Wedding Weekend

This morning we will take a beautiful ride to Rhode Island to begin the wedding festivities for a family member. In this case it is family by marriage but I feel as close to them as if it was family by blood. I know the groom for fifteen years and have watched him grow into a wonderful man. Tonight is the welcome dinner and tomorrow the wedding will be held in a waterfront mansion. The bonus of the weekend is that I will spend time with my granddaughters. I will watch the older one walk down the aisle as a flower girls. I will be responsible for the baby and will relish every moment of being with her. I have looked forward to this weekend for a long time.

Complaint Department

When you look around, the world has turned into one big complaint department. We are either complaining or being complained to. Take a walk along the beach on the shore line and listen to just a brief moment of the conversation of passing people. They are complaining about something or someone. Stand next to anyone on their cell phone when they are in a public area. Most likely they are complaining. I never realized this until a few days ago. I guess I never focused in on certain behaviors. Of course we have happy moments, but we usually never obsess about them. They just flow easily by us.

Two Heads

Yesterday my sister and I were sitting at the pool talking. We were having a conversation and I though that the topic we were talking about would make a good blog. I commented to my sister that tomorrows blog would be on that subject. This morning when I got up, I could not remember the topic. I asked my sister and she could not remember it either. Two heads were no better than one as we both forgot.

Peace of Mind

Yesterday I had peace of mind....for one hour. I think between the hours of one and two pm, my mind was clear. I made all of my calls to my new healthcare companies. I spoke to my boss about the mess she has gotten herself into. I spoke to my parents. My children and grandchildren are all where they should be. Then my mother's doctor called and said she needed a specialist appointment. Not an emergency but still a bump in the road. Peace of mind felt great.

Big Words

There is an acronym KISS". Keep it simple stupid. That is how life should be lived. People tend to complicate things even when they do not need to. My boss acted impulsively a few months ago and now the situation is a big mess. I advised her to calm down and let things ride. She disregarded me and what should have been a non event is now an issue. My son told me to just sit back and watch the show. I might bring popcorn to work.

Proofed

Every morning I write this blog. Almost every morning my sister proof reads it. Even though I read and reread it, some errors of spelling or grammar still slide by. My mind reads what I intend to say and not what I actually write. Years ago there was an experiment. People were given a paragraph to read out loud. Each person read it perfectly. They were asked to read it again and they read it perfectly the second time. Then the researcher asked them to read it slowly individual word for individual word. That is when they realized that many small key words were missing. There were missing "a's" and "ands" and "buts". The mind fills in what is normally supposed to be there and keeps things flowing. That is why there are proofreaders.

Downpour

I just walked Shelby and my feet are flooded. In the two minutes that I ran him into the yard, my shoes filled up with rain and my hair was soaked through my hood. I am now a shivering mess. I guess my plans to sit by the town pool are off. I wanted to be near the water, not part of it.

Sound Advice

My sister and I always joke that if people listened to us, they would not run into problems. We think we are sensible people who give sound advice. We have never steered anyone wrong. When people do not listen, that is when they get into a snafu. This week alone, two people that disregarded my advice are paying the price. One of them is my boss. I can't go into the specific circumstances but I advised her on an issue and she fluffed it off. I reiterated that she should not do something and she told me not to worry. I am not worried. It is not my problem but it has turned into hers. Had she heeded my advice she would not be shopping for a lawyer to write a letter for her. One lawyer wants a $25,000 retainer to write a one page letter. That is more money than she would have spent solving the problem my way.

Loyalty

It is very disheartening when you find out that someone is disloyal. My boss found this out yesterday. Actually I found it out and sent her an email. I do not know her reaction as of yet. One of our interns will be leaving in a few weeks. I was given the task of calling her patients to notify them of who their new doctor will be. I was quite surprised when one of them told me that she was still going to see the intern even after she leaves. I said that once the intern leaves, a new doctor has to take over. The patient said that she and the intern worked things out already. That's news to me. It is contractually illegal for any doctor to continue with a patient after they leave. For the licensed doctors, they cannot see them for six months, and the interns cannot see them at all. Why would this intern break the rules and jeopardize a lawsuit and a bad reputation for one patient?

No One Listens

Yesterday we had a party for one of the doctors that is relocating. I placed a catering order the day before. I called the restaurant and said, " I would like to place an order for tomorrow at noon". The man said, "It is already noon". I said " I said tomorrow, not today". He then asked what I wanted to order. I told him penne primavera with red sauce. I repeated the word red 3 times. My office staff was laughing as I reiterated that the sauce needed to be the red one. Since I work for an OCD practice, repeating ourselves is a way of life. At noon yesterday the order arrived. Penne primavera in white sauce. The slip also said white sauce. Everyone was stunned as they had all heard me repeat the words red sauce quite a few times. I called the restaurant and they sent over another order the correct way. No one listens.

A Fitting Name

The other day as I was leaving my house, I saw a young woman from down the block chasing her dog. The dog was a beautiful black and white mix and was fairly large. As she walked towards him, he ran further away. When he saw me he stopped and walked on my lawn. I tried to coax him to the porch to grab onto him so she could retrieve him but he realized what was happening and ran off. After a few minutes of her chasing him, she just gave up and went back home. When the dog saw her leave, he turned around and slowly walked back home. I guess he realized that the game was over. When I drove past her house on the way to work, I slowed down and waved. I called out to the woman and asked what the dog's name was. She responded, "Chase". She should have named him, "Stay". 

Happy 36

Today is my older son's 36th birthday. At 1:34am in 1981, the best gift I ever received was given to me. Seven pounds of blond hair and sky blue eyes arrived in the world. He was so handsome that  I overheard the nurses comment on what a handsome boy he was. For 36 years he is still my pride and joy. He has done everything to make me proud. He chose a wonderful wife and blessed me with two adorable granddaughters. I could not ask for more. Happy Birthday B.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there. I am lucky to say that my immediate family has four of them. I have my dad, my sons have their dad and my grandchildren have their two dads. I am so lucky to be able to say that. Even though it is a gloomy day weather wise, it will be a bright one family wise. I am having most of the family over for a barbecue. It will not be as frenetic as last week's party but it will still be wonderful.

Healthcare Headache

I have a headache from my husband's healthcare plan. As of July 1, he is on Medicare and an HMO plan. The problem is that his doctors are not on it. If his Primary Care is not on the "select network" his copay is $20 for the PCP, $30 for a specialist and $250 a day if he is hospitalized. If his PCP is on the "select" network the copay is $0, any specialist visit is $10 and it is $0 if he is hospitalized. The decision is a no brainer. I changed his PCP to a new one and he is not happy. Now one of his specialists is not on his plan at all. I got the information on how to have her added to the network so she can still see him. Somehow, I have spent hours this morning doing other people's work. I actually have a headache now.

Pet Kids

Even though Shelby is a dog, he feels like a pet child. I feed him, care for him and make sure he is safe and sound. Sometimes he gets under the weather and then I worry. He usually snaps out of it in a few days, but during the time he is not himself, I tend to hover over him. He has not been feeling well for a few days. Maybe the heat started things off. He does not want to eat so I am hand feeding him. I hate to do that because then he gets into the habit of special treatment. I can't ignore his not eating because then he will get weak. I will dote on him again today as any good pet mom would.

Peace of Mind

Yesterday I got peace of mind. It came in the form of a car. For the first time in over five years I will not have to worry about car problems. My husband finally broke down and gave up his pipe dreams of owning classic cars. Those type of cars are for rich people that use them once a week and drive 6 miles. Not a person who uses it as a daily driver. I will never have to hear the words, "There's a problem", again.

Bye, Bye, Bird-T

The T-Bird is gone. I still don't get how the deal went down. I picked up the nicest couple at the airport, drove them to my house, exchanged money and papers and they were on their way. All of this was within 1 hour. The man never even lookedthe car over.  He did not check the oil. He did not look at the engine. He declined a test ride prior to signing the papers. They did not want to use the bathroom. They did not want a bottle of water. They were the most easy going people I ever met. They were dressed very nicely and the conversation was the type that you would have with friends. The woman wanted to have a quick turn around time and "get out of Dodge" before rush hour. They thanked us for selling them the car and hopped into it, to start the 12 hour, 750 mile drive home.

TheTransaction

This afternoon a car transaction will take place. It seems like an odd thing and hopefully it will go smoothly. A man and his wife, from Kokomo, Indiana will be flying into NY to buy my husband's car. They will get right on the road and travel 750 miles in a 14 year old car with 97,000 miles on it. Who does that? Most people would have had it put on a transport and off it goes. We shall see how things go....

Best Day

Last night my father summed up his day. He said it was the best day of his life. He and my mother were surrounded by all of the people they love the most. They had the pleasure of being hugged and kissed by five great grandchildren. The older ones told them that they love them and the younger ones sat on their laps smiling. I do not remember much of the day as I was running in and out preparing food. Today I will look at the pictures that were taken and reconstruct the day. I agree with my dad. It was the best day ever!

Party!

Today I am having a family get together for everyone to see my granddaughters. Most people at the party have never met my younger granddaughter. They will be amazed that she looks just like my son and is already walking. Last night we went to dinner at a local restaurant. I have no idea what I ate as I was distracted by the two beautiful faces on either side of me. I spent the night looking from left to right trying to soak in every moment of those two precious girls.

The Girls

Today the girls are coming to visit. My two granddaughters will be driving down from New England to see the family. Of course their parents will be there too, as a four year old and a one year old cannot drive. We will go to dinner tonight and have a large family party tomorrow. I love saying "the girls". My sister and I were "the girls". Then I had two sons, so I had "the boys". My sister had a girl and a boy so they were "the kids". I cannot put into words how excited I am to see them. I have even had dreams about holding them. The older sister knows me well. Her little sister will feel the same as she grows up. In two weeks I will see them again in Rhode Island. I love the back to back visits as that reinforces who I am.

Showdown to No Down

The office meeting that was two weeks in the making has come and gone. I was prepared to speak my mind when confronted with anything that I did not agree with. The new doctor had been harassing my staff and confronted me last week when a staff member forgot her schedule and never showed up. I spoke my mind and she told my boss that she was appalled at what I said to her, because she is "a doctor". I am too old to cow tow to inappropriate behavior no matter who it comes from. This meeting was to clear the air. I was well rehearsed but no one said anything to me. When push came to shove the new doctor was afraid to face me. She sat in the room across from me and looked like a scared rabbit. When my boss asked her if she had anything to say she nodded her head no. At that moment, I knew who had the upper hand. I planned on being stern and strong but I had no idea that my opponent would cower. I am the Alpha dog.

Showdown

Today is the showdown with the nutty doctor. Hopefully. At noon there is a scheduled meeting and I am ready for it. I have rehearsed every scenario of conversation. I have it down pat to the extent of knowing what facial expressions I will use. I will not hold back on anything. My luck the meeting will be cancelled. Hopefully the show will go on.

Specialists

Everyone is a specialist. The sanitation men only pick up grass clippings on Fridays. Yesterday I needed to have my car looked over because I changed insurance carriers. One place needed an appointment even though they were empty. I went to the second place and they do not do inspections in the rain. The rain had stopped two hours prior so I have no idea why they could not take a picture of my car that was totally dry. I think I want to become a specialist. From now on I will only talk to intelligent people. That would limit my conversations down to about 18 people.

Cost Comparison

Every few years I check the rates of comparable insurance companies. The last time I checked I was getting a good deal. Yesterday I called to see what the new rates of my next car would be and I was astounded. It almost doubled from the previous years. I called the agent and he said that rates did go up but he would try to lower them a bit. I immediately called a rival company and went down my policy point by point to see what they would charge me. If I went with them I would save $1400 a year. Of course I switched the policies. Then I was annoyed with myself that I had not checked last year.

The Folks

My sister and I spent yesterday visiting my parents. We brought in Chinese food and just sat around talking all day. We went through some family keepsakes and reminisced about our past. When we are all together we do not see age. We are just a mom, dad and their two girls. It is the same family dynamic that has been there for over 60 years. We are blessed that we can still have a regular conversation and that they can still fend for themselves. It was a wonderful day. 

Notes

I always have scrap paper in the desk drawer next to my computer. If I need to jot down a number or a thought, the paper is handy. At dinner last night my husband asked me why I was writing down the names of horses? Horses? Where did he get that from? He said that he saw the names of two horses on a note paper. I never gamble so why would I suddenly take an interest in horses? When I got home I went to the desk and looked at my notes. Since I am creating a child ID bracelet, I was searching for upscale children's stores. The names of the stores looked like the names of racehhorses. I told my husband to stop reading other people's scrap notes.

Paper Plates

This morning I will be shopping for some paper goods for a party that I will be having next week. I need plates, napkins, 2 types of cups and plastic cutlery. Thinking back to when I was a child, no one used paper goods. We used real plates and cups. My parents made parties and used china and stemware. Stemware, now that is almost a lost word. The younger generation probably would have no idea what it was. Everything was formal. In fact, my parents still rarely use paper plates. In their house, even snacks are served in a regular dish. My generation and the one after it are more on the go and have less time to spend washing dishes, so paper has become a way of life.

Gymnast

My granddaughter had her gymnastic recital the other day. My son sent me a lot of pictures from it so I could see her accomplishments. I could not believe how agile she is. She was climbing walls, walking on balance beams, flying on the parallel bars and climbing ropes. Her little legs looked muscular as she was swinging in mid air. I was so impressed. After the recital she received a medal and a bouquet of flowers. Her face was beaming with pride. She is such a beautiful, wonderful, little lady.

Long Distance Sale

My husband is selling his car. The infatuation with his Thunderbird is over. This is the last time he will ever buy a "special" car. He put it up for sale on eBay. A man who was interested in it, was out planting in his garden when the auction ended and never had a last chance to bid. He emailed my husband and they spoke on the phone later that day. He loved the car and wants to buy it. He lives in Indiana. He gave us a down payment and has made reservations for him and his wife to fly to New York next Tuesday and buy the car. They will then get into it and drive 750 miles back home. The car has only been driven 30 miles at a time as that is all my husband needed  it for. I hope that it goes 750 without trouble. We will pick them up at JFK and bring them here to do the transaction. They thought they would do it at JFK but that is absurd. I will not count thousands of dollars in a parking lot and sign papers. They were so glad that we are allowing them to come to our home. It seems that they have a car collection and fly all over the United States and Canada to purchase cars. They must have money to do this. So, next Tuesday they will get on the road and drive their new purchase home. My son said that it is a good thing that two of them will be in the car. One to stay with the car and the other to hail the tow truck.