Happy Halloween

Another Halloween. Where has the year gone? This afternoon my grandson will go trick or treating for the second time. Last year he was in his stroller. This year he will be walking up to the doors to get candy. He is just beginning to walk so he will probably only go to a few houses although he isn't allowed to eat candy yet. This is more of a milestone for his parents. Their goal was to have him walking and he has achieved that. He will go to a family pizza party after he scares the neighborhood.

Campaigning

In yesterday's mail there were 5 large postcards campaigning for various politicians. By this time I know the size and the feel of the advertisements, so I do not even have to look at them before they get tossed into the garbage. As I was sorting out the postcards, there was one that I kept. It was for 20% off at Bed, Bath and Beyond. If I was a politician I would spend my advertising dollar putting my name and face onto circulars that people would keep. If my face was next to the word 20%, everyone would know who I was.

Shelf Life

Last week I was cleaning out a basement shelf, looking for an item that had probably been thrown out decades ago. That is when I came across a bottle of tacky glue that I had purchased in the 1980's. The same product is still being made and I just bought a bottle recently. The one I found hiding was the large size, 16 ounces. I squeezed the bottle to see if it was still pliable and soft. It was. I then opened the cap to see if it was still useful and it was. It had the same consistency as the one I just bought. I brought it upstairs for the first time in 27 years and put it in my crafting box. I guess that a well made product, closed tightly, will last forever.

Birdie Triage

I was sitting in my kitchen when I heard a crash on my glass sliding door. I went to see what it was and there was a small wild bird standing on my deck. One leg looked all curled up and his beak was in an open position. He looked like he was a frozen statue. I went outside to see how he was. I could see him breathing but he was as still as a rock. I sat with him and told him that he would be ok. He was in the sunshine and warm. After about ten minutes, I saw his eyes blink. A few minutes later I saw his beak close. He remained like that for another half hour. We talked again and his head moved to where the sound of my voice was coming from. He was slowly coming out of shock. I went back inside and stood at the window for a few more minutes until I saw him gather enough strength to fly away. It was over an hour by then. I am so happy he recovered!

A-Maze-ing

Yesterday one of the attractions at the Pumpkin Farm was a corn maze. It cost $8 to have the privilege of getting lost among corn stalks. It was supposed to be a treasure hunt where you find the items they ask for and mark it off on a score sheet. Most people were just glad to make their way out after a few minutes. Once you were in, even though it was not a very large maze, you could not get out. That is dangerous. After 10 minutes of walking in circles, I needed to rest my leg but had no idea how to leave. That is when I realized the danger of the maze. What if someone fell or a child ran faster than their parent? There was no staff member in the maze in case of an emergency. Now I can say I have been in a corn maze. One more skill to list on my resume.

Pumpkins

Today we are going pumpkin picking. This will be a yearly event. Last year the baby was too small to remember anything but this year he will be able to have fun. There is a petting zoo and a corn maze. He will be in his radio flyer wagon and be pulled through the farm. Last year it rained. Today the sun is shining. It will be a lot of fun!

Visualization

If we put our mind to it, we can do anything. That is what a powerful force it is. Yesterday, I had an MRI to check what is going on with my back. I am not fearful of being in a closed space, but for some reason when I was totally in the machine, I felt like I could not breath. I started to panic and then pulled myself together. It was all in my mind. I closed my eyes and they started playing the disco music I had requested. I envisioned myself in a dicso in the 1980's and calmed down. After that things were fine.

Stirring the Pot

There is a new expression that is used for reality TV. It is called "stirring the pot". It means that someone is saying or doing things to get a reaction from other people. We all know someone who is a pot stirrer. I have one at work. Yesterday, I had to cut my part time worker's hours. If I cut each girl by 1 hour, I would not have to fire one of them. I explained it to them and they were glad to do it. My "pot stirrer" called me a few hours later to say that the girls were upset and carrying on. She did not know that I had personally talked to each of them to make sure things were good. When I informed her that I had made sure that each one was ok, she tried to fluff off her stirring, saying that maybe they were not that upset, but they should have been. If you know a pot stirrer, never believe anything they tell you.

Doesn't He Know

As usual, I babysat for my grandson for a few minutes yesterday afternoon. When I got there he was not napping which is his usual routine. My son said that he put the baby to sleep a few hours ago, but for some reason he would not settle down. He stood at the side of his crib crying. There was nothing wrong, he just wanted to be up playing. My son kept him in his crib for the two hours and although the baby never slept, he sat down and amused himself. They are teaching him that crying will not get him his way. All I kept thinking was that I would have been thrilled if someone allowed me to nap for two hours every day. Doesn't he know that this is the best time of his life?

Task Bar

I hate it when I go to work and find the computer task bar where it should not be. I sit down and see that the task bar is on the right, left or top. Task bars need to know their place and stay quietly on the bottom. Sometimes it is not easy to move the bar back. I click, hold and drag, but it still goes back to the wrong place. After ten tries, it finally gives up and listens. I "lock" the bar but I know that in a few weeks it will be on the run again.

Defaults

We bought a new printer/copier at work and it was finally set up. I am the one responsible for learning how to use it and then teaching everyone else. Usually it is simple, but this time the factory defaults were not the ones I wanted. This is an energy saver machine so it defaults to a two sided copy. I cannot do that. Imagine getting a medical statement with your name on one side and someone else's on the other? Not good. I had to read the book and change three settings on each computer as the changes needed to be made on the computer end and not the printer end. I wasted almost an hour on this as the directions were not clear. I hate being the work "techie".

Morning Light

It is my least favorite time of the year. The dark mornings just before we turn the clocks back. I feel like a night worker. I get up feeling tired because my body thinks that I am rising in the middle of the night. I do not want to leave for work in the dark so I wait for the light. It is such a sharp contrast to getting up in the summer with the sunshine beaming into my room. "Oh say can you see, by the dawn's early light"? Not for another half hour, at least.

Semantics

We all use words interchangeably. That is why there is a Thesaurus. Most people never refer to one anymore and after writing that word, it looks like a dinosaur. Notice the syllable "saur". The other day I was speaking to my sister about what word we use when we want to make sure something is not discarded and we need to put a note on that item. She said she uses "save". My father likes to use "hold". My nephew says "keep". After thinking for a second, I realized that I write "do not throw out". We are four people from the same family and have four different ways to get our point across.

9:59

I am a proactive person. I do things on time and budget my time well. If something normally takes one hour, I allot two. My husband decided to shampoo our carpets yesterday and rented a Home Depot machine. He had a four hour span to use it and had to have it back at 10:00pm. He brought it home at 6pm and then proceeded to do every other chore in the house. At 8:18pm I asked when he planned on using the machine as it was getting late. He told me, "He knew what he was doing". I could not sit in the room and aggravate myself as the clocked ticked away. This morning I got up and saw the return receipt. It was marked at 9:59pm.

Penny Wise, Dollar Foolish

The healthcare world has effected everyone. Patients and doctors included. We all used to have a choice. Now we just worry. Even though we do not realize it, Obamacare is leaning towards socialism. We are forced into plans that we are not happy with. We are told which doctors we are allowed to see within these plans. The doctors are having their income limited to what the plans pay them. If doctors do not choose plans to participate in, the patients will eventually stop coming. We were all lied to and if we are smart we will acknowledge that at the November elections. We need to have a strong Republican party to undo the socialist mess that the Democrats have gotten us into. I see this change in my office. We give wonderful, specialized care, but people can no longer afford us. They can get "ok" care but that will not solve their problem. As our numbers decrease, my boss worries more. After 35 years, will she be able to keep her doors open? She is trying to cut costs and is choosing the wrong ways to do that. Yesterday, I told her she was penny wise and dollar foolish. I hope she thinks before she makes mistakes that could jeopardize her practice.

One Day

In 1963, Nat "King" Cole had a hit song named "That Sunday, That Summer".  The first line of the song is, "If I had to choose just one day, to live my whole life through, it would surely be.....". He ended the line saying, "That Sunday, the day that I met you". At my lectures I ask that question. It is intended to provoke a happy memory that you can refer to when things seem sad. Last week, in a lecture on happiness, I asked the question and went around the room asking for answers. Two people could not think of anything. I asked them to think more about it this week so they would have an answer. People recounted trips, births, weddings, graduations. As each one told their choice, they were smiling and had a peaceful look in their eye. Those thoughts comforted them. What day would you choose?

Numb

My leg pain has turned into numbness, but I can deal with that. Today I will be watching my grandson all day, so I will have to be careful not to restrain myself. I can't sit on the floor and play like I usually do. If he was older, he could have taken care of me, instead.

Other People's Mess

I injured myself yesterday morning cleaning up other people's mess. I bent down to empty out the work fridge and pulled out my leg. I had to leave work early and barely drove home. I went to the local urgent care and was told it was either a pinched nerve or a bad muscle pull. I have never been in such pain. Not even in childbirth. It will take a while to recover. If people only cleaned up their own garbage, this would not have happened.

Happy Columbus Day

Happy Columbus Day. Today is a day that most people have off from work. My family does not. I am up as usual, and the only positive thing is that there will be no traffic going to work. Most people will commemorate the day by going to the mall and looking for sales. I know this because when I come home from work there will be a back up of cars at the mall exit. Columbus went searching for America. Everyone else went searching for a good deal.

Zombie

I feel like a zombie today. I am so tired that I am shuffling my feet when I walk. We have finally finished the kitchen. My husband is a night worker and has more energy after 3pm. Every project we did began after 3pm. Tiling, grouting, painting throughout the night. That schedule works for him. It does not work for me. I have spent the past two days assisting him until 3am. My body clock is set for 7am, which means that I have not slept in 2 days. Last night he worked until 7am when I got up. That is insanity.

Almost Done

I stayed up until 2am tiling my kitchen. I worked slowly and meticulously and the wall and countertop look beautiful. With each new project, I learn a new skill. You can learn almost anything if you take the time to research it. I have always had the mindset that if someone else can do it, so can I. Of course, I am speaking within reason. I cannot carry very heavy objects nor can I climb a 20 foot ladder. That's what my husband is for.

Checklist

Today is a checklist day. I have so many things going on that I actually have to write them down in chronological order. My day starts at 8am with bringing Shelby in for a haircut. Then I have something to do every hour until after dinner. I hope I remember to do everything on the list.

World Traveler

Years ago, I read an essay about what it was like to have a special needs child. My grandson was a preemie and they tend to develop at a slower rate until they are about two years old, then things equal out. Their age is always adjusted to when their real due date would have been. We count back 9 weeks. I began to think about that essay and how it pertains to my grandson. I wrote my own thoughts about the road I travel with him. I call my story "World Traveler". Having a baby is like planning a trip to France. You chart out the itinerary and acquaint yourself with every aspect of that country. You learn the language.You know where to shop and where to eat. You know all of the important landmarks. All of your friends have been to France so they can give you wonderful advice. All of a sudden you are told that you will be taking the trip to France  weeks earlier than you planned. You aren't ready, but the plane is taking off. You board the plane, but it lands in Switzerland . You haven't done the research on Switzerland. You have no idea how to speak the language or where to go. This was an unexpected landing. You stay in Switzerland and learn that the Alps are beautiful and the watches are the finest in the world. You are proud to live there. After a while you are notified that you must move to Belgium, then Austria. Each country has its beauty and unique culture. You know that you have a ticket for France in your wallet but you do not have a valid visa yet so you cannot enter the country that your friends have enjoyed, yet. It doesn't really matter though, because you have created wonderful memories along the way in all of the countries you have traveled through. Some people were meant to visit one country. Others were meant to be world travelers.

Great Class

Last night I gave my class on "Happiness". It was a full house and I had just enough chairs for everyone. The more I do theses classes, the more I see that we are all the same. Even though there were people whose ages ranged from mid twenties to early sixties, deep down we all have the same needs. We all want to be needed. We all want to be loved. As one young girl said, we all want to have a purpose in life. I totally agree.

Snow Birds

This morning my parents return to Florida for the winter season. It had been a hectic spring and summer so they will finally relax. They should be on their way to the airport now. I will not feel at ease until they call me from Florida saying they have arrived safely.

T minus 1

Today is T minus 1. The day before my parents return to their Florida home. We sent the car and packed up their last minute items. We reminisced about all of our wonderful childhood memories. Then we had a nice dinner at a local diner. Does life get better?

Last Look

Today I am going to my parent's house to help them pack up last minute items before they return to Florida in a few days. I will take a last look at their house as it has been for the past forty years. When I see it next, it will be remodeled and updated. I am looking forward to the change.

Sequence

I am very consistent with writing this blog. For the first time in a long time, my morning routine was different and it slipped my mind to write it. Since I am a creature of habit and like continuity I am backdating this blog so it looks like I did not skip a date. Let's keep this our little secret.

My Schedule

This morning my phone rang at 7:30am. I ran to get it as my heart pounded. Who would call at 7:30? As it turned out, it was the appliance delivery man letting me know he would be here an hour earlier. My schedule is different from most people's. If you called my house at midnight, or 1am or 2am, I would not be scared. Call my house at 7am and I worry. My family works odd hours, so a middle of the night call is nothing unusual.

Chains

Years ago, people used to send chain letters through the mail. They told us to send them to 10 other people and we would have good fortune. Some even asked for money. I was always a chain breaker. Yesterday I was sitting in work when I received a text message. It was talking about angels and good luck and said to send it to 14 people and the next day I would have good fortune. I looked at who sent it to me and it was my receptionist who was sitting right behind me. She said that I needed to forward it to fourteen people. There was no way that I would ever send nonsense to anyone. I sent it back to her and told her to reread it fourteen times.

The Small Things

Every job, no matter how big or small,  has certain details that must be done in order for that job to be done correctly. For the first time, my office decided to order lunch from Ben's Deli. We called at 10:50am to place a delivery order. They said that the order would arrive by 2pm, which was too late for our lunch. We coaxed a doctor into going to the nearest Ben's location to pick up the food. I called in the order and off she went. We all ordered either corned beef or pastrami sandwiches and one person ordered the matzo ball soup. The order was tightly packed and the bag folded shut. When we unpacked the sandwiches, we realized that there were no packets of mustard and no spoon. Mustard and deli sandwiches go hand in hand and it is a no brainer that a spoon goes with soup for a take out order. We couldn't believe that these 2 details were overlooked. The food was good but it would have been better with mustard. The soup was eaten with a teaspoon that we had in a drawer. I guess that for $100 you get no extras.