Puppies and Babies

The best way to meet people is to either walk a puppy or push a baby stroller. It is like wearing a magnet on your back. Young and old cannot resist coming up to you and starting a conversation. Since I walk Shelby in the backyard I diminish my chances of any encounters. If I have one, that would mean that a stranger has come onto my property. Not a good thing. On the other hand, I take my grandson to the mall or the town pool, so there is a wealth of new friends waiting to happen. Before I even put the brake on the stroller, a crowd gathers. Kids ask if they can look at him.  Their parents ask how old he is. Everyone agrees that he is cute. All babies are cute, so I don't let it go to my head. We exchange stories about what our own kids did at this age and how good it is to be pushing a carriage after 30 years. All in all, you cannot go wrong with anything that is a miniature.

Good Samaritan, Great Location

Yesterday we took the long ride to New Jersey for Thanksgiving dinner. So did everyone else. The fifty mile trip took almost 2 1/2 hours. We expected the traffic, so no one cared. As we were getting off of the Triborough Bridge (I am old school and will still call it Triborough), a man driving in the next lane started to honk his horn. It was the type of honk people do when they need you to roll down your window for directions. We rolled down the window and he said that our front passenger tire was very low. The car had driven well and did not pull to the side as it normally would when a tire was low. We thanked the man and then became worried about the tire being so low that it would become flat. At this point we were in Harlem, making the turn from 125th street onto Second Avenue, in order to connect to the Harlem River Drive. We looked at each other trying to figure out what to do next, when we looked 100 feet ahead of us. There it was, a BP gas station with an air machine. What are the odds of that? We pulled in and checked the tire, which was very low on air. We filled it up until it was firm and hoped for the best. We drove to and from New Jersey and the tire never lost air. We were lucky that a good samaritan cared enough to make us aware of the problem.

Happy Thanksgiving

Today is my favorite holiday. I will celebrate it with my sister's extended family. This year, I was asked to make the stuffing. I just finished it and it looks great. If people love it and ask for the recipe, I will tell them exactly how it was made. On Wednesday, I baked two homemade breads using Fleishman's self rising yeast. Early Thursday morning, I cut the homemade bread into small 3/4 inch cubes. I hand toasted the bread in a cast iron pot that I inherited from my grandmother on my father's side. I then put a chicken in a pot and slowly boiled the water so that I would have a delicate chicken broth to add to the lightly browned toasted cubes. (9 cups of water). I froze the chicken for future use. I then went in my backyard garden for carrots, mushrooms and onions that had been waiting for just the right moment to be harvested. I chopped them on a diagonal and simmered them in freshly pressed olive oil that had been made the previous week. I added golden raisins from my daughter in law's father's grapevine. I folded together all of the ingredients until they were at the peak of fluffiness. I baked the stuffing at 370 degrees for 45 minutes. OK, I really used Stove Top Stuffing, but I bet I made you smile. Happy Holiday.

Hectic Travel

The day before Thanksgiving is the heaviest travel day. This year it will be worse than others. The weather has been very erratic. I went to sleep shivering last night and woke up to 60 degrees this morning. Tomorrow it will drop into the 30's again. The storm that is disrupting the weather is also disrupting people's travel plans. Over 1200 flights were cancelled last night, just in this area. Nothing is worse than waiting in an airport and watching the board say "cancelled". At that point, things are out of your control. I had that happen once on a Jet Blue flight home from Florida. A storm in New York prevented our takeoff. I sat for five hours, thinking I would be an airport captive forever. I hope that the weather clears up and all of the weary travelers arrive at their holiday destinations.

Motivationaly Speaking

When I give my lecture on " Fears, Worries and Concerns", I start off by asking this question: When was the last time, you did something for the first time? Most people sit and think. I do not mean eating a new food. I mean having a new experience. My last first, was a few months ago when I did a staff development day at a local university. Somehow, I was hired to teach the teachers. I was booked for two hours, which is a big time slot to fill without me boring people. I researched and wrote and memorized. My goal was to speak for two hours and be interactive, without looking at a cue card. I was able to do that and I did not see any closed eyes.  Doing a new thing at any age feels good. It shows that we can still grow and strive for new experiences. 

Outstanding Job

The last loose end of my parents "migration" south was having their car delivered to them. They used a recommended auto transport company based in Florida that makes the New York to Florida trip weekly. They were promised to have their car picked up in NY last Tuesday at 1pm. Like clockwork the car was picked up. It was supposed to be delivered on Saturday so my sister could help them unpack. They received a call on Friday that the truck had mechanical problems and would be delayed until Sunday at 1pm. My sister told Anthony, the owner, that this would be a problem as she was there to lift the suitcases out of the trunk. My father is not supposed to lift heavy items due to his vein graft. Anthony said he would make a note of that. On Sunday at 1pm, the car arrived. It came sparkling clean, just out of a car wash. The two truck drivers told my parents that they would unpack the entire car for them. My parents said that the suitcases would be fine. They said that they wanted to unpack totally and bring everything into the rooms that they belonged in. They made a few trips back and forth until the car was empty and the bags were in the bedroom and living room.They did this all with a smile. My parents and sister both independently called Anthony to thank him. What this company did was above and beyond. It is nice to find people that do an outstanding job.

D.A.N.

I used to be a confident DAN. Now I am a less confident DAN. DAN is not a person, it is an acronym. It stands for Drives At Night. I used to be a great night driver, but as my eyes grow older I feel less confident. If I know the route that I am traveling, I do not have a problem. If the route is new or unfamiliar, I find it harder. This afternoon I have to pick my sister up at La Guardia Airport at 4pm. It is light out then, but it is a windy day so I hope the flight is on time. If not, I may need to drive at night. The parkway will not be a problem, but the entrance on will. I will sit and wait until there is an opening a mile long before I merge on. For some reason the nights have become darker.

What a Dollar Can Buy

A dollar can buy a lot of items, especially if you shop at the dollar store. They carry items that include stationary, frozen food, snacks, household items, automotive items, make up. toiletries, clothes and even reading glasses. There is one thing that you cannot buy in the dollar store, at least in the Dollar Tree. Hanukkah decorations. I needed to get a few decorations for my office just to add to our old decorations. I went into the Dollar Tree and wandered through the holiday aisle. Maybe I should just say Christmas aisle. Don't get me wrong, I love the holiday spirit and the beauty of Christmas decorations, but I think there needs to be a balance. I looked in the three holiday aisles and there was not one Hanukkah item. Not one. I asked the salesgirl and after she thought for a moment she said that they were mixed in with all of the other decorations. I looked again and still saw nothing. I asked her if the store had even ordered any Hanukkah items and she said that she did not remember seeing any. How disappointing that a store in New York, the state with almost as many Jewish people as Florida,  did not have Hanukkah decorations in their inventory. I went to the next dollar store, which was owned by Pakistani people and that is where I bought my wall hangings, window clings and candles. I am so disappointed in the Dollar Tree and will write to their corporate office. From now on I will buy at the small independent stores. They understand their clientele.

Settling In

Did you ever have a day that just went well? At the end of the day you think back and realize that things ran so smoothly. That is the day my parents had yesterday. They arrived at the airport at 8am for an 11am flight. As they sat at the gate they saw that there was a 9:30am flight. They asked if there were seats on that flight. Not only were there seats, but they were the same seat numbers that they had chosen for the later flight. They arrived in Florida almost 2 hours ahead of schedule. They decided to visit the new dialysis center, so when my father has his treatment on Saturday he would know the ropes. They arrived at the center and everyone knew his name. He was welcomed so warmly. They went food shopping and then back to their apartment to see how it held up while they were away for 7 months. Everything was in perfect order. By 6pm all of their chores were done and they could relax and have dinner. Today will be a day of relaxation, hopefully at the pool.

Capistrano

The swallows are returning to Capistrano. In other words, my parents are flying back to Florida this morning. After a long, tiring few months, they are finally returning to their other home. This is the first time that they will be flying down. They usually take the auto train. The long ride is no longer doable. My sister will be escorting them back. They could go alone, but we tend to hover over them and worry, so escorting them is more for us, than for them. She will get them settled and wait for their car to arrive from the transport truck. She will then return home. We are hoping they will have their usual winter fun and activities. I will go down in May to escort them home. I am happy beyond words, because after this summer's medical issues we were not sure they would go back. Fly little birds, fly.

Curb Appeal

Every year in my neighborhood, a member of the Veteran's of Foreign War comes and paints my curb. They paint a streak of paint on the edge of my curb. A few hours later, they come and stencil my house numbers onto the paint streak. A few hours later, they ring my bell and ask for money. As I came home from work, I saw the curb being painted. At eight o'clock last night my doorbell rang and someone started knocking on the door. It was the kind of knock that a family member makes, but I knew my family was at work. I went to the door and looked out of the peep hole. It was a strange man. I asked who it was and he said, 'Veteran's of Foreign War".  I said I  would not open the door since it was dark and I did not know him. He snapped back in a nasty tone, "I just told you Veteran's of Foreign War". I said that if he left an envelope in my mailbox I would mail in my donation. Again, he snapped back, "We don't do that. We want cash". I then said, "Sorry", and walked away from my door. I would have given a donation but I refuse to give a demand.

Scheduling

I went to see one of my doctors yesterday afternoon. His office is located near a hospital and parking is terrible. The lot is small and usually full. After circling the neighborhood two times, I found a parking spot that was legal for 90 minutes. Great. Who needs more than 90 minutes? I walked to the office and checked in at 1:50pm for a 2pm appointment. There were 4 people ahead of me. I waited and waited. Now it was 2:55pm and the 90 minute limit was approaching fast. The town that the office is in, is very strict and gives out $80 parking tickets. I went to the front receptionist and said that I had been waiting for over one hour and my meter would expire in 20 minutes. She said she was sorry there was a wait. I said, "If I get a ticket, I am sending it to your office to pay. There is no reason for anyone to wait one hour for a visit." She looked at me like I was nuts. I then said, "I am serious. The ticket will be sent here. If you knew how to properly schedule appointments there should be no more than a few minutes wait. I have managed two offices and we never had wait time because we scheduled properly". Within 2 minutes I was taken in to an exam room, heard the receptionist get the doctor and tell him I was angry. The doctor rushed into the room in one minute. He was very pleasant and I received the usual care. I made it back to the meter with 2 minutes to spare.

Night Worker's

Most people panic when their telephone rings in the middle of the night. I panic when my phone rings in the morning. My family has always worked the night shift. A telephone call after twelve a.m. is normal. A phone call at 3am is normal. Just do not call my house at 7am or 8am. Then, I will panic. Just now my phone rang. It is 7am. Most people would think nothing of it. It rang once and stopped. The caller ID was from my daughter in law in Massachusetts. I saw the number and my heart raced. I waited a few minutes and she did not call back, so I called her.It seems that her new phone dialed out when she was taking a picture. What a relief.

Pack It In

Years ago, my husband's grandfather had an expression that he used to say when he wanted to go home. He would say "pack it in". For the past 30 years, my family has coined this phrase. We say it when we are ready to move on to another place. Today, I am going to Brooklyn to help my parents "pack it in". Their car is being transported to Florida on Tuesday and we need to fill it with all of their suitcases and duffel bags. They take enough clothes to wardrobe the neighborhood. They already have full closets in both locations. So, today we will "pack it in" and help them move on to a wonderful winter.

25/8

I know we all have busy schedules but 24/7 is just not doing it for me. I need 25/8 at the barest minimum. It is a little after 7am and I will be going food shopping as soon as I finish writing this entry. At 9am I will be going to a Bat Mitzvah. Tomorrow, on my so called day off, I will be on the road at 9am, going to help my parents pack their car for their trip to Florida. Yesterday, I babysat from 6:45am until 3:25pm when I got into my car to meet my work friend at 3:30, so we could go wedding shower shopping. By the time I got home, my poor feet were crying. I think I actually saw tears between my second and third toes. So, off I go, starting a new day. Come to think of it, 26/9 sounds like an even better dream.

It's Enough

I have been having a six month dispute with my credit card company. In May, I had a car stereo installed and they bored a hole in my gas tank, by mistake. They acknowledged that they did it. I asked them to have it fixed and they sent it to their "guy" two times, but he could not fix the problem. I finally took it to my "guy" and had it done correctly for $149. I then called the credit card company to stop the charge for the installation, since I felt that I did not have to pay for the installation and a repair. Every few weeks, I received a letter from Citi Card asking for more documentation. Each time I sent it. Then I would get a denial letter. Then I would call and speak to a supervisor who said if I sent in one more bit of information, it would be credited. This went on for 6 months. Yesterday, I got a letter saying this was the "final denial" and there would be no more recourse. I don't think so. At 10pm, I called Citi Card. Each person that sweetly answered the call was asked to connect me to their supervisor. I did this four times until I got to the top top top supervisor. I explained the situation for the hundredth time. Finally, she said, "I think you have had enough. I will just put a miscellaneous credit on the card and end the dispute." That is all I asked for.

Welcome Back

I have been wearing contact lenses since I was 16. I remember the hard kind that felt like sandpaper in your eyes after 8 hours. I remember the new soft kind, when they first were manufactured. In those days you could only get them through your eye doctor. They cost about $40 for each lens. They were treated like a controlled substance. You had to call your doctor when you needed a replacement. You even had the option of taking out insurance on them. As the years went by, companies started to sell them in bulk, online. Once you sent in a prescription you were good to go for years. You ordered them at your own discretion. I now wear the disposable kind that you replace every two weeks. If you read back the previous sentence, I said, "That YOU replace every two weeks". I replace them when they either rip or feel uncomfortable. If that means once every 6 months, that is when I use a new lens. Last week, I needed to order more lenses. I made the call from work. I was told that the last time I ordered lenses was in 2011.As I was placing the order, I received an important call, so I had to tell the lens company that I would call back later. The next day, in my email, I received a coupon for $15 off, welcoming me back. I guess by hanging up, they thought I did not want the product, so a coupon was sent to "welcome me back with open arms". That is exactly what it said. My $24 order was now $9. I love being welcomed back.

Obama(doesn't)care

There has been a lot of concern over the past few weeks regarding the Affordable Health Care Act, also known as Obamacare. I call it Obama Doesn't Care. Prior to the election I tried to tell people that the healthcare system would change for the worse if Obama was elected. I vividly remember the Democrats saying, "Just vote the plan in now and we will read it later". Really? I wouldn't sign up for a cell phone without knowing what I was signing. No one wanted to read the 20,000 page bill, so they voted on it with ignorance. Now we are living the ramifications of their actions. The reality of it hit home for a few of my friends this week. Two of my doctors are applying for Medicaid. Yes, doctor's applying for Medicaid! One other doctor is being thrown off of his wife's plan and forced to be on his own employer's plan. That will cost him an extra $5000 a year. He was so upset, but has no alternative. I have another friend whose doctor is dropping out of all insurance plans and becoming a "concierge" doctor. Concierge medicine is when a doctor accepts no insurance, but charges a monthly membership fee for his services. Her doctor wants $199 a month and for that price she will get unlimited visits, his cell phone number for 24/7 access and a gym membership. I am not kidding. Of course she will find a new doctor as she is not going to pay for health insurance and a concierge doctor. This week Obama apologized for making promises he could not keep. What does an apology do for the people that his broken promises affected?

Number 58

As I was getting dressed this morning, I saw a label on the size tag of my pants. It said "inspected by #58". I began to wonder who  #58 was. I know that #58 lives in Vietnam. I do not know if 58 is a man or woman. I do not know if 58 is a child or an adult. All I know is that 58 held these pants in his/her hands and looked them over to make sure that they were manufactured correctly. Number 58 wanted me to be happy with my purchase. I wondered if being an inspector is a better job than a seamstress. Do they sit or stand all day? Is 58 paid a decent salary? So, number 58, whoever you are, thanks for a good job.

Happy Veteran's Day

Happy Veteran's Day to everyone. Eleven eleven. A lucky number. Each year I love seeing the veterans selling their poppy ornaments. Even though some of them are well into their 80's, they still have the same pride in their country that they did when they returned from war. I was at the grocery store yesterday and I watched for a few minutes as people bought the tiny red cloth flowers. Each man that bought one said the platoon and rank that they had when they served. It was an instant camaraderie. A few simple words that held so much meaning. Today is also a special day in my family. It is my daughter in law's birthday. Another reason to celebrate!

If The Shoe Fits

Last night after dinner, I went to Burlington Coat Factory. Even though the name says coats, they have a pretty nice selection of women's and men's clothes and shoes. As I was headed to the checkout line, I saw a nice pair of shoes that happened to be my size. I slipped them on and they fit perfectly. They had no price tag, so the cashier called the shoe department to get a price check. A young man took my shoe and walked to the shoe department to find another pair that was ticketed. Five minutes went by. Then ten. As it was approaching fifteen minutes we saw him returning with two pairs of shoes in his hand. Victory! Or so we thought. He has the cashier scan the ticketed shoe and placed down the other pair. You notice I said other pair and not my pair. They were two totally different pairs of shoes. I asked where my shoes were and he said, "Uh oh". It seems he placed them down "somewhere" while he was looking for the price and thought he picked them up. Now, I had to take matters into my own hands. I walked with him to the shoe department to search for my shoes. We found them in the wrong sized area. Now we had to find another pair with the price ticket. It took me two minutes to do it. The man looked at me, shook his head and said he was tired from a long day.

Back It Up

The worst feeling in the world is turning on your computer and having it crash. To see the "blue screen of death". You pray that this isn't happening.Your life flashes before your eyes. How will you ever retrieve your valued information. At this point, in our level of technology, you would think that people would back up their computers. All it takes is a tiny flash drive. Plug it in and hit "save". Voila. Your computer is fully backed up and you will never lose anything. I do it once a week. I wish my coworker would have listened to me.

Lullaby

One thing will never change. Babies love to be sung to. The song does not matter. Neither do the words. It is the soft tune that they love. I haven't sung to a baby in years and my voice is not what it was when I was in my 20's. It doesn't matter. My grandson will stop crying and look deeply into my eyes as soon as I start to sing to him. He will be fixated on the sound. If he is tired, he will flutter his eyes until he can no longer keep them open and fall gently to sleep. Nothing feels better than that.

The Landline

Everyone used to have a house phone. They were connected to the wall and most of us had at least one extension phone. You always knew where your phones were. In case you misplaced the portable extension phone, you could hit a button and the phone would beep until you found it. Recently people have been phasing out their house phones, also now known as landlines. They asked themselves why they needed a landline if they had a cell phone. In theory, it makes sense. But the down part of having a mobile phone is that it is mobile. Yesterday, I had an instance when a co worker should have had a house phone. As she was leaving work, her cell phone slipped out of her handbag. Another co worker found it and called me. There was no way of letting the woman know we had her phone. She had no landline. She was cut off from civilization. She still has no idea that her cell phone is safe and sound. She must have been upset all night because her phone has pictures and names and numbers in it. I do not think I could ever have only a cell phone. I need security.

Now We Shall See

The votes have been cast and the officials elected. Now, we shall see if what they promised is what they will deliver. I have been watching the New York City Mayoral race in addition to Nassau County. While I live in one district, my family works in the other. The city race was a choice of a lesser of two evils. I am not sure if the evil that won was the right one. He says he is progressive but I still need that word defined. Does being progressive lead to anarchy? He is not for the police but without them crime will return to the high levels the city had when a Democrat was in office, twenty years ago. In this race being "for the people" meant being for "certain" people.

Voter's Choice

I am leaving for work early so I can go and vote. Do I vote for the man who is accused of raising taxes and giving himself a $65,000 pay raise or do I vote for the man accused of raising taxes and borrowing too much money? I would like a third choice. I want a man who does not raise taxes, can balance the budget and not borrow money. Does he exist? According to the commercials, everyone is doing everything wrong. Who do I believe? I know my property taxes have gone down in the past few years. Was that due in part to a grievance and in part to not having a tax hike? I would have to take a year off and run the county's numbers to get that answer. Maybe. When I hear the commercials on television, all I can think of was the days when we were voting for class president of the sixth grade. I was promised no homework and soda in the water fountains. Those promises never came true either.

TCB

Taking care of business. This morning I have three issues that need to be resolved with telephone calls. None of the three are my issues. I am assuming the responsibility for the phone calls because my family knows that I do not fool around when it comes to business. I am cut and dry. I do not waiver. If I know I am right, I do not debate the issue. If I am right, I do not need to defend my point. Over the years I have developed my skills to the point where very few words are needed to state my case. I never yell nor do I get agitated. I stay in a calm frame of mind and stay on the topic. I become a pit bull that does not let go until all parties are on the same wavelength. I guess that is why my employer has me take care of her personal issues when things go wrong. So, off to work I go, armed with everyone else's papers, fighting everyone else's battles. I have become the "word warrior".

Coupon Crazy

I am not the biggest coupon person. I cut out the "standards" like Michael's and Kohl's. I find that I do not have the time to go through my newspaper and clip out every product I use. I mainly buy store brands and if I buy some of my items at Walmart, the prices can't be beat. When I do see coupons for products I use, a lot of the times they say you must buy two or three of the same product. Since Hurricane Sandy, I try not to stockpile.Yesterday I went food shopping and collected all of my weekly coupons. For some reason I had $5 off $40 and $6 off $60, along with other assorted free items. The store took both coupons. When the final total came through I saved $50. Later in the evening I went with my daughter in law to Babies R Us and she used a coupon for each item she purchased. She saved $30. My family saved $80 without much effort. Now I can see how the people that spend hours each day clipping coupons can do so well.

Stop The Calls

For the past few weeks, I have been flooded with unwanted political calls. My telephone rings at different times of the day and the caller ID says unavailable or private. When I answer it, I hear the voices of various local politicians. As soon as I hear, "Hi, this is Tom, or Ed" I hang up. Do they really think that I am going to sit there and listen to a five minute monologue on how good they are and how bad the other guy is? I feel that their calls are an infringement of my privacy. I do not have their telephone numbers. I do not call their homes and tell them how my day was. Isn't it enough that I have to see them on my television screen every time I turn it on. Stop the calls and do your jobs.

Three Knocks

Yesterday was Halloween, but it did not seem like it. I did not see any costumed people walking in the neighborhood. Only three children rang my doorbell for candy. It seemed to get darker earlier than usual so maybe parents only rang the bells on their block. The best part was seeing my grandchildren in their costumes. My granddaughter had three wardrobe changes. For the morning, she was a pumpkin, for the afternoon she was a kitty cat and for bedtime she was a different  pumpkin. My grandson was Superman. It was very fitting because he really is Superman, considering what he went through at his birth. They looked adorable and I loved the pictures. I can't wait to see what they wear for Thanksgiving.