A Whirlwind of a Visit…

“What are you doing?” I asked Charlie as he handed me an Arby’s sack with the biggest and heaviest roast beef sandwich I had ever seen.

“Here’s you a snack for work,” he told me as he feverishly began cleaning my kitchen.

Charlie also brought an odd mix of a bag of potato chips, a giant cup of iced sweet tea, and some candy left from Halloween. I walked into the kitchen as Charlie proceeded to clean Maggie and Caramel’s food bowls and then began cleaning my kitchen afterwards.

“I have to be at work in an hour,” I told Charlie nervously.

“I won’t be long,” Charlie replied. “I promised your father I would help you out while he was gone.”

Horsefly had begun his usual routine of flushing my toilet over and over.

“He’s checking out the performance of your toilet,” Charlie said with Cheshire grin. “He’s making sure everything is working okay.”

I burst out laughing as Charlie continued to grin as he cleaned my stainless steel sink.

Tis the Season for Returning Back to Normal…. 

I am proud to report that work has settled back into the calm and quiet status quo I enjoyed before the  holidays began. I had a small flurry of customers at midnight and then things settled back down again.  I spent much of the evening stocking shelves of the many items we had sold out of during the Christmas shopping season.  It was mundane, but oddly pleasing work in a way.  

My friend from the grocery department visited around three AM and bought his deli sandwich, chips, and a drink.  He wanted to know if I had a good Christmas.

“I couldn't have asked for a better one,” I told him with a pleased look on my face.

We then got in a political discussion about that politician Christine O’Donnell about her once claiming she was a Wiccan.

“Most people need to be worried about her being a fruitcake rather than a witch,” I told Jim matter-of-factly.

Jim just laughed in agreement and was glad she didn’t get elected.

I’ve Set a Precedent…

I could hear Maggie barking loudly inside as I got out of my car this morning upon returning home from work. 

“Hold your horses,” I told Maggie and Caramel as they wiggled wildly for their morning sausage biscuit and hashbrown. 

This is my version of saying sorry for being gone all night.  Both dogs take great satisfaction from this routine I started before Christmas.  I was afraid Dr. Thomas would tell me Maggie had gained too much weight and I would have to be more careful with what I fed her.  Luckily, he said she was fine. 

Maggie Gets a Tune Up…

I drove mom and dad to Atlanta’s airport this morning.  They were off for a trip to see my brother and his family in Washington D.C.  The last thing mom told me as they were getting out of the car was not to miss Maggie’s Vet appointment this afternoon.  I am glad she told me as had completely forgotten about it.

For weeks, Maggie has scratched incessantly.  The poor thing.  I was expecting the worst such as allergies.

“It’s her wire hair,” Dr. Thomas told me in his characteristic heavy Southern crawl. “I bet her fur itches like wool.”

Dr. Thomas gave me some $25 dollar shampoo and told me to bring her back if there were any more problems. 

The real problem is going to be getting Maggie into the bathtub.  She hates a bath and water period.

I Don’t Need A Babysitter…

That’s what I told dad after he insisted on Charlie coming by every night for the next week to check on me.

“Do it for me,” my father told me pleadingly this morning. “I gave Charlie enough money to bring you supper and ice cream every day.”

I grumbled some, but agreed.  At least the dogs will love seeing Charlie every night.  I hate how dad still tries to coddle me though. I certainly will be glad to see him as well to be honest.  He always bring me the most interesting food from around town.  

Building a Better Dream…

One of things I insisted on having in this new computer I built was a Blu-Ray player.  This morning at work I bought a big pack of Blu-Ray rewritable discs.  I was amazed at much data these disks will hold. 25 gb worth of data at a time.   Mom paid for the computer out of the money her mother left her. 

“I am sorry mother never did anything for you when was alive,” my mother told me the other night.

“She bought me a Sunday suit once so I could go to church with her one time,” I replied smiling. 

“That was a pretty cappy gift, wasn’t it?” mom then asked.

“Especially for a 12 year old boy.”

It is all water under the bridge now.

Harlem in Havana Time…

“What is the weather going to be like tonight in Havana?” dad asked me as we sat in my den.

I handed him my iPad and told him to look.  I wanted to see how intuitive the little computer was to use. Dad opened Safari and was soon looking for weather about Cuba in Google.

“it is supposed to get down to between 55 and 59 degrees in Havana tonight,” he said. “Those people down in their little  huts by the ocean are going to freeze their balls off!”

I chuckled and smiled.

We then looked up the last day for a white Christmas in the South and the last one Atlanta had was in 1880. That shows you how exceedingly rare that occurrence was. 

The rest of the night I had that earworm of Joni’s Mitchell’s Harlem in Havana stuck in the brain for most of the evening. 

The Great Christmas Bounty…

You know your starting your “old fart” phase when you are excited about getting some 600 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets from your aunt  I have washed and dried them this morning and can’t wait to get to sleep under them today.  I’ve heard such high thread count sheets are luxurious and so soft. 

Let’s Go Back to Routine…

Working in retail over the holidays certainly tested my resilience and reserve.  I am glad to report I successfully managed to pull it off without running out the store like a crazy man.  Our biggest sellers were video games.  They kept flying off the shelves as soon as we could stock them.  They were so popular in the 20 to 30 year old crow that it made me worry something was bad wrong with me that I don’t like them and just can’t play them.

Something Exceedingly Rare for the Deep South…

Something exceedingly rare happened yesterday on a very special day.  It started to snow on Christmas day after lunch and didn’t quit until after midnight.  Dad immediately called me when it had started to snow at my sister’s house in Alexander City.

“This has never happened before as long as I can remember,” he told me excitedly.

I  had to remind him that his BMW had all-wheel-drive.  He said it was a slippery drive home.

Mom surprised us all and didn’t go to my sister’s house for Christmas.  She told my father she just didn’t feel like going.  Mom spent Christmas day happily sleeping.

“It’s a special day,” I told my father. “Let her spend it however most comfortable it makes her.”

And so she did. 

Merry Christmas…

“When are your sister  and her kids going home?” I asked Mrs. Florene this afternoon.

“They’ve already left,” she replied.

“I will be over in a minute!”

I had told Mrs. Florene I would stoop by on Christmas day for cake and refreshments.  Mrs. Florene prepared this wonderful coconut cake and delicious spiced tea just like my mother al3ways made hers.

We also exchanged gifts.  I bought George a wireless mouse and keyboard for his computer.  I also got Mrs. Florene some new everyday flatware for when they dine. 

My Christmas as been very nice so far.  Charlie and family gave me this wonderful coat I will probably wear quite often.  It is light and warm at the same time.  Most of my family gave iTunes gift cards, though, but I was pleased.

This was the first Christmas in years I was able to participate in the girl giving experience.  I was so proud to be able to afford good and practical girts for everyone in my immediate family. It really helped to boost my self esteem this year.

There have been many changes this year made and I look forward to growing socially and mentally more in the upcoming year ahead. 

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year…

I swear I am going to get back to blogging regularly.  I kind of fell off the wagon and can’t get back up.  Blogging is a routine centric  thing for me like most of the rituals in my life.

Last night was Christmas with Charlie and family.  I asked Charlie what to give Horsefly this year and he told me tubes of toothpaste  Horsefly was recently hooked on urinals so Charlie laughed saying this was a much better obsession than having to check out every bathroom were you go.

I personally am having a quiet Christmas just me and the dogs.  Dad pleaded with me to come to my sister’s house and I just don’t feel comfortable doing that just jet although I have made great strides socially this past year.

I hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season and hope to be back blogging strong as that is my new year’s resolution.   

The Christmas Tree that Just Wasn’t to Be…

I drove down to Ponder’s Nursery yesterday for a Christmas tree and it started to pour down rain after I got there.  I told the proprietor I would be back on Monday.  I am now having second thoughts about getting a tree.  I have put up and decorated a tree since I have lived here.

I called dad this morning about my cokes.  I was jonesing for my sugar and caffeine fix.

“I’ll put them out on the porch,” dad said as he was getting ready to leave and go somewhere.

I drove over and there was a plastic sack of dishes on the deck, but no cokes.  I finally got mom to the door and she laughed.

“I can’t believe Johnny put out my dishes instead of your cokes!” she said.

Mom and I got my cokes and I went about my way happy that was resolved.

Good to be able to help Charlie…

I was cleaning up the kitchen after supper last night when I got a phone call.  It was Charlie and he sad he and his wife had a flat tire in her Audi on the was to a Christmas party.

“Where are you?” I asked.

“Where the rock store on the Troup county crossroads,” Charlie told me.

“I will be out there in about thirty minutes,” I told him.

Charlie and his wife were never so glad to see me.  I had the old tire off and the spare on in a matter of minutes. I let Charlie head on to the party in my CR-V and drove the Audi home. 

Captain? The ship is going down!

Dad and I were sitting in my den last night when the phone rang.  I let my answering machine pick up the call.

“Andrew? Are you there?” mom asked. “The dogs need their heartworm medication and the flea stuff.”

“You’ve got to call her back,” dad said laughing. “She will drive me crazy until she knows those dogs have had their treatments.”

I called right back and said I would be over in a minute.

A few months ago, mom has started to put eight cokes in my morning bag instead of six.  Mom carefully stopped that last night saying she could only carry six cokes up the steps at a time. Mom called me as soon as I walked back into my house.

“Are you mad at me now?” she asked.

“What for? “ I asked.

“About the cokes,” mom said , “And me cutting two out a day. My arms give out and I just can’t carry all that weight.

I assured mom that I was not upset.

Unruly…

I got in an slight argument with a man at work last night.  He brought a basket of audio/visual cables for me to ring up.  They were fancy gold plated cables that cost twenty more dollars that the regular cables.  He insisted that he could hear the different between regular and gold plated “hi fidelity”cables.

“It is your money.” I said as I rung up more than $200 dollars in those fancy cables.”

“By the way,” I asked the man. “Do you listen to mp3s?”

“Yes,” he said and I told him good night as he walked out of my department.

Mp3 are a “lossy” music format where much of the musical information is cut out the file to make the files size smaller and more manageable thus cutting out much of the fidelity of the music file. I realized then that he didn’t know what he was talking about

.      

Flurries Galore…

Sunday night Dad and I were walking into the Piggly Wiggly after getting out of my car.  It started to flurry something fierce as we walked across the parking lot. I smiled as he turned to look at me and said. “You love the snow.  This ought to make to happy.”  It certainly did.  It was a beautiful sight to behold although the snow didn’t stick.

I had been over at dad’s all evening hanging Christmas decorations.  Dad goes all out every year.  Especially since he now has grandkids.  The house looked beautiful as we were hanging the last large lighted wreath in the dining room.

“Come on,” dad said as we finished. “We’ll get you some ice-cream and I want tome magazines.

I had told dad the Pig had ice cream  on sale for 3 gallons at nine dollars.  Dad was interested in some magazines about the royal engagement. 

It has been terribly cool here all week.  Maggie and Caramel make emergency runs outside to use then bathroom then quickly return inside.  It makes me smile.  I certainly don’t envy them of having to use the bathroom outside.

Last night, Charlie arrived with fast food and to visit. All the dogs and I were on the couch until I noticed something jet black in Maggie’s mouth.  She had captured a bat and Charlie help me get it away from Maggie and out of the house.  I worried me all night that that bat would freeze to death and die being injured and in the cold.  Dad called me later about it and said that was what makes me so special – my empathy for animals and people in need.

The Advocate…

I walked out of work and it was just freezing yesterday morning.  I pushed the button on the dash of my Honda for the temperature and it read 16 degrees.  George said I looked like the “Michelin Man” as I was leaving the store I was so bundled up in warm clothes.  I certainly abhor the cold.  I was glad my task at work was not bringing in the carts like I did for so many months last summer.

The dogs and I have a new routine every morning. I run by McDonalds and get us all a sausage biscuit for breakfast every day as a treat.  The dogs love this.  They will be impatiently waiting looking out the window for me to return home every morning.  I can see my house warming party on the back of the couch every morning when I return home.

Helen also called me yesterday morning and asked me what I wanted for supper as it was Helen Friday. I asked for spaghetti sauce and meatballs.

“Your daddy say’s I make my sauce too sweet!,” she warned me.

I wanted to try it anyway and it as delicious.  Helen left out much of the sugar she would add for her family. 

About two months ago I fell into this deep depression.  More of a lethargy or apathy really than depression. Mom was so alarmed last week when I told her I hadn’t even been on the Internet in two months. She knows how important the Internet is to me.  It is my window on the world and basically my social life.

“Would you get back on the Internet if I bought you a new computer?” she asked with dad’s approval.

I grew excited and wanted to order all the parts and put it together.  Mom was worried I would never get all those parts together into a workable computer and called me everyday asking if I had gotten my computer working yet.  I had a blast putting it all together and it reinvigorated my zest for continuing the blog and getting back on the internet.

Fred’s Dollar Store recently started selling dairy items and frozen meals.  A new ritual for me and mom is to try a different flavored pint of ice cream every night.  The ladies at Fred’s are always glad to see us as it means it is close to time for them to get off with our arrival.   

Finding My Muse Again

Is anyone reading anymore? Should I continue with the blog?