Daisy Mae, Elvis, Miscellany

It  has been awhile since I emptied my mind onto this page and called it a "blog" but it seems my mind has been blank.  I have had numerous requests to do another "writing" (well maybe the niece in Ohio, but she will probably say it many times) and even though nothing big has happened since we got Daisy Mae (previously known as Sparkle) I will pour out what little there is.  Well one thing has changed, we have now memorized our Vet,  Bryan Wade's home phone number in case we would need him day or night.  (and, we are not too proud to use it.)

Daisy Mae has changed our lives.  Instead of watching Masterpiece Theater and The History of Civilization so that we can converse with our friends about matters of culture and sophistication, Mate and I sit at opposite ends of the living room floor and toss a little stuffed animal back and forth after giving it a squeek, all the while saying, "Go get it Daisy"(sounding suspiciously like we were talking to a two year old child) Our minds may be suffering but our biceps are definitely showing improvement.  When I come home in the afternoon from a hard day at the office, I keep reminding myself over and over  "Hug Mate First, Hug Mate First".  Then before dinner we discuss what Daisy did during the day.  Of course this is in addition to whatever Mate has emailed me that was so special it could not wait til I came home from work.  Yes indeed our life is looking up.

Despite being a bit consumed by Daisy, this week we have continued our interesting, full, sometime productive life.  In fact this week a bit of Miscellany happened that completely put Mate in a funk.  If you have followed along with me you know that Mate has an aversion to ordering a drink with his many meals eaten out during the course of a week.  He is against it and oft times will chastize me for spending money on a glass of tea which is so cheap to make.  (oh how many times have I heard that),  Friday evening we ventured out to the far north side of town to a catfish place called Fred's.  We had been out there years and years ago, I think only 1 time but then it was Kickapoo Catfish.

I noticed right away that Mate ordered iced tea! I said nothing but admit  I was shocked in addition to being startled (all the while vowing to take his blood pressure when we returned home) The tea was what I, as a certified iced tea specialist,  would call average.  The cat fish on the other hand is wonderful.  Maybe the best catfish I have ever eaten.  However I am not certified in this particular food.

Well moving right along to the arrival of the bill.  Bless his heart. It was the first time in  long ago years that I have seen Mate's face fall.  I mean actually fall.  That look that tells every one in a close vicinity that something earth shattering has happened, something so unexpected as to be almost frightening, but more along the lines of shocking.  I was relieved that our friend, Gene Stevens was nearby in case he fell.  They had charged him for the iced tea! The menu said that the tea was part of the meal and so of course Mate ordered tea. Never one to let a free item go.  Seems that was on the lunch not on dinner.  A good meal totally ruined.  It has been almost 48 hours and he is still lamenting.   So we may well go back to Fred's, but you can rest assured that Mate will order water with lemon.

Saturday afternoon, we went to see Elvis.  Nice looking young fellow, who did look a lot like him.  Sold out house at the Wichita Theater, main floor and balcony.  We personally went for the Stamps Quartet, a group from Gospel Music with whom we are very familiar.  Elvis Impersonator,  Kraig Parker, was on the second half of the show.  It was not hard to judge which part of the program was more popular.  Lets just say Elvis trumped Gospel Music.  I would not have breathed a word of it there for fear of an uprising, but Mate and I have never been the greatest of Elvis fans.  We do recognize that he was  a phenomenal  entertainer.  We probably will never see his like again.

Well my mind is about emptied.  So I will close this by telling you that I am just about through with my first Senior citizen blog which I hope to post later this week.  I hope you will read about a Lady most of us are blessed to know.  Look for "Leta" in the blog called "Knowing where We Came From".

Miscellany for Saturday morning.  Breakfast table  I am doing crosswords and crypto quiz, drinking coffee.  Mate is reading the paper and reads me an obituary.  "She has gone on to that great poker table in the sky".  Sweet looking lady in her 80s.  Family convinced she is playing poker in Heaven.  We all wonder what Heaven will be like.  No one but John knew for sure.  The one thing we know is that God the Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit will be there and that's good enough for me.

This One's for Bryan Wade

Well you may or may not be old enough to remember Sparkle Plenty. For those of you who do not, I will fill you in.

Dick Tracy appeared in 1931 (even before my time) written and drawn by Chester Gould.  Still runs today.  Different creator but still basically the same.   An iconic strip reflecting the social time and happenings of the day. Tracy was the police detective to end all police detectives. He got in trouble, he solved cases, he was accused of crimes. Just an all around interesting fellow with the squarest jaw  known to the art world.

He finally married Tess Trueheart after a courtship of 18 years. If you work crossword puzzles you have  come across a clue that reads  "Tracy's wife". The answer is  "Tess".  Its used a lot.  Tracy introduced the first two way wrist radio to keep in contact with headquarters. It is credited with being a precursor to the cell phone. (I get all this marvelous information from  Wikipedia ) Tess and Tracy had their first baby, Junior.   Junior grew up and married an alien who later died (by the way the alien period did not go over well and that's why she was killed off by Gould)  Then he married Sparkle Plenty daughter of Tracy's good friends "B.O.  and Gravel Plenty".    They had a daughter named Sparkle Plenty, Jr.    I know you are absolutely mesmerized with this information.

Now all I have to do is tie Sparkle Plenty in with Bryan Wade. For those of you who might not know Bryan. He is a veterinarian. A doctor to small animals.  I don't personally know if he is a Super Vet but my good friends and relatives who are owned by Mollie the Poodle say that he is. That's plenty good for me. Soon I will find this out for myself.

This is for all intents and purposes an ADOPTION ANNOUNCEMENT  (no gifts please). We are now the adoptive parents of Sparkle, a three year old rescued white miniature Schnauzer, who spent most of her three years tied to a tree.  We just returned from Abilene where we picked her up.  I finally learned how to put a picture in here.  The one below is the actual ad from PetFinder.  She doesn't look like this now.  She has been groomed for the summer which means she has been basically shaved except for her face which still looks like a schnauzer.   I just haven't learned how to do more than one picture at a time yet. you can click on the picture and see her better.

We thought long and hard about this move. We have been searching Pet Finder for weeks looking at rescue dogs. Many reasons not to do it. The main one is, we are too old. HOWEVER: Before adopting we cleared it with our Ohio Nephew and Niece and with our Tennessee Grand Niece. In the event something happens to us they will take Sparkle. That's what her foster family called her and we will not change it because she should not have to undergo another change in her life. Many others in our family would take good care of Sparkle, but we think she would be happy in Ohio or Tennessee.

My niece in Oklahoma is going to shake her head. She is the only one in our family who is opposed to any dog in the house. We just ignore her when it comes to pets. My sister, will say "Why in the world would you want to get a dog at this point in your lives". She would also point out all the reasons we should not have gotten one but would be okay with it in the long run, just never get attached .

In any event another reason we got this particular dog is so that I could tie Dick Tracy, Sparkle Plenty and Bryan Wade together. Its not every day you get to do that.

It's Theron's Fault

You know I don't like change. In fact I am opposed to it. I tend to keep things for a long time and when I give them up, I borrow a line from cheating celebrities and politicians...."It wasn't my fault". Of course in my case that's correct. Let me give you a few examples. I changed hairdressers because she moved to another place. (admittedly it was Heaven but not my fault); I changed the color of my hair when they dropped the color I had used for years; I don't have the same lipstick (one that actually stayed on) anymore because McClurkan's went out of business and you can't find it in the USA; I changed doctors a few times because they too went to Heaven. I changed cars because it just died but I don't for a moment believe it went to Heaven. I changed from DelMonte Spinach to Popeye Brand because, well because I like Popeye's better (so there is one thing that was my fault).

We lived in the same house for over 30 years and only moved when we decided we wanted to live on a Lake and moved to East Texas. Lake Palestine to be exact. I liked it, met some wonderful people who are still friends, but it never seemed like home. Ten years later we moved back.

I have of course had the same husband and children and grandchildren for years and years. I even have had the same Sister for, well in deference to her, I won't say for how many years, If you have followed me along you know that I have the same shower curtain in my bathroom that I have had since 1995. Oh its not the same one, but its identical to the one we put up in East Texas. I found that I still like it so I don't see a reason to change.

Then of course there is this purse that I am on my 4th year with and even though it is basically a fall and winter purse, I carry it year round cause I like it.

I am thinking it was around 1980, I would have been in my early 40s. I was in pretty good shape, my skin was soft and supple. I didn't have neck waddles. I didn't need an eye lift. I wore a size 8 or 10. Exactly where I should be. Never a raving beauty, but children did not cry when they saw me. I could get out of a chair without making those old folk noises, in other words, while not exactly a "Babe", I was okay. I decided I needed a little help reading. Two people in my church were optometrist. Actually they practiced together. Chose Theron. He said I didn't need glasses. Good enough for me. I went back two or three years later. You will remember that I am not too good on time, Mate would be able to tell you the first time he went to see Theron and what time of day his appointment was. I just know it was sometime between 1980 and 1990, which is close enough for me.

Theron agreed i needed a wee bit of help and I got a really cute pair of"Granny Glasses". Little gold rims and I wore them only to read. I loved those glasses. Something happens when you wear them only for what ever reason. You began to need them. And so started my long relationship with Theron and glasses.

This was before computers and Theron basically checked the eyes with a cardboard sheet that you read from and a instrument he pulled in front of you and clicked manually where the eye changed and the lettering changed. Our conversation during this exam was: Theron, "Tell me which one is better, this one or this one". Me, "Show me one more time". It seemed like such a heavy decision to make. But I would leave with a new prescription and frame chosen with help from Vollie (who he conveniently married I think partly because she made some great suggestions about the type of frame I needed).

So since you have stayed with me this long I am going to tell you what is Theron's fault and why I am certain he is to blame for many things which I will also tell you about. Assuming my time line is from 1980 through 2004 when Theron thoughtless retired, I never one time walked out of that office with a pair of glasses I didn't love. Twenty-four years, a perfect record. I never one time ever went back to even get a frame adjusted. When we moved to East Texas, I drove back to Wichita Falls to get my eyes examined. I don't like change and especially changing from something that works perfectly.

Then he closed the door and took Vollie home with him.

Since then I have had to go to a different eye doctor. He has fancy computers in dozens of rooms. they dilate my eyes (Theron never did that) They shine horribly bright lights in my eyes (Theron never did that). They send me to yet another doctor who comes once a month who now puts a needle in my eye and gives me a shot once a month. (Theron never did that)

Now I truly don't blame Theron for all of that but here is what I do blame him for. I now have waddles on my neck. I have wrinkles in my skin and its so rough. I had to have an eye lift because my eyes drooped, I no longer wear a size 8 or 10 and you would not believe the noises I make when I get out of a chair. I can't get down in the floor and get back up without making my way to something I can hold on to. Worse yet I have not been satisfied with a pair of glasses since he retired and took Vollie home. I read with glasses and a magnifying glass.

After careful analysis, the one thing I can tie this to is 2004 when Theron retired.

Growing Old Gracefully

I love word games. Any kind. Scrabble, password whatever. I do crossword puzzles and especially crypto quiz. I think I would have been good during the "Big" war doing what I saw in so many movies. Seemed there was always a person who sent a message in Code or worked to break a code. One of my favorites crosswords is the New york Times Puzzle. The Big Daddy of crossword puzzles. Done by a man named Will Shortz. He is actually a Puzzlemaster. I wasn't aware for years that there was such an occupation. Still have never known one in live person. But for the average person the NY Times puzzle is too hard most of the time. I don't even look at it on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Hardly can fill in one line. Monday is wonderful, and it gets a bit more difficult as the week wears on,

Mate and I were discussing this very thing. And you thought we only discussed frivolous things. Mate and I have deep conversations. Lets see, this week we have discussed the umpire's call of safe in some ball game, Kobe Bryant and the L.A. Lakers, the playoff game at the Staple Center and a new brand of fiber on the market. Thank goodness after 57 years we have learned that only one of us needs to listen at a time. We did converse at length about the fact that Taco Casa does have a pretty good glass of tea, and a big one at that, for only ninety two cents. I found that out from a friend at church who commented on my blog about iced tea. Now I know that good does come from this. I have been there now more times than I care to admit. But I have digressed.

Back to my point about the NY times Crossword getting harder as time goes by and growing old gracefully. A few weeks ago I would have told you that growing old gracefully was maybe a paradox or an oxymoron. It could not be done, Growing old does get a bit harder as the week (or read that life) goes on.

Several weeks ago I decided to begin another blog about the nonagenarians in our Church family. I feel that I need to put something down about them, things that will be gone one of these days. So I developed me a set of questions and got me a steno pad, called my first subject, went over after work prepared to stay for two hours. I now have been over for 5 afternoons, two hours each and we have reached 1965. I don't know which one of us has enjoyed it more. I have yet to ask the first question. Oh I tried. Her stock answer is "In a minute, first you need to know..". This has been a most fascinating experience. I have learned about so much of life that is thrilling me to hear and she is enjoying telling this story. We are both benefitting from this brief encounter even if I never get a word put down. But I will.

In the Bible we are told that older women should teach the younger ones. (that of course in the New Testament where all the things I need are) and I had to stop and think that she is 20 years older than I am. Maybe that is one of the reasons I am feeling benefits flowing from our encounter, I find myself being one of those New Testament younger women when I am with her.