I recently read some where that for every really good belly laugh you can add a year to your life.
After spending these last 4 days with my very best friend Sharon I figure I will live to be 356 years old.
When Sharon and I get together we just can't help ourselves and will find the most ridiculous things to be terribly funny. Anyone who happens to be with us at the time is often left shaking their head wondering what is wrong with the two of us. Some totally mundane thing will occur and reduce Sharon and I to tear drenched, belly aching masses. It usually takes us a good 5 minutes to regain our composure and settle down only to look at each other and burst into another round of hysterical giggling that can be most annoying to husbands and friends.
Poor dearly departed Husband used to get almost angry when Sharon and I were together and got into one of our "Crack Ups". I think he felt left out because he never could see the humor in what ever it was that we were laughing at. Which was reasonable since we always get laughing at something so dumb that it makes it just that much funnier. Sharon's husband is more tolerant of us, as is the third BFF Jeanne who also can never quite understand what Sharon and I have found so amusing. These two wonderful people are left out of the "Silly Circle" and are left to shake their heads and mutter to them selves at what fools Sharon and I are.
But even with all this pressure to "behave" Sharon and I will always be on the same wave length when it comes to laughter.
From the first time I met Sharon she and I have been kindred spirits in setting each other off in gales of laughter. We are total opposites in personality but some how or other have been the very best of friends for well over 40 years. Friendships like this are such treasures and I am so blessed to have this woman as my friend.
My belly hurts from all the laughs we have shared these past couple of days and I will remember this visit for the rest of my life as I do all the times that I am lucky enough to spend with my friend. I always know that I can count on Sharon to lift my spirits when I am down and to share my laughter when I am happy.
And knowing that we will both live to be 356 years old together is something that makes me smile.
Saturday, October 21, 2017
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
AN UBERLY DELUGHTFUL. EXPERIENCE
I'm on the road again, this time in NY for my god daughter Cate's wedding on Friday night. Cate and Kevin are getting married at a country club somewhere in the wilds of "up state" New York. I haven't been in this area since my college years back before the glaciers covered all of NY during the ice age.. (At least it feels that long ago.)
Since the wedding is UP here I figured I'd take this opportunity to visit with my Cousin Ann who I only get to see about once a year. I would fly into Westchester airport where Ann would pick me up and drive me to her house where I would spend the night. On Thursday Ann would then drive me to the hotel in Middletown NY where all the wedding guests are staying. It was a great plan until Ann's husband Kurt had to go into the hospital for open heart surgery to replace 2 valves. The last thing they needed was a house guest so I had to find another way to travel the sixty odd miles from the airport to the hotel. My first thought was to rent a car but when I realized that Enterprise was going to charge me $220 for a compact car for 24 hours I decided there had to be a better way.
And there was ! UBER. I knew about it, my kids use it, but this was an hours drive. Does Uber do long distance? I figured it would probably cost a fortune but at Dwayne's urging I down loaded their app and was on my way to a most delightful adventure !
When I got to the airport I got out my phone, put in my location and my destination and within 4 minutes Jose was putting my suitcase in his Honda CRV and we were on our way. Let me tell you how much I enjoyed that ride ! This young man of 30 something, married with 3 beautiful children, (yes, I saw pictures), was just fantastic. Naturally I got his entire life story along with a nostalgic tour of the Bear Mountain area. We passed the cemetery where my parents are buried, drove through winding country parkways that I haven't been on in years. The ride took us up along the Hudson River where we stopped at a scenic overlook so I could take a picture. The leaves are changing color so it was most beautiful and a real trip down memory lane Along with our constant conversation I got to listen to beautiful Christian music that Jose composes and plays with his band at his church. This guy is a talented musician who realizes how blessed he is and appreciates all the gifts God has given him.
It sounds crazy as I'm writing this for you but that hour ride today was such an uplifting experience and I really felt as though my meeting this young man was a gift in itself. GO FIGURE !
And the best part of all this is that it only cost me a third of what the stupid Enterprise rental would have cost !
Since the wedding is UP here I figured I'd take this opportunity to visit with my Cousin Ann who I only get to see about once a year. I would fly into Westchester airport where Ann would pick me up and drive me to her house where I would spend the night. On Thursday Ann would then drive me to the hotel in Middletown NY where all the wedding guests are staying. It was a great plan until Ann's husband Kurt had to go into the hospital for open heart surgery to replace 2 valves. The last thing they needed was a house guest so I had to find another way to travel the sixty odd miles from the airport to the hotel. My first thought was to rent a car but when I realized that Enterprise was going to charge me $220 for a compact car for 24 hours I decided there had to be a better way.
And there was ! UBER. I knew about it, my kids use it, but this was an hours drive. Does Uber do long distance? I figured it would probably cost a fortune but at Dwayne's urging I down loaded their app and was on my way to a most delightful adventure !
When I got to the airport I got out my phone, put in my location and my destination and within 4 minutes Jose was putting my suitcase in his Honda CRV and we were on our way. Let me tell you how much I enjoyed that ride ! This young man of 30 something, married with 3 beautiful children, (yes, I saw pictures), was just fantastic. Naturally I got his entire life story along with a nostalgic tour of the Bear Mountain area. We passed the cemetery where my parents are buried, drove through winding country parkways that I haven't been on in years. The ride took us up along the Hudson River where we stopped at a scenic overlook so I could take a picture. The leaves are changing color so it was most beautiful and a real trip down memory lane Along with our constant conversation I got to listen to beautiful Christian music that Jose composes and plays with his band at his church. This guy is a talented musician who realizes how blessed he is and appreciates all the gifts God has given him.
It sounds crazy as I'm writing this for you but that hour ride today was such an uplifting experience and I really felt as though my meeting this young man was a gift in itself. GO FIGURE !
And the best part of all this is that it only cost me a third of what the stupid Enterprise rental would have cost !
Thursday, October 5, 2017
SLIMEY GRAND DAUGHTER
Grand daughters are the best ! They are silly and sweet and giggly and I love spending time with all of them. I haven't seen Grey in a while between my busy moving and her parents busy lives but the last photo I saw of her she was covered in her mom's makeup. It seems the little miss decided to put on makeup just like mommy and boy did she do it up big.
I"m blessed with seeing Kaelin almost every day now that she and her family have moved so close to me. We get to be silly just as often as we can, much to her mom's dismay because getting silly with grand ma always gets us into some sort of trouble. But isn't that what grand ma's are for !?
Abby is the one I get to see the least. Living in Georgia we only get to spend time together about 3 times a year so when we do get together we have to make the most of it. The last time I saw Abby was right after my trip to Alaska and it wasn't the best visit ever. I was still exhausted from all my traveling and it was the end of summer vacation for Abby. She was getting ready for a new year in school so we didn't get to "play" too much.
WE are making up for that this week ! Abby arrived by plane, flying alone and no longer an "un-accompanied child" now that she is 12. Mom got her to the gate in Atlanta and I met her in West Palm. She was the only passenger on her flight to come RUNNING up the exit corridor from the gates. I think the girl was just a little excited to be here.
We will be filling every second of her four and a half days here with as much fun as possible. Fun with Abby is ALWAYS unique. Yesterday after her arrival we went to lunch, bought the ingredients for a strawberry pie, came home to make the pie and then headed over to the cousins house to see KK and Finn. We ate dinner with them and then came home exhausted only to fall asleep by 9:00. (Abby never likes to stay in the guest room by herself so we shared my big bed only to have her wake me at 2AM by smacking me in the head with her arm.) I had to go into the guest bedroom for a couple of hours in the middle of the night to get some sleep.
Today we had planned on going to Hutchinson Island to feed the sting rays but because it was pouring rain we thought it a good idea to call ahead. Unfortunately the Sting Rays were experiencing floods and so the center was closed. How you can flood a fish tank is beyond me but it put a damper on our plans. This being the case we had to resort to "Plan B". There really wasn't a plan B but we got creative and came up with a fun filled day any way. WE started out by finishing yesterday's burritos from Moe's as a breakfast meal. Why not? They warm up to a very tasty breakfast treat. After this we overdosed on watching about 6 episodes of a show we had started watching when I was in Atlanta. Much to our dismay the second season ended and we now have to wait for Amazon Prime to release season 3. With that done it was off to Publix and Michaels craft store to get the makings of SLIME! Abby LOVES to mix concoctions together to create the largest mess possible. Whether it is cake mix or shaving cream and Borax she is at her happiest when she is in the kitchen mixing and stirring a bowl of anything gooey. Today's LARGE vat of blue slime is now residing in 2 bowls and 3 zip loc bags on the kitchen counter. The girl stood for about 2 hours just mixing and stirring and kneading this vast mound of goo. I don't know what the fascination is with slime these days but it seems to be the rage among kids. At 9:15 tonight I finally had to say. "Enough!". time for bed. But it will not end there. While Abby was mixing I was pealing the wrappers off some 80 pieces of Starburst candies. Apparently there is a recipe for EDIBLE SLIME which we shall attempt to make some time tomorrow. The thought of eating that gooey mess is no more appealing that eating monkey brains. But since Abby HAS eaten monkey brains on her trip to Morocco several years ago I guess eating slime will be quite tame.
I"m blessed with seeing Kaelin almost every day now that she and her family have moved so close to me. We get to be silly just as often as we can, much to her mom's dismay because getting silly with grand ma always gets us into some sort of trouble. But isn't that what grand ma's are for !?
Abby is the one I get to see the least. Living in Georgia we only get to spend time together about 3 times a year so when we do get together we have to make the most of it. The last time I saw Abby was right after my trip to Alaska and it wasn't the best visit ever. I was still exhausted from all my traveling and it was the end of summer vacation for Abby. She was getting ready for a new year in school so we didn't get to "play" too much.
WE are making up for that this week ! Abby arrived by plane, flying alone and no longer an "un-accompanied child" now that she is 12. Mom got her to the gate in Atlanta and I met her in West Palm. She was the only passenger on her flight to come RUNNING up the exit corridor from the gates. I think the girl was just a little excited to be here.
We will be filling every second of her four and a half days here with as much fun as possible. Fun with Abby is ALWAYS unique. Yesterday after her arrival we went to lunch, bought the ingredients for a strawberry pie, came home to make the pie and then headed over to the cousins house to see KK and Finn. We ate dinner with them and then came home exhausted only to fall asleep by 9:00. (Abby never likes to stay in the guest room by herself so we shared my big bed only to have her wake me at 2AM by smacking me in the head with her arm.) I had to go into the guest bedroom for a couple of hours in the middle of the night to get some sleep.
Today we had planned on going to Hutchinson Island to feed the sting rays but because it was pouring rain we thought it a good idea to call ahead. Unfortunately the Sting Rays were experiencing floods and so the center was closed. How you can flood a fish tank is beyond me but it put a damper on our plans. This being the case we had to resort to "Plan B". There really wasn't a plan B but we got creative and came up with a fun filled day any way. WE started out by finishing yesterday's burritos from Moe's as a breakfast meal. Why not? They warm up to a very tasty breakfast treat. After this we overdosed on watching about 6 episodes of a show we had started watching when I was in Atlanta. Much to our dismay the second season ended and we now have to wait for Amazon Prime to release season 3. With that done it was off to Publix and Michaels craft store to get the makings of SLIME! Abby LOVES to mix concoctions together to create the largest mess possible. Whether it is cake mix or shaving cream and Borax she is at her happiest when she is in the kitchen mixing and stirring a bowl of anything gooey. Today's LARGE vat of blue slime is now residing in 2 bowls and 3 zip loc bags on the kitchen counter. The girl stood for about 2 hours just mixing and stirring and kneading this vast mound of goo. I don't know what the fascination is with slime these days but it seems to be the rage among kids. At 9:15 tonight I finally had to say. "Enough!". time for bed. But it will not end there. While Abby was mixing I was pealing the wrappers off some 80 pieces of Starburst candies. Apparently there is a recipe for EDIBLE SLIME which we shall attempt to make some time tomorrow. The thought of eating that gooey mess is no more appealing that eating monkey brains. But since Abby HAS eaten monkey brains on her trip to Morocco several years ago I guess eating slime will be quite tame.
Sunday, October 1, 2017
AMERICA IS IN BIG TROUBLE !
I'm not talking about global warming or the threat of North Korea. No worries from our failing Social Security system or even the concerns I have about the last several presidents of our wonderful country. All these problems and issues pale when compared to the fact that the future generation of young adults is just plain . . . well, I don't even know how to describe them other than pitiful, irresponsible, unbelievably incompetent slobs. Where did these "kids" come from? Who are their parents and what were they thinking when they gave birth to these poor things? Obviously the parents were NOT thinking at all about the well being or education of their children because this generation of 20 somethings have not a clue about anything. The fact that some of them actually have jobs is a major accomplishment and yet after our experience on Friday I think perhaps this group of morons will not retain their jobs for very long.
Let's start at the beginning of this so you can get the full picture.
Last week was moving week. I had worked on moving most of my junk from point A to Point B and made great progress thanks to my amazing daughter and family. Thursday was the final push to get the furniture out and finish up this extended process of moving. Dwayne arrived from Michigan on Tuesday to help with all the final issues and Thank God he was here to witness the events because I probably would have thought I was crazy had I been here alone.
The Thursday move went without a hitch. In fact it went so smoothly that by 2 in the afternoon D and I were sitting back looking at the new place filled with boxes and grinning like a couple of idiots. We were DONE with the move, the truck was returned, the 2 guys we hired to move us were amazing in their efficiency and competence and we could now sit back and have a beer and enjoy our new digs. I had thought ahead and called the cable company to have the "Cable Guy" scheduled to arrive between 3-5 to install the new cable system in the place so we would have TV, phone and Internet. A simple matter of transferring my services from residence A to residence B. When I called the cable company 2 weeks earlier we went through EXACTLY what I wanted done and I was told to take ALL my cable equipment with me when I moved. To quote the cable company person on the phone, "All the equipment is YOURS so you need to bring it all with you so you are not charged for it." That made sense to me so on moving day the 2 cable boxes and clickers and even the piece of complex adapters and cable ports that was screwed onto the wall in the laundry room were brought with me. The thing on the wall in the laundry room was specifically discussed so I knew it HAD to come with me.
At 2:30 on moving day afternoon Dwayne and I were relaxing in the midst of the moving mess and I was busy searching for THE CABLE STUFF. It was all in a bag together someplace in the middle of the mess and I needed to find it before the Cable Guy arrived as I had been told it was SO important for me to have with me. I finally gathered it all together and had it sitting out just waiting for THE MAN to arrive and hook everything up.
And we waited. And we waited. And we waited ! By 5:30 we were tired and hungry and ready to just call it a day but THE GUY still hadn't arrived nor had he called. When I called the company I was told he was running a little late but would get here unless I wanted to reschedule. Because it takes an act of God to get these guys to come to your house there was no way I was going to reschedule so we just waited it out.
At 6:00 cable BOY arrived and it all went down hill from there ! This kid was either high on something or just plain the DUMBEST person to ever be employed by Comcast Cable. (That is saying a lot because my past experiences with this and any other cable company have ALWAYS been a pain in the butt thanks to the total incompetence of the "technicians". Apparently cable companies like to hire the handicapped. Actually if they would hire the handicapped we would all be better off because this breed of creature that are employed by the cable company are in a class by them selves.)
The KID was here FOUR hours to hook up 2 TV sets in a house that is already wired for cable. AND he brought ALL NEW EQUIPMENT! (Remember I was told to be sure to bring ALL my equipment with me.) He did NOT KNOW he was supposed to hook up Internet and phone, (It wasn't in his paperwork.) We knew we were in BIG trouble when he asked D if we had a screw driver he could use. This KID came to an installation job WITHOUT a screw driver ????????? When asked if he wanted a Phillips head or flat head he said both! The KID lost both screw drives no less than 6 times in the four hours that he was here. He was up in the attic, out to his truck and all over the house leaving tools and equipment where ever and then asking us if we knew where they were. Not only did he just drop his tools where ever he was working he also dropped garbage, wires and screws on the floor. He left 2 gaping holes in the wall where the cable comes out and didn't even blink an eye.
But the best part was when he FINALLY got the Internet hooked up and asked me for my User ID and Password. This is what I told him . . . MSCATH and SHADOWfl16. Here is what he entered into the system . . . MsKath (close enough I suppose even though I spelled it out for him) and the piece de resistance . . . . for my password I said "Capital letters . . . SHADOW, small letters fl and the number 16" What I got was SHADOWSMALLFL16.
At 9:30 PM we escorted the poor thing out the door and sent him on his way saying we will deal with this on Monday when we are calmer and more rested. I can't wait for THAT PHONE conversation with Comcast !
An OH, by the way, He took all my equipment with him which means I lost all my recordings from the past year AND left us with the wrong clicker for the TV in the bedroom !
Let's start at the beginning of this so you can get the full picture.
Last week was moving week. I had worked on moving most of my junk from point A to Point B and made great progress thanks to my amazing daughter and family. Thursday was the final push to get the furniture out and finish up this extended process of moving. Dwayne arrived from Michigan on Tuesday to help with all the final issues and Thank God he was here to witness the events because I probably would have thought I was crazy had I been here alone.
The Thursday move went without a hitch. In fact it went so smoothly that by 2 in the afternoon D and I were sitting back looking at the new place filled with boxes and grinning like a couple of idiots. We were DONE with the move, the truck was returned, the 2 guys we hired to move us were amazing in their efficiency and competence and we could now sit back and have a beer and enjoy our new digs. I had thought ahead and called the cable company to have the "Cable Guy" scheduled to arrive between 3-5 to install the new cable system in the place so we would have TV, phone and Internet. A simple matter of transferring my services from residence A to residence B. When I called the cable company 2 weeks earlier we went through EXACTLY what I wanted done and I was told to take ALL my cable equipment with me when I moved. To quote the cable company person on the phone, "All the equipment is YOURS so you need to bring it all with you so you are not charged for it." That made sense to me so on moving day the 2 cable boxes and clickers and even the piece of complex adapters and cable ports that was screwed onto the wall in the laundry room were brought with me. The thing on the wall in the laundry room was specifically discussed so I knew it HAD to come with me.
At 2:30 on moving day afternoon Dwayne and I were relaxing in the midst of the moving mess and I was busy searching for THE CABLE STUFF. It was all in a bag together someplace in the middle of the mess and I needed to find it before the Cable Guy arrived as I had been told it was SO important for me to have with me. I finally gathered it all together and had it sitting out just waiting for THE MAN to arrive and hook everything up.
And we waited. And we waited. And we waited ! By 5:30 we were tired and hungry and ready to just call it a day but THE GUY still hadn't arrived nor had he called. When I called the company I was told he was running a little late but would get here unless I wanted to reschedule. Because it takes an act of God to get these guys to come to your house there was no way I was going to reschedule so we just waited it out.
At 6:00 cable BOY arrived and it all went down hill from there ! This kid was either high on something or just plain the DUMBEST person to ever be employed by Comcast Cable. (That is saying a lot because my past experiences with this and any other cable company have ALWAYS been a pain in the butt thanks to the total incompetence of the "technicians". Apparently cable companies like to hire the handicapped. Actually if they would hire the handicapped we would all be better off because this breed of creature that are employed by the cable company are in a class by them selves.)
The KID was here FOUR hours to hook up 2 TV sets in a house that is already wired for cable. AND he brought ALL NEW EQUIPMENT! (Remember I was told to be sure to bring ALL my equipment with me.) He did NOT KNOW he was supposed to hook up Internet and phone, (It wasn't in his paperwork.) We knew we were in BIG trouble when he asked D if we had a screw driver he could use. This KID came to an installation job WITHOUT a screw driver ????????? When asked if he wanted a Phillips head or flat head he said both! The KID lost both screw drives no less than 6 times in the four hours that he was here. He was up in the attic, out to his truck and all over the house leaving tools and equipment where ever and then asking us if we knew where they were. Not only did he just drop his tools where ever he was working he also dropped garbage, wires and screws on the floor. He left 2 gaping holes in the wall where the cable comes out and didn't even blink an eye.
But the best part was when he FINALLY got the Internet hooked up and asked me for my User ID and Password. This is what I told him . . . MSCATH and SHADOWfl16. Here is what he entered into the system . . . MsKath (close enough I suppose even though I spelled it out for him) and the piece de resistance . . . . for my password I said "Capital letters . . . SHADOW, small letters fl and the number 16" What I got was SHADOWSMALLFL16.
At 9:30 PM we escorted the poor thing out the door and sent him on his way saying we will deal with this on Monday when we are calmer and more rested. I can't wait for THAT PHONE conversation with Comcast !
An OH, by the way, He took all my equipment with him which means I lost all my recordings from the past year AND left us with the wrong clicker for the TV in the bedroom !
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