This n' That

G'afternoon, friends ... how are you?

Oh my gosh, where to start?   Like a giant hand's turned the dial to fast-forward, so go the days of my life.  Nevertheless, here's a bit of this and some of that.

* * *

Big Corporation's expectation is (that) every associate volunteer a certain amount of hours each year ... so when someone said State Fair, I jumped.    The last State Fair I remember attending (Albuquerque), I was just a kid in love.  In love with the idea of meeting Roy Rogers and Trigger, that is.    

Compared to deep-cleaning industrial kitchens, collecting canned goods on behalf of St. Mary's Food Bank sounded like a stroll in the park. 

Because our designated parking lot was almost a half-mile away - and the Fairgrounds is situated in a sketchy part of the city - I opted to carry my aging 'police lady' purse.   See, back when I'd a yen for adventure, I enrolled in Tampa PDs' concealed weapons program -- and wound up purchasing a cute handgun and a leather bag.   In addition to steel wire inside the shoulder strap (preventing a snatcher from cutting it), the sweet feature of this purse is a concealed interior compartment only accessible through the side.  

Thrusting my credit cards inside that cache, I ignored the mercury and set off with a spring in my step.  LOL.

Just a guess, but my appearing a wee bit older than my coworkers, the coordinator dubbed me, 'Ticket Champion.'  In other words, for every 5 cans of food donated, the presenter would get a ticket for free admission to the fair.   

Stuff that truck!

My runners!

Just a sampling ...

Seriously, I was stunned by the turn-out.   Later it was said over 34,000 lbs. of food were collected!   The best part?  The olden folks and preschoolers.  Addressing the youngest child in a group, I'd ask oh-so-seriously, "Do you want to be Ticket Champion?"  

All the same, I don't think I'll be invited back.    I had to be reminded time and again, to untie the bags to make sure they contained 5 cans.  "Don't worry, I'm not the TSA" garnered me dirty looks from the coordinator.   Rules are rules, sure.  But I'm not about to deny an 10 year-old a ticket because her bag only contains 4 cans.

They said at the end of our shift we were free to roam about the Fair.  Unfortunately, I was so tired of standing in the 97-degree afternoon, all I wanted was a cold shower!   

* * *

So we met our (local) realtor Friday night, and were pleasantly surprised by what he had to say.   No pressure to list and no trying to pull the wool over our eyes.  I pray our realtor-lady in Alabama is as nice!

Our next-door neighbor who has a painting business on the side, is repainting the inside of our house while we're gone.   I initially balked at the price, but taking all the pictures and 'stuff' off the walls this morning, I was dismayed how badly it needs redone.   

Nervous?  Goodness, yes!  Only a week remains, and I'm not so sure this  old heart of mine can stand the roller-coaster.   When an e-mail began, "I regret to inform you ...." saying my Very.Favorite home went 'contingent' a couple of weeks ago,  I was heartbroken.  Then, another finalist went pending.  But just this morning... just when I was learning to love another, it reappeared as active.

I forget what my realtor in Tarpon Springs called it, way back in '95 when I was house-hunting.  Chemistry?  Psychology? 
After what seemed an eternity of searching -- when I'd taken only a few steps inside what eventually became my town home -- I turned and said, "This is it."   I'd not even seen the bedrooms or baths, but I felt it.  Suppose lightening can strike twice?

Cracks me up, but Tom's only concern seems to be space for a two-door refrigerator and a dedicated room for his keyboards and horns.  Yep, I'm darned fortunate!

It goes without saying -- you know how I feel about air travel -- so I certainly appreciate your thoughts and prayers while we're away!

Meanwhile!  Tom has a pot of Conecuh sausage and greens in the slow cooker needing tasted -- and I'd better get ready making nut bread to bring to my boy!

Happy Halloween from Phoenix!

Myra

  

    

Water Cooler Wednesday: Episode #3

Today's question comes from something I spotted on Facebook ...

What's a popular word or phrase that 

you find particularly annoying?

For instance?

I hate when customer service reps, food servers, etc. say "no problem" when I say, "thank you" .....

Whatever happened to, "You're welcome"?

Feeling old in Phoenix :)

Myra

Sunday Stealing: The Crushing Questions

G'morning friends! 

... and thanks to Bev, for these thought-provoking "Questions To Ask Your Crush."   

Cute, weren't they?

What do you find hilarious, but most people don't find funny?

Ugh.  I'd have found this easier to answer, were it posed the other way around.  I appreciate humor as much as the next person, but I don't 'get' much of what passes as comedic these days ...  satiric; oftentimes at the expense of others.

What was the best year of your life so far?

Hands-down, 1983  

.....found me feeling well and fiscally comfortable. There was "no song unsung, no wine untasted."

What's your favorite thing to do on the Internet?

Blogging.  Although I don't post each day, I love keeping abreast of your goings-on!

What fad have you held onto even though it isn't popular any more?

 I can't recall ever being a 'fad' follower.  Nevertheless, I've no intentions of trading in my oversize ("Jackie O") sunglasses.

What do you spend most of your time doing?

My job aside, I'd say commuting to and from the office.  I'm not sure if Phoenix traffic is getting worse, or if I need a remedial course in patience!

What do you spend way too much money on?

Groceries. DH and I take an enormous amount of pleasure in good food and beverages.

What event, large or small, has changed the course of your life most?

My father's sudden death in '81.  Subtly perhaps, but I became a far different person.

What do you have a hard time taking seriously?

The media.

What do you judge people for most often?

I try very hard not to judge .... but it's annoying as heck to hear someone 'going off', making presumptions when he/she is unfamiliar with the facts.

What was the most beautiful view you have ever experienced?

I'm remembering a sweet evening wandering the streets of San Gimignano, Italy.

What is something you read or heard that has stuck with you for a long time?

"Though nothing can bring back the hour of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower; we will grieve not rather, find strength in what remains."

- William Wordsworth -

What's your favorite thing to shop for.  Why?

Groceries. Why?  A-N-T-I-C-I-P-A-T-I-O-N!

What's the best compliment someone can receive?

Someone once told me, "I enjoy spending time with you."  When applicable, I try and pay that sentiment forward.

What's something people go on and on about and you can't stand sitting through?

Major league baseball.

What's something you can do that most people can't?

I'm pretty unspectacular ... let's move on.

When was the last time you tried to look cool and ended in embarrassment?

I think it was '99.  My first fare driving a limo ... shuffling convention-goers from Tampa's convention center to their hotels, airport, etc.   Headed to TIA, my solitary fare mentioned looking forward to getting back home to his partner.  I'm like, "Oh!, so you're an attorney, then?" 

What is the most ridiculous rule you have to follow?

I've mentioned before -- I was given a verbal warning (my first ever!) for taking three 29-minute lunch breaks in a single pay period ..... vs. 30-minute periods mandated by Federal law.

What country do you not know the location of, even though you should?

Off the top of my head?  I'd be hard-pressed to identify Norway on an atlas - my mother's lineage.

What do you have a hard time with, but most people find quite easy?

I hate trying to text!

What's the most impressive skill you have?

I don't consider it 'impressive' ..... but all things considered, I'm pretty resilient and, at the end of the day, optimistic.

* * * 

Whew, what a lot of questions!

Thanks for stopping by ... and have yourselves a wonderful new week!

Hugs from Phoenix,

Myra

 

Playing For Keeps

Good morning m'friends!

How can it be Sunday already?  ... so soon?

Ours was a great 3-day weekend.  Yours?

Because I'd a gift card burning a hole in my pocketbook, Tom and I began by making a drive to a favorite restaurant.  Normally I'm so deadline driven, enjoying a leisurely lunch was an unaccustomed treat.

We were both too full to enjoy one of their signature deserts ... but that didn't stop us from bringing home thick slices of pumpkin and strawberry cheesecakes ... then falling into a caloric coma.  (*smile*)

* * *

Perspective's a funny thing.

The Estrella Mountains near our home, for instance.

Granted, this is a lousy picture -- but smack in the middle there's a solitary peak.  An upside down "V", more imposing than it appears here.  My altar, if you will.  "Wherever we are, God is."

Anyway, not 5 miles east, I look back and it's become a broken tooth.  Another 10, it's a lumpy wart. 

Later in the day I do a mental eye-roll, listening to Guest Services associates raving over "Step Brothers" (for instance) ... "the greatest movie, ever made!" 

... then I remember the 1961 letter my mother kept, her daughter's enthusiastic script lauding Hayley Mills' "Parent Trap" as "the Best! Ever!"  
Guilty, party of one.

Perspective often comes with a price.

On several occasions I've been guilty of forcing an outcome.  Remember that old song, "Falling in Love with Love"?  Substitute "Love" with "Change of venue" and that was me.  Destination addiction, yep. 

But this time, this move feels solid.

See, there's a certain fella on the other end.  A younger man.  I've not known about him very long; and I've yet to hear him speak.  Still, I've become infatuated with Sean Dietrich.

Like the song of the Lorelei, his words feel like home.

If you've a moment, may I share a few disjointed turns of a phrase?

 ....puts a hurting on two slabs of catfish roughly the size of men’s work boots. 

... A place with pine on the floors, pine on the walls and pork on the plate.

... (stories) that make a grown man leak saltwater.

...  enough to break a stainless steel heart.

.....a single parent who'd raised her daughter into adulthood on nothing but pennies and late shifts."

..... the kinds of food that give cardiologists panic attacks.

Finally, his reflections while in the midst of Hurricane Nate's wrath:  Thoughts of picking wildflowers ... watching the sun go down over the Escambia River ... being kissed by a litter of bloodhound puppies "Before I get sucked off the map ...."

Me? I want to own an iron skillet someday ... and a pair of cowboy boots.  And sit by a sunny window sipping coffee.

What a relief, knowing what I want to be when I grow up.

I hope yours is a wonderful new week!

Hugs from Phoenix,

Myra

Water Cooler Wednesday -Episode 2

Thanks for joining me for another silly scenario!

When I was a little girl I believed my mother was the smartest lady in the world.  That was, until she couldn't answer my question:  "When Prince Charles and Princess Anne turn in their school work, what do they put for their last name?"

See, I've always had an absurd interest in names.  The royal family is no exception.

Princess Diana supposedly wanted to name her first-born "Oliver" -- but that was shot down for a more 'suitable' name befitting the House of Windsor.

(...a bit stuffy, are we?)

Even today.  I recall much speculation regarding the naming of William and Kate's adorable offspring.  

Now that "George Alexander Louis" and "Charlotte Elizabeth Diana" are expecting a  new brother or sister next year .....

..... should you decide to accept this mission,

If you were given naming rights to the new prince or princess, what would you choose?

(Phooey on tradition!) 

  

Reconcilible Differences ... and stuff

I really, really don't like to dry dishes.   Even as a child, I'd volunteer to wash ... even if it meant wearing those ugly rubber gloves mother kept at the ready.

So, where's this going?   Last year - in an effort to cut back on our electric - I began doing dishes by hand ... and sticking them in the dishwasher to air dry overnight.  Out of sight, out of mind!

Except, if he's around Tom insists on grabbing a dishtowel and starts drying.  I know.  I should be tickled to pieces he wants to help.  Probably, I'm just bummed he doesn't appreciate the efficiency of my plan.  (*smile*)

  

Shortly after last month's anniversary I had to conclude, Tom and I are kitchen incompatible -- 

Remember what I said about Saran Wrap?  He actually makes that satanic stuff work nicely!  I like select-a-size paper towels ... him, Not.At.All.  Following a recent burger-and-onions extravaganza, our kitchen smelled like "Bubba's Place."   Wow. From the way he recoiled when I began spraying the Lysol this way and that, you'd have thought it was pepper spray.  I looked to see he'd retrieved something called Fuzzy Vanilla.  And cracked up.

Oh, there's more.  Lots. But that's OK.  Excepting weekends, we rarely eat the same things or at the same time.  I'm curious how all this is going to work when I'm no longer working.   One reader mentioned it was the size of their kitchen that first 'sold' her on their house.  Me, I'm thinking smaller is safer!

* * *

Say, I really appreciate y'all's comments on my  '67' things!

Still, I've got to quit putting certain things out in the Universe.  I'll never forget one old preacher's analogy:  "You keep saying s***, you're gonna keeping stepping in it."

See, a few days later I came out of work to discover one of my car tires was flat as a pancake.  "No worries" someone offered.  "Just drive it down to the maintenance yard and they've a compressor you can use."  

Oh no, no, nooooo!

(I don't care to play the poor pitiful female card, but yep.  That's just what I did.)

And my (non) love affair with the color blue?  When Tom invited his buddy and wife over last weekend, we knew our desperately ratty patio chair cushions must go.  (Eventually, I'd like to replace them with Sundrella fabric, but I'm not ready to re-mortgage the house to do so.)  What an unpleasant wake-up call to discover what retailers - even WalMart - were asking.  Then, walking into Fry's I spotted a big 'close-out' sign advertising chaise cushions for only $19.99.   Of course, they were all blue, but I wasn't going to sneeze at the price.

Funny thing, I don't think they look all that bad. 

* * *

I'm so delighted it's October!  What do you say, let's put out in the Universe, this going to be a good time!

Thanks for visiting my ordinary post about nothing, and have yourselves a great Monday!

Hugs from Phoenix,

Myra