A senior citizen drove his brand new Corvette convertible out of the dealership. Taking off down the road, he floored it to 80 mph, enjoying the wind blowing through what little gray hair he had left. Amazing, he thought as he flew down I-94, pushing the pedal even more.
Looking in his rear view mirror, he saw a state trooper behind him, lights flashing and siren blaring. He floored it to 100 mph, then 110, then 120. Suddenly he thought, What am I doing? I’m too old for this, and pulled over to await the trooper’s arrival.
Pulling in behind him, the trooper walked up to the Corvette, looked at his watch, and said, “Sir, my shift ends in 30 minutes. Today is Friday. If you can give me a reason for speeding that I’ve never heard before, I’ll let you go.”
The old gentleman paused. Then he said, “Years ago, my wife ran off with a state trooper. I thought you were bringing her back.”
It is going around here and there is no stopping it no matter how hard I try. Some of you may know that I have three cats now. One is my own called Chachi, or rather Little Macho and sometimes Little Einstein. He is one smart cookie but he’s not too happy these days and that is putting it mildly. The other two belong to my son who has moved away to pursue the rigors of having a new job and cats don’t fit into that equation, not at the moment anyway. Hopefully, in six months. Yes, you heard right. I will be playing babysitter for that amount of time or maybe even longer. The two in question are, Shiro, the white Persian who looks sweet, pretty, and spoiled as they come! She is quiet until something rubs her up the wrong way and then her claws come out. Right now, Chachi seems to be bringing out the “not so nice her” for some reason. The other partner in crime is Gallahad, a dark grey British long-hair with orange eyes. He looks menacing at first glance but is a sweetheart at his core.
The two moved in here about three weeks ago and life hasn’t been the same since then. When once I was surrounded by calm, chaos reigns supreme now! Keeping the place clean from the minute I get up, feeding all three, and keeping them happy seems to be my daily routine. It is wearing me out but I love challenges so I am trying my best and sometimes my best is not enough as I am finding out.
This morning I woke up to my little guy running around the bedroom. He decided that I was sleeping too long and it was time for mommy to wake up and get going. He wanted to see what the other two were doing. They are not friends yet, however, the “thaw” is taking place slowly but surely. I wasn’t too pleased with his method of waking me up so I told him to cool it. He did, but decided he’d try a different strategy. He threw up on the floor! I jumped out of bed and wasn’t too pleased. First, I had to clean up the mess. Then, I heard them. The two outside the door striking up their chorus of, “Where are you? We are hungry!” I walked out of the room and asked, “What do you two want?”
The answer, “What do you think?”
Then I noticed that the litter box was full! It couldn’t get any worse? It did. One had missed his or her mark and it was there right on the floor! I cleaned up all the litter boxes, disinfected them all before breakfast and I was not in a good mood. Then it was feeding time. They got their food, ate like they hadn’t been fed for weeks! Little Snort, that’s my guy, was behind the bedroom door demanding that he be let out. Lord, have mercy!
It was time for my cup of coffee and breakfast. I made it and walked back into the bedroom to listen to news and to see what was going on in the world, more specifically what Taco Trump was up to. Nothing new, he’s doing his normal, talking out of both sides of his mouth. They (Iranians) are good and smart people and the next, they are evil and we are going to blow them to kingdom come! Time for him to go? What do you think?
Anyway, by now all three were in symphony demanding to be let out or let in depending on their standpoint. It was time to get the day started. I walked out looking like Aunt Jemima on one of her worst days to tackle the cleaning. First, it was vacuuming from top to bottom, then mopping the floors, taking out the trash, and making sure the “cats” were all clean. What a day and it is just starting.
Chachi wanted to play with his best buddy, Galli. They have a love hate relationship and that means keeping a vigilant eye on them. Shiro, like a good little girl ate her food, and is now sleeping by the window. Guess what? Snow has moved in, it wasn’t in the forecast, and is coming down.
Weekdays and weekends are all rolled into one as far as I am concerned. I HOPE they learn to love each other and my days and nights get better. I can hope but the three marauders are not complying and that right there is the problem.
Photo by Jose Ricardo Barraza Morachis on Pexels.com
Yesterday was a stressful day. I had to take my car to the car repair shop to get the airbag replaced. It had a recall on it. Yes, that was frightening so it needed to be done. I should have bought the new car? The thought did cross my mind but I pushed it away since I like the car I have and wanted to hold onto to it.
I roped a friend into going there with me. It was the guy from Chile. He had just got back from spending summer in Chile and he hates cold weather! We wanted to catch up on things, plus I like him. Just a nice guy who goes out of his way to be helpful. He followed me with his car as I drove mine to the workshop. Once there, they told me it would take about three hours so we decided to go get some breakfast and headed to a couple of dealerships to LOOK at cars, sort of window shopping but not looking to buy. I did see a few cars that I really liked but I stuck to my decision and just glossed over them.
After a nice breakfast and a good talk, we headed back to the workshop. One other thing, the workshop was supposed to replace the headlight on the driver’s side as well but after three weeks of waiting, they told me the part was in but it would take another two weeks before someone could replace it. I wasn’t too happy with the delay but went along with it. The cost would be around 2,500 euros for one headlight! Anyway, I was told yesterday that they couldn’t replace the headlight because there was a defect and the NEW part had to be sent back. When will they get a replacement? No idea, it could be one week, tomorrow, or at the end of April! I was getting PISSED but decided to bite the bullet. However, they would replace the airbag.
Once there, they told me that it would be done at no cost and I only had to pay for the cleaning. The car was spotless and my friend said, “It is a dark brown car, I thought it was black!” Right, that’s because it hadn’t been cleaned for quite a while. Anyway, I paid for the cleaning, thanked them with a promise from them that they will call as soon as the new part comes in. So far, so good.
My friend followed me home just to make sure there were no problems and then left. I was pleased as punch with the way things were going. Then at 5:30, I got a call from the workshop. “Can you come by here early tomorrow morning?”
ME: “Why?”
Receptionist: “We need to fix something.”
ME: “What?!!” Irritation trying to get the upper-hand.
Receptionist: “They made a mistake and installed the wrong airbag!”
Ok folks, this wasn’t any fly by night operation. It is a reputable workshop which specializes in my type of car.
I was mad and I did tell them that. They said it wouldn’t take that long to rectify the problem.
ME: “Is it safe to drive the car?”
Receptionist: “Hmm….it SHOULD be safe. Just don’t drive it too much tonight!”
I turned to Google and it said, driving a car with the wrong airbag is dangerous and it could cause some severe injuries if it deploys!
Now, I am all stressed out. Should I drive the car? I don’t know. Most probably I will. The same friend will come by and follow me there just to make sure that the airbag doesn’t explode in my face! Just kidding or maybe not.
Update: I didn’t get much sleep last night. I tossed and turned with airbags floating by in pieces in front of my eyes! This morning, I drove there feeling jittery. My friend followed and he was mad as well. We got there early and they were very apologetic. It seems, there was someone else with the same last name and that was how the mistake happened. Anyway, this nice guy took my keys and promised that it would be done in minutes and as promised he walked back in with the keys in five minutes! It was done. Then to my surprise, they told me the headlight came in yesterday and they could replace it after Easter! Wow, that was good news.
Sometimes worrying doesn’t bring anything but unwanted stress. Just tell that to my hyperactive mind! Getting it to heel takes superhuman effort. All’s well that ends well? We shall see if the part they got in is fine and they get it fixed. Fingers and toes crossed!
A child asked his father, “How were people born?” So his father said, “Adam and Eve made babies, then their babies became adults and made babies, and so on.”
The child then went to his mother, asked her the same question and she told him, “We were monkeys then we evolved to become like we are now.”
The child ran back to his father and said, “You lied to me!” His father replied, “No, your mom was talking about her side of the family.”
Bob was in trouble. He forgot his wedding anniversary. His wife was really angry. She told him, “Tomorrow morning, I expect to find a gift in the driveway that goes from 0 to 200 in 6 seconds AND IT BETTER BE THERE!”
The next morning he got up early and left for work. When his wife woke up, she looked out the window and sure enough there was a box gift-wrapped in the middle of the driveway. Confused, the wife put on her robe and ran out to the driveway, brought the box back to the house. She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale.
A woman was taking an afternoon nap. When she woke up, she told her husband, “I just dreamed that you gave me a pearl necklace. What do you think it means?”
“You’ll know tonight,” he said. That evening, the man came home with a small package and gave it to his wife. Delighted, she opened it to find a book entitled, “The Meaning of Dreams.”
Enough is enough? Today is that day and I’ve decided to take some time-out and to pamper myself instead of catering to everyone else. The “everyone” meaning the three cats who are keeping me company from the moment I wake up to the time I go to bed and in-between!
Waking up this morning to one cat scratching at the bedroom door, the other knocking and the one in the bedroom meowing, “Mom, it’s time to get up!” told me that it was time to take some time for myself and to blur the cats out for an hour or two.
I had breakfast as usual and did my routine like I do every morning. Feeding the little rascals, cleaning up after them, listening to their complaints, and wondering what to say when the “white one” cries, “WHERE IS MY DADDY?!!”
Today, it was going to be “my” time to enjoy myself. I decided to go to town and have a nice cup of coffee at the cafe and people watch. The sun was shining and a perfectly wonderful day to do just that. I made it there just as the shops were opening. First, I headed to the pet store and stocked up on more cat food, yes, I spoil them. Then I picked up some cat toys. It was time for that cup of coffee. Walking into the cafe, I noticed that I was the only one there. It was still early. My favorite server was there with a smile on his face. He’s from Argentina and we’ve talked before. He asked, “Alone, today?” Answering in the affirmative, I ordered my cup of coffee. He then introduced me to this other guy as his brother. A cute guy who was just learning the ropes. We talked and then my coffee was there. They left me in peace to enjoy it.
Looking outside, I noticed that it was getting busy. The bakery across the way was jam-packed. It’s the place where I get my cheesecake and I could see them, the cheesecakes sitting on the counter and winking at me! I quickly looked away. I’ve been cheesecake free for a week now and I plan to keep it that way. So I turned my attention to the people. It was interesting. Most had their attention diverted to their phones. They were either looking at something or talking on it. Others seemed to be in a hurry. Some were laden down with big bags of groceries, while others were rushing somewhere. I was glad that I had nowhere to go. I sat there daydreaming as I slowly enjoyed the cup of Italian coffee. It was really good.
The break was doing me good. I could feel myself calming down and before I could get into a nirvana state of mind, I decided to pay up and make my way home. The plan was to go home, change into sweats and head to the fields, a wonderful addition to a stress-free day.
Just as I walked in, I heard, “We want to go home!” It was the white Persian and the dark-colored British long hair. Guess, they had enough of putting up with Chachi, the macho. My little guy was up in arms as he belted out, “SHE’S A B**CH!”
Lord, have mercy! There goes my peace out the window. After calming them down, I put on my walking shoes and headed out determined to salvage the day. As I closed the door behind me and headed out, it felt peaceful again. I will deal with whatever comes my way LATER! Now, it is my time and nothing else matters.
INVEST IN YOURSELF. Here’s the thing, no matter how stressful life gets, take time-out for yourself. You are worth it and your future depends on it.
I thought this was funny but you may think different!
Two New Elements Discovered!: WO and XY…
From Christopher G. Worley, Los Alamos Laboratory
Two new chemical elements have recently been discovered. Here for the first time is a description of their properties.
Name: WOMAN
Symbol: WO
Atomic Weight: (don’t even go there!)
Physical Properties: Generally round in form. Boils at nothing and may freeze any time. Melts whenever treated properly. Very bitter if not used well.
Chemical Properties: Very active. Highly unstable. Possesses strong afinity to gold, silver, platinum and precious stones. Violent when left alone. Able to absorb great amounts of exotic food. Turns slightly green when placed next to a better specimen.
Usage: Highly ornamental. An extremely good catalyst for dispersion of wealth. Probably the most powerful income reducing agent known.
Physical Properties: Solid at room temperature, but gets bent out of shape easily. Fairly dense and sometimes flaky. Difficult to find a pure sample. Due to rust, aging samples are unable to conduct electricity as easily as young samples.
Chemical Properties: Attempts to bond with WO any chance it gets. Also tends to form strong bonds with itself. Becomes explosive when mixed with Kd (Element: Child) for prolonged period of time. Neutralize by saturating with alcohol.
Usage: None known. Possibly good Methane source. Good samples and are able to produce large quantities on demand.
CAUTION: In the absence of WO, this element rapidly decomposes and begins to smell.
“All for one and one for all!” Not quite. I thought the hardest part is to have the two visitors as temporary residents for some time and when they get used to being here, things will take a turn for the better. Think again!
Gallahad, the gentle giant with the dark fur and orange eyes is an observer. He watches everything with those wise eyes of his and stays out of the way until he hears the can opening, food can that is. Then he prances around because “food” brings him happiness and adds to the extra pounds he carries around as well. He loves eating. I’m his best buddy because he knows without a shadow of a doubt that I’m the lady with the food. Be nice to her and you have a full tummy, that is guaranteed.
Shiro, on the other hand, is sweet and looks mighty pretty. All that white fur and big wide eyes makes her a beauty. She loves to meow when she is happy AND when she is not. How to know the difference? You don’t, just go with the flow or simply ignore her. She loves to sleep a lot as cats do I suppose but she calls it her “beauty sleep.” A girl after my own heart!
Chachi, the Little Macho has lost some of that machismo ever since these two moved in. He was “the man” but now, the third wheel or the fourth but who cares, he feels that the two have moved in and are vying for my attention, love, and caring. This is not setting too well with him and he shows it in ways that is alarming. He hisses whenever he sees them, tries to hit with his paws and last night, he went for my hand! I wasn’t having any of it so I read him the riot act. Things have been quiet since then but he shoots daggers in my direction letting it be known that he is JEALOUS!
What am I doing? Good question. I am running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Just when I think I have a handle on things, they show me different. Galli decided that feeding, grooming, and taking care of his needs isn’t enough. He added diarrhea to the equation! He is a long-haired variety and let me tell you cleaning up after that makes you want to send him home! The problem, he has no other home right now. So, I cleaned up, ran the wash several times and all is back to normal again. Then there is the problem with the hair. Two long-haired cats shed like crazy! Now, it is time to play stylist as well. I invested in a good hair-trimmer and have been cutting Shiro’s hair. She is a sweetheart, no problems there. Galli is another story! He went for my hand after hearing the light buzzing and knew something was up. The next thing I did was to invest in some protective gloves. This is working much better but try getting close to the legs and you have trouble waiting!
Time for a professional to take over. I have an appointment scheduled with a dog and cat stylist in April. Hopefully, she gets them cleaned up and smelling like a rose. Maybe, not a rose but something better!
Life with three cats is no joke. It’s like having kids running around and demanding attention all the time. Oh, I forgot playtime. It is scheduled for an hour each day. By the end of the day, I am pooped!
Three musketeers they are not, but I’m hoping that things will settle down. I used to say I don’t want to travel anymore, well, that has changed ever since the two moved in. I am ready for a break!
Love as we know has many facets. It is not a one size fits all kind of thing. There is the love between a parent and child, there is the love between a pet and its owner, there is the love of material things but nothing is as powerful as the love that shows up and turns your world on its head and you don’t know if you’re coming or going. It is the kind of love that comes and touches your heart, sends your blood pumping and you are left wondering what happened?
However, this love between a man and woman has its ups and downs. Sometimes it goes smoothly and sometimes when you least expect it, you get the rug pulled out from under your feet. There is the kind that shows up and you are head over heels and the kind that doesn’t get the same response from the other person. There is the kind that takes you for a ride, the kind that breaks your heart into a thousand pieces and hurt becomes a part of loving. There is the kind that loves to play games and the kind that doesn’t give a hoot about your feelings. It is all part and parcel of this thing called love. If you are lucky, you find someone who looks at you and you’re IT and then there is the kind that does circles around you and keeps you guessing.
Different kinds of love but it has one thing in common. Love is powerful and it has the ability to turn an ordinary person into someone extraordinary or leaves you gasping for air. Love lessons they are aplenty and since I’m in this, “What is love really about?” mood, here are some quotes that speak to the heart of the matter.
“Some people teach you what love feels like. Others teach you what love is not. Both shape how you protect your heart.” Unknown
Been there, done that and there is truth in that quote.
“I don’t walk away to teach people a lesson, I walk away because I learned mine.” Unknown
Done this one too. Believe me, the walking away gets easier as time goes along.
Spend your time on those who LOVE you unconditionally. Don’t waste it on those who only love you when the conditions are right for them.” Unknown
Listen carefully to this one. When you are not the priority, leave! No point hanging around.
“Not all love lasts, but the lessons love brings to us do.” Mandy Hale
The absolute truth. Learn from the lessons and let go of the rest.
“Sometimes life sends us people who don’t love us enough, to remind us of what we’re worthy of.” Mandy Hale
This is painful but it is a lesson that has to be learned. You are worthy of real love and not the wishy washy kind. Pay attention to what is shown and take the right path. It is not going to be easy but worthiness comes from knowing who you are and what you will stand for. It demands courage as well to shut the door and to move on.
“Never chase love, affection, or attention. If it isn’t given freely by another person, it isn’t worth having.” Unknown
Quite often we do the chase or the dance or whatever name you give it but you know what I mean. Chasing love, affection, or attention quite often brings the opposite. Don’t chase, let it go and see what happens.
“Sometimes the bad things that happen in our lives put us directly on the path to the best things that will ever happen to us.” Nicole Reed
I think this one works on the same principle as karma does. Someone does something bad to you and if you believe in karma, I do, you know that at some point they will get their comeuppance. When? That’s the problem. There is no date or time given, just that it will take place at some point and you have to believe that it will. So when will good things start happening. Same thing. Wait for it and sooner or later it will happen. No fun? Yes, well, life moves to a different beat and all in good time because you have to learn before you reap the benefits, I suppose.
Enough about love? One last thing, love is many-faceted and it has its mysteries but one thing is for sure, WE CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT IT!!
Have an amazing day and I hope the right kind of love finds you.
We do it everyday without giving it much thought. Each day requires that you put one foot in front of the other and to keep moving forward. The unknown is scary, the future hazy, and not knowing adds to the whole shebang. However, standing still in one spot is not going to do it even if it feels right at the time and digging in your heels and thumping your nose at whatever is in front of you is a no go either. Move forward….you must if you want to get somewhere in life.
“If I’ve learned anything in life, is that sometimes things get in your path and you have a choice: you can either smash right into them or you can adjust and move around, but you have to do one or the other in order to move forward.” Unknown
According to one source, “moving forward is essential for personal growth, overcoming adversity, and unlocking new opportunities, acting as a “cure” for stagnation, regret, and unhealthy fixation on the past.”
Staying fixated on the past is something that all of us are experts on. We can give a run down on how to do that with a smile plastered on our faces, that’s because we’ve done it numerous times. I know I have. I think the “fixation” comes from the familiarity of the past, we know it well, good or bad. Moving forward is a whole different story altogether. Who wants to move forward when the path forward is unclear and there could be a quagmire of sorts waiting for you there. It is risky business but it needs to be done if you want to get anywhere in life.
“Sometimes in order to move on, you have to accept that some things will just never go back to how they used to be no matter how much you want them to.” Unknown
Moving forward also requires strength, a single-minded focus, and the will to survive whatever is coming your way. You have to trust that all will be well as you put that foot forward hoping that whatever is waiting out there will treat you kindly and lead you on the path to success. Here’s the thing, if you’ve got one foot back there, you know where, and one foot in front, that is a surefire way to failure.
“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.” J. P. Morgan
Easier said than done? Absolutely. I’ll be the first to say that I love dragging my feet. Even if you give me a push forward, I PUSH BACK! I like staying where it is familiar and comfortable. I do not like the unknown but that has never stopped life from showing me what’s ahead in bits and pieces.
Daphne Rose Kingma said it beautifully.
“Holding on is believing that there’s only a past; letting go is knowing that there’s a future.”
I love that quote because it speaks to the truth of the matter. The past is done with, it is finished, although it loves hanging on and we give it an extra boost by keeping our thoughts and actions focused on it. It is a pesky thing, the past, but it plays its cards well and if it finds someone who will entertain it, it WILL linger on. Let it go. It is no longer needed. You are moving forward.
“Close some doors. Not because of pride, incapacity or arrogance, but simply because they no longer lead somewhere.” Unknown
Remember that bit of advice. It is important to close doors that no longer serve your best interests. If you want to head somewhere, keep on moving forwards even if it makes you tremble with fear at times. You can’t go back to the past. The future is waiting so put one foot in front of the other and head that way trusting that you will get to a better place at some point in time.
“It is always important to know when something has reached its end. Closing circles, shutting doors, finishing chapters, it doesn’t matter what we call it: what matters is to leave in the past those moments in life that are over.” Paulo Coelho
AND
“Remember you can’t reach what’s in front of you until you let go of what’s behind you.” Unknown
Well said. I just need to take that advice to heart and learn from it!
As spring flowers go, nothing signifies spring like daffodils. There are others that show up earlier than expected like the Snowdrops or rather snowbells, tiny white blooms that appear at the end of winter and the crocuses ranging from deep purple to golden yellow and sometimes pristine white. We get the purple ones here. However, it is the daffodil that heralds spring with its trumpet-like flowers, waving its yellow and white head to the sun that tells me spring is here and is going to stay for a while.
I headed out the door this morning looking forward to my walk when I noticed that the sun was already there telling me that it was going to be a glorious day. As I closed the front door and looked towards the front garden, I noticed the first daffodil in bloom! A beautiful yellow one looking directly at me! Soon, there will be plenty more but this is the first one I’ve seen in bloom and it put a smile on my face.
Saturdays are not for walking as far as I’m concerned. Too many people out there and with such a beautiful day, there would be plenty more. I like having the fields to myself. Not today. I noticed several people already there turning their heads skyward enjoying the sunshine. I took the forest way hoping for peace and quiet. No luck today. There were a few people already there enjoying the quiet and as we passed, there was a nod of the head and, “Guten Tag,” which is the norm here of friendliness and perhaps politeness as well.
There was the sound of a lone woodpecker in the tree somewhere pecking away for all its worth! Rabbits were scampering around, a couple, not many but soon they will be out in full force. Spring is just beginning and they have work to do. No deer today but it is early yet. I walked to the pond and it was quiet there. No herons, storks or ducks there. The stream meandering through the forest was gurgling gleefully as it made its way to where it needed to go. No daffodils yet. They usually show up on both sides of the stream in a blaze of yellow and while. Not today. There is time yet. It was quiet in the forest so I decided to head back.
Spring is here, not in full force but it will get here soon enough. When it does it will be a sight to behold and that one daffodil in my front garden will take a backseat as others come to take its place. All part and parcel of spring. It is one of my favorite season of the year.
