High Brow Conversations

 All in the U.S. that are currently under this heat dome have been miserable for weeks. 

Every day they say, "heat advisory, stay indoors."

The news last night said, "Heat advisory. The elderly should not go outside for any length of time." (The heat index was going to be 114 the next day)

Rick: We're the elderly, right?

 

Me: Sadly, I think we are.

Rick:  Maybe they should add that the elderly shouldn't go outside and just stay inside and take a nap.

Me: Oh, wishful thinking.

Rick: Maybe they will say Heat Advisory. The elderly must stay indoors, hydrate, take a nap and have sex, not necessarily in that order.

Me: So, since the news media didn't say any of that, I don't have to partake, then do I? 

Rick: No, no, that isn't what I meant!

Too late - Gotcha Rick.

Boring Around Here.

I called a few companies for some work we needed done.
I power-washed the house, but I couldn't do the two sides with the peaks. The one facing the street didn't look bad at all. 

The side facing the driveway was horrific. Black and icky. Yes, that is the professional term. It doesn't get any sun on that side, and it looks terrible.

Since neither of us could do the high part, I decided to see what it would cost to power wash these two areas.

I got all the rates. Most of the people I spoke to were men, and all but 1 were short and rude on the phone. I made appointments anyway.  

1 showed up with an outrageous bid, so I assumed he just didn't wish to do this. No one else showed up.

Then I called this woman I saw on Next Door. OMG, she was fabulous. Super professional and kind on the phone. We went through what I wanted. The sq footage of my home, etc.  Her rates start at $99 for the entire house!

The others wanted 3x that amount for just the two areas I asked about.

None of them offered a price for the whole home, which, if you're in sales, you at least have to put that out there. But no one did. She did, and I took her up on it. $99 for the entire house and garage was fabulous to me.

I gave her my address and she showed up on time.

She sent me a text telling me what she would like us to do before she gets there.  It was already done.  (Well, you know me)  

She wanted to start at 8am.

I didn't really want that, but I also know with a heat advisory and temps at 102, she probably wants to get as much done in the a.m. as she can.

I don't blame her. 

She was a small woman, and I wondered how she was going to do this, but she was kick ass.  I honestly thought she might have been in the armed services. She was very precise, hard working, and nice.

I did ask her if she had been in the service when she was finished. Her husband is, but she never was. Having worked in DC for so long and all around military bases etc, they just have a way about them.  

I happen to like that for an employee or company.

 

Our movers, when coming to North Carolina, were a company built by all retired service men and women.  Oh my, were they good.  

She seemed like that to me.

At one point, she was doing the front porch and was at the front window as Rick walked past. He said, "Good thing today isn't naked Tuesday"

The nut job.

Rick went outside to see her work and say hello. When she left, he said, "Ooh, high cuteness factor."  

That made me laugh. Yes, she certainly was a looker.

We have an area of 5 x 5 at best that needs to be cleared.  

I'm afraid of the snakes, so I am not doing it.  Rick is not getting back there with machetes and/or saws. This butts up against a fence. My neighbor told me to watch out for the copper heads. Oh geez.

So I called a few people. Again, out of 5, 2 showed up.  One gave me a price of $700, and I was told it would take 3-4 hrs. Wow, that's a lot of money, I thought, but I wanted to run this by Rick when he got home from the gym. I could be way off.

Rick felt it was crazy high as well. We waited for the last guy to show up.

We figured $300/350 would be where it would land.

The last estimate was 1-800-Rent-A-Teen.  Levi shows up on time and walks back to the area with me.  He said, "Afraid of snakes?"  Yes.  

He assumed that was why I didn't wish to do it. He was right. 

He showed me his boots; he said they can't get through these.  

He asked a lot of questions, and then he recapped everything I wanted done to be sure we were on the same page. We were.

That evening, I got my estimate. It was $125. 

Gee, that is better than $700.  

He said it would only take 3 hrs.

I booked him for August!

I am also going to ask him for a price on removing the gardens.

He's so cute and young. My God, freckled face, strawberry blonde.  But once you get him talking about bull riding, he just lights up.  Is there a future in bull riding?  

The kid was cute.  He was only 18.  He graduated at 16 he told me.  He is a bull rider.  This is his business/work, but he loves bull riding. He showed me a video of himself.  That is just another thing Peggy will never do, sit atop a mean ole bull. Nope. (Oh there is a dirty line in there which is killing me not to cross)

His reviews were all 5s.  He had over 80 of them. So hopefully, he is as terrific as his reviews on NextDoor.  I'd like him to do another project if this works out.

I miss my free handyman!😣 It kills Rick to pay people for all the things he did easily before.  I told him to win the lottery, and you won't care. He plays weekly.  He won a whopping $40 the other day. He got gas. Woo-hoo.

That has been the excitement around these parts. Pathetic really.

It's hotter than hell to all of those under this heat dome. 

We can't do anything outside for long. It's a killer out there. 

Each day, around dinner time, it storms. Horrible storms with winds etc. 

Last night it was much later than dinner time. It was just as Rick went to bed at 11p.  I wanted to finish this show I was watching, and I was wide awake. 

I kissed Rick goodnight and settled in to finish the show. Then the crack of thunder and the lightning. It was a light show outside. It was so loud, and it lit up my front porch like the lights were on.  I closed the draperies. I do not like thunder and lightning.

Then the lamp began to flicker, and then the TV flickered. Then, a very loud clap of thunder and the lights and TV went out. I went into the bedroom because Rick could not be asleep that fast.  I opened the door, and he said, "I wondered how long it would take you to come in here after hearing all that thunder"

Oh, he knows me so well. But I wasn't tired.  I'm talking to him and he is already out like a light. He sleeps best in thunder and lightning storms.

I am wide awake in them.

The lights came back on as I was leaving the bedroom.  

I finished the show, screamed at the TV because the ending was stupid!

I went to bed and tried to sleep.  I lay there for an hour.

I got up and went back into the living room.

I turned the TV back on, and I don't even know how it happened, but I fell asleep on the sofa within minutes. Why can I sleep on the sofa, but I lie awake in my bed for hours, staring at the ceiling and listening to Rick's breathing? 

I'd pay someone for a really good, accurate answer to that.

Random Thoughts

I can type a bit. This will teach me to stop holding my phone.

In the evening, when Rick is watching some testosterone movie or show, I will play a couple of games I have on my phone. Both are used to help with memory, so they state. I think they are just addictive. They are free, and when an ad comes up, that is when it's time to pee. That's what the ads are for, right?

Rick has been watching a lot of those lousy movies, and I have been playing a lot.

I have a condition called Phone Hand. My thumb is really painful, so I must not hold my phone in that position anymore. However, it has also helped me quit playing games on my phone...for now.

______

We watched the Billy Joel documentary Part 1 on Friday night. Did you see it?

This Friday is part 2. I love Billy Joel, and I enjoyed the documentary so far. 

I had all his albums (yes, I'm old, I said albums). His music was a soundtrack to my life. I saw him in concert once, and it was a long time ago (1983)

I think they are parading all of his wives out for this. His first wife got him where he is if you ask me, and you didn't. She is a damn fine-looking woman of 83.  Classy woman. (Billy is 76) I wouldn't use that term for his next wife.

Should be interesting.

________

I'm wearing my hearing aids a bit more. Each day is longer but it's not better.

I hear my feet walking across the floor. I have it at the lowest. I contacted them. They told me that all I'm experiencing is normal. My brain has to learn this connection.

I think I may take a refresher course in American Sign Language. Rick and I still will use it from time to time. Just remember, just because someone may sign me something, it does not mean they can't hear. 

If I have learned anything since taking ASL is that if you see someone or a couple or a group of people gathering, all speaking in ASL, don't talk about them. Someone could hear you.  Remember that story about my shoes?  

________________

Rick has always had an issue with being on time. But since the stroke, it's worse.

His appointment on Thursday at the doctor was at 2:20p. He left at 1:20p p.m. after pacing for an hour.  He can't be still if he has to be somewhere.  It's a 15-minute drive, so he'll be early, and he will flirt with the women at the desk as he loves to do.

I have now begun lying to him.  Telling him we have to be somewhere at 3pm when it's actually 2pm. He's ready anyway, and I don't have to watch him pace and be antsy, as well as make me antsy from his pacing. Not nice, but I'm going to give it the ole college try. 

______________________

I hate my hearing aids.

_______________________

We have an area by the back fence that needs clearing. Saws, things that I can't use.

I also don't like standing in there for fear of snakes that are everywhere here.

Rick is not using his saw and other big tools like that either. So I called a company.

Oh my goodness, it was a $700 quote. A patch of 5 x 5 with a few things between the two fences. Nope. I will take a chance on losing a limb first. 

My neighbor suggested I call Rent a Teen. Levi is coming to give me an estimate on Friday morning. He did great work for her and was reasonable. She told me he had to have overpriced this because he didn't wish to do it. Perhaps.

Monday morning, I am having my home powerwashed.  I did most of it. 

But I can't do the one side of the house that is very high and above the garage. 

I can't hold those things and be on a ladder.  I am clumsy first of all, and then add my other issues of health, and I think it's best if we both stay off the ladder with the power washer.

The woman who owns this company also does the work. It's $99. She insists the whole house, and Rick said to let her. But what about what I did? He said, "Let her do it again." She is not going to go under $99. But when she gets here, I think I will ask about just the one side and see what she says.  If it's $99 either way, go for it. 

I think that is so fair. I found her on the NextDoor App and everyone raved about her. We shall see.

I will do the driveway and sidewalks because I love power washing. It's the ultimate for someone who is a bit anal retentive, as Rick likes to say.  

It truly makes me happy.

I'm sure there is a 12-step program for me, and I'm game. Will they show me crime documentaries while there? Oh wait, that's another addiction. Oops.

________________

The other day we both saw this meme and a commentor said to watch this guy talk about male brains vs female brains. So Rick was making dinner and it was my turn to do nothing.  So I got the YouTube app on the tv and began looking for this.

OMG, it was funny to us. It starts out a bit slow, but my goodness, he is spot on.

Rick yelled into the living room, "What are you watching? It sounds good?"

So I paused it.  We ate dinner and then we watched it. It was a marriage retreat or some such thing. Sounds dreadful, I know. But it was so funny. 

It was like a stand-up talking about men and women and our differences.

At one point, when he talked about men doing a certain thing, I looked at Rick and said, "So it's your whole damn species then?"  This made sense to him now, too.

Oh my goodness, it was interesting.

It's a long show, like a stand-up comedian special. It may not be for all, but Rick and I found it funny. But then you all know we are twisted and weird.

____________

Monday, Monday

Oops I did it again.

Struggling to type or hold anything. Nothing serious, just phone hand.

I'm also struggling with the new hearing aids. I wore them for 2 hrs. I'm to slowly get used to them. 

I was told the first week would be difficult. Oh it is.

I'm beginning to think missing out on conversations is far better.

I have to rest this left hand. Thankfully I'm  right handed.

Friday

Today is a heat advisory here.

This morning on TV, we heard them tell us nonstop not to go outside if we didn't have to.  They kept talking about that dog gone 'feels like' temperature of 102-110, depending on what suburb.  Guess where I'm at?  

Again later, they interrupt morning TV to yell - Stay inside today if you can.

Rick and I said, "No problem." 

It's too hot for him to work in the garage, so he is underfoot. I think we went outside more when we lived in Erie, PA, with 100 inches of snow!  Ah, that sounds good right now.

Last evening as we were watching television I noticed that Rick had on his wedding band.  When he works in the garage he takes it off. So I may not see it on him for a few days. I shared that I noticed and his new ring looks good.

Rick and his ring went to the dermatologist yesterday.  His doctor is a knockout. She is a tall, thin blonde. Her skin is like porcelain. But then, a skin doctor shouldn't have a face of acne and warts now, should she? 

When he told me she was gorgeous, I did believe him. But then, when he had the melanoma surgery, I went with him. I saw for myself that he underplayed how gorgeous she was.

I digress - He made a remark last night about her and his wearing of his ring, which included how the whole body skin exam went.  

It was funny as hell. I burst out laughing, and when I caught my breath, I said, "I've got to write this down. This is blog fodder." 

My phone was dead, and I was being lazy.  

He said, "Oh, you'll remember or I will, don't worry."

Famous last words. Oh, I'll remember.

Neither of us can remember what he said when I asked him this morning.

He said, "We laughed about this. How the hell could we forget?"

"Old Age," I tell him.

So you see, I had a very funny story to tell you, but it's gone now.

Instead, I'll do some Friday memes

This poor man!

Please note my restraint of not one  meme of the Evil Mango Mussolini.

Talent

You have all heard me moan about not having a talent. Everyone around me has so many, and I just want one damn it.

Kathy over at The Second Half of My Life made poker chip sacks to store her husband's poker chips.  She had a really clever idea. I am envious of people with talent of any kind. Being short sewing would sure come in handy and save me money at the tailor.

I can't sew. God knows I have tried. I enjoy knitting, but I'm not great.

Everything I have tried, just makes me realize I'm not really good at anything.

My high school boyfriend/1st husband was an athlete. I am so not.

He wanted me to jog with him in the mornings. Back in the day when there were no sports bras. He would wrap me with an ace bandage so I'd run with him. God, I hated it, but I did it.  I was young and stupid. 

Then he wanted me to learn tennis so I could play with him. Apparently his racket was da bomb and I just didn't get it.  So I tried. Oh how I tried.  He got angry at me and said I wasn't trying hard enough, no one is this bad.

Yes, there is, me.

He gave up in utter disgust. But that had nothing on golfing.

He was in a bowling league.  I lived in a town of Beer, bowling, and bingo.

I don't enjoy any of those 3.  My ex even bought me my own bowling ball with my name engraved so I could go bowling all the time with him. 

Oh he had many a 300 game.  His name in the paper etc.  I couldn't get past a 110. Usually less. I was great at the scorekeeper and they didn't have electric ones at the time.

He also liked to golf.  Again, I tried. "Put your arms closer to your body," he'd yell.  Okay, but you'll see that my boobs get in the way then.  He laughed when he saw that it was what happened, and he just threw his hands in the air and said, "Okay, I give up."  Whew.  I told him I could get a breast reduction, and he said, "No, you don't need to golf."  HA

He taught me how to water ski.  I was pretty good at that. But the only reason was that I hated being bitten by fish, and I didn't want to be in the water.

Yes, you heard me bitten by fish.  More on that later.

He was a good baseball player. Never made the majors, only the minors. 

Thank God he never asked me to throw a ball. I am certain he knew better.

Then I met Rick.  He can build anything. (before stroke) He can make things out of nothing. He can do everything but plumbing. Before he went into the white collar world, he was an electrician in the 70s.  So he can do that too.  So I have this man who can do anything he tries and does it well.

I want to feel that, just once.

I'm very good at being clumsy.  I am very good at reading.

Woo-hoo, great skills, right? 

I am not an athlete, and even if I were, I couldn't do most things with this chest.  And speaking of chests - Simone Biles.

I love Simone Biles. Everyone asks her if she is going to retire.

I know the answer is yes.  How do I know?  She just bought herself a new pair of Boobs.  If she doesn't retire, I am certain it will be an adjustment for balance and the way she throws her body.  So, to me, after seeing her, and she looks great, I believe she is retiring.  She's done it all and is the GOAT, so whatever makes her happy!

Now, back to water skiing.  Everyone was amazed at how fast I got this and how well I did.  I didn't blame them, knowing how pathetic I am at most things.  But again, I didn't want to fall into the water, so being above it was all I needed to do, and it worked.  

The first husband would get so mad at me and yell, "Nothing is biting you for God's sake, Margaret."

I gave up trying to explain.

Fast forward to Rick in the water with me. 

I'm telling him how those little fish bite me.

He laughed and said, Fish don't bite, Margaret. He was laughing at me big time.  I wasn't going to argue because no one believes me.

Years ago, when we were at our lake house, we went for a boat ride one afternoon.  

We anchored the boat in a cove and jumped out and put some lawn chairs on the sand. After a bit, we were both warm and went into the water. I was only waist-deep.  

Rick saw a fish come up to me and break skin - a sunfish!  I jumped and yelped, and he said, "OMG, I saw that.  It drew blood."  

"No shit, Sherlock," I yell as I am leaving the water to go back to my chair on land.  

He sits down next to me and looks at the mark.  

He saw the blood. The bite isn't big, but it will always break skin. 

He just kept saying, "I can't believe this. Those sunfish will always make bubbles around the hair on my legs, but I didn't know they could bite".  

"Now, do you believe me?"

"Yes, I do, and I'm sorry I made fun of you before. I told you that you were sweet meat"

Oh brother.

I told him he needed to call my ex and tell him for me.

Now he understood why I could ski so well. Rick couldn't ski for shit.

I finally could do something he couldn't. It was a nice feeling for a change.

I was offered a job as a stager right before we were leaving N.VA. It's something I would have LOVED to do. She was sent to our home by the realtor to stage and change anything that needed to be changed.

She walked through the house with me and said, "I wouldn't change a thing." She asked if I had a designer. Nope, I did this.

We went back downstairs and asked if I had ever taken design or staging classes. No, I just enjoy that type of thing. 

"Would you like a job?"

I said, "My God, I'd love to do that, but I'm leaving the area."

She then said, "If you decide to stay here or come back, please call me. Youre very good"

She made my day, month, and year. So maybe I could have gotten good at that, who knows?

I was great at my corporate job.  I know that, and I was paid well for it.  

But it's not a talent.  I'd prefer to sing, but that's hopeless except in my car, sitting in traffic. 

One of these days I'll find one, but time is running out.

What is your talent?

Rain Rain Go Away

It's been stormy here. Most of the East and Midwest are dealing with flooding, various storms, and general misery. It rains every afternoon around 5p for hours. Not like in Florida, where it rains in the afternoon for a quick sprinkle.  

When I was a kid, after a summer rain, it smelled so good to me.  

The weather was a little cooler, and the humidity seemed to go down.

As an adult living in the south, I don't find any of that statement to be true today.

It was only 100 the other day, and it stormed. Power outages, several inches of more rain, and wind.  But when it stopped, we went outside, and it was hotter and more humid.  The temp that night went to 89 as our low.  So much for hoping for cooler weather. I don't know that there is a place that is cool right now. 

We are thankful we are not in a flood zone, but then again, some areas like Chapel Hill are considered a minimum risk, and they were underwater, and several businesses and plazas are completely shut down and/or lost.  

I hope wherever you are, you are high and dry and you have blue skies and sunshine. (and cool temps like 75)

Due to all this rain, we've been indoors a lot more. 

We made popcorn one afternoon and watched a movie.

Oh boy, did I make a bad choice. Yep, it was Peg's choice, and I messed up.

It was called The Watcher.  It was on Netflix.  Have you seen it?

I saw all the great actors in this and thought, let's give it a try.

I should have assumed it would be creepy, but apparently I am a ditz.

Rick said, "The name didn't give you a clue?"

As it got more and more creepy, I couldn't sit and watch this. I had to move around. I folded clothes, did laundry, etc, all the while listening to this.  

I played a game on my phone while Rick was so entrenched in this show. I'd watch but with one eye kind of thing.

I watched it all the way through with him. Well, sort of.  He loved it. I knew it was based on a true story, so I shared that with him. His response was, "OMG I'd have moved out of that house the first day all that shit happened."

I reminded him of when people told us that same thing when we lived in a haunted house.

Well, that's different, he explained.  Those were annoyances from dead people. These are people who are alive and want to hurt us.

I actually saw his point, which made me laugh a bit. Yes, I'd have moved out probably before the letter arrived. LOL

Have you seen this?  Still, it was less frightening than the news, that is for sure.

Gym Day

Ever since Rick had a stroke while driving, I've been paranoid when he drives somewhere alone.  The first time his life was saved was only because someone (me) was in the car to take the wheel from the passenger side of the car and get us to safety.  Over a curb, but better than the traffic hitting us that was coming right towards us.

So, we have this little ritual, which seems silly to all but me.

Rick is thankfully cool with it. He leaves for the gym, and he texts me when he arrives.  He also tells me when he is leaving and heading home. 

Wednesday, he texts me, "I'm here."

I respond, "Yeah! I think I have Rick disease, though. I can't stay vertical for long this morning!"

A couple of hours later, he sees my text, and he texts me the following, 

" I know the feeling, my bass is dragging by O'Day"

WHAT?

My response:  "Are you trying to speak like an Irishman?"

Then he sent me this meme from the car.

I couldn't disagree.🤣

 

Sad Conversations in Our Home

Rick was working in his woodshop, and he came in to cool off for a few minutes.  (No a/c in the garage)

As he walked from the kitchen to the bathroom, he left a trail of glitter as well as it was all over his chest and face.

I asked, "What the hell is with all this glitter everywhere? Is there a stripper named Misty out there?"

He said, "No, it's Candy. She's a hugger"  as he wipes the front of his shirt.

I, as usual, laugh. 

Pretending that I was angry, I told him to not talk to me as I walked out of the room.

Smart ass says, "Gee is that all it was gonna take?"

A finger may or may not have gone into the air at that point as I was walking away.

Selfies

 First picture of us together. Not a selfie. 

 No such thing back in the olden days.
1987. We were 30 and 31. (I was almost 31)

I guess if I hadn't been on his lap in this pic, we'd never see my ugly mug. (which is actually just fine)

The last few pictures of us together are below. 

In Ricks' defense, he looks awful in all of these photos, but at least you can see him.  I have so many of these "head" shots that my cousin took them all off Instagram and made a collage and sent it to us framed for Xmas.  

It made us laugh so hard.  

This one below was so long ago I had brown hair. LOL 

Actually, it was right before covid 2020. He was kneeling in this one so I got my ugly mug in this shot.

Honestly, I have only taken one selfie of myself to send to my sister about my gray in the front of my hair.  She said she couldn't picture me with gray hair, and please, whatever you do, do not go full on gray.  Oops!

Other events this week - 

I climbed onto the countertop this past week from my step stool to reach something. As I turned around to get down, my shirt caught on the door handle. I had a hole in this shirt, and of course, it went right through the hole!

I began to laugh.  I twisted and turned and couldn't remove it from the handle. I just couldn't.  I had to get down before Rick came in or he'd have a helluva time making fun of me, and I didn't need that.

So what did I do?  I took off my shirt. I literally wiggled out of it somehow. Damn if he doesn't walk in right then as I am on the 2nd step of the stool with my shirt off.   He says, "Hey, it's not even naked Tuesday!"

(We have never had naked Tuesdays yet he continues to hope)

I told him I was really warm and had to take it off. He bought it. Whew.

But not without copping a feel. Honestly this man loves boobs. 

Thankfully, he doesn't come to my blog, so he will never know I was stuck.

The last time I did this was in the early 90s and he took a picture of me before he even helped me down, the ass.

I get made fun of and teased all day long. It's Rick's favorite sport.

I do not need to add to his list of things to tease me about. 

So been stuck on the countertops lately?

Taken any selfies?  

But I'm Only 35!!

For some reason, the song by Delbert McClinton that says, "I used to worry 'bout being rich and skinny, til I wound up poor and fat,"  This song played in my head as I pretended I was still 35 and making $$$$ and was not chubby. Ah, but I wound up poor and fat and OLDER than my mental capacity can grasp.

Look, I know my chronological age. But honestly, I feel like I'm still 35.

Then, of course, my age hits me in the face. HARD.

This week I got glasses. Not readers, glasses. WTH?  

This week I got hearing aids.  What is happening?

Why does a 35-year-old need either of these?

My ENT doctor said my ears looked great. Big deal, they look great. 

But they aren't great. Rick said," But you have cute little ears."

Oh, please, they are not cooperating. Cute means nothing, buddy.

Because my hearing loss is moderate, he suggested that over-the-counter would be fine for me.  He and the audiologist felt that I didn't need the ones he sells just yet.  He said I should have my ears checked in 2 years.  He gave me 2 companies over the counter that he recommends. 

I also checked BBB and Consumer Reports, and both of the companies he recommended were the top 2 on both lists. So I am getting an over-the-counter type, which is far easier to buy than the big deal ones, money-wise.  

Glasses and hearing aids.  All in one week.  Talk about my age hitting me in the face.  I am going to go back to being delusional.

Next, it will be antidepressants.