The White Tee Shirt

There are many technological inventions through the years, but yesterday a plain white tee shirt did what no other fancy invention could. When I go to the town pool, I always take a whit tee shirt. Since I have sensitive skin but hate the slimy feeling of suntan lotion, I put on a white tee shirt when I am in the sun or swimming in a pool. My children never went without one when they were young. It was a brutally hot day yesterday and my daughter in law and grandson met us at the pool. As soon as she was done feeding him, she realized that it was too hot for him, even sitting under an awning. I felt bad that she was going to leave and go home, so I told her to just jump in the pool for five minutes and cool down. I told her that I would wrap the baby in a soaking wet tee shirt and cool him down until she was out of the pool. I dipped my white tee shirt into the water and then wrapped it around the baby from head to toe with only his face showing. Within two minutes he looked so happy and content. He was smiling and looking around. His skin temperature was now cool. My daughter in law said she would stay a bit longer as long as he was ok. Every 15 minutes we re-wet the tee shirt and re-wrapped him.. He could not have been happier. They stayed until 4pm when he needed to be fed again. We had a wonderful day all because of the plain white tee shirt.

Unfit Outfit

The other day I had to attend a ceremony at a local church. I am not Christian and had only been in a church once before. I was not sure of the dress code and did not want to look out of place. I wore a dress and heels, not only to look presentable, but also to show respect to another religion. I was quite surprised when I entered the sanctuary and saw people in shorts, old tee shirts and flip flops. Their attire showed such a lack of respect. If I, as a member of another religion, made the effort to dress in a conservative manner, why couldn't they? Have we become so lax as a society that we cannot even dress properly when we worship. When we go for a job interview, we would not go in shorts and a tee shirt. When we attend a wedding, we would not go in shorts and a tee shirt. I never saw anyone at a funeral in shorts and a tee shirt. Why do we not hold our places of worship to that standard?

Another Sunny Day

My Aunt Anne lived in Florida for over 20 years before she passed away at 82 years old. I remember one of her sayings that I understand more now than I did when I was younger. She used to look out her window in the morning and say, "Oh, sh*t, another sunny day". She always felt that when it was a beautiful sunshiny day, it was a shame not to go outside and make the most of it. If you just sat around indoors, you did not spend your day well. Sometimes we all need a day to lounge around and be totally unproductive. Many of us save those days for the cloudy ones. I spent a full day at the town pool yesterday and got enough sun for a month. My face is red and my lips are burnt. I have so much research to do for my upcoming lecture, but I feel the need to be outdoors, just because it is a beautiful day. I have put aside my diagrams and put on my bathing suit. Oh sh*t, another sunny day.

Happy 4th

Today is July Fourth. Most Americans will wake up with ten fingers. A sad few will go to sleep with eight or nine. That's because they did not listen to their mothers or wives or friends when they were told not to shoot off such big fireworks. Tomorrow morning when they get up to bandaged hands, they will think back and say, "If only. If only I had listened. If only I used smaller fireworks. If only I had run away faster after I lit the fire". Unfortunately, life does not have a rewind button. It only plays live feed. So, enjoy your day, be careful and as my father always says,"Keep your wits about you".

My Morning Donut

Yesterday morning I woke up and got ready for work. I left the house at 7am and within five minutes I had a donut in my hand. Not the sweet variety that comes with coffee. It was the rubber kind. The one that you drive on when you have a flat tire. Yes, I had a flat tire. I saw it when I was getting into my car. My good mood turned bad, very quickly. My entire day would be thrown off. I went back inside and woke up my husband. He changed the tire in the middle of the street and put it into my trunk. I drove around the corner and dropped it off at the gas station and continued on to work. I could not drive over 50 miles per hour on the donut, so I took the streets for 20 miles. After work, I had a doctor's appointment even farther away, so again, I took the streets for another 25 miles. After the appointment, I drove back to the gas station where they put the patched tire on my car and returned the donut to the trunk, where I hope it will remain forever.

The Go To Gal

I once worked for an employer that used to call me the "go to gal". Whenever there was a problem that needed to be solved, the office people would ask me. If I did not have the answer, I learned it. I never liked to say "I don't know". Even thought I was a go to gal there, I have a friend who is my go to gal. I met her when my children were babies. Her oldest child was four years older then my oldest son. When I needed to know about nursery school, I asked her. When I needed to get information about which elementary school teacher was good, I asked her. The same was true for junior high and high school. When college essays needed to be written, her input was requested. When my parents needed advice on Medicare, I asked her. She was the person I put as a reference on all of my job applications. Now, as I have grandchildren, I still find myself on the other end of the receiving line. When I needed a play mat, I asked her. When I needed a high chair, I asked her. Every group of friends has that one person you can always rely on when you need her. Thanks, Susan.

Happy Ending Sundae

I like eating at Friendly's Restaurant. The service is slow, the food is so-so and usually comes out wrong or cold. The reason why I love it, is for the Happy Ending Sundae. No matter how bad the meal was, the ice cream makes the memory fade fast. I know what you are thinking. Why don't you eat somewhere else and just go to Friendly's for the ice cream. The answer to that is because I like to have the ice cream immediately after I eat my dinner. If I had to calculate in travel time, my brain would have informed my stomach that I was already full and did not need dessert. So here is where the name Happy Ending is deceiving. It is a happy ending most of the time, because the meal was so-so. In reality is should be called the "I didn't really need the calories and now feel like a lump of lard" sundae.