April 13, 2013

  • Why Me, Lord?

    TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

    Is it that I am just getting old and have less patience with a man his age or am I plagued with a man who has no memory of me and my most intense idiosyncrasy?  I do NOT like the cold.  I have a very intense dislike of cold weather.  For one, I now suffer from arthritis in my pinky and the finger next to it on my left hand.  It hurts like HELL in cold weather if I don't keep it warm.  I also have traumatic arthritis in my left knee and, once it gets cold and starts to ache, it doesn't subside until summer.  That pain feels like a huge icicle has been thrust into the very marrow of the knee and surrounding bone.  Nothing short of a heating pad helps.  No aspirin or substitute nor arthritis medication helps (not without side effects that I would rather NOT suffer through).  So, I just stay inside and stay warm.  My computer room is always the warmest room in the house unless I am doing a lot of cooking and baking.

    Chewlee was saying something to me the other day when we are all out front, sitting and enjoying the warmth, about my missing big toe.  She acts like I'm not able to do anything until I get my *new* toe.  I laughed at her and said, *Chewlee, now you sound like Papa who thinks I can't drive myself anywhere except to the store because I don't have a toe!*  The Beast says, *Oh, it has nothing to do with your toe.  You need to get out of that room and out in the fresh air more.*  I couldn't believe my ears.  I turned to him and said, *Beast, just how many warm days have we had lately?*  He ACTUALLY said to me, *What has that to do with anything?* 

    I said to him, *A couple things if you had a mind left to think with....for one...other than going to work and doing grocery shopping, how much time have I EVER spent outside doing ANYTHING in the winter?  Plus, just how much do you think I could do with arthritis in my left hand and in my left knee?  ESPECIALLY when I asked you to bring in my winter coat from the cottage several times since it turned cold last October and it's STILL not in the house?*  His answer?  And note the part that is the only thing he addressed....*You should have kept nagging me to bring in your coat.*  As for the rest of the question, he totally ignored it.  I have NEVER, EVER liked the cold and I like it even less now.  I just rolled my eyes and vowed a good talk with the Lord later on.

    I spoke with my son, Mustachio, and my best friend, Marilyn in Chicago, tonight.  Mustachio called me shortly after he got home from work.  Poor guy has really been working some brutal hours the last couple of months but he's been able to save some money to pay off old bills, pay his medical insurance deductible so he can FINALLY get into a dermatologist AND he's saving for a new (used) car if nothing else.  His brother, Marcus Aurelius, is feeling kind of depressed because he's having all these medical problems (Meniere's and now high blood pressure).  Plus he's not going to be 40 until July and he's already totally grey (he says).  He's either outgrown or pissed off his old friends (from when he was a kid) and he says his new ones are just too young to relate to.  I told him, *So what if they are young?  That makes you the wise person (life experience).*  He feels he came too close to having either a heart attack or a stroke with how high his BP was when he got into the doctor's office for being NOT EVEN FORTY!  His father never thought he would live to be forty.  After two strokes, he's outlived his expectations by...gulp!...thirty years this July. 

    Marilyn wanted to know when I was making my trip up to Chicago and I told her I would be leaving here on June 25th.  I was leaving early so I could get to Nashville around lunchtime and have lunch with Mustachio and family (My grandson will be home on leave then so I will be able to see him, too...GRIN!).  I'll then drive up to Mustachio's where we will go out to eat at Outback or Red Lobster (Chewlee prefers Red Lobster...she thinks it's fine dining).  Chewlee and I will spend the night with Mustachio and leave some time the next morning for Bratfink's.  We've been invited to spend the night with her and that works out great for us.  It's only about a five hour trip from there to my sister-in-law's house.  In fact, it brings me close to Marilyn's house so I may stop there for a little bit and say hello to her hubby before heading to Kay's.  That won't make Chewlee happy because she will be chomping at the bit to go swimming at Kay's but she'll live.

    Tomorrow I have to call Kay and go over the dates with her to make sure they work for her.  If not, well, my plans are adjustable.  I don't want to outstay my welcome from Kay (who has to work).  I will more than likely head back home on the second of July and take the same way back as I did coming up.

    Love you all.  Sorry about that last blast of cold weather to the central plains area and upper New England areas.  Crossing my fingers that you get your spring weather shortly.  Be good.  Enjoy your Sunday and drive safely next week, okay?