Gettin' By the Best I Can
Silliness…somebody brought in
2 big boxes of donuts this morning
and I’ve been on a sugar high since.
Woe unto anyone who approaches
when I come down!
Have you seen one of these?
In case this isn’t Christmasy enough, here’s Krink to wish y’all HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
I had this wonderful old song on my mind, and though I might share it.
I get up and wrap my hands around my first cup of Caravan black tea and see these giant puffballs falling from the sky! Darned cool, me on the porch with my fuzzy slippers and housecoat on…brrr. The sky is gray because the sun was just coming up. Have a great weekend!
From this:
To this:
To what do my wondering eyes appear? 3/4 of a carton of leftover potluck rocky road? Oh my, whatever shall I do with it? As mentioned last week – hide the bathroom scales for a month few months!
An Itty-Bitty Bobber!
Fudge likes it.
I am a sentimental sort and would rather have a white Christmas than any number of odd gifts that take up closet space. Not that I don’t treasure the thoughtful present sent by someone who had no idea what the hay to get me.
Note to self – Take that overstuffed box of clothes that either never fit or were ludicrously NOT ME to the St Vincent’s. Put a garish bow on it? I have a million left over as I am an obsessive keeper of things that might be useful one day.
I watched the forecasts, pored over the extended nationwide maps and signed up for a weather blog.
All in vain. These folks are getting snow…those folks are getting way too much snow. Where’s mine? Then I saw the animated, blinking ad for SNOW! 90% Off! Just in Time for XMAS! Oh yes I bit, I bit big-time and spend my paycheck. It would be worth it, right? Do the calculation, see how much this wondrous dream maker was originally valued? How wonderful of the generous creators of this magnificent offer to put it on such a sharp sale just in the St Nick of time!
(Imagine a night filled with anticipation, much like a child listens for jingling bells, in this space.)
Christmas morning, full of hope, I layered on the woolies and fur boots. And I saw this:
Trust nobody who says XMAS instead of Christmas.
Yesterday I forgot Ma’s medicine at the cabin and didn’t realize it until I got all the way into town. Idiot! Thus I had to drive back with Ma in the swirling snow last night. Of course my brother was there taking full advantage of my not being there, his big old truck blocking the driveway. Surprised him!
Anyway, I set the alarm very early to get in to work this morning as it takes well over an hour to get there from the cabin. The county had the roads cleared well, we only got a couple inches. I cruised up the ramp onto the Parkway, four lanes with little traffic. I set the cruise control on 70 and relaxed some. I pointed out
snowplows to Ma, I pointed out chilly flocks of birds. Then a big pick-up passed me.
This huge black Guzzlero 350 had prominent mirrors on either side. I told Ma those giant mirrors had turn signals incorporated, so the guy must pull a trailer. To have them that nice installed instead of the clip-on kind, he must haul something valuable, regularly.
The pick-up wasn’t the newest model, but had the appearance of being kept up. The black body gleamed, the chrome shone through the crusted snow, no dings or rust. With those mirrors he had to pull a long trailer and have enough money to maintain the truck, the trailer and whatever he hauls. Horses. Maybe he had a line on some horses for sale and was on the way to give them an experienced look.
Meanwhile, his wife accepts yet another Amway box from the UPS carrier that knows her name and asks how her sniffly rat dog is doing. “He died”, she told him, and then thanked him for her wonderful package. She wanted to sell Amway but all her neighbors avoid her anymore. She gave Shelly artful make-up sets, lip glosses and blushes for her wan face every Christmas, birthday, Easter and Earth Day and many cologne arrays to her son; he’s only 12 but was growing into it.
Shelly opens the front door, sees the boxful of all night mascaras and pineapple candles and feels the strong urge to go right back out before Ma looks up. Too late. “Hi, Ma.”
“Look honey, I got you these nice gloves that match this bracelet that matches this necklace that goes with this combination flashlight and Pumpkin Spritzer for your purse!”
Dad walks in and shakes off the snow, a rotten habit that makes the carpet soggy and it 
catches so much dirt. “Hey Shelly! Arnie Butz up in Fordsville has a spunky appaloosa that he’s gotta sell to get his wife some kind of exotic medicine. Dunno, but he’s selling it rock bottom. Help me hook the trailer up and let’s go get it!”
Shelley slumped, ‘There goes more of my meager inheritance.’ Aloud, she said, “Sorry Dad, Ma and I were heading out for breakfast. It’s the eleventh anniversary of my braces coming off and I need to celebrate. We might get some shopping in after that. Want to come along?”
“Hell no! You girls have fun, I can get this myself.” He goes out mumbling.
After a country ham and scrambled egg breakfast, Ma insists on going to the Goodwill. Shelly knows better but relents. Surely all of the Amway plunder Ma had sent her over the years and had donated was off the shelves, in some other ditzy woman’s house.
Ma got a cart because she didn’t like using a cane, it made he appear old. She leans on it and starts wandering. In the geegaw aisle, there laid in a perfect row, were the 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2016 versions of Santa’s Favorite never-opened lip gloss in hot pink. “Shelly, looky there! I wonder why some are missing?”
Shelly knew…
Ah, end of the Parkway, click off of cruise control, coming into town and traffic. Isn’t funny how a mirror on a passing truck can make a tedious drive more bearable?
Gosh Durn the 1ooo mile wide winter storm…the little goat roads to the cabin are all iced up with a foot of snow atop that. Plus the narrow roads have precipitous shoulders, follow sharp contours and probably have trees down across them. I with my trusty 2005 Subaru Forester with the shovel in back would brave the elements, but I have frail Mama now and don’t want to risk it. Good thing is, I left enough food and water for the animals down there to last a few more days. Monday should be warmer so I can hie on down there and replenish the feed bowls Tuesday. At least I hope so! Melting would increase flood potential, but greatly reduce SHOVELLING that great long driveway.
With most of the business closed and the roads dangerous because of the other drivers 😉 I suppose we’ll watch videos and listen to music all weekend. Amazingly, I brought my laptop up to town Monday morning, thus I can work on my new stories!
I guess I’ll have time to resolve the problem of how Otto and Socks get from the Better Ore Worse to the Baling Wire asteroid mining ship. At least I should have time…unless the power goes out. Shhh! I didn’t day anything about the power! No, I didn’t! I hope no gremlins subscribe to this blog.
Not that I don’t stay extremely busy here at work…but check out this magnet conundrum. Why does that scraper razor stand straight up instead of being drawn up the magnet? That’s a ready strong magnet and any other ferrous item I put up to it is difficult to pull off. The anti-magnetonic razor! Go figure!
