She did what with that phone?

A cousin of mine, Sarah, lives in Chesapeake Virginia.
It is about a 3.5 hr drive from her home to mine.

She called and asked about visiting this weekend. Great.
Then my niece calls and says she and her boyfriend are driving to Florida to visit her sister and the new baby. Can they stay one night at our home?
I say, absolutely.
Then she calls back and tells me the dates have changed and they are now coming on Saturday around dinner time. Oh of course you are.

So Friday night around 5ish Sarah arrives.
Saturday between 5-6 Ariana and Randy (boy friend) arrive.

Do you want to get your home cleaned and organized quickly?
Yeah, this will do it. I was told this all on Sunday night.

I made menus. I went to the liquor store.
I baked. I cleaned. I made for arrangements for activities to do with them.

Now on our 3rd floor is a great big room that we call the TV room.
This is my favorite room in the house. It is big but cozy. Filled with books and big ole leather chair and some theatre seats to watch TV.
Off to either side is a bedroom and in the middle is a bathroom.
You know a jack 'n jill bathroom/bedroom set up.

One of the bedrooms has the queen size bed.
The other has two twins. I got twin beds because so many who visited had kids. Once we had a brother and a sister. Old enough to not sleep together anymore but they could share a room for one night.
It also worked great when Rick's daughter visited with her stepsons.

Rick asked if I was making Sarah take the twin beds so Randy and Ariana can have the queen bed. I said no. Whoever gets here first gets the good room.
Randy and Ari can sleep apart for one night for Pete's sake. Besides they are staying here on the way back from Florida as well. They can have the queen bed then.  Rick and Peg's hotel is far cheaper than the others, they get what they get.

I got Rick to clean the bathroom up there. I mean a tub guy can do great work on a tub and tile surround. Not that it's really dirty, no one uses it. He surprised me and cleaned the toilet too.
Everything up there is ready for company. Fresh linens, flowers, a basket of goodies should they have forgotten a toothbrush, shampoos, conditioners, lotions etc.

Rick came up stairs just as I was taking the vacuum back down. He looked around and proclaimed that I made this too nice and if I keep doing this company won't ever go home.  That made me laugh. I just want everyone to feel comfy in our home, but it's not something he seems to understand.

Now in other sick news.
Is this real? Is this fake news? I am going to look into this further but I am afraid it could be real.  If the dumb ass did indeed put her phone on vibrate and insert it into her vagina and then could not get it out. How is that the phone manufacturers problem? They need to have warnings not to shove this up your t-t now? Come on people. I think I'd be too embarrassed to even sue.
Go ahead read this article. I must admit I chuckled a bit.
I also think that I will think of this story each time I grab someone else's phone.
Ooh ick. Where did you have this?
Go ahead read the link -  I shouldn't be the only one having this in my head.

UPDATE - IT IS FAKE NEWS. WHEW. I just didn't want to believe someone would be such a dumb f-k. 

It's All About the Beyond.

I went to Bed Bath & Beyond after work on Wednesday night.

I needed to just get some euro pillows to stuff in my guest room Euro covers.

Nothing makes you finish up the changes you began as when you get the call that company is coming.  I had put off getting these damn pillows due to cost, but it really will finish off the new duvet etc so off to the store I went. 

As I was perusing the aisles, I saw this thing I had just seen on TV the night before. 

Rick and I laughed and made comments about this damn thing and here it was in front of me.

You could have knocked me over with a feather when I saw the price.

Two people who work there asked if I wanted to see how this was used.

No thank you I tell them politely I was just curious because I just saw it on TV.

But they didn't stop! Going through my head was, Do I get the need? Sure. Do I think this is a good thing? Sure is. But do I need it or want it? Hell no. I don't even know anyone who would use it.

The "thing" is called Coravin. There are several types starting at the low price of $199.00.

The price goes up to $499 or some such silly number.

https://www.coravin.com/  -- go ahead watch these pretentious fools tell you why you need this thing.

Anyway, as I am trying to get away from these 2 sales people I tell her that I have no need for this. I have never had leftover wine. This is not an issue with me. And on the slight chance that a drop is left after my husband and I open a bottle then it is used in cooking. But that has only happened once in our lifetime.  So no need, thank you.

She says, "Oh you think you don't need it, but you've been conditioned to believe you have to drink the full bottle." 

I burst out laughing. She was so friggin' serious.  “Conditioned”

I told her that I would be certain to tell my AA sponsor that I have been conditioned to drink a full bottle.

She then gasped and said, "Oh I didn't know you couldn't drink" 

I said, "No, sorry, that was just a joke" (oh brother)

I have been drinking wine since I was a child. 

My dad allowed us to drink his dago red he made in the basement. 

No big deal I thought it was gross.

As an adult, I think differently. 

One bottle of wine is 2 glasses a piece for Rick and me. 

And it's not like they are 2 tumbler size glasses either. 

So, when do we have leftover wine? Never. 

She said well what if a friend wants white wine and you are drinking red. He/She can just have a glass of white wine and it will keep again for a long time if he/she doesn't have another glass. I again explain that I do not see the value in this gizmo. It's not like I'd be throwing away a $200 or more bottle of wine so again no issue for me. In fact, knowing my friends there is no leftover wine. 

On a regular basis, we are not drinking terribly expensive wine. And when we do drink some expensive wine on an occasion, trust me we don't feel pressured to finish it, it is our pleasure.  I begin to push my cart and walk away.

The woman and her sidekick followed me!

Now I am getting a bit pissy.

I mean it was funny when you know me how this just doesn't fill a need for me.  But now she is being a bit much, I said no, c'mon lady.

I turn to them both and say as nicely as I can, "I appreciate your strong sales skills but when I said I don't want to pay this, I don't need this, and I could overcome each objection you gave me doesn't that tell you I am not interested? Would it be better for me to walk away and possibly think about it and maybe realize you are right and I'll return and buy it? Or follow me and piss me off and I will never ever even consider the product even if I needed it desperately?"

The kid looked at her and this woman wouldn't shut up - "Well it will save you money."  I smiled and walked away again. They did not follow this time.

Holy shit! She was tenacious that is for certain.

Who the hell buys this?

They kept telling me if I was having a dinner party.

I have had many and not once have I had a problem with the wine.

I will be honest if it was a white that someone loved and they brought it and didn't finish it, I tell them to take it home. We don't care for white wine. Truth be told my friend who loves white always brings her own. If I know she's coming I have it for her - she has never felt the need or pressure to finish it but always does because, well, she's my friend. It's how we roll.

Look we have a '97 Cabernet that we got a case of while in Sonoma at the Jordan Winery. We had a private tour because they don't offer tours. This wine is not cheap to me. It may be to the pretentious wine drinkers, but it isn't to us. We savor this wine. We have 1 bottle left and we are saving it for our 25th anniversary in a few weeks. I have no doubt that we will drink the complete bottle and have no need to save some for a later date. 

I have never uttered the words, Oh, I just can't drink another glass of wine after this one glass.

Nope, this product isn't for me.

Boobs

I was walking to the sofa as Rick sat in his chair.
I was hoping to sip my warm coffee and watch a bit of TV.
As I am walking from the kitchen Rick is staring at me.

I ask in my best snarky tone, "Whatchou lookin' at?"
Rick:" Tell your breasts to stop staring at me."

He's an idiot. Blog fodder, but an idiot none the less.

Speaking of bridges.

Once again I thought I told this story but for the love of God, I can't find it anywhere. So bear with the old bird as she tells it again.

It was around 2002 I think, give or take a year or 4....tee hee
I was traveling for work as I did weekly.
This time was a meeting in New Jersey.
I was at the Newark airport.

It was crazy weather and it was early winter time.
Flights were delayed and canceled. In Newark, it was pouring rain with fog but no snow. But flights weren't getting in so planes weren't there to board.

All of us on a flight to the DC area airports were all delayed for hours.
We received no updates and I was getting so frustrated.
I went up to the desk too see if there was any additional information. If not I was thinking I'd rent a car if there were any left to be rented. It was now dark and I had been here since 2:30p. 
I was told it was indefinite delay right now. 
That was all I needed to hear, I was getting a car if I could.
I got on my little flip phone and called the car rental agencies to see if they had any left. They had a car. I booked it and said I'd be right over there. I gave him my card # so he would hold it until I could get the shuttle over there. 

For the last 6 hours, I bonded with 2 women trying to get to Baltimore.
I was heading to Dulles in Virginia. When I reserved the car I went over to the nice women I'd been chatting with. I said, "Ladies it is now almost 9pm, they know nothing. I just rented a car and am driving back to Virginia, want a lift to Baltimore, it's on my way?"  They thought that was fabulous. They wanted to pay me. I told them that was just silly, my company was paying for this not me. 
I had to get home and they pay for me to get home one way or another so let's just go.

It was pouring rain and it was coming down in sheets. We all got in my car and looked at a map. Yes, this was before google maps and apps on a phone. No smartphone for even mapquest. No GPS, stone ages. 

The passengers were 1 white woman in her late 40's who was in NJ to visit a family member who was terminally ill. The 2nd woman was an older black woman from California. She was much older and a tiny little thing. She was going to Baltimore for a funeral in her family. Both had their luggage checked so they had no luggage with them just had to wait until they got to the airport.

As we got into our rental car the older woman took to the back seat and asked if anyone minded. I told her I had to drive so wherever she was comfortable was just fine. Just a few minutes down the road the woman in the front seat asks if we can stop for something to eat. So we stop at a rest stop and we all got something to eat and used the bathroom and off we went.

We chatted about life. Their children, their spouses, and the death of the family member the woman in the backside was going to see.
Then 'it' appeared through the fog and rain, the dreaded Delaware Memorial Bridge.  I inhaled loudly. The woman in the front said, "You okay?"
I explained how I feel about bridges and I don't normally drive over them, Rick does and I close my eyes. 

The sweet woman in the back says, "I don't think closing your eyes will be a good thing right now" I agreed. 

I took a deep breath and exhaled and moved forward. 

We were all silent while going over the bridge. 

You could feel my tension in this car. I felt bad but I couldn't talk. 

I had to stay in the middle and just focus or vomit.  We were all quiet. 
Then as we drove over the highest part and I am holding on to the steering wheel so tightly my hands are a different color, the woman in the back blurts out, "I won't have any clean panties for tomorrow's funeral" 

OMG, that sounded so loud after the silence. And out of nowhere, I might add which made it all the more hilarious. The two of us in the front seat are now laughing our asses off. That broke the tension just like that!

 
I was on the way down so to speak from the highest point of this damn bridge and was feeling better. Then we all asked, what the hell was she talking about it.
Apparently, it had just occurred to her that with her luggage being checked at the airport and they wouldn't give it back she will have no clean underwear for the morning funeral service.  Oh, how this made us laugh. If stores had been open at that hour I would have certainly gotten off an exit to shop for this sweet woman. 

I have never forgotten this impromptu female trip. 
These ladies were just so lovely. I don't even recall their names. I can only see them in my mind's eye. They saved me because doing that trip alone in the fog and rain and that friggin' bridge would not have been fun for me while alone. 

And to be honest, I am not certain I could have done that bridge if I were alone. 

So, they really helped me. 

I dropped them both off at the airport in Baltimore. The woman in the backseat with no panties used my cell to call her family to let them know we were 30 minutes from the airport so they would meet us there. I dropped her off first, met her family and they thanked me. The man that was picking her up tried to pay me. 'I told him it was covered by my job, no problem. Just get this woman's luggage in the morning, she needs her clothes. The woman winked at me. We hugged and I left her with her family.

Then I dropped off the other woman at her car in the parking lot. She thanked me for getting her home that night. (well it was morning now)  The rest of the people who were booked on that flight, by the way, were still in Newark NJ, and would be until tomorrow morning's flight out. If that sweet older woman had not gone with me she'd have missed the funeral. So it worked out and I was thrilled for her. 

I always seem to live around these damn bridges or have to travel on them so you'd think I would be better with them. Nope.
I hated the bridge from Seattle to my home in the eastern 'burbs too.
And that one was not high in the sky. 
Oh no, it was just barely above the water....to me.

This bridge was called The Floating Bridge or Mercer Bridge. 
It went from the eastern suburbs and Mercer Island to Seattle. It would rock or sway and only once did water come over to splash and I swore I was gonna die. 

I really just don't like bridges. 

I always thought I was going to die in Seattle. There was always something that scared the shit out of me. Hurricane Ridge was something I visited once and vowed if I lived I was never ever going back up there. Ever. I did not wish to plummet to my death. Beautiful once up there but it was getting there and leaving that was frightening as hell.  
But that has nothing to do with a bridge now does it? Nope, I've wondered with my fear of hanging from a precipice haven't I? 

Here is the floating bridge that brought us into Seattle every day. 
Looks like it is floating right? Nothing better than swaying in the wind. 
I like water but I don't wish to die in water. I am a woman of phobias, hear me roar. 

I will leave you with the beauty of Hurricane Ridge. If my head was not down on the seat while driving up and down the one lane to get there I would have had beautiful photos. But I couldn't look. I swore we were all going to die.

 This is where we parked and these were the majestic Olympic mountains I saw immediately upon getting out of the car. 

 At one point it was similar to this photo below where we were above the clouds. And I realized I was level with these pointy pines. Gorgeous though right?

I don't do too well with the idea of plummeting to my death and it was a phrase I said way too often while living there. 

One down one more to go.

I am wearing elastic waist pants as I type this. 
I am not eating or drinking for a month. 

We left for the shore on Thanksgiving morning.
It was so damn cold. 27 was the high. 
This is the oddest year of weather for our area.
The wettest on record. Now we are dealing with the likes of cold which we don't normally get. Yee-haw.

The traffic was non-existent heading to Maryland's eastern shore.
We drove through VA around the DC Beltway, up to Maryland and then we had to hit that God awful bridge. I hate bridges. Always have. But at least with Rick driving, I could close my eyes. It's not as high as the Delaware bridge but it's still a bridge and I'd rather not look while I plummet to my death.

We arrived in 2 hrs and 5 minutes. Record time. They only had a suite left for us and we took it. We didn't have to pay for the 3 room suite either. So that was sure nice. 

Now Denny and Kathy were still at their hotel. The meal was at this hotel.
We got settled in and boom - they were here. I brought food as I am inclined to do. To quote my husband, "I have a need to feed"
I don't but he loves to say this. 
Just because I put out food when people stop by doesn't mean I love to feed people.
You can't not offer them goodies and something to drink. 
That is just good manners.
But he likes to tease me so there it was. He was making fun of me....again.

We had an hour to spare until our meal. Rick and I had not eaten breakfast so we'd be nice and hungry. Denny and Kathy did the same thing.
I put out some appetizers I made and we opened a bottle of wine.
We chatted and had a glass of wine and before you know it, it was time for dinner.

Our room was on the 2nd floor. We took the elevator down and realized the restaurant was on the 2nd floor so we rode back upstairs. The restaurant was literally down the hall from our room. We took the long way. It did make us all laugh. 

The dining room was one full wall of windows. It was pretty but even looked cold out from inside!
The buffet and dessert table all looked fabulous. 
Unfortunately for us, the food was dreadful. Just dreadful!
I could only have the ham and some veggies.
The brussel sprouts were not fully cooked. The beans were far worse. Overcooked, limp and the so-called 'almondine' was nonexistent.

The ham was so dry you could barely get it down. I had a couple of pieces and just said, enough of that.
The 3 of them told me stuffing and turkey were both dry and flavorless.
The mashed potatoes were dry as well.
The only thing anyone liked was the crab soup and the shrimp. 
The desserts they said weren't even good. And there was no pumpkin pie. Who doesn't have pumpkin pie with a Thanksgiving meal?
When I wanted to bring the one that I made my hubby made fun of me. 
Ha - now you'd like a piece of that, wouldn't you funny boy?

We went back to our rooms grumbling about the cost of this and no one was stuffed. I put out all the appetizers and Rick apologized to me that he made me leave the pie behind. We sat in the living room and laughed and drank, ate cheese, crackers and a few other assorted appetizers I had actually made. They all thought it was great that we had a kitchen and living room here to at least hang out and chill. 

Kathy was her omnipotent self. I realized it is very important to her to be the smartest person in the room. So once I figured that out and just let her go, it's easier for me. She may be wrong with her facts or opinions but just let it go. 
I was just going to let all her shit slide off me and I did it well. 
I was proud of myself. 
I heard it, I processed it, I laughed internally, I moved on. 
That was my secret for the 24 hrs. It worked and I wasn't the least bit stressed by her. When she was acting and talking all important I would nod. When she wouldn't shut up and she was talking over her husband who was speaking I would get up and fill up my glass. By the time I got back she was either done or Rick told her to let Denny finish talking. 

Denny, on the other hand, is a shorter version of Rick. 
He is such a good soul, a really good man. And by God he makes me laugh. His warmth radiates and his storytelling will have you on the floor.
Over the years I had heard stories of his Cadillac ambulance. 
Think Ghostbusters. But then he and Rick got to sharing these stories and the cross-country road trip and oh my goodness how we all just laughed and laughed. 
Yes, Denny had one of these vehicles. Exactly like this.

He told me the story of being laid off from his job. 
He decided this was the perfect time to hit the road. 
It was the 70's and it was funny to think of the things he did that we just couldn't do today. Pick up a hitchhiker and just go see the Eagles play.
It was the year Hotel California was released (76) Concert tickets were less than $15 can you imagine?

He did this for one full year from 1975-1976 just traveling the country in this ambulance.  He talked about how today he would never have met all the people he had. There was no social media to alert anyone he was coming. No stranger danger as there seems to be everywhere today.
The more different, the better, not fear because they didn't look like you.
He made lifelong friends along the way that he still sees and talks to today. 
Oh but some of the shenanigans were a hoot that only he and Rick could tell. Rick did a minor road trip with him from the midwest home. But they found enough trouble along the way in that short amount of time, trust me. 


Denny and Kathy left around 9:30p - 9:45p. They were going to tour Annapolis in the morning. Since we used to live in MD when we first came back east we've been there done that a million times. So we opted out.
We had the glorious morning of sleeping in past 5a and we both tried. Oh, how we tried. At one point I whispered, you up? Rick began to laugh and said he was indeed up and it was pissing him off. 

So no dog, no reason to not sleep in, yet we couldn't.
We had a far better breakfast at the same hotel restaurant than we did Thanksgiving dinner. 
We got our things and headed out to pick up our dog.

We came home and unpacked and Rick proclaimed he was doing nothing today. Okay with me.
At one point we all took a nap. Izzy on one side of the sofa, me on the other and Rick in his chair. It was nirvana.

This is from our patio off the living room.

 This looks very cold doesn't it?

 Rick suggested I go sit on our patio. I suggest he jump in the Chesapeake. It was too damn cold to enjoy a patio table. The view from inside was just as nice....and still looked damn cold.

Housecleaning of sorts

I obviously didn't write my last post well at all because you all had some wacky thoughts and I realize I was the cause.

1. Rick picks out his own glasses and always has. If I picked them he wouldn't have worn what he has been wearing for 20 years. He always likes me to go to say, those look bad, those look nice on you. 
I hate the style he always picks but I do tell him which ones I like better than the other ugly ones he has chosen. So no, I have never picked his glasses or anything he owns ever. He would not like that nor would I, I am not his mother.

2. He has been told a few times and he has noticed several times that "I have a type" Both of the Rick's in my life were very very funny. Both tall. (yep I like'em tall) Both lovers of dogs, water and boating. Both liked me. Just to name a few.
So Rick seeing the photo of the ex with new glasses and Ex's new glasses looked just like Rick's glasses. Well, that was it, that made him feel like he had to change it up. He had a tinge of jealous and didn't want to have the same thing as him.  

3. This had nothing to do with him wanting to change up his look. It was only because he didn't like the idea of the Ex having the same exact style. I mean the guy is dead, but whatever. 

Okay on to a few other things.

I am going to the shore for Thanksgiving and having to deal with that awful woman Kathy The Great all over again. But this time it's for hours, not just lunch.

Rick and I are staying at the Inn where the dinner is. We got a room and felt it would be nice to have a day/evening for us. We will drop off Izzy and then head over to the Eastern Shore and have Thanksgiving with Denny and Omnipotent Kathy. It's about a 3 hr drive give or take. Should be easy driving on Thanksgiving day....hopefully.

I will probably not have a lot of food choices so I will eat salad, ham, drink wine. Hoping for some sort of veggies and preferably not that awful stuff with mushroom soap.I saw there was ham on the menu and I love ham and hate turkey so that was a good thing. I just don't like Thanksgiving food except for the desserts which I can't eat either.  Thankfully growing up this was never an issue in an Italian American household because the turkey and stuffing and casseroles were at one end of the table and I ate from the other end of the table with wedding soup, antipasti, lasagna, meatballs, rolls etc. I didn't need no stinkin' turkey. 

Denny and Kathy are staying at a different hotel. I lied and said we'd never stayed at the Inn before (that part was true) and we really wanted to just stay there for the night and not have to drive somewhere else. (like to their hotel)
She bought it, had to tell me that they charge a spa fee even if not using the spa and that it is overpriced etc. I just listened. Honestly, that woman must drive Denny insane but they've been together for almost 40 years so he is either really in love or he just can ignore her better than I can. 

It's a fancy Inn on the eastern shore with a spa and all kinds of things. Of course, it is overpriced. But the room was $10 more than the hotel she is at. But we are only staying for a night and we didn't book a suite or anything. We just didn't want to be at the same hotel and have to see them at breakfast too. I am certain they will come to our room after dinner for dessert and wine. I am bringing both. Then I want her gone for another year because I am a bad human.

We took down our patio yesterday and it looks so sad.
It always looks sad with everything covered and the plants and flowers all gone. 

I do believe we have to do a new patio/deck next year. It's 19 years old and the boards have seen better days. We would like to replace with a composite but it may price prohibitive. This is not our forever home so wood may be the replacement as well. Ah well. 

I'll leave you with some funnies.
I hope all of my American readers have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

This falls under  -Don't buy a dog while drunk

Jealousy

Rick is not the jealous type.
He never has been. 
When we were just friends I would see him with the women he was dating and situations would arise and yet he just never got jealous. 
When a man hit on his girlfriend at the time I asked him about it and he told me if she wants to leave so be it. 
I don't play games he would say. I am secure enough with myself to walk away. 
I have never seen him jealous in my life about any aspect of his life, career or love. 

He is secure enough in our relationship that he knows I would never do anything to make him feel differently.
Besides, I always tell him that he can leave me but I'm going with him. 
That makes him laugh every time. He thinks I'm kidding. HA.

When I was asked to go to Vermont to see my ex-husbands family everyone seemed so concerned about how that would make Rick feel. 
I must admit it didn't occur to me that it would be anything but normal.
I wasn't going to see my ex, just his family who he knows I love. 
To me, that was a big difference.

He has met my ex-mother in law Betty several times as I have shared here. 
My ex has one brother who lives around these parts and he has shared a few meals out as well as at our home with drinks and laughter.  
I just assumed it was not a big deal. But since everyone else was asking me this over and over again I thought I must not be seeing this clearly.  
So I asked Rick if he had any concerns about me going up to Vermont.
He said and I quote, "Heaven's no! I think this will be a nice visit for you. You should go, there is a lot of love and history there." unquote.

But people persisted on this line of concern for weeks. 
Finally, I told him that everyone keeps asking me about you and if you are really and truly fine with all of this.  
I expressed concern that if I was missing something he would tell me right? 
He laughed and said, "Why wouldn't I be okay with you going?"
"I don't know Rick, that's why I am asking. I guess we just don't think like others."
"Well, Margaret, we don't think like other people that is why we found each other."
That made me chuckle.  He's right about that.

Then when I came back from Vermont I showed Rick some photos. 
I was telling him how damn beautiful what would have been my niece and sister in law were.  I went onto facebook and showed him more photos.  
He saw a more recent photo of Doc, my ex.
He noticed and commented that they both had the same style of eyeglasses. 
Hmm...

Fast forward to a week ago when he had to take his new eye exam prescription to get new glasses. I could not go and he told me he was a big boy and could pick out his own glasses. Well, yes he is a big boy. 
Yet, all I could think was if it is the same way he picks out his clothes this could be a nightmare. Besides, I don't pick them out or he wouldn't be wearing the same damn glasses forever. I just say yes those look nice or no, they don't look so good on you. 

He came home and proudly explained that he got something different than what he has been wearing for the last umpteen years. 
I asked him what they looked like.
"They have a small rim, he says, and they were a dark gray-blue." 
I immediately laugh and said did someone tell you they were blue-gray?  
He said, "Yes the pretty young thing who was helping me."
"Okay, that makes more sense since you would never utter the color blue-gray."  
He would have said they were blue or possibly gray but I know him well enough to know he would never say they were blue-gray.
He is now laughing and nodding his head in agreement.

I told him that I thought that blue-gray would certainly show off his blue eyes. 
But I admit inside I was a bit concerned having never seen him in something like this. I asked if he picked them out and he told me the young lady helping him told him that her grandfather wears these. 
She made me try them on. 
Oh Oh, How could I not laugh at that grandfather crack? 
He said, "I know,. I remember when women found me attractive. Now I'm their grandfather!"
Oh, the male ego is cute. 

He came home yesterday with his new glasses. I love them. 
They look good on him.  They are a much more modern look and it is always nice to update your look.
They look very nice on him but because this is so new I keep seeing the glasses.  
I know that eventually, they will be just a part of his face once I get used to them.

Last evening I asked him what made him change it up?  
Was it the pretty young girl directing you? I reminded him that unless I ask you to make a change you are not one to change things up with clothes, hair or for that matter anything if it's not broken.
His comment floored me. 
He said, "When I saw those photos of your ex and we had the same glasses I thought it was time for a change" 
Wow. That photo bugged him apparently.

Ah, now that is a weird place to have jealousy. 
I just smiled and gave him a kiss and told him he looked great!
Men.

It snowed 3 months early

Every Thanksgiving weekend we take apart our living area on the patio.
Patio table and chairs are covered. The umbrella gets packed away for sunny days to come.

Our gazebo is bolted to the deck so we just take off the top fabric to save it another year from the elements.
We put all the sofa cushions and pillows into big patio containers and everything is covered and ready to sleep until next spring.

This year we missed this all together.
We got snow already. (and it's gone already)  The cushions are wet and heavy.
This will take some time to drive before we can put them away.
This weekend it should be sunny and I will splay them all over to dry and then get things packed. 

It was a big 2 inches of snow. Most gone now except where the sun isn't shining on it. It rained in the afternoon so it was pretty much done and gone. 
Perfect really. 

Izzy and I went out at lunch and walked in the woods and had some fun rolling in the snow. Izzy did that is, not me. I stopped rolling in the snow at age 60. :-)

Izzy never ever will look directly at the camera. If we get her face full on it is because we tricked her somehow. Yesterday as soon as she saw me hold up my phone she turns her head. She will not look no matter what I say. I said I had a treat and she moved her eyes to the side but not her head. I am standing out there just laughing. This dog has such a personality and makes me laugh constantly.

I was damned determined to get a straight on photo. I kept saying her name and I knew I was bugging the shit out of her. Izzy, Izzy, Izzy. Finally, I said, "Izzy c'mon just one picture of your pretty face." She turned and looked right at me, with her eyes closed." I laughed so hard I could barely take the photo.
How does she know?  Honestly, this dog is something else.

Is it really a Good Thing?

Amazon is coming to town.
Sort of like Santa only it makes things worse.

They are moving a headquarters to Arlington (as well as Queens NY.)
Locally the one in Arlington is a place called Crystal City.
Now I have only gone to Crystal City for hotels and restaurants.
I honestly didn't know there were residential homes in the area.
I thought it was just by the airport and it was hotels and places to eat and a lot of it was underground. You can google it for yourself to see all the underground stuff.

Well, now that Amazon is coming they are changing the name to National Landing. WHY? I don't get that at all. Amazon wants it changed. I guess Bezo's gets everything he wants including the huge tax breaks.

Changing the name has everyone a bit riled up here. It is like when Washington National Airport's name was changed to Reagan airport I refuse to call it that and just don't. At the time this occurred it was after Reagan had fired a boatload of air traffic controllers when they wanted more money and threatened to strike etc. 
I was working in the industry at the time and Reagan caused such damage to the industry and caused so many issues that naming an airport after the idiot was the last thing one should do. You know like naming a woman's abuse and harassment center after Cosby and Trump. DUMB.
I don't think locals will be calling it National Landing instead of Crystal City.
Just like I still call it Washington National Airport.

The news this morning discussed how it will affect traffic. Oh dear. Just when you think it can't get worse here. 12 miles is now an hour what could it possibly be - walk and you'll get there faster?

They discussed how it will affect rent and buying a home. They said the following is based on the effect it had on Seattle when the hdqtrs was built there.
Here are some stats I copied from the story  -.
They expect home prices to skyrocket due to this by 2022. Just what we need.
The average home cost in Arlington is $641,300 & will jump to $922,071 by 2022. 
The average home cost in McLean is $521,000 (I wish, where do they get that number I have never seen anything that low!!) to 730,368 in 2022
The average rent is $2000 a month and they expect it to be 2500.
Again, I don't know anyone paying less than 2K a month so how is that the average?  

Either way, they expect Amazon coming here with 25,000 jobs will make a huge difference in our lives. Hmm.... I think it will but not sure it's a positive difference.

I realize I live west of this in the 'burbs. Our average home price will rise I am sure as well. When it jumps it may be a good time to move. Houses sell here very very quickly. But if I can get more money out of this, it sure will help me move. Sadly move away from here.
I don't want to, but I am not retiring house rich and cash poor.....I hope.

I am not sure why everyone wants to be a headquarters for Amazon.
I would have liked to see this in a more depressed area to help people get jobs.
Our unemployment is very low. (2.4%)
But they went to Queens NY and Arlington. I am not sure what they were looking for other than tax breaks and renaming/branding the area to be all about Amazon. 

A good thing? Jury is still out on this one.

Oops, I did it again!

I typed 5405 instead of 5404.
That meant Rick went to the wrong house - again.
This just happened this morning.

He saw a few cabs in the driveway which he thought odd.
He rang the bell and a nice man who's English wasn't great answered the door.  He was very very friendly. 
Rick told him he was there to look at the bathtub for their estimate.

The man brought him through the house into the kitchen.
There sat a few more men at the table. They all wore a turban or headpiece on their head that I am sorry to say I do not know the proper name if there is one. 
They were all Muslim men.
They were making breakfast and chatting around the table.

The man shows him to the back door and Rick was thinking, that is an odd way to get to the bathroom. Then he said will you need a ladder?
Rick laughed and said, I hope not. I am here to see the bathroom guys.
They thought he said the roof.  OOh, they say and laugh heartily. 
Another who's English is better is teasing this man who asked Rick about the ladder. There was a lot of laughter at this point.
The man tells Rick there is someone in the bathroom right now, have a seat and you can wait.

Rick sits down at the table to wait. They are all laughing and talking and the TV is on. The TV is all in Arabic. The man sees Rick looking at the TV and he says, "We are doing this so it's secret to you" Rick laughed.  
He said they were all so friendly and happy. 
Some things said got them roaring with laughter as well as Rick. 
(But I feel if I type it here I could offend.)
He chatted with them about the taxi's in the driveway, apparently, they all drove a cab. 

Then as he turned his head, they put a plate of eggs, sausage, toast, and home fries in front of him and told Rick to enjoy some breakfast with them. 
Rick said, "thank you guys but I am not here to eat, but thank you it looks great"
At that moment the man walked out of the bathroom and looked at this white guy like, "who are you?"  Rick stood up and extended his hand. He told him who he was, what company he was from and repeats that he is here to view the bathroom for an estimate for your landlord. 

The man was certainly puzzled now and told Rick, "I bought this house 1.5 years ago I don't have a landlord." Rick asks, "Is this 5405?"  The man says, "It is."
Rick said, "Well  I seem to be at the wrong house I apologize."
Then all the men stood up to shake his hand and ask again if he wanted food to go.  Rick said he did not, but he may stop back later because you guys sure are fun." 

As Rick walked to his truck he called the number I gave him for the tenant. (thankfully that number was correct) The house was 5404, across the street.
When he arrived at 5404, the tenant said I saw you going over there but figured maybe you were doing work for them too.

Needless, to say Rick called me after that estimate while heading to his next job. 
Thankfully he was laughing this time. He said, "these men were so nice and welcoming, I wish our customers were that nice."

Whew, he wasn't angry this time. I may have to thank those guys myself!