Fleetingly Carol

Aunt Mildred is doing well. Thanks to all of you who have enquired about her health after her stroke some weeks ago. Old Man and I have been trying to see her every evening we are able. Sometimes, though, Old Man is just too weary to visit very long. You know, he works very hard and very long hours. But, he insists on visiting Aunt Mildred after a long shift, and I know it has nothing to do with me reminding him that Aunt Mildred is 88 years old and has just had a stroke. He insists because that's just the way he is. Seeing Aunt Mildred every evening possible makes it almost impossible to keep up with normal household chores. Old Man is very good at pitching in. I know I don't have to ask him every time, but I know it makes him feel better when I do. Take the other night, for instance. He went to see Aunt Mildred after a long day at work. It is very tiring to sit in the cold air conditioning day in and day out, with nothing to do but type on a computer. There we sat in he

Giggle. No, really giggle. Out loud. Wasn't that fun! I love to giggle. Now, if someone is in the room with you, start giggling and see if that other person doesn't begin to giggle, too. Go ahead, I'll wait.  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Are you giggling? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . There now! Don't you feel better? I do thank you. I was giggling just thinking about you, Dear Reader, laughing. Laughter is very infectious. And, I think the most infectious laughter is that of a small child giggling. I was in a store just window shopping the other day, but please don't tell Old Man. He'll think I bought something expensive. Which I did, but he doesn't have to know. Anyway, while I was browsing the shelves in this department store, I happened upon a b

I just don't know how to start this blog out tonight. I am so sorely put out, I don't know what to think. I have recently posted that my 'road rage' has gotten better. And it has, really. But tonight, it was so bad, it would have made a preacher cuss! I mean it. But, come to think of it, it wasn't nearly as bad as a day I drove home from work on a hot July day after having a physically strenuous day. The temperatures had reached 103 degrees with 90% humidity and by 5:00 p.m., it hadn't cooled off very much. To make matters worse, I drove a pickup truck that had no air conditioning and the driver's window was stuck in the closed position. The only bit of air available came from the passenger side window. I had to drive at a minimum of 45 mph for the truck to lose its oven properties and I could survive inside. When the kids were teenagers and I drove them from this activity to that activity, I would tell them that when they got their driver's license th

Hello again. It's been six whole days since I've posted anything. I have been leaving work and going to a town 30 minutes away to see Aunt Mildred who had a stroke about 3 weeks ago. Aunt Mildred is only 88 years old. And I am happy to report that she is out of the hospital and in her own home! Family and friends (including Old Man and myself) have been working out times to stay with Aunt Mildred. She is still a little weak in the legs and we want to make certain that she won't fall. So, Aunt Mildred happily has been taking the place of the keyboard and computer screen. Aunt Mildred is a totally Southern Country Woman. I have learned so much about living and giving from her, but sometimes I feel as though I need an interpreter - even though I've lived in the south my entire life. My Daughter and Almost-Daughter-in-law gave me a lesson in Southernisms recently. A couple of months ago, Old Man and I were treated to dinner by Daughter and Fiance (fancy name for 'bo

Do you remember the "Leave it to Beaver" television show? There is one episode where Beaver creates a neighborhood newspaper; his brother looks over the paper and reads, "Weather, none." Wally asks the Beaver, "What do you mean, Beaver, there is no weather?" Beaver's answer was that since there was no wind or rain, storms or tornadoes, there was no weather.  That's the way my day has run. It's been on auto-pilot most of the day and no significant humorous thing has occurred. I was talking to my son about this predicament, when it suddenly struck me. I could write about something that happened years ago, when this son was only 7 or 8. You see, this particular son has been a jokester from day one! He decided to arrive 2 weeks early, to the surprise of his parents. And he hasn't quit surprising us and making us laugh since. His favorite holiday is April 1 and our story takes place on this holiday. Jokester decides that since no one had pla

Old Man was set loose the other day. Friday to be exact. I worry when he's set loose. There's no telling what the day will bring. Take Friday, for instance. I had to go to work, Old Man had the day off from his job. He decided that he would travel to a town that is about one and a half hours away from our home by car and conduct some business, run some errands. I worry because I'm not there to remind him of things, like watching out for the pedestrian ahead of us, or that he should turn on his directional signal when making a left hand turn. I know he appreciates my thoughtfulness. He's just like that. So, when he is set loose I worry that he will forget something important. Well, he didn't forget anything, but the second reason I worry when he is set loose was proven true. You can never tell what the day will bring. Old Man has such strange, wonderful and/or outrageous experiences while he is out by himself, it simply amazes me. Last Friday, after Old Man was f

I have about a 30 minute commute to work, give or take a few slow drivers. I used to have really bad road rage (hehe, Old Man is laughing, "Used to?"). I would get to work in the morning and regale my coworkers with the antics of the slow drivers I had encountered that morning. Does something ever hit you so hard that you think "How in the world did I miss that!?" Well, slow drivers hit me that way. I began to understand one day that God does not put us in a place for no reason. He has a reason for one slow driver to see me leave my house, then call all the others to tell them that I had gotten on the road. And, I reasoned, that reason was to keep me from getting traffic violation citations or worse, a car accident. Still, it was a slow process to go from "You *&%*$, #$^*%#!!" to "Lord, thank you for putting that slow person in front of me so that I can practice patience. And thank you for giving me a boss who tolerates tardiness because of slow

From Wikipedia: Labor Day. “The holiday is often regarded as a day of rest and parties.” Hmmmmm, somehow, I missed that memo. Today has been a day to play ‘catch-up’ on a lot of housekeeping that has been let go in the past few weeks. I haven’t gotten a whole lot done, although I have caught up on my laundry. I don’t have to wash out a pair of undies tonight before I go to bed, if you catch my drift. I guess my friends got the memo though, because I’ve heard from quite few of them today! That’s why not much cleaning has been done . . . My friend with the stuck burned beans happily reported that the odor is out of her house and she was able to get the burned beans out of her pot without using Old Man, Sr.’s recipe for disaster (please read yesterday’s blog). Do any of you have friends who have dark brown hair, but do really blonde things? I know a few of these type of people (and they are not all women) and one of them called me today. Normally, this woman is very reasonable, in

I talked to a good friend today. She listened patiently while I talked about how Aunt Mildred's illness is taking it's toll on Old Man and myself. Aunt Mildred is 88 years old and the stroke has affected her mind in a terrible way. She truly believes the kind nurses and aids who are caring for her in the hospital are mean to her. Well, we found out what constitutes "mean" in Aunt Mildred's poor mind. They make her go to bed too early. Anyway, my friend called just as Old Man and I were getting home from visiting with her. I was very stressed and my friend listened, and then she made me laugh. Yes, she did! She burned her beans and she was dealing with the aftermath. Apparently, she put on a pot of black beans to cook and then left the house. I think she should take the bed next to Aunt Mildred. But, I digress. At the time of the phone call, my friend was dealing with the aftermath of burned beans in her beautiful home. She has vaulted ceilings and the odor was l

Sometimes, it just doesn't pay to get out of bed in the morning - or, as in the other day, to come home from work in the afternoon. Old Man and I have a very dear friend in the hospital. We have known this kind lady for years and years. She helped us raise our children. She has none of her own, so she considers Old Man and I her children and our children, she thinks of as her grandchildren. And we think of her as mother and grandmother. She suffered a stroke and is in the hospital recovering. Well, we have made a special effort to see her as often as we can. Old Man works shift hours, so he can't see her as often as he would like. But, I, on the other hand, work more reasonable hours and I am able to visit with her most evenings. The other day, Old Man had the day off. I told him before I left for work that I would stop by the house to get him and the two of us could go and see Aunt Mildred. I told him what time I would be there, I even tried to call him during the day to hel

Bursitis - an inflammation of the bursa. Now, if that inflammation is in the arm or the shoulder, just rest the shoulder, take some NSAIDs, and you are home free! But . . . what if it is in your foot? And it's a long-lasting (2 1/2 years!) chronic bursitis? My doctor finally did an MRI on my painful foot and discovered, voila! it is bursitis!!! I'm not sure why an MRI was not done 2 1/2 years ago. So . . . If there is chronic bursitis in the foot, there does not seem to be much one can do. Take an NSAID to keep the swelling down, but how does one stay off one's foot? I don't have any artificial aids or any artificial ideas. I'll just try to walk fewer steps and ride more miles on the stationary bicycle!

There are many things that I can blog about - the weather, my hubby, my job, the economy (ugh!), my fitness and diet, etc. ad nauseum. I want this blog to be humorous. So, I must think humorous thoughts . . . Hmmm . . . Uh-huh . . . Okay . . . Criminy!

This blog is for fleeting thoughts. Perhaps a better name is "Stream-of-Conscience Thoughts". Because that's what it is. Never a dull moment! At least, I hope not.