Mars and Venus

9/30/2019

There is a distinct difference between men and women. But, we already knew that, didn't we?
A very long time ago, men were the hunters, and women were the gatherers. And, it's been that way since the cavemen, notice we don't say say cave women? 

Times have changed a lot since then. Now, nobody looks twice if a woman has a job, rears children, does the laundry, and cooks. To be clear, women do more than just those things, but it's a start.

For many years, men were the wage earners in the family. And, somewhere along the line, women also entered the workforce. Wage wise, nothing much has changed. Men generally earn more than a woman does, even if it's the same kind of job!

I went to WalMart yesterday, to get a few things. Jeff, being a man, knows what he wants/needs, and then he's out the door.  I, on the other hand, like to browse, in many departments. Since, I do most of my shopping on line (shout out to Amazon), I rarely go into a store. I like to look at the clothes as well as touch them. With Amazon you cannot tell what a piece of clothing feels like. Of course, there are other advantages to shopping online, one being you (a) can shop in your pj's; (b) and can have amazingly fast delivery.

Yesterday's shopping in WalMart, was no different than any other time. Jeff knew exactly what he wanted or needed. The boys would tell you that Jeff and I don't need anything, and they'd be right. Jeff started at one end of the store, and I shopped from the other side. Cosmetics and clothing for instance. I am, always on the look out for a potential Christmas present. You won't find these jewels, if you don't go up and down the aisles.

I decided not to use the stupid cart, and walked around the store. But, once the shopping was done, my hip was also done. My memory has gotten so bad, that I can't remember where the car is parked. Knowing this, most of the time, Jeff drives up to the exit doors and finds me. By that time, I can go into a full blown panic attack. While it would never happen, when I can't find him, I have visions (unreal ones), that Jeff has driven away. My mind says this wouldn't happen, but there is always a bit of a niggle. Jeff could be parked just a few feet from the door of a store, but I don't see the car. I really can't remember where we parked. Jeff is helpful in that he asks me to remember before I enter a store, where the car is. But, by the time I am ready to exit the store, I stand glued to a spot, and hope that Jeff can find me, before I can find him. In this situation, I am generally always the loser. Such is the reality I live with. I guess you could say, that Jeff is the rabbit, and I'm the turtle!

It's a rainy day. I haven't been outside, but I know that the high will only be in the 70's. While I'm not waiting or wanting snow, I do love having the fireplace on and wearing cozy clothes.

Jeff and I know that the minute we turn the a/c off, and open the bedroom windows, the girls will likely lose their minds. Obviously, the bedroom door will have to be shut, otherwise they'll charge out of the room, ready to defend us from a falling leaf!

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I'm Gonna Wash That Dye Out Of My Hair!

9/28/2019

You know the song, "Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of my Hair" .

My version is: I'm gonna wash that dye out of my hair. Last weekend Wendy brought a jar of "unicorn dye". Sounds great doesn't it? But, as far as I could see, was purple dye - really purple.

For the first few days, I left my hair alone. Truthfully, I scared myself when I looked in the mirror. I did though, look a bit like an old lady rocker!

I happened to have bought "dye eraser". You put this goop on your head and cover it with a cap. Okay, I didn't have a cap, so I wrapped my head in plastic wrap.  Doesn't everybody?

The goo had to be on my head for 8 hours. I anxiously waited until time was up. I then washed my hair and dried it vigorously. Then, I grabbed up my hair dryer, which normally resides in the spare bathroom. Once the drying was done, I was so excited to not see purple, but a lovely shade of lavender instead. This light color, suits me very much. And, the lavender is more prominent around my face. I don't know what the back looks like, and um I frankly don't care. It's sort of my "caboose". I know it's back there, but don't spend hours looking at my back end. Or, maybe, this is just an old lady thing. Turns out, that a lot of women my age (and you maybe the exception), know their aging, and you for sure, can't turn back the clock. For me, I wouldn't want to go back to a young woman, particularly if I knew what was coming down the line. Perhaps, you feel the same way.

Happy weekend.

P



 

 

A "vision"

9/27/2019

When I say "vision", I'm talking about what I want to do in the house. Unfortunately, for the most part, Jeff doesn't see what I see. He sees an empty space - I see possibilities.

I've been looking at kitchen carts with open shelves for storage. My desire is to put heavy things like the InstaPot on the top, and gather up all my Tupperware (I have lots), and use the shelves to get bottoms and tops organized. Sounds good doesn't it.

I have found several heavy duty metal kitchen carts, that are the correct size to fit in the space where I would put it in the kitchen for not only storing heavy things, but our growing number of water containers. And likely other stuff as well.

Unlike some, I do not like a bunch of stuff on my counters. While I know that some things have to be on the counters, there are still things that I think should have a different home. Obviously, while they take up a certain amount of space, I couldn't put any dog treats on the cart - unless they were in a sealed tight container. Even then, I think Bella would challenge the container to get whatever treats were inside!

The kitchen cart I have in mind, will fit nicely against the back wall of the microwave and oven. Maybe, I'm trying to do my "spring" cleaning in the fall! No law against that, I think.

There is a marketplace on Facebook. It's a wonderful place to look for goodies. I have found several carts (for example), that I like very much. Problem? The seller doesn't list the measurements. How can a seller do that? Am I supposed to guess how big/tall this item is? When I send a message to the sellers, I only hear crickets. Message to sellers: don't put an item up for sale, without dimensions. It's a waste of your time and mine.

What I would really like is to buy something weathered and/or worn. Most of these items come un-assembled (sp). which would give me an opportunity to paint said item red. There is just something about having a red something in the kitchen!

Among other things, "national" day events for today are:  

National Chocolate Milk Day
National Crush a Can Day and
National Corned Beef Hash day


I could get behind chocolate milk and perhaps crush a can. Corned beef - not so much!

 Have a great day and weekend.

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What You See Maybe Not What You're Going To Eat!

9/26/2019

You might be thinking that I'm off my rocker (well, truly I am most of the time), but the look of certain foods that are strange to you can alter whether you are going to eat said food!

When I was a teenager, one time my mother thought it would be fun to color mashed potatoes red. Even though my brain knew that they were still mashed potatoes, I just couldn't eat them.

Last time Jeff was in a store, he bought black bean pasta. He just wanted to try it out, so it might have made more sense to buy a single serving box. Yesterday, Jeff made spaghetti using the black bean pasta. For me, looking at my plate, all I could think about was worms. Truly, that's what black bean pasta looks like. First, I didn't like the color of the pasta - black is off putting for me. I did try to be unbiased. But the black "worms" were just too much for me. Also, in my defense I didn't actually like the taste of the "worms". Unfortunately, we have one or two boxes left. When you buy at Costco, you generally get more than one package of anything. Shopping at Costco, means you are buying a bulk something or another.

For now, I have shoved the pasta into the nether regions of my pantry. Perhaps, if there is a mouse in the house, and I suspect there is, he might do me a favor of gnawing on the box. If I see evidence of damage, I'll be justified in tossing out the pasta. That's the plan anyway. I'll let you know how that goes. 

Ada is coming today, which means that I need to get my shredding done, because emptying the shredder can and generally does get messy! This is definitely on my chore list! And, we know how well that works out for me. But, I'm going to try.

After looking at this picture, tell me that you are not reminded of worms.


 
 

Have a great day.

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Christmas (groan)!

9/25/2019

I know you are all groaning about my title. Here's the thing, Christmas always seems to sneak up on people. Frankly, I don't know how that's possible.

After Halloween, artificial trees, wreaths, wrapping paper, etc. are available in all the stores. If I was the shopper who gathers up these kinds of items, after Christmas. That has never been my thing. Whatever you buy, you have to put in somewhere in your house. Argh. A perfect example is that a few Christmases ago, I bought Jeff some new Crocs. When all the presents were open, I looked for, and didn't find, the Crocs. Recently, I was in the spare bedroom (I don't know why) and under the bed were the Crocs in question! Now that I had them in my possession, I could either: (a) give them to him now; or (b) save them for a Christmas gift this year. I went for option A, and he is enjoying them very much.

As a mother of boys, they didn't give two hoots about wrapping paper, ribbons or bows. It was all about the gift. Since they are all men now, sometimes I just put packing tape around the Amazon box. Then I simply write their name on the box using a Sharpie. The boys seems to be okay with this kind of Christmas presents.

Today, I went to Amazon (is there any other store?) and searched and found Stacey and Wendy presents. I didn't buy them, of course, but have put these items in my wish list (which I don't think anyone looks at).

To be fair, I haven't started playing Christmas songs YET. I do have some willpower, but not much of it.

I have so much control, that I'm not going to tell you how many days you have left for shopping! Oh wait, I was just kidding. There are 91 days left.

Have a good day, wherever you are.

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I Confess!

9/24/2019

Don't get all excited. I haven't murdered anyone, stole from anyone, etc.

What I am confessing about, is I'm not sitting in the backseat (not literally). I have been a mother for 48 years, and up until the boys became men and married, I was the "sun" if you will, of their universes.

I was the Mother Hen, and protected them as best I could, from some of the harsh realities of life. Mothers, all over the world, do this too.

Now, back to the backseat. Scott and Andrew have both married amazing women, and I'm happy for them. Truly I am. I have no control, nor should I, of the decisions they are making now.

I have been the matriarch (and I guess I still am) of the family. I was, in a few words, the person they came to when something in their life was going south.

What I'm grappling with is that I'm no longer in charge - of anything. Stacey and Wendy have taken over the reins, if you will. Basically, I'm told where and when to be somewhere. On one hand, that should make me happy. I've cooked countless meals and desserts in 45 years. I did a quick check, and over those years, have made approximately (give or take) about 17,000+ meals. That's a lot of cooking. I no longer have a yen to cook or bake anymore. My apron has mostly been put in retirement. 

Now, as it should be, the next generation has taken over. One of the things I'm having trouble with is, that I'm no longer the center for Scott and Andrew. 

Both Stacey and Wendy, are wonderful women and I'm so happy for the boys. You know what they say - behind every great man - is a woman standing behind him!

Perhaps it's time for me to just sit back and relax. I think I've earned that right. Now all I have to do is actually sit back and relax. The girls have everything in hand. No worries.

P

 

The Emmy's

9/23/2019

Last night, Jeff and I watched The Emmy's event. I like watching mostly for the dresses and the jewels. There was a lady in what looked to me as a skin tight "plastic" dress. I could only imagine how uncomfortable she might have been through the night. 

And, then there was the potential problem of exposing too much skin on top. These women, wore of course, some kind of sticky tape or perhaps even glue, to keep the girls from spilling out! We saw some really beautiful gowns, but there was probably as many who made the "worst dress list". I think, since I'll never be a movie star, or super duper rich, I don't know how these ladies end up looking so bad. I mean, they have someone to do their hair, make-up, and probably someone who helps them get into their gowns. Doesn't antibody look in a mirror any more?
 

Also, if I was wearing borrowed jewelry, I think I would spend my entire night, checking that the earrings or necklace haven't fallen off.  Horrors. We saw, some really elegant dresses, and

Jeff and I watch Steven Colbert every night. I was disappointed that neither Colbert, nor his writing staff, received nothing - zero.

John Oliver, who we also watch, received two Emmy's. We like his show, but it's only on once a week. 

Thanks to our favorite shows returning, it means that Jeff and I won't have to talk to each other! (Kidding). Here's an example of just one dress. And, believe me there were many more.


 

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Lunch and Unicorn!

9/22/2019

Yesterday, Jeff, myself and the girls went out to Andrew's house for lunch/dinner with the family, including "Computer Ken".  Before we ate, Stacey and Wendy decided to put a unicorn dye on my head. I was game. I find the closer I get to the 70th mark, the more adventuresome I've gotten.

After the dye was in my hair for 3 hours. After that, you rinse your hair and voila you have a new color.

I came out with very purple, almost black in some places (probably because I have dark hair). When I saw myself in the mirror, I thought I looked beautiful, and almost don't recognize myself.

I've assured Jeff that the more I wash my hair, some of the deep purple should lighten up a bit. But, I hope not too soon, since I'm enjoying the "new me" very much.  Perhaps next time, I should go with lavender. 

Jeff is having the house washed today. If the HOA decides that your siding is dirty, then they'll let you know. We try to avoid contact with the HOA as much as possible.

Shortly, Jeff and I will head to the stores (the only two stores that Jeff thinks of). I know there is a brave new world out there, and I love just going to a regular grocery store. Just saying.

I hope everyone is having a good weekend. Still a bit warm and muggy outside - hence the a/c. I know that once we start opening up the house, the dogs will be even more alert to the sounds outside!

P

 

Happy Anniversary!

9/21/2019

Today, Jeff and I celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary. Sometimes, I forget whether it's been 44 or 45 years. At this point, I think the actual number doesn't really matter, until you get to the big "50"!

Our life together began with a blind date. Jeff's sister and my Father worked together. They both discussed how lonely Jeff and I were. 

And, then the blind date happened on May 5, 1974. With few exceptions, mostly work related, we have been together since. Good news is that we haven't killed each other! Kidding.

Unfortunately, Jeff got the short end of the stick with the vow for in "sickness and in health". Jeff has remained pretty healthy over the years. And, then there's me. I have certainly been sick(er) than Jeff. Though I have put Jeff through the wringer more times than not, we're still standing together.

When we decided to marry in September of 1974, I received good advice from my Grandmother. She told me that a long engagement doesn't necessarily mean a long marriage.

On the wedding day, Dad and I stood at the back of the church. Before we went down the aisle, Dad told me that Jeff was a keeper. He was right. He nor I are perfect, but we have over the years, managed to pull ourselves along.

Now, that my short term memory is nearly gone, Jeff goes to appointments with me. This is necessary because if I go alone, by the time the appointment is over, I'll have already forgotten what the doctor said!

This afternoon, we are going out to Andrew's house for a late lunch. We'll celebrate Andrew and Stacey's anniversary, as well as the recent wedding of Scott and Wendy. It will be a fun afternoon for all of us.

I just checked the "gift" that should be received on this anniversary. Happy to say it's a Sapphire!

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Fall Shows!

9/19/2019

My shredding is done! The now empty box is back in Jeff's office. I know that in a matter of weeks, or perhaps even days, the box will be full again. 

Our anniversary is coming up -  Saturday to be exact. When we were first married, I took on the role of "paper handler". At that time, nobody gave a thought to just tossing random pieces of paper into the trash. We didn't worry, because identity theft hadn't become a "thing" yet.

Little known fact: An  amusing story involved King Sebastian of Portugal, who disappeared in 1578 while battling in Morocco. Several "good citizens" tried to become King, but eventually couldn't pull off their disguise, and one such imposter was quickly executed.

Let's fast forward. In the 1960's, identity theft became a real threat to everybody. But, I think most people, my parents for sure, didn't even think twice about this problem. 

In 1964, the words "identity theft" was entered into Webster's Dictionary.

The 1980's brought dumpster diving. The thief would go through your garbage, looking for your personal information. And, they found it in spades. This was the time where shredders in home came into play. We, personally have a cross-cut shredder, so even if a thieve went through our garbage (actually big plastic bags), they wouldn't find anything revealing.

In the 1990's, we users were hacked by the use of the Internet. I guess you could call it "ghosting". According to the FCC, in just ten years, up to 62 percent.

By 2011, hacking using viruses, malware and other methods of unauthorized computer access made up a majority of information theft.
It was this scary new method of theft that set off a wide array of “identity theft protection” services.

In 1899, Equifax changed it's name to Retail Credit Company.  RCC was collecting information  not just on finances and general credit worthiness but education, job history, habits (like drinking or smoking), political views and even marriage problems and sex life. It was alleged that RCC gave bonuses to employees who could scope out negative information on people for the company’s files, even if this info was based entirely on rumor.

So, this is just part of the identity theft, that is occurring today. Phone calls from IRS (they never call), "Medicare" which wants to sell me braces for parts of my body that don't even hurt! And, the list goes on and on.

For now, and probably for the remainder of my life, shredding will be just something I have to do regularly.

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Shreding - on and on

9/18/2019

Jeff has a box in his office of things that need to be shredding. I now have this box, in my office, and you know what that means - yup - let the shredding begin!

I can only shred for a "x" amount of time, before the machine just gets to warm to continue. That is also the time, that I get tired of shoveling paper into the machine! See how well that works?

In one of my jobs, my boss was paranoid with a capital P. He would give me documents, etc. If the document in question had an "x"  on it, that meant it was to be shredded. He, like Jeff, shredded envelopes that didn't have any link to us - like a name or our address. But, I agree it's a scary world out there, and privacy is now really necessary.

I am now on day two of shredding. Problem is, when I dump the contents of the shredding, not all of it goes into the bag. Nope, some pieces end up on the floor. Because of this, I try to shred before Ada comes, so she can vacuum up all the bits and pieces.

When I was working, if the shredder had to be emptied, just like here at home, not everything went into the bag. Solution? I used a packing type tape, and then pulled out pieces of tape. Because, I used that tape to pick up the vast majority of the mess. Did I enjoy doing this? No, but nobody else in the group didn't want to do this messy job. My OCD would not let me leave shredded bits on the floor. They had to be picked up!

I have filled up one bag of shredded paper that will go in the trash. Going to start on bag two later this morning. It's a necessary but mundane job. But, it has to be done.

The box I'm working on, is a box that generally holds reams of paper. I believe I've made a "dent" in the shredding, but I don't see the bottom of the box yet.

I don't know what kind of glamorous job you're going to do today. But, whatever it is, it has to be better than feeding documents into a shredder!

P

A Book

9/17/2019

Years ago, a friend gave me a book titled "14,000 things to be happy about". I appreciate having the book, and have browsed the book many times.

The thing is, some of those "happy things" don't make a lot of sense to me. I guess I'm supposed to be happy with the color and contour of sheets? Truly, never given sheets that much consideration. I will tell you this, if I were Queen of anything, I would have new sheets put on my bed every day. That would be a luxury I could certainly get used to. Just saying.

Ball Mason jars. The real purpose of these jars is for canning (duh). Jeff and I used to make a really good salsa for canning. The end result was worth it, but the mess in the kitchen was undesirable! When we were making salsa, we weren't alone. We had a number of friends to help, and their pay? Fresh salsa of course.

Today, the Ball Mason jars serve other purposes: a vase for flowers, store things like buttons. Well, you get the idea. These are useful jars to have in the house.

I have long been a cake batter eater. I suspect that some of you out there are also guilty of this pleasure. Forget about the warnings on the box, batter has never made me sick.

When the boys were much younger, one of them decided to lick the batter off the beaters. This would have been okay, if the mixer wasn't plugged in at the time. This learning tool never had to be repeated!

My go to breakfast for most of my adult life has been toast. But, not just toast. When the toast is warm, a slathering of butter gets put on each piece. And, for even more mouth enjoyment, I put honey on too. I know, you're thinking that this is probably (and you're right) the most nourishing breakfast. I know this, but frankly don't care. If Jeff makes oatmeal, I will have some of that - all probably buttered, sugars - brown and white, and, of course milk.

When we lived in California, oh so many years ago, a box of Crayons had all these wonderful varieties of green inside. In California, you generally need brown colors, such as: Burnt Umber, Sepia and Dessert Sand. All of these colors are boring.

But, when we moved to Maryland, the variety of green colors was wonderful. There are approximately 18 shades of green. And, since moving here, we can relate to seeing most of those greens, sometime or another in Maryland.

I, personally love to open a new box of crayons. It has something to do with the smell of the crayons, as well as the endless possibilities. I like to make "squibiles: (not a word I know) on a page and then fill in all the circles with different colors. It always comes out beautiful. One of the best uses for these pieces of art for bookmarks. You should try it, it's fun.

I, of course began to wonder about the invention and time of the first crayon. And, thanks to the wonder of the Google search, here's what I found: From 1903, an approximate number of colors was 33. Many of those colors have since been removed and replaced with newer colors. And, you can now get crayons with glitter, metallic, fluorescent and for a short bit of time, scented crayons too.  So, you can see, how versatile the lowly crayon can be.

As an adult, with "adult-like" coloring books of beautiful costumes, animals, etc., I have converted to markers. I now have something called Diamond Facet Art Kit. You pick up a a dot and place it on the picture in the corresponding spot. I rescued this kit from the backyard, when Bella was stealing everything, so while the box is mangled, all the pieces are intact. Here's a sample of vintage coloring boxes. Enjoy/


 

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