More Stuff...

Well, kids, another fantastic and remarkable day in Tennessee. They're forecasting we should be in the mid-70's...very unusual for March 1st. I need to plan on doing some yard work today without fail, however, I've found in retirement that I have very little discipline in accomplishing what I think should be done. Maybe it's age or just lack of structure, I tend to forget what I thought I was going to do. I've tried writing down stuff on my daily calendar, but then I have to go upstairs to the office to look at the calendar and, often times, I don't go up until mid-afternoon.

Not GOOD!

Today, being the 1st Wednesday of the month, means our Kroger store is offering a 10% discount on groceries to Seniors. That's a pretty good deal since we Tennesseans are hit hard with a 9-3/4% sales tax on groceries so that will cover what MOST states don't even tax. However, you can't imagine what you go through to battle other Seniors for the last Quaker Oatmeal box! Seniors really don't become as mellow as portrayed in Norman Rockwell sketches; they can be mean, rude and very pushy! It's kind of funny if you think about it, but not so funny when you're bloodied and scratched from being part of the action!

So, the plan for today is to take a shower, get dressed with appropriate armor and scoot to Kroger's. If I make it through, I'll lug the stuff to the kitchen, try to put it away, (I've become my Mother and have squirreled more groceries than there is cupboard space) and face the challenge removing and bagging some non-perishable cans that have been there for more than a year to take to "Curves" so I don't have to pay a sign up fee! As my friend Kathy reminded me yesterday why would I pay to go to "Curves" when I have free membership at the YMCA? Maybe I should just take the food straight-away to Second Harvest. Yes, that's a good idea that I need to write down and also a reminder to also GO to the "Y".

Do you see how you can lose a whole day just buying a few grocery items?

There won't be time to work on the fish pond which I truly dread. Living in an area with deciduous trees, the pond is nothing more than a dirty, soggy mess! I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to attack it, but I suppose the first thing is to use the net and try and scoop up as much of those rotted leaves that I can. I guess I also need to get a large bucket of pond water so that my gold fish can be deposited in until I finish the work. The landscaper that installed the pond showed me a valve that I think I can open and drain the pond and finish cleaning it. ?????????!!!!!!?????????

You know now that I review the challenge to do this coupled with my bad knees, maybe I'll call the landscaper and bribe him to come and do it. When I was younger and had good knees, I wouldn't think of paying someone to do this for me, but one of the advantages of being a Senior is that, HOPEFULLY, you 've accumulated a little nest egg that will allow you to pay someone to do some of the dirty work for you.

By the way, much to the surprise of my California kin, my goldfish weathered life in the iced-over pond during winter very well. Some of those doggies that were originally, at most, 2" have grown to 8" - 9"! I'd almost label them "koi" but since I bought them for only 10 cents a piece, I probably won't get by with it. (Calling them "koi" would surely impress my Perrier/Wine sipping friends.)

Hey, by now, you have been bored to death with this line by line junk, but those things I'm usually passionate about, politics and pro football, have become almost disgusting. I'll post something soon about Dubai and Wunderlich scores, but right now it just p.o.'s me.

Lastly, say a prayer for a young friend of mine, Rena, (30 years old with 2 small babies) who is currently undergoing stem cell transplant at Vanderbilt in an effort to push lymphoma into remission. She's a fighter and with the unending support of her husband, she's making progress. Another one to keep in mind is my dear cousin, Wanda, who fell from a ladder, broke her hip, knee and femur. Pretty yukky, but she doesn't turn away from challenge so I'm sure she'll be out on those garage sale reconnaissances just as soon as possible!

Till next time!