Tumbling

Had another fall. I'm either really clumsy from a standing still position or I've got an issue.

I think I was pushed.

Yep, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Yep, maybe a ghost, you know how they love me and hang around me.

Or maybe it's a new gymnastic routine. I mean not everyone can do this when standing still. I'm friggin' gifted. 

An old chubby gymnast. Hey, it could happen.

I'm off to get my quarterly eye injection today. I'll tell you, I just have too damn much fun in my life don't I?

See you on Thursday.

Random Items.

 

Do you have a QR code app?  If so, please open this. My goodness, it's hysterical. 

Well, I shamed the Big Guy, and I'm okay with it.  I posted that garbage can photo on my Instagram. Oh my goodness. Guess what?  He put the roll in the can. 

I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, and I get an eye injection on Wednesday.  My life is so filled with fun and adventurous things to do, isn't it?  I think about how my life was so full. Well, it is now too, with doctor appointments. :-(

_______

I was looking for a post. I swore I wrote about it. DB's comment made me think of it. I found a ton of stuff I forgot, but not what I was looking for.

So I am going to repeat it. Then again, my memory has become a sieve, so maybe I'm not repeating it. Oh dear. 

We were returning home from visiting my family in Erie PA.

On the way home, we stopped at a rest stop. I got gas while Rick went inside to use the restroom. I was waiting for him in the car.

He got in the car and said, "Oh, Margaret, I am so sorry."

For what?

He proceeds to tell me the "bro" code for the restroom. I chuckle.

He says this guy's member was so large he could see it peripherally.

When he zipped up he took a quick look.

He told me the girth was the size of a Coke can. Ouch. 

Don't be sorry babe. I don't think that's a good thing.

Really?

I feel even worse, he says, that I got a glance. You just do not do that at the urinals!

Is it like those things on a horse during a race, so they can't see to the left or right?  Yes!  It is written in stone. I get it...sort of.

I am still not sure what bothered him more. That he snuck a glance or the fact that he felt so inferior. 

Either way, it made me chuckle. I don't understand men sometimes, just like he doesn't understand me at times, I suppose.

______

This morning, there was a commercial for OCD with Howie Mandel.  Rick suggested I look into that. I laughed. I said, "I'm not Howie Mandel.  I'm just a little OCD."

Which, of course, drew loud laughter from him. He rattles off a couple of things I've done. Normal, all normal I tell him while laughing. Doesn't everyone go to a stranger's house and want to straighten the pictures on the wall?  I don't do it, but it makes me itchy.  I do it only to relatives. LOL

He then shared that it is just one of my many quirks, and he likes quirky.

Whew, good things 'cause I know I am. Personally, I think he likes these things because it gives him more things to tease me about. And boy, how he loves to tease me 24/7.

As a little girl, my mom used to tell me when I'd be upset that the boys were teasing me that it meant they liked me. I didn't believe her. But I think it keeps this guy around. 😂

______

Rick used to scare me with some things he'd do.. He would visit me in Cleveland and leave post it notes all over my apartment. I, of course didn't see them right away. He was clever.

The first one was after he left. I went to the grocery store and came home and put a couple of bags on my table. I noticed the napkins in their holder had the pattern going in a different direction than how I put them there.

I freaked out. Someone has been in my house. I was scared. I slowly looked around. No one was there right now. I called the office to ask if anyone had come into my home. They insisted they had not.

My napkin holder was square, and you would lay your napkins in it.  The pattern on the napkins was going a different way than I had placed them in there. I was a bit frightened. I would never lay them this way so who did this and when?  Rick claims no one, but me and Howie Mandel, would have noticed this. I don't believe him.

I noticed that a bunch of the napkins were not only going in a different direction, but they weren't all aligned. As I type this, I realizee how sick I sound. 

Anyhoo,  I picked them up, and there it was. A big ole post-it note that said, "messy messy girl" and I knew it was Rick.

Once, when lying on my sofa, I looked up at the ceiling fan. I had a cathedral ceiling, so I could not reach it. I saw something flapping as it turned. I stopped the fan and then couldn't see it. I borrowed a ladder from my cute neighbor. I then saw that it was another post-it note, or as he said, "fan mail from some flounder"  (bullwinkle reference) 

He left one in my flour canister. That one was dirty, so I won't repeat.

My cousin was visiting with another cousin. We were waiting for her. She was in the bathroom when we heard her laughing. I said, "Dare we ask what the hell she is doing in there?"

She came out of the bathroom holding a Post-it note that popped up when she took a Kleenex out of the box. It said, "Achoo, achoo, I love you.

How long had that been in there since I've been using tissues all the time?

I've learned to live with his teasing. I figure if he ever stops, that is when I'm in trouble. 

_______

Rick saw a photo of the two of us at the baby shower we just went to. It's the first time he really saw himself.  He was so upset by this photo. He kept saying I look like I'm mentally challenged.  I began to say something and he said, "Please don't be funny. Do I really look like this now?"

God, it broke my heart. Yes, he does. He kept saying I look like I'm the R-word.

I told him he was still cute.  This really has bothered him for days. Funny to me that he just noticed this. But it's like weight, I suppose. When you see yourself in a photo and go, geez I have gained a few lbs.  

He keeps looking at this picture. I know just from that, that this is really bothering him. Then yesterday he said while staring at this picture, "My haircut looks good though."  That made me smile. I said, "Did you tip your barber?"  Oh yeah, she got a tip.  There he is. My Pig.

_________

I gave him a haircut recently.  But he struggles to shave well. For his birthday, I got him an old-fashioned shave at this cool place in Raleigh. It's a gentleman's barber. No women. It's dark with wood and manly. They serve cocktails. He will get a full hot towel straight-edge shave. I know he will enjoy this. 

When I was a barber, I loved doing these, but it took me a while to get there. Not as fast as the boys, that was for sure.

My dad would come in just for shaves. 

I no longer have a straight edge, and honest to God, I would not try this after not doing it for almost 50 years. 

In barber school, I was the only girl. We practiced on one another. They shaved my legs. My instructor asked if that would be okay.  I said sure!

I grew out my hair to help them. Thank goodness it was winter.

I knicked a guy, and he bled. He said he'd get me back and not to worry. 

He laughed, but I wasn't sure he was joking. I worried when it was time for him to shave my leg. I'd roll up my pant leg to my knee and let them go to town. Not good on the ankles or knee, but no one ever caused me to bleed.

Sadly, I knicked a couple of guys, and they never wanted me to shave them. Thankfully, I got good at this because my father would let me practice on him as well as my balloons. Yes, we shaved balloons. Shaving cream and then shave the balloon. Yes, it did take me a while not to break the balloon. I was determined to get really good at this, so I practiced all the damn time at home. 

And I did get good at it, just didn't catch on to this as fast as the boys.

But I could do haircuts far better than any of them.

The customers who came to the school for services didn't pay much. I believe it was $1.50 for a haircut.  This was the mid-70s. Funny huh?  But they let me shave and cut my father's hair for free. And my dad took advantage of it. He loved the hot towels and the facial part of the shave.

These young men were great to me. When a customer made a very rude sexual gesture at me, one of them jumped in. Sprayed him with the water (he was in the shampoo bowl) and then asked him to leave. The instructor came in and only saw Jerry spraying this customer. He asked what the hell was going on, and I told him. He grabbed the guy and walked him out while holding his arm. The guy was yelling, "But my hair's wet." and he was still wearing his cape.

My instructor told him, "You're lucky that's all we did to you. Don't ever come back here."  

I was everyone's little sister, and they loved me unless it was my turn to shave them! Honestly,  I couldn't blame them.

If not in the US, you may not know that the nutjob Robert Kennedy Jr. wants to eliminate most antidepressants.  Oh, watch us come after him. Change peri to post menopausal and this is me.

Drives me Crazy

 This has nothing to do with his stroke. It's been 39yrs like this.

This is in our master bath. See the pedal? He doesnt even have to touch anything to throw this away. Yet, he sits it on top. 

I am refusing. How long you think it will sit there? I'm guessing until I cant take it anymore.

Wanna guess?

ARGH!!!!!

Celebrity Sightings

Have you ever met a celebrity?  Did you ask for an autograph?

I am a buffoon when I meet a celebrity. Often in Manhattan, I would see someone, and I wouldn't bother them. I didn't want to act stupid either. I didn't do anything, which they probably prefer.

Oh, he's/she's really short, which is usually the first thing I would notice. All these male celebrities are short little guys, I found. Robert Redford, for example. I had read he was 5'10".  I saw him, and he was not far away. No, he wasn't, but then I'm not my driver's license weight either. So there's that.  Anyhoo...

I only asked for an autograph once, and for the life of me, I don't know why I did that. It's so not like me to do something like that. It was Grace Slick.

It was 1983 or 84. The airport was fogged in, and we had given the customers breakfast vouchers. Since this was my hometown, there was only one choice of a place to eat at this one-gate airport.  

I went to the restaurant and asked her for her autograph. She asked if I was at the show the night before. I was indeed. She was very curmudgeonly.  I thanked her and went back to the pilot lounge. I told the Ops guy what I did. He said, "Get out, she's here?"  I gave him the autograph and told him she was really very rude, and I don't want it now.  He was happy to have it.

The 2nd "celebrity" was also a musician. No autograph, though. I was picking up a friend at the Cleveland Airport.  She asked me to hold her bag filled with pottery as she went to the bathroom.  

Someone bumped into me, and I dropped the bag and yelped, praying it wasn't all broken. 

As I went down to pick the bag up, I hit this man's head who had hit me and was trying to help me.  I looked up, and I said, "Oh my God, it's you"  (what an ass!)  

He chuckled and said, "Yep, it's me." 

He apologized and asked if I was okay, and I told him I was and thanked him.  

Why did I thank him? God, I'm goofy. He ran into me.  It was John Mellencamp.

As he walked away, my girlfriend came out of the bathroom, and I said, "You are not going to believe who I bumped into!" 

There was something on television about all this. It got Rick and me talking about who we'd want to meet and who he met. He called me after he met Stephen Wright, the comedian.  Rick was in Boston for work, and he was at the airport. The first thing he said was, "Man, this guy is short."  I said, I know they always are. What's that about? TV/Movies make them look larger? 

Rick was in Colorado when he saw a woman who was on that 70s show. She had an entourage as if she were important, and they parted the people and inconvenienced others so she could walk easily to her destination. Rick found it all humorous.

He couldn't watch it after seeing her like that. It really didn't sit well with him. I understood, but I still watched it, 'cause I'm a bad wife :-)

Rick told me he'd like to run into Selma Hayek or Lauren Shehadi.  

Oh, I know he would.

Rick does make me laugh. If you don't watch MLB Central, you wouldn't know the 2nd young lady.

It's the only reason Rick watches this with me, I swear. It is on at 10am M-F during baseball season. I record it and watch it when I can. Great Show. Lauren sits between 2 men. She is a classy baseball babe. They behave like siblings, and they are fun and knowledgeable.  I get why he thinks she is cute. 

She is, she is a badass baseball babe, and she's classy. Not many women on this channel that are any of those, let alone all 3. 

You see, one evening I hit the DVR to record a show that gives you the highlights of every game that just played that day.  I hit this show to watch as Rick sat down with his coffee. He saw this woman, and he yelled, "OH MY GOD, if she had pubic hair, we'd see it. What is she wearing?" 

I responded with, NOTHING. She had on a shirt with 5-inch heels. 

Oh, not a shirt like when I wear Rick's shirts. Oh no. 

This came to the bottom of her butt cheek. 

Stripper Barbie is reading the baseball scores and highlights while she just stands there. Giggles like she's had a lobotomy, and sometimes she just kicks her legs for no apparent reason. Makes me laugh every.damn.time!  But she is blonde, has great legs, and is pretty. So I suppose that means one doesn't have to wear bottoms or be smart.  Like Winnie the Pooh with long blonde extensions.

I like the highlight show, I hate the bimbo. She acts like a dumb person. It's not cute. I don't get why they have her on. And as Rick said, he didn't hear a word she said. I bet you didn't, Mister.

Why must the women on these shows all be dressed like bimbos?  Yeah, I know men are visual. But don't men want to hear the scores and highlights? 

I know they can't multitask and do both!

Lauren does not look like a bimbo.  We both like her. I told him if he runs into either of them, she or Selma, they are your hall pass.  I mean, they do run in the same circles, so it could happen, right?

Ghost Like

We're losing this game. Yes, I have on a baseball game as I type this. We haven't lost in about 11 or 12 games so this is gonna hurt. They look tired like me. 

Spent most of the day yesterday having blood drawn and talking to a very fast-talking neurologist.

More tests in the future. All this to find why I fall and my hands and feet cramp and lock in a deformed way that is painful. 

Just all the fun things that I've been dealing with since I became old as dirt.

I was doing the dishes, and I swear I think of the oddest things while standing at the sink or in the shower. You too?  

Whatever happened to the red thread that went through the band-aid so it was easy to open?  Do any of you remember that?

I cut myself, and I thought I would just bleed out before I got the damn Band-Aid out of its wrapper!  

I put on a pair of shorts the other day. Oh my goodness, am I Casper-like. 

Pale and pasty white legs. My niece, who is a beautiful caramel color, is what I wish to achieve with a tan. She laughs at me. But I am the most pasty white woman whose family is from southern and northern Italy. My dad was fair. My mom had olive skin. Lucky me, both my father and I had pasty white legs and skin.  

I walked out in my shorts, and my husband complimented my legs but then said, "You could blind people with those gams, babe."  I went in and put on jeans.

I wore a skort to the doctors and just decided to let them be blinded by the white legs.  It is jarring, but it's also hot. (80s) Tonight, self-tanner and see if I too can be a realistic orange like our fearless leader.

We've all heard this one before. I wish my Dad was alive because I'd send it to him. I heard this all my life. In the snow uphill, both ways, newspapers in holey shoes. Oh yes, we all heard this from Dad.   So this is why huh Dad?

What a Week.

Let's recap, shall we?

Monday, I had a day to regroup after our trip. Laundry etc.

Tuesday, I took Rick to the doctor's.

Wednesday, I made some meals I could bring to my mock trial.

Thursday and Friday, I was at the mock trial from 8am - 6pm
It felt like a busy week for me.

We were sent notification about where to park, what to wear, what to bring, what not to bring, and the food we would be getting. It stated that if we had dietary restrictions to bring our own food. They listed the food we'd be getting. It was all very nice. 

The email also stated to leave at 6:30am so that if traffic is bad, we will be there on time. If not there on time, you will be asked to go home. We were also told to dress business casual.

I got up at 5am each day. By 7p.m., when I got home, I was ready to collapse.  My brain was full.  In fact I said as much at the end of day 1, and some of the group laughed and said they so understood.

Upon arrival, we all were just mingling outside the conference room we were to enter. In the meantime, we had to show our NC picture ID and get our badges. I was number 24, which I had to use for the entire 2 days on all our forms.  

Because I had to use my legal name, I was Margaret on my name tag.  Most people call me Peggy or Peg, except my husband(s) so it was odd to hear Margaret.  I don't mind either. It was just odd to hear strangers call me Margaret.  I didn't say anything because it didn't matter. Just something I observed about myself.

We were all corralled into a meeting room in the hotel. They discussed what would be happening and reminded us of our NDA that we all signed.

We were not to talk about this trial to anyone. If they found out you did you will be sued. Oh great.

I can't even begin to tell you how much I wish I could share this experience.

While in this room there was coffee, pastries and fruit. 

Then the attorneys came into the room.

They gave us all a legal tablet and a pen for notes. We were also given a manila envelope for our phones. We had to have them on airplane mode during the trial. there were surveys, we'd have to use our phone to take a picture of the QR code to send us to the survey. Then the phone was back in the envelope

Man, I took copious notes. I felt like I was in school again. So much info.  It was difficult, fascinating as hell, and a real education. I loved every minute of this. As a Dateline junkie, I admit I was hoping for murder, which sounds terrible, I know. But it wasn't a murder case, darn it. But I still was completely and utterly enthralled with it all.

It started with the plaintiff's attorney.  He was very good. The slides, the explanations of the issues, the way in which he broke it all down, and his evidence was superb.

Then we heard from the defendant's attorney.  He was very bad. He was swarmy, and he played victim like trump.  He didn't show evidence as much as he said things like -  "They didn't tell you that, did they?  They are awful."

Quit being the victim here, buddy.  

This man could have been the attorney for Mother Teresa, and I would never have believed him. He was just so sleazy.  He never showed us evidence against what the other was saying, only condemning them and calling them stupid, etc. Sound like Trump much?  Thankfully, we got to mention these things.

After 2 attorneys for the defendant and 2 attorneys for the plaintiffs, we were off and running.  It was now lunchtime.  We were not allowed to talk about this trial amongst ourselves when not deliberating.

I got to meet some fabulous people and some real doozies.  Most were awesome.  All different demographics.  It was pointed out that I was the oldest out of the 42 people there. Great. I was the only one with gray hair that was for certain.  There were times during deliberations when I felt very old. 

Some of these kids were so impressive, articulate, smart, and so damn young. The women were brilliant. And that is no exaggeration. I was thrilled to be around people, and I was thrilled so many were so nice and kind.  

After lunch, we were back in the conference room for more attorney info.

Then we broke off into groups that were assigned to us.

I found my deliberation room.  Then the fun really began.

We had an attorney come in who was neither the plantiffs or defendants but in charge of this mock trial. He read things to remind us we can't talk about this if someone leaves the room to use the bathroom. We must all just stop talking until he or she returns. We can talk about anything but not the trial until the return of the juror. We can't go home and tell our partners. We were also given the rules for deliberation and papers to use for notes. 

When we were all in the deliberation room, one of the young men said, I think our jury foreman should be a woman. I have to say I was shocked. But he was young. Old men wouldn't say that. We all chose the same brilliant and beautiful young woman.  She impressed the hell out of me, and I told her so when we were all done. A lot of men did too. It was great to see.

The guy next to me was a pain in my ass. David. At one point, he said to me, "Sure, it is always the white men who do bad things, everyone thinks."  I said, then don't give us reason to think so. I smiled, and he shut the hell up.  Boy, he bugged me.  There is always one. 

We were all talking about this one point, and he leans over to me and whispers, You're Silician, aren't you?"  WTH? I said no and moved away.  He kept going until I said, "We can discuss when we leave this room."  

What an ass. He told me I must be. Yes, you know more about me than ancestry.com, David.   He bothered me for 2 days.  

During deliberations, everyone was nice to one another. The forman kept it moving. We went back and forth a great deal, and it was so good. At one point, I stuck my heels in. We discuss it for 20 minutes, when finally this kid says he sees my point and says it a bit differently. Then the men perk up. Justin, who was the biggest damn flirt, said I think she's right. Took another vote and voila, I swayed them.  Rick has always said if I were on a jury, God help the others because I am as tenacious as a pit bull. Okay, perhaps, but this was important. This was about people which is all I can say.  I'm glad they came around.  I did as well on other points. Everyone was respectful, but we sure got our opinions across. 

For the most part, we all agreed, which I found interesting. But some of the issues, while we agreed, we couldn't agree on what that meant for this case.  Hard to explain without telling you, so I'm sorry.  

By the end of Day 2, I was willing to compromise on one point.  I wanted to go home. It wasn't far off and there were only 2 of us who weren't feeling the same way. We decided to take a break and vote after our break.  We came back and made it unanimous. Whew.

We were done.

The attorney who doesn't work for either side came in and went over all the points and the 3-page document we all scribbled notes on. As we answered, he typed in our answers. That was another 90 minutes.

Then the dreaded question about the attorneys.  Brandon said, "Margaret said it perfectly, and we all agreed maybe she could share for you."

So I did share my dislike for the defendant's attorney and why. I even suggested that if this goes to trial, I'd surely want someone else if I were the defendant. The room all said yes at the same time. The attorney was shocked.  I can't imagine he didn't hear it from other rooms.

We were the first group to be done. This attorney was so impressed with our diligence and hard work. BTW, we were filmed the entire time during deliberations.  It was only 5:15p but he let us go home. YIPEE.

I will be paid $600 for these 2 days and $50 for 2 days of parking.

I get paid on Monday.  

I know this will be on the TV news. This is a big damn deal. I can't wait to see how it plays out in a real courtroom. I hope they get it right. (Oh, listen to me like I know!)

If you like this stuff, I would highly recommend doing it if ever asked. It was far more interesting, far more difficult, and far more fascinating than I could have imagined. 

Oh, and those tablets of pages and pages of my notes. All had to be handed in and shredded.  I had to leave everything there on the table in the deliberation room. 

So that's where I've been. 

Thursday night, when I got home, I didn't even want to eat. 
I washed my face and changed my clothes. Rick said I sat on the sofa and was telling him what I could, and I just fell asleep until 5am when my cell phone alarm went off. I slept on the sofa the entire night. Yes, I was dog tired.

I would do this again in a heartbeat, but I will dress warmer.

These hotel rooms were so cold that we were all shivering.

The 2nd day, I said, screw this dress code. I wore slacks and a tshirt with a sweatshirt over it.  

One woman brought fuzzy socks, a blanket for her legs, and was dressed as if it were snowing outside. That annoying man, David, who sat next to me, told me he dressed like he did on the 2nd day because I told him I was.  Okay, but please stop talking to me. :-)

Then there was Justin. He stared at me a lot and then followed me around, talking to me. I went to get coffee, and he said, "I could go for a Jack and Coke, how about you?"  I told him I didn't drink either. He laughed and said well, whatever your poison is, Margaret." 

He was 50 yrs old, what does he want with this old lady?  But he followed me for 2 days.  He was cute, but c'mon.  At the same time, it's been years since someone has flirted this obviously with me. I had to giggle.

At one point, they wanted to know about a topic. They asked if there were any older people here and how they felt about it. 

Everyone said my name. Gee, thanks, kids.  

I was asked to stand (this was the beginning) and I stood. I said, "My old lady opinion is this and here is why."  They all laughed, but geez, I'm tired of being the old fart."  

At lunch, someone asked how old I was if I was the oldest.  There was someone there who was 61.  I told them I was 70. She shrieked. I laughed and said,"gee thx" She said Oh, I figured you were in your 60s too.  I told her it was a nice save and winked at her. 

All in all, it was great for me. I will do this again if I am asked.

Sitting all day got to me. A few times I stood up during dilberations and walked and stood and moved my body a bit. All that sitting is something my husband can do for days. Not me, sadly. 

Would you do this?

The Drive

The drive was horrible. Worse than we imagined.

The windy roads of West VA were not fun.

The car we rented was a Buick SUV.  It was most uncomfortable.

Then, on the way home, there was a detour. Gave us an extra 55 minutes. 

We have never been so excited to see our little home.

The weekend was jammed-packed.  Not a minute of nothing, except the night we arrived. Most were coming in from the north, and it was only a 3 hr drive for them. They came down in the morning.

As is the case, we laughed a lot on the way down. Rick is telling me the back-handed compliments I'd probably hear. We played Guess Who Sang This Song? I won. He stinks, but he insists on playing because he is hell-bent on beating me, and it tickles me. I'm just as competitive as he is.

He made me laugh until he was a backseat driver.  We arrived at this rest stop.  He got out, grabbed his cane, and headed for the bathrooms.

I got into the glove box and took out the tape.  

When he got back in the car, I was holding the tape with it pulled out.

He went hysterical with laughter.  

I said, "So is this going on your mouth, or can you please be quiet?" 

 He said he was gonna try.  He did very good after that.  An hour later, we were quiet, and he began to laugh. I asked what was so funny. 

"That you really brought duct tape and you would use it."   Yep. :-)

There were no road signs in Columbus near the airport. It kept telling us to get on the International Gateway. We turned, but there was no sign that we were on this road. We heard this from everyone: how confusing this was. I was glad to know it wasn't just me, as Rick assumed. 

We finally get to our hotel. We drop off our luggage and unpacked. 

We were both starving. I brought lunch for the drive down and some pretzels but that wasn't enough. It was now 7:30pm. We wanted a real meal. 

We headed to the lobby. We bellied up to the bar. What a mess.

I asked for a T & T and they had no Tanqueray, only tonic.  

Asked if I wanted Bombay. Yikes, no thanks. I actually brought that back to a liquor store years ago because to me it tasted like Aqua Velvet.                  Okay, I will just have water.  No red wine, only white. Geez. A man across from us wanted a particular tequila, which they didn't have. Lucky Rick got what he wanted.

As we sat at the bar, people watching, a very pretty woman sat next to Rick at the bar. She said hello to us both. Rick said to me, "Doesn't she have nice braids?"  I told him to tell her because she indeed did.  

He told her, and she was all, "Aw shucks,"  

But we 3 talked and laughed the entire time. She was funny, and she was givin' Rick grief, which of course I enjoyed. 

She was heading off to Atlanta in the morning. She said she had to leave. Thanked us for a very nice evening, and that was that. We went to pay our bill and found out she had paid for our dinner and Rick's drink.  Wow.

They wouldn't tell us her room, so we asked them to give her a note. 

We can't believe she would do this.  She said we were nice people. Rick said we fooled her. :-)

It was so great to see my niece. Wowsa, has she gotten big, and I don't believe for a minute this baby is coming in another month. It will be sooner.

You asked, "What the hell do you know, Peg? You've never had children."  Correct, but I've seen enough. She was low and big, and she's ready to pop.

It was so nice to see my Mom. My sister, my cousins, nieces, and nephews. My goodness, my nephew is handsome as all get out. Again, have not seen anyone since 2019. 

I ate a lot, I laughed a helluva lot, and it was so much better than one assumed. But it wiped us out. We were tired. Saturday, after the main event Rick and I sat with family. I had coffee while they all drank. Then Rick said he really needed to lie down. I figured it was coming up quickly for him. He went upstairs while the rest of us went out to dinner. He slept for a few hours while we went to dinner, and I brought him back some food. 

So all in all, it was great except for the drive to and fro.

I will never do that again.

I miss the days of flying for free. So much better than driving. Sucks to have to pay to fly. Especially now that the service is far worse.

I flew to Maine once for 24 hrs. All my friends loved lobster. I went along. I had steak. They probably spat on it after the waiter called me "one of those," but I don't do seafood. It was beautiful there. We took a boat to this island, and it looked like a house. We ate there. Took a boat back to Portland. Headed to the airport and flew home. I miss those days. 

Now I have to pay (I know, poor me) or I have to drive. More often than not I prefer to drive. But this time was a mistake.  Huge mistake. North Carolina, VA, West Va, Ohio.  I couldn't wait for the straight, flat land of Ohio.

I avoid the camera like the plague. I hate having my photo taken. Hence why you don't see me much except old pics. But here is my sister and her daughter.  

Yes, we have a very multi-cultural family. White, Puerto Rican, Black, and everything in between. It works for us. Great food. LOL 

What I find funny is that they all feel like Italian Americans. They obviously had a very strong upbringing by you know who. As my niece said, I know good Mac 'n Cheese and Great Lasagna. That makes me smile. 

My sister's 3 girls from left to right (middle). My other sister's 2 children are on the right. The man in the middle, squatting, is the Daddy-to-be who is active-duty military home for the baby. 

I am glad to be home. I am doing a research survey/study for 2 days. I was asked if I was interested. They told me it was $600 for two days. That made me interested. So tomorrow at 8am, I am to arrive at the Sheraton in Raleigh. It is 8-4p I believe. We are given breaks and food.  I have a feeling this will be very, very boring. But I could use the $600 bucks so I'm going.

I signed up for clinical trials since there are so many here. Most I won't do. But there was one for Alzheimer's that I was very interested in, but they didn't choose me. I did another for being overweight, but apparently, only my doctor thinks my weight is an issue. I wasn't fat enough for this. I may have to eat more. 😉

Here is a song that Rick didn't win in the car drive down. I knew he knew the singer but he couldn't remember it. He says, "The one who just got new boobs."

Yes, she did, but that's not her name. It's a silly game we play in the car to pass the time. Her name is Beth Hart.

Exhausted

 Great trip but need a day to regroup and share.

On The Road Again.

I am driving 7 hrs to Columbus, Ohio, on Friday (Today)

I so miss Rick driving long distances. 

My niece's baby shower is on Saturday. Normally, I wouldn't do this. However, this young lady, being the youngest, has gotten the short end of the stick too many damn times. 

I also have not seen my family since 2019. 

My stepmom is so excited to see us. No one has seen Rick since his stroke. 

We rented a car. Our 18-year-old vehicle is great, but we believe this is a better choice. Besides, our radio died last week. 7 hrs with no Dateline or music? It can't be done.

We've planned a road trip package of food, good as well as junk, along with water. 

I think I've thought of everything Rick could need or want, including the mandatory road trip of beef jerky. 

Hopefully, the man will sleep so he isn't his usual backseat driver. I did put duct tape in the car glove box. I always tell him to just be quiet. I can see the car in front of me. Yes, I see that curb.  Oh, he drives me crazy. If he gives me shit, I'm going to pull out the tape at the next stop and tell him it is going on his mouth if he isn't quiet! I know he will laugh and shut up. Well, for a few minutes anyway.

My family has not seen me with white hair. I'm also heavier. Can I lose these 15lbs by Friday? Oh, Peg, your hair is somethin'.  Oh my, you've gained some weight, haven't you?  Oh boy, you're looking old. ha ha ha.  Yeah, that's my family.  Can't wait, can you tell? This is my immediate family, sisters, and step mom. Cousins, aunts, and others are all great and know enough to not say these things out loud to people.

Oh, I just can't wait! Root canal is a better day.

The co-ed shower is on Saturday. We will return on Sunday. Unpack and sleep for a week. That is my plan.

At least there will be alcohol. Food, but nothing I'll be able to eat, so I will eat alcohol.  I will smile as I do, and everyone will think I'm happy. Then I will go back to my hotel room, have a good scream in a towel in the bathroom, and then let it all go. Sounds like a plan. This is how good ole Margaret deals with her family. 

Here's to my family dysfunction.

And if that isn't bad enough, most are trumpsters except my nieces and 1 cousin who is attending. (and step-mother who hates him) 

Rick said to me last night, "I know you prefer that I not say anything, but I'm sorry if someone says something about that evil bastard, I am not shutting up." 

I begged him to let it go. They are stupid. You can't fix stupid!

Leave the table or walk away, whatever.  Don't waste your energy, please!

Will he listen to me?  He never does so, I am hoping this will be a first. 

having lived in a haunted house I get this. I'd rather have ghosts too.

Smells Like Grandma's House

 Remember when I shared with you that during my painful shoulder issues, I used cannabis for the pain.

I forgot to share this funny little boy in this story.

When we first moved here, this little boy would ride his bike by our house. He was 5. He would see the garage door open and come on in. He was in love with Rick and the tools. 

As Rick was building the deck, he wanted to know things like, what is this piece of wood for? What do you use this tool for? Can I bring this home mister Rick?

He drove Rick nuts, but in a good, funny way.  

Then one day, he doesn't see Rick in the garage with his tools, so he knocks on the door. I see him on the ring camera and say to Rick, "Hey, your little friend is here.  Note, I had just had a couple of hits of cannabis.

I open the door, and he asks if Rick is going to be out in the garage working today.

I said he will be in about 5 minutes if you want to go around back and meet him. Then the kid says, "Your house smells like my Grandma's house." and he skips down the sidewalk to the garage.

OH MY GOD. That made me laugh. Guess his Grandma is doing the same thing as me. We got such a kick out of that. When we saw his parents, Rick was telling him how this little guy needs some tools. His parents said, "So we have heard. He thinks you can build anything."

Cute kid, but I need to meet Grandma. :-)

Me

I'm avoiding things that need to be done.  

I have become a procrastinator since retiring. It's odd.

When my sister was here, my husband had to share stories about his wife's blonde moments, as he calls them. One of them is coming up.

I sure didn't think it was funny when it was happening, but I sure do now.

We were visiting Seattle, knowing we were about to move there.

We were dealing with all kinds of shocking discoveries, like how the women were hairy.  Sure, it only bothered me, but as I said to Rick, I will move here, but I will continue with hair removal. 

On one of the days there, we were not able to get into our hotel. It was blocked off with yellow tape and all these police and people in hazmat suits. The office told us that when we came back later, we should be able to get to our room.

It was a meth lab taking place in the hotel bathrooms. Guess we could have all blown up. We had never seen anything like this except on TV, so this was a weird day for us.

We went to get lunch at Red Robin. At the time, I had never been to a Red Robin before. As we were waiting for our beverages, I saw a placard on the table that said Cinco de Mayo.  

Again, this is 1993, and I had not heard of Cinco de Mayo. I know, hard to believe!

So knowing my grade school Spanish, I say to Rick, "What the hell is the 5th of mayonnaise?"  

Well, Mr. Rick about choked on his Pepsi. I got indignant. Why are you laughing at me all the time, I asked.  I know cinco is 5 in Spanish. Mayo?  

So what is the 5th of Mayonnaise, and why is this a big deal?

When Rick came up for air, he explained it to me. 

I felt like Emily Latella, on SNL, and just said, "Oh, never mind" with a sheepish grin, and boy did I feel like a Grade A ass.

So every 5th of May, my husband reminds me of this.

My little sister about peed her pants. 

They both decided that I have blonde moments to entertain them. Yes, that is why.

Well, at least I know it's my favorite day now, tacos and tequila are my favorite, so I will celebrate the 5th of Mayonnaise!

I've always been clumsy. Rick was also sharing with my sister of a time I was standing on the passenger side of his van. The window was open. I jumped through the window and twisted so I was sitting upright.  He said, "What the hell? How did you do that?"  I just did. 

You see, when I was young, I was flexible as all hell. I was a stupid high school cheerleader. I wore ankle weights and practiced jumping all damn day in my backyard. I could jump into a car, twist like on a trampoline, and sit upright. Flipped Rick out. Mostly because we were arguing and he wasn't getting away. LOL

Now, if I tried that, I'd hit the car door, fall backward, and probably get a concussion.  How the hell did this happen to me? 

I fell down the back steps of my childhood home, holding said sister. She was 4 or 5. I was pretending to throw her outside, and she was giggling up a storm. I lost my balance and went down the 4 steps. I covered her with my body, and only I hit the steps. She was giggling all the way down. 

Of course, the time I fell snow skiing and had to try out for cheerleading with a sprained ankle.  Another fall. So I have been playing all my falls over in my head. Accident-prone or something more?

In the meantime, I am going to wear only flat shoes. Which, I might add, I hate. 

So you can see I am clumsy. But of late, it has become worrisome.

I am falling a great deal. I get so dizzy. I walk into the kitchen and need to grab the island, or I'll fall. 

I mentioned this to my primary doctor, who is ready for maternity leave. I don't think her focus is where it should be. I list all the things going on, along with the falling.

She wants me to see a neurologist. Hmm.....

My husband put my symptoms into Dr. Google, and he has decided I have MS.

I don't think so.  My family has parkinsons but I have no tremor/s. So don't think it's that.

Oh well. 

I am sick to death of doctors. I am no longer in pain due to finding a good ortho, and my injections were put in the correct place. So I don't want to do this, but I think I may need to. Vertigo is probably all this is. But I don't know that they can do anything about that, can they? 

In the meantime, I will be paying bills today and sitting, so that should be safe. Baseball on the radio as I type this, and soon pay bills. If we win, it will be easier on the bill-paying job.😁

Tuesday

Our company left on Saturday morning. 

I slept most of the day after they were gone. I'm pitiful, aren't I?

The day before my sister arrived, I fell. 

I'll tell ya, being as clumsy as I am isn't easy.

I fell up the brick steps with the power washer in hand. My knee had somehow hit the brick step, and the right side of my chest had hit the corner of the brick step. It hit so hard it bounced me up, and I twisted and ended up going splat on my back onto the concrete very hard. Yep, up a step. Knocked the wind out of me.

Because I was coming up the front steps, the ring doorbell got it all. 

Rick heard the ring go off and opened the front door. I am lying on my back with one shoe on and one shoe off. One leg in the air and one down on the first step as I lie on the porch. 

My sympathetic husband says, "Whatcha doin', Margaret?"

"Oh, just taking a porch nap!"  

What am I doing?  Oh, brother.

After he hears my dripping sarcasm, he helps me up. I have a skinned, bloody knee. I am holding my right boob and told him it hurt. We laughed it off, glad that it was there to bounce me, we both thought.

But as the night went on, it was bad. I think I either pulled a muscle or cracked a rib again. Neither of which they can do a damn thing about, so I must rest it. Sure, I can do that with people arriving in mere minutes. 

Oh well, my clumsiness strikes again. It feels better to hold my right breast as I move about. My husband said he was willing to help me. What a hero huh?  I'll pass, buddy.

The first night she arrived after her 10 hr drive, she collapsed. 

She was so tired, and it was dinner time. I fed her, and she got settled into her room and her bathroom. We got into our PJ's and were sitting in the living room, and she decided she just needed to go to bed. Okay, fine, we get it. I'd be the same way after a 10 hr drive. She slept from 7:30 p.m. to 6am. That's tired or, for me a whole week's worth of sleep. 

The following morning, she and I were both up at just a bit before 6a.

We made some fancy coffee and sat in the living room, and as my family always says, "shootin' the shit."

We were laughing a lot. My husband came out of the bedroom and down the hall, saying he heard the Malizia cackle. (maiden name) 

I told him cackling was offensive. He said, "To me too this early morning."  We all laughed, and he grabbed coffee and joined in the laughter. My God my family and I can laugh. We do put the fun in dysfunctional.

My sister is 15 yrs younger than me. She and I have the same dad. Her mom married my dad after my mom died. She made me realize how much I've slowed down. Wow. She never stops moving. I was like this at 55 too, how soon I forgot. Seriously, it hit me in the face that at age 70, I am slower now. Damn it. I hate when my age slaps me in the face. 

We shopped. We had pedicures at a spa that were awesome!!

My sister likes to shop, so we shopped. I hate to shop for clothes, only stuff. I would like to shop too if I could go into a store, find something I like, and put it on and not hem it, fix the sleeves, etc. She is taller than I am. Out of the 5 daughters, 2 are what we call tall. 5'3" and 5'5".  The rest are all under 5'3" and some below 5'. We always joke that if they lined us up, they would all know who had what mom. One set got boobs and the other got bubble butts. :-)  You don't get both - more on that later.**

We ate. Oh, my God, did we eat. We did take her out to our favorite tacos and tequila joint. She LOVED the shrimp and fish tacos. Rick was in heaven because he loves seafood, and I hate it. So there was a lot of stuff I made that I hate, like crab-stuffed mushrooms, which they both moaned over. I guess those were very good. On an Asian night of food, I made vegetable stir-fry with rice and shrimp egg rolls, and egg drop soup.

I did so many veggie dishes I don't care to eat any veggies for a while. Do you know I crave meat now?  Who knew? After 6 days of no meat, I so wanted meat. When she left, Rick asked what I wanted for dinner, and I said a slab of meat. He just laughed, but I really am a carnivore. I never knew quite how much.

Then one afternoon, she was lying in the sun. Heaven forbid a Snowbird not go home with some color in their cheeks. 🌴

I sit under the gazebo and have another cup of coffee while we chat. As I sat there, my phone just stopped running. I brought it inside to charge.

It will not charge. It just stopped working. I noticed the back was lifting up. I went to the Verizon store, and they told me that meant my battery was fried. 

Great. So no phone for 3 days while I await the new phone. I hope I don't lose all my data. We shall see. So no pics from my week.

No calendar, and I know I have appointments that I will miss, and it's stressing me out.

** re: above comment.

I have a theory. Now I was the only girl on the northeast team where I used to work. One evening over cocktails after a long day of meetings, we were all at the hotel bar. I told the guys my theory. OH, MY GOD, they were crazy. The following week, I get an email from my friend Mark, who tells me that while on the beach in the Outer Banks, he told his wife my theory and now she helps me look at women, which he was thanking me for. That made me laugh.

You see, my theory works on the majority of WASP females. There is a 10% error, so to speak. This does not apply to hispanic or black women.

 

If a woman is at her fighting weight and she has boobs bigger than a C cup she probably has a flatter ass.

If a woman has little boobs, she probably has a bubble butt.

If she has both, she bought one. 

So when these boys went with their wives, they told them this theory, and Mark and Paul both shared how their wives would point out women on the beach, and they got to look without being yelled at. That, for some reason, cracks me up.

Miss Me?

 Been captured by visiting family.

Laughter, food, travel, and as my husband says, lots of cackling. 😁

Be back soon.

Random Items

 Well, you all convinced me that I should write to that bitch doctor who did the injection incorrectly. Rick was adamant that I do it.

I finally did last night.

Oooh, she did not like it. I was so nice too. Her response was terse at best. I wanna write back, but no point. It fell on deaf ears. 

I even said I did not wish to be a Karen. I was sharing this information so no other person has to suffer like this.  I appreciate all you did for me. yads yada yada

But apparently being nice wasn't good either because I could have been the real Peg and given her an earful. But I was professional, polite, and tried not to insult her "MD" ego.

Rick asked me after I sent it if I felt better. Actually, I do not. So be it.

Especially after seeing her snotty response. I bruised her doctor ego big time it appears. I wasn't trying to do that, you know. But she took from this what she wanted and, as usual, a doctor who neither listened in person nor via print.

_______

I finished the powerwashing of the patio. I took off all the covers to the furniture and vacuumed and cleaned everything up.  Got the rug out and powerwashed it too. etc.

My sister is coming from the very north (Erie, PA), and to her, 67 degrees is hot. So I know she will like being out there a great deal. She keeps saying she's bringing shorts, etc. I laughed and said I'm not as skinny as you and you may wish to have some warm clothes too, because you'll swim in my warmer clothes. I remember being a snowbird, so I get it. But it makes us chuckle. 

I finished everything. Came inside, made dinner, and collapsed.

I awoke to rain. NO. We were unaware of the rain coming. So were the weather people. So now I have pollen yellow dots on everything. Argh.

I sent her an old picture of the patio before the flowers and plants were out and she said she needs a nap out there. Made me laugh because that is what Rick says.  Case in point.

He is gonna kill me for this pic. Before stroke and when he had a belly. 

Speaking of my dinner. I can't use Shake 'n Bake for the obvious reason of bread crumbs being wheat. So I found a recipe online for homemade Shake 'n Bake.  I just substituted it with my GF Panko Bread Crumbs. 

OMG, it was easy and damn good. Better than the real stuff. I was shocked.

As Rick was chowing down his dinner, he said, "This is better than the original. You can certainly make this again!"  I said, "So can you!" 😉

We get these enormous chops from Wegmans.  They are the size of two chops you'd buy in a store. Thick and juicy and wonderful. Rick usually would eat 2 chops. Now that we get them at Wegman's, one is all he can eat. I ate 1/2- 3/4 of mine and saved the rest for lunch today. :-)

How about Bondi being fired? You know it's because she was to be subpoenaed, and she has all his secrets. She was with him and Epstein for years. We've seen the pics of them over 25 yrs ago at Epstein's parties.

This way, she can't talk. She wasn't fired cuz she sucks, which she does; she was asked to leave so she didn't have to testify. How dumb do they think we are? Oh sure, the Maga idiots believe everything he says, but those of us who've paid attention and have read in a book in our lifetime know what is really going on.

In other news - 

There was a post on Instagram asking, " If Canada let you in, would you go?

I wrote, "hell yeah,"  I can learn French past my high school French. I can eat poutine with the best of 'em. I love curling and Molson Ice.  (much better than ICE here, wink wink) I can learn their history and be a very good citizen. Not the biggest fan of their weather, but the people are great. 

Cold climate = warm people in my book.

Of course, BC has better weather, but not BC's biggest fan believe it or not, but still better than here now.

Boy, did I get grief. I had to block some men. Why are men so threatened by everything?

I saw a T-shirt that said Weak Men hate Strong Women. Spot on. I see this so often on Instagram. Boy, men get all nutso when a woman has power, smarts, or is a leader. That is so sad to me.  That shouldn't be a thing to be afraid of. I'm thankful I had a cheerleader besides me. As I climbed the ladder, he was cheering me on.

Then I saw a T-shirt that said trump should have been swallowed.  

OMG, it made me laugh. Could never wear it, though.

And the one my husband sent me that read, I may be a handful, but so are my tits.  Ah, Funny boy.  

Who the hell would wear such a shirt, I ask you????

And lastly, I am sharing that my sister is a vegetarian. We are carnivores.

She will eat fish and sometimes chicken. Strange but okay. 

I am making it work. I've got a menu planned. 

Then Rick asked me last night, "Hey, remember Bob M?"

Yep, where did that come from?

Remember how he came to a BBQ and had to leave because the smell of meat made him sick. 

"Yes, I do because remember he was so odd. I thought it was weird that he would come to a BBQ and complain about the smell of searing flesh. 

What did he expect, broccoli and tofu on the grill?"

We worked with this guy.

The manager had a house party, and he went into a bedroom and put a towel under the door so he didn't have to smell the meat. He spent most of his time in the kids' bedroom. Weirdo.  The manager's wife was so upset that she said she didn't know. I felt bad for her, not him.

Anyhoo, Rick said your sister isn't like that now, is she?  (this veggie thing is new) 

So I asked her, and she said she didn't give a @#!$ what I put in my body, she just didn't want to eat it.  Whew.  Not a complete weirdo. LOL