why" I read this book. Here below are some of my highlighted jewels from this very good book.

Talking about her mother-Her love was full-throated and all-encompassing and unadorned. Every day she blew through her entire reserve. 

She loved us more than all the named things in the world.

When my life became unmoored by sorrow

I folded my life down

My mom was dead, everything I ever imagined about myself had disappeared into the crack of her last breath (same as I felt about my Ward)

"You're a seeker" (Love that!!)

" I never got to be in the driver's seat of my own life" ( can you imagine that??not me)

" A longing so naked and sorry." I could go on and on with my lines of special sentences, this book is highlighted to the sky and back. It touched me and surprised me. A book about walking, touched my heart.

Reading is my pleasure, at all times. My small quiet room. Even when the rooms are in disarray!!