Sunday Morning Thoughts!

Ah yes, Sunday mornings, usually started out relatively quiet, but by the time the first Mass at St. Joseph Church started at 8:00am,"scouts" would arrive.  Although all understood, if we were busy sitting at a six top table by yourself, meant more than likely someone else would sit with you.  "Saving of seats" not allowed for more than five to ten minutes, depending on the crowd.  Backtracking to five in the morning, David would always be with us,quickly wrapping the first round of silverware, in the anticipation of all out chaos.  Usually by 8:00am the second round ready to be wrapped as well. Usually Terry and Jean were in, Jean always ready and willing to help.  Each time a batch was taken from the dishwasher, one of the Sunday morning regulars was waiting to "git er done!"

Sunday mornings also meant a larger than usual delivery of newspapers.  The Sunday New York Times among the largest, and most anticipated.  Glen and Gary always waiting, willing to help put the thing together!  I too, enjoyed the Sunday Times, sometimes it would take days to complete, but always enjoyable reading.  One of my favorite sections, obviously the Connecticut section.  Jeanne Walker a former Fred's News regular, now living in Vermont, enjoyed writing articles for the paper.  My favorite: Her piece on "Chocolate".  Thought about the article as I consumed a piece of dark chocolate earlier today...Gosh sometimes I despise the holidays!

Mr. Bill says at times he misses the chaotic life of Fred's News.  An obvious reason, says he didn't have time to be sick.  He must be feeling a little down,"retirement for me has been a bit of the ups and downs" he laments, "first the heart thing, now another hiccup, bladder cancer and gallbladder surgery.  What's next?" he wonders aloud.  "Getting well for God's sake!" I snap back.  He kinda gives me that deer in headlights look, "oh yeah of course, I was just thinking," he sheepishly says.  "Don't think!" I snap back, then using one of his famous lines,"for God's sake don't analyze, I'll do the thinking for both of us...you concentrate on good thoughts and getting better!"  "I know, I know," he whines "no deadbeats on your ship, everybody pulls their weight."  Absolutely, the Egg-Nazi a quick learner, and with plenty of weight to pull!

Holiday Ramblings

There is something about looking at holiday decorations, the lights casting fanciful shadows on the new fallen snow, truly a winter wonderland.  Remembering years back, we would take rides just to look at what and how people decorated their homes for the season.  Funny how the holiday decorations come out sooner and sooner each year but as soon as the holidays are over...woosh...gone!  One minute Fred's News would be all aglow with holiday cheer...the next, the winter doldrums!  Didn't matter how dirty the floor got with slushy shoes coming and going, if it was holiday time...oh well.  Take away the decor...what a crappy glum looking mess.  At times the salt and sand mess required washing the floor at least three times a day!  People always amazed..."How do you do it, the floor gets so messy but it sparkles the next moment!"  Good old elbow grease, lots of "under the breathe" obscenities, a good mop, hot soapy water and a great back!  If it was an unusually snowy winter, mop heads didn't last very long.  I do believe we tried every product out there, the best, scalding hot water with a good detergent soap.

Living "in the south", many homes have pretty tile floors.  Just for the record...they are a pain, tough to clean, tough to keep clean and yes, it is back-breaking work!  Glad we don't have to add snow to the mix!  As I was washing the kitchen floor today, Christmas Carols playing rather loudly, I began thinking of the cold snowy weather, wondering how I would feel in single digit temps once again.   Well, this past week was cold, twenty-six degrees...that's not a cake walk!  A quick trip to the local Walmart...two pairs of those little gloves for a dollar!  The deal of the day, keeps the cold off the wimpy hands, as I make my way from work to a cold parked car...then the steering wheel feels like ice cubes too.  OMG what a wimp!  Crank the heat up, grab a cup of cappuccino for the long ride home, listening to Christmas Carols.  Good thing the cold doesn't last, yesterday was eighty...Gracie Baby upset she is in Connecticut, and it warmed back up in Florida.

Today we thought about a quick trip to Lake Wales attraction Bok Towers, much like a Harkness Park or Gillette Castle, it is gussied up all in it's holiday finery.  Unbelievable poinsettias, lights, and many other tropical plants.  Very much a winter wonderland, Bok Towers is about twenty minutes from us, yet as you walk through the holiday gardens and rooms, you forget you are in a tropical paradise.  Hopefully Mr. Bill, will gather strength, if not there is always another day!  Although today is in the sixties it has been very overcast and a very rainy morning.  We do need the rain, something we don't get much of this time of year.  Fire danger is  high, didn't have to deal with that too much in Connecticut,  at least not during the winter months.  Maybe a chimney fire or two back north, but not grass fires in the winter!

Last evening, our community had a golf cart parade.  Believe it or not people decorate their carts for the holiday season, ride around the community, the entire season before the judging occurs!  Some carts cute others...what were these people thinking.  My favorite....someone handy with the jig-saw made an entire sleigh, minus the bottom and fit it over their cart.  All painted red  and green, holiday's lights adorn the top, quite the spectacle, it took first place.  Other creations not so good, beauty however does lie in the eyes of the beholders.  Outside this community, they would never venture, for fear of being locked up!  All I can say is "keep the gate locked!"

Nap before Eating..Really!

Fred's News is a family!  For the non-believers...what can we say to change one's mind?  The outpouring of questions,concerns, get-well messages and prayers for Mr. Bill has been enormous and heartfelt.  Even after having been gone for three years, friends call, email and even send cards the old-fashioned way..the Postal Service.  Gracie-Baby sent a message..."Hope all is okay, you haven"t posted anything about the Big Guy?"  Yes he is okay, slow moving, tires easily, but okay.  Chemo, two days after surgery does have a tendency to pack a one, two wallop!  After a morning and mid-day of running around with me, he is asleep on the couch.  As we were coming home he asks, "what were you planning for dinner tonight?"  Chicken and rice, chicken with salad, pasta...you name it, if you're hungry, I will make it for you!"  His appetite not what it was...a definite case of "eyes are bigger than the belly!"  Usually nothing stops Mr, Bill from eating.  As we walked into the house, he looked exhausted and said..."need to take a nap before I eat, hope you don't mind!"  Even if I did, it wouldn't of mattered, he was sound asleep before I had a chance to answer!  

Recently we were talking about the food served at Fred's News.  Mr. Bill always gave humongous portions.  He felt EVERYONE had an appetite like him.  Our local coffee shop/bar/restaurant serves smaller portions, much smaller!  He mentioned to Shirley, the cook, one day, perhaps she should increase her portion size.  "What the hell, some of these people can't even finish what I give them, they even complain if it is too spicy," she argues.  Mr. Bill turns up his nose, muttering something to the effect..."If you gave it to them, they would love it and eat it!"   Gotta remind him of that conversation...right now he barely eats what I eat..let alone three eggs, five pieces of bacon, home fries and toast.  I would call this an "I told you so moment!"  He remarked the other day.."Now is your chance to get back at me...hit me when I am down!"  OMG, so dramatic, but I will remind the wimp of the conversation.

Although we are looking forward to the holiday, a chance to visit, eat and enjoy our family and friends,  Mr. Bill made mention.."three more treatments, hope that is it.  My buddy Ward will arrive on January 8th.  Can't wait."  This is probably the only time in recent memory, the Egg-Nazi wants time to fly by. I totally understand!

Cookies, fudge, holiday breads, Bev and Doug's holiday Egg-Nog with dark rum...um um good.  All scrumptious "goodies" the Fred's News" family" presented to us during this season of giving!  Little treats, pictures, and oh so many memories, making the holiday and the place so special!   I recently found a picture of the Egg-Nazi with that God-blessed hot dog hat.  He was sitting right next to the large Santa figure at the front door!  With his white beard and chubby belly the only difference "the Hot-Dog Hat!!!" 

Doesn't my Gallbladder Weigh Something?

Today is day five of my vacation.  Okay where the hell did it go!  On the plus side, Mr. Bill is home from the hospital, he returned to the cancer center today,  his third treatment for bladder cancer, is still in an upright position, although slightly exhausted, a little bit cold, but smiling and his finger is working fine navigating the remote through the numerous channels of "nothing to watch" on the TV.  Today's temperatures warmed to around seventy-two degrees.  After a few hours of outside work, cleaning up the plants that did not survive the freeze, Mr. Bill headed into the house, exhausted.  Through all of this, the appetite has not waned.  As we arrived for his treatment today, a certain ritual must be followed.  First a questionnaire.  The Egg-Nazi always complains about filling out the same form week after week, questioning the big...WHY?  Question #1-Have you had any surgeries since your last visit?  Aha...absolutely.  Gallbladder removed!  Question #2-Have your meds changed since your last visit? Aha...Aha....absolutely a double whammy...Go ahead Mr. Bill...list them.  He makes a gross face at me, never will he complain about this form again!  As he finishes the form, he is called.  Oh no a new nurse!  "Where is my friend Linda?" he questions.  "On vacation, I am your nurse today, is there a problem?"  Caught slightly off guard and probably still showing signs of the drugs in his body, the quick wit misses a click.  "Oh..okay" he mumbles as he nervously looks at me.  She puts us in a little room, closes the door,"Jesus, she is scary!" Mr. Bill laments.  As I giggle, he looks at me and laughs, "For Gods sake another one that's going to look at my winky, the whole G-damn world has seen it lately!"  By now I burst into laughter, Scary Nurse enters the room, not even cracking a smile,"Care to share the joke? she wise cracks.  "Not really" Mr. Bill replies.  Scary Nurse presses on and I see the quick wit surfacing.  "It isn't nice to laugh behind some one's back" she says very slowly. "My winky is afraid of you!"  Mr. Bill carries on just as she had.  OMG...I am trying not to,laugh...she isn't sure what to say so she smiles and leaves.  The Egg-Nazi just grins!  When she returns, she must have taken a nice pill, her mood completely changed.  I think Mr. Bill was glad...because I said "Now you've done it, go ahead and really tick her off.  She will come back with a longer and bigger tube to stick in your winky...then who will be laughing...scary Nurse!" 

Aside from the questionnaire, Mr. Bill very much in hurry to get weighed.  He figured..no food from Saturday night until Wednesday morning, he had been suffering from nausea, so there was nothing left.  Also fitting into his calculations..."My gallbladder has to weigh something, it's gone, so maybe I will have some sort of weight loss."   Prior to entering the room, Scary Nurse told him.."Step on the scale."  Yeah he is up three pounds!!  Nice Mr. Bill.  I figure all those intravenous bags, you were hooked up to...at least five were put through your system, at about a liter a bag...yeah that's about right...Mr. Bill not a happy camper!

"tis the Season"

Oh the aroma of fresh baked gingerbread! Something about the delightful smells of the holiday season that is so comforting.  Although I am not a big fan of consuming gingerbread, the smells and intricate artistry of gingerbread cookies and houses can be so comforting, "warm, fuzzy and whimsical!"   Yes, I can make a "mean" gingerbread, the artistry of the decorations, however, a little on the "iffy" side.  As young children, my sons thoroughly enjoyed the cookie cutter almost as much as consuming the cookie dough!

Each year I make a silent promise to myself.....construct a gingerbread house...start to finish.  Again a broken promise.  At least I didn't promise anyone else!  The last attempt at gingerbread construction...Hm mm?  Mrs. G.'s house with Granddaughters, Jordan and Taylor.  So much fun, it looks so much easier than it actually is.  The twins having the time of their life, eating as they decorated.  As the project finished, each house totally different, they were put on display in Mrs. G. living room, for all to enjoy.  The following morning, however, much of the candy missing!  Since mice loved to invade during the cold New England winter months, everyone assumed it had been a mouse with a "sweet tooth!"  Eventually, a few holiday seasons later the "little mouse" with the rat sized sweet tooth, confessed.  Miss Jordan, the queen of sweets, the culprit!  Nice!

Before moving south, we always enjoyed visiting the Connecticut based Mohegan Sun Casino.....the holiday gingerbread house,exquisite.  Just watching the chefs and "elves" during the construction phase, totally breathtaking, the details perfect!  Now that we live in central Florida and are able to visit Disney, we always make sure the Gingerbread displays are part of our annual holiday trip.  Most people visit the parks, but the truth be known, the resorts themselves are decked out in their holiday finery, and yes, the Gingerbread theme lives on.  "Snow" covered villages complete with trains and whistles.all displayed for eager visitors to discover.  The winter wonderland beautiful and charming, downright awe inspiring!

Closer to home, the aroma or holiday baking, comforting.  It makes, the downright cold weather, bearable!  Keeping the lights low, the tree all aglow and scented candles setting the mood for "snuggle down" on the couch time, whether watching an old holiday movie, munching on some fresh baked cookies or filling out those holiday cards...."tis the Season, there is nothing quite like it!

Vacation Time!!!

Day two of my first vacation in three years.  As I prepare to head off to to hospital land...yes, the Egg Nazi in residence there, not sure for how.  Severe abdominal pains late Saturday night, I arrive home only to find a note on the front door.  Joe (friend) took Bill to emergency room with severe abdominal stress!  Let's rewind, if only for a moment.  As I exited the Wilderness Lodge about 2AM my cell phone beeped.  Ah yes, a message.  A very weak sounding Mr. Bill, "Don't know what's wrong, feel like crap, my stomach is killing me, these G-damn cells phones aren't worth a crap..I can't get you."  Yes, welcome to vacation time!   Further into the message...."I tried calling you in your office, you aren't there."  For the record, I was there, the ringing phone a figment of his imagination or the switchboard was screwed up!  I'll bet on his imagination, he was in pain, not a good thing for the Egg-Nazi.  We always joke, if he has pain, it's usually a given he will keel over and faint.  He tries not to, but it is usually check out time for him!

Sooooo, I try calling him..first the house phone, then his cell, no answer!  As I call info for the number to the local hospital, the God-blessed fog thicker than crap, the recording announces, "we will connect you for no extra charge, please press one."  Cool! as I creep along in the murkiness of the night...no ringing can mean only one thing....a dropped call!  We begin the process again.  This time making it to the hospital switchboard saying, please hold, I will connect you to the ER.  Cool!  as I creep along in the murkiness of the night...no ringing can only mean one thing...a dropped call!  I know I repeated the same thing,,,for a reason.  This process happened five times on way long ride home...each time increasing my blood pressure to unthinkable heights!  Just a few days again, a survey appeared in the paper.  A certain cell phone provider was rated as the worst!  Yes, it is MY provider, a national company spending millions on advertising yet I can't make a G-damn phone call to the hospital.  Realizing it isn't going to happen, I creep along hoping to find out soon, what the hell is going on.  Arriving I find Mr, Bill's truck in the driveway.  Cool!  I  head to the front door, the note attached to it.

Now we are about three and a half hours into the vacation, not good.  Finally I get a response from the critical care unit as the hospital, he is there, I can speak with him.  "I couldn't get in touch with you, these G-damn cell phones aren't worth a crap!"  You are absolutely, positively correct Mr. Bill, I'll be right there!  Off I go, the little man at the guard shack, looking rather strange at me.  This is same guy that always says,"out a little late tonight, aren't you Missy?" when I arrive home at these ungodly hours.  He hadn't seem me moments ago, I arrived as he was out making his rounds.  One can only imagine what is going through the little pisser's mind as I leave at three in the morning.  Betcha he didn't question the two guys leaving at one.  Probably gave them the thumbs up.."Go for it guys!"  Oh Bastard!

Talk About Habit-Forming!

Try as I may, no matter what time I go to bed at night, I wake up at two fifty in the morning, that is unless I am just getting home, which happens more than just occasionally.  Point being, for twenty two plus years, I arose daily at the ass-crack of dawn.....even the ass-crack was still asleep!  It seems to be a habit that I cannot shake.  Researchers agree, doing something continually for twenty-one days will form a habit.  So, it is pretty much a no-brainer as to why I wake up.  Even with my up and down schedule, the body clock is up and ready to go by three a.m.  It does present a problem when I arrive home at three, not too sleepy, I almost have to force myself to fall into la-la land, although usually three hours later, I am raring to go.  Too many consecutive days of that schedule makes the forty or so minute drive home, interesting! 

Mr.  Bill says he too wakes up at three a.m. daily.  I know it isn't to start baking muffins or bagel, he heads to the bathroom then to the refrigerator!  Never having been a person who grazes in the wee hours of the night, I don't get it.  First of all, you have to open your eyes to finds a snack, meaning I would be wide awake.  Another issue that would  signal a wake up, can't see two feet in front of me without my glasses.  Plant them  babies on my face, yep I'm awake.   Then there is the frig light, can't get past that blast of light...looks like frigging sunshine, signaling the body clock...MORNING!  So all this must mean I am a morning person, up and raring to go...perhaps. 

Much like enjoying the solitude of my long drives home in the darkness, I enjoyed the solitude of the early morning Fred's News routine.  Turn on the oven, aroma of fresh cinnamon sugar, cranberries, blueberries and all the fresh ingredients..then I became a grazer..popping the fresh fruit like candy!  It suddenly dawned on me our early morning patrons probably didn't spend half the night opening and closing the frig door or searching the cabinets for snack food..take note Mr. Bill, they slept and woke up READY!   On the other hand my early morning wake-ups probably were formed by my children in their infancy.  They preferred early rising...yes the ass-crack of dawn....OMG it is no wonder they still stay up half the night...talk about forming a habit...they were born that way! Either that or they knew something I didn't...preparing me for our future at Fred's News!