It's All Good--For Now Anyway!

I just noticed.  If I peek carefully between the two houses, I can still see a bit of the walk and the woods.

I'm still not "allowed" to have Jennifer's kids in my house and I can't go into their house.  Tuesday, I will drive over to Jen's when the kids get home from school.  Pammie is with them that day.  I will wait in the car, in the driveway until Alex comes out--the other kids will probably either wave from the open door or come out to say Hi.  He and I will come back to Brighton for his special supper and then I will take him home again.  That's all I get and I am grateful for it!!

I have been working for my author friend Chris, and I had a few hours built up and she transferred the money into my Pay Pal account, which I immediately transferred part of into my checking account--SO--BIG BREATH--I will make it through this month!!!!  and, I will put out of my mind what is left in my Pay Pal account so I don't spend it and next month, if I get an unexpected again--I will remember I have some "stashed" away.  All is good!

I am having the best time.  Chris has asked me to write up a sort of How To book on home maintenance and gardening ideas and stuff like that for women who live alone.  How To drain and flush the water heater, How To get the house ready for winter.  Did you know, on your ceiling fans, you have to change the rotation of the blades for winter or summer?  How To clean out the dryer vent, inside and outside.  Things like that.  I take photos as I do these things and include them in the book.  It gives me something to do--makes my brain work..and she is paying me to do it.

I think she finds "busy" work for me to do, so she can help me and I can save my pride, by not having to ask for help!  

I know I have told you the story of Chris and I before, but...she is like my daughter--probably closer than a daughter because I have shared thoughts and feelings with her that I would not have shared with a daughter...or my sister for that matter.  She lives in Texas and occasionally Idaho, while her Army career hubby is stationed overseas.  She is constantly trying to get me on a plane to visit her ...when she was in Germany, then Italy, now Texas.  

It would be nice...but logistics just don't allow me to travel.  Who would take care of the cats?  I don't fly, so I'd have to drive--can't drive that far.  Not comfortable being away from home for any time.  At least, now that she is back in the states, it FEELS like she is a lot closer.

Chris is the one who wrote the wonderful cookbook.  She is also a children's author.  Here is a blatant promotion for her.  Buy one of her cookbooks for a bridal shower, or a grandchild who is moving, for the first time, into their own apartment, or...for yourself.
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Are you ready for some "Pearlables"?  Kind of like a parable, but there is no moral or spiritual meaning to the story.

Pearl walked down last week.

"Something is wrong with our car."

"What happened?"  I asked.

"I drove up to Wal-Mart, got groceries and put them in the trunk and as I was backing out, there must have been a car coming behind me because I heard a loud horn and I jammed my foot on the brake and...the car just slide over to the right and banged into the car parked next to me."

"How could that happen?"

"I don't know!  It just slide over to the right, all on it's own!"

"Are you sure you didn't put your foot on the gas pedal?"

"I'm not that stupid!  I know the gas pedal from the brake pedal!  The car moved on its own, I tell you."

"Okay.  I wonder what caused it to do that?"

"I don't know.  Merle is going to check the steering."

"Did you damage your car...the other car?"

"I broke up my right front fender, but it only scratched the back fender of the other car."

"Gosh.  What did Merle say?  Was he mad?"

"Nope.  He doesn't care anymore, about anything.  He just looked at it and shook his head.  He said he can't fix it because its made out of plastic and he doesn't know how to fix that."
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I was up to Pearl's the other morning and when I walked in, the house was full of smoke.

"You taking up smoking again?"  I asked.

"No.  Something's wrong with this microwave oven!  I'm throwing the dang thing out!"

"Why.  What happened?"

"It caught on fire!"

"Oh my gosh!  The wiring you mean?"

"No.  Fire on the inside."

"Did you put metal in there?"

"No!  I'm not that stupid!  I know how to run a microwave!  I put in two of those frozen, ready to eat sausages...with a paper towel over the top, and the paper towel caught on fire.  Burned those sausages right up too."

"Wow!  What setting did you use?"

"I used high.  High for six minutes."

"Ah--hh, high for 60 seconds."

Big sigh as she stomps over to the freezer, pulls out the package and says, "Read the directions yourself, Smartie Pants."

And so I did, "microwave on high, 60 to 70 seconds." and I handed the package back to her.
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As for Dar?  I've only seen her once in the last ten days--she called at 10:30 last Tuesday night...

"Do you have any Kaopectate?"

"No."

"I thought you had a pharmacy in your bathroom cupboard!"

"I do, but I don't have Kaopectate."

"I've got diarrhea just terrible and I need something."

"I've got Imodium D.  That will work."

"Okay.  I'll be right over."

So, I went and got the Imodium and walked out on the front porch because she isn't bringing nasty germs into my house!!!
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My fur kids are certainly enjoying the window bench I made for them, out of two of Pearl's thrown away end tables.

As an added bonus, Pearl can look out of her bedroom window and see them. :-)