HALF VACCINATED & IN LIMBO

 

I won't be fully vaccinated until the end of this month. I read that I must wait 2 weeks after that to be fully safe. As a senior I'm in the high risk category and a hospital stay would ruin me financially. So I'm going that extra mile and doing everything possible to stay Covid free.

 I enjoy my home, but I must admit the lack of diversion is starting to get to me.

Most of my friends have either died (not from Covid) or scattered. My entire social life is now limited to Facebook which I've come to enjoy despite less than positive experiences with some people, to put it mildly.

Even if I was able to get out, movie theatres remain closed and many restaurants I love have gone out of business. The ones that haven't now have shortened menus and higher prices due to diminished capacity.

I wish that when life regains some semblance of normalcy I could afford an exotic vacation somewhere. Unfortunately my dentist and the eye clinic have used up nearly all of my disposable income. 

It seems the price of everything has gone up since the pandemic. And the malls are all dying.

I can't fathom why shopping online is all that! For one thing, it's a lot more expensive! In addition to the price of the item & tax, you must pay postage & handling which in many cases adds at least another $10 plus there's a replacement fee should the item go missing in transit. And if the item turns out to be a disappointment you're forced to pay the return postage & insurance.  Plus some online places charge a restocking fee. -- Gadzooks! I'll take a brick and mortar store any day!

The poison cherry on top was when I was forced to give up my Starz/Showtime package again due to a sudden $60 increase to my bill. Just 2 months before I was told by a lady that my price was good for another year!!! But then I was informed by ATT that my special promotion had ended already!!!  GRRRR!

I can't stream because I'm told it's done thru the computer. Mine is old and I keep losing my connection. I'm currently not in a good position to buy a new one.

So I'm going back to renting DVDs from Redbox and recording commercial free films off TCM. The latter serves up little known gems like Native Son in addition to some over-rated turkeys.

Recently I wasted 2 hours of my life watching The Pumpkin Eater! This was a 3 star movie released in 1964 plus Anne Bancroft won an award for her performance as the wealthy, long suffering, mentally deranged wife & mother. It was one of the most boring, depressing, pointless pictures I have ever seen!  -- And that's the LAST thing I need right now!

I keep telling myself that I have no right to gripe since so many are worse off. And when I recall my life 30 years ago and everything that was going on then, (even with all the above) my life should feel like paradise now!

SUBSTANDARD SUBSTATION

 

This is a vent post!

I'm hardly what you call a high tech type so I still depend heavily on the Post Office. I mail holiday & birthday cards regularly, often with handwritten notes inside.

Also I pay half my bills thru the mail and have valid reasons for still doing this. Although I'm leery because in this neighborhood our mailboxes are down by the street; so whenever I mailed a check I would drive straight to the Post Office. And I don't live close to one.

So I was delighted when a substation moved in only a few blocks around the corner from me. However it's crappy and my last experience there was especially aggravating.

I was returning an expensive item I'd decided wasn't worth the money. Also I needed to buy a sheet of stamps. The substation opens at 10:00 AM. I was early and debating whether or not to do my grocery shopping first and hit the station on the way home. However I buy lots of melty items and this is Florida, plus there's usually a line at the substation. Surely there wouldn't be one at that hour, I thought.

Wrong! I arrived about 10 minutes early to find a line already waiting. Soon another person joined in the wait behind me.

The clerk looked to be little more than a teenager. A sign was posted stating they were OUT OF STAMPS.  (Not unusual there!!!) Geez, this is a Post Office substation for crying out loud! They should NEVER be out of stamps!!! -- It's similar to when my Health Store's wheat germ & fish oil capsules are out of stock. I want to scream "You're a nutritional supplement company, how can you let this happen?!"

And the wait seemed unnecessary! The clerk was right there ignoring us doing things that could have been put on hold. Customers in line were looking around rolling their eyes and sighing as we all stood there.

Finally, the lady at the front of the line pointed out to the clerk that it was now 10:00 AM.

"My clock shows another minute!" the clerk replied.

Hot cat pee! Couldn't she sacrifice a mere minute for all these people standing there waiting? In frustration everyone gave out loud sighs and groans! The lady at the front of the line was shaking her head in disgust.

Eventually, my package was sent on its way. And I bought my stamps at the supermarket. Unlike this Post Office substation they never run out.

WALK THIS WAY

 

For over a decade I was fortunate enough to have a beautiful Russian Blue cat named Tasha sharing my life and my home. But I always had to laugh because she had this particular way of standing with heels touching and one foot straight forward and the other out to the side forming a V shape. -- This is the exact way professional models were trained to stand. And my little furry beauty was a natural!

With feet positioned in this manner human shoulders automatically go back as the spine straightens. It's impossible to slouch, so I can understand why it was encouraged.

In my 9th grade Home Economics class the older sister of a classmate was a professional model. She came to class and gave a speech on modeling along with demonstrations. Besides the stand, models were expected to walk with one foot directly in front of the other.

This walk was the same actor John Wayne performed to enhance his character and mystique for the big screen. Only he did it with more pronounced hip action while swinging the shoulders forward. -- And it was phony, an affectation suggested by another actor!

 However to some it came natural.

From the age of 18 thru 32 I had a small dog that executed the John Wayne swagger to perfection. He was one quarter Terrier & three quarters Chihuahua.  We owned his daddy as well, who was half & half.

I really shouldn't say "OWNED"! All our cats & dogs were fully empowered Canine and Feline Americans and they knew it!

And this particular dog was a little prince. He adamantly refused to be walked on a leash as if some common canine! Whenever we tried, he'd roll over on his back refusing to stand until that leash was off. We weren't about to drag him, so instead we took him for carries. He wasn't fond of going outdoors either!

Fortunately that house had a big yard. We'd set him down, he sniff around and then scratch your leg to be picked up again. This would be repeated multiple times until he finally found the perfect spot and did his business. And then he'd be carried back inside.

Often when I was seated, I'd gaze over at him as he stood across the carpet and I'd call out, "Come here sweetie pie, let me love my little baby."

He'd stand there and glare at me with that haughty stare of his as if to say: Maybe I will, or maybe I won't, I'm still deciding.

Eventually, after continued coaxing, he'd come slowly towards me doing the strut that would make John Wayne proud. This dog was letting me know that I was being bestowed a favor. -- Although he loved it when I rubbed behind his ears with one hand and his hips & butt just above the tail with the other.

Still in his mind, he was throwing me a bone. Guess he figured I'd earned it.

FALLING DOWN OR JUST FALLING BEHIND -- NO!

 

Yesterday was what I refer to as a Ketchup Day! I catch up on miscellaneous chores I've been putting off. -- Yes, that statement is both corny and cheesy. But never mind, I love the taste of both! However it seems to take me forever to get anything done.

I recall reading an article in the newspaper about an incredible local woman.  A CEO of her own company, who runs construction crews, oversees property management, flips houses, provides in-home patient & pet care, along with chauffeuring clients to appointments, plus tutoring blind students in Braille.

She also decorates residential and commercial properties for the holidays, cooks lavish gourmet meals for parties, speaks 5 languages fluently, and is currently learning Mandarin Chinese!

These are only slight exaggerations! Just reading about all she has accomplished made me feel so tuckered out that I wanted to collapse into my recliner and nap.

Honestly, I do admire people like that. I appreciate them and am delighted they exist, but at the same time I'm happy that I'm nothing like them. That type of existence sounds Hellish to me. It's way too hectic, stressful, and peopley for my taste. Guess I'm just one of those low energy types ex-President Bone Spurs was always putting down. And I wonder what the pussy grabber would be doing for a living had he not been born into all that money.

Back when I worked full time I felt exhausted and drained one hundred per cent of the time. Plus I was much younger then. I'd rather be dead than return to that! At age 70 I just want to be retired and enjoy a quiet life.

I'll admit conditions have been better than they are now, but they've also been far worse! Life is never perfect for anyone, not even that wonder woman mentioned above. I'm sure she has problems too; hers are just different from mine.

It's a mistake to compare yourself to other people. Especially when too many others are eager to do that for you!  I consider them noise. Life is made up of many different paths.

I recall a favorite Emily Dickinson poem titled: Not in Vain. (Google it!) The gist of it being that if you perform even one small selfless act of generosity or kindness, your life was worthwhile and had meaning. These are words I live by.

THE LONGEST & SHORTEST MONTHS

 

Back in dinosaur times when I was a student and personal computers were something out of science fiction, March felt like the longest month of the year. Despite reality, the big holidays seemed long past and summer vacation far away.

The shortest month was August, probably because here in Florida school usually started the last week of that month. One year it actually started almost in the middle. Horrors!!! August was a busy month filled with shopping for school clothes and supplies along with dread of classes that were coming up fast.

After September arrived, it seemed forever until the holidays! Now that I'm a senior citizen all of this is reversed!

Now, once the calendar hits September, the holidays seem to arrive fast and leave even faster. But first we must endure the stress and anxiety of hurricane season which thanks to climate change now begins earlier and lasts longer. I fear that one day year round hurricanes will be the norm! I hope it's after I'm gone!

These days I desperately want to hang onto March; often our last month of wonderful weather before the onslaught of the sweltering heat. I can still open my windows and enjoy free air conditioning as well as breathe fresh air. The nights are cool with delicious sleeping weather while the days are comfortably warm.

Also March is free from hurricane worries!

Florida winters are as delightful as the summers are horrid!

August is now the longest month! Not only is it hellishly humid, hot and bug infested. I live cocooned inside an air conditioned house. One step outside and I am transformed into a fountain of sweat.  August is also the time of the year when hurricane season really starts to ramp up. Everything about it is miserable!

The snowbirds have the right idea! In my previous neighborhood an hour south of here, half my neighbors fell into that category. Six months of the year my family was situated between two empty houses. If nothing else, summers there were quiet and peaceful.

Back then, we lived on the St. Lucie River. Here in my current home, my neighborhood is made up of largely year round residents.

Now at age 70 I want to freeze time or at least slow it down. I want the impossible! That said, the only good thing I remember about 2020 is the entire year felt endlessly long!

A TIME FOR CELEBRATING & REMEMBERING

 

Today is St. Paddy's Day! My first ever trip overseas was to Ireland at age 25. Before that, I'd vacationed outside the country in Mexico, Guatemala, and the Bahamas, plus that one day I'd spent in Canada at age 8.

But this trip was much grander and more special! One of the places I would be visiting was County Tipperary where my grandmother on my father's side was born. Among other things, I would be feasting inside an Irish castle, kissing the Blarney Stone and seeing the famous Rock of Cashel in County Tipperary itself. I remember touring Dublin along with a friend I met on the trip and also standing upon a cliff admiring the view from the majestic Cliffs of Moher.

I've celebrated every St. Patrick's Day since!

Last year right before the lockdown I was planning to celebrate with friend. We scheduled a lunch out together. Unfortunately, her secretary took ill with something uncovid related and my friend was unable to leave her office.

So I decided to celebrate alone. I dressed all in green and wore the necklace with the bejeweled Celtic horn I'd purchased in Galway. I treated myself to my favorite restaurant TooJay's.

The pandemic was already underway and on everyone's mind. For the first time ever, I didn't have to wait in a line. (Sometimes there's one extending out the door!) Inside were only a handful of customers despite the fact it was noon hour. All of them senior citizens like me.

As I left the restaurant a man looked me up & down and then exclaimed, "It must be St. Patrick's Day!"

"Erin go bragh!" I replied with a big smile.

This year I'm unvaccinated and not taking any chances! I'm celebrating at home.

Later this evening I plan to watch The True History of the Kelly Gang on my DVR. Yes, I know this film is Australian and filmed there. However the name Kelly is Irish and that's close enough. You make do with what you've got!

This morning I prepared a special breakfast of blueberry oat muffins, apple sauce with fresh blueberries, and mixed berry tea.

Irish food was awful, I thought! Almost everything except the desserts tasted as if it had been thrown together without interest. I love seafood, but the eel I ate in Killarney was nearly inedible.

However for my Irish dinner here at home I'm fixing oyster stew and buttermilk biscuits. And my dessert will be a colorful slice of rainbow cake. I'll be picturing a leprechaun with a kettle of gold beside it.

SNAKE STEAKS & FRIED LICE

 

Floridians are being encouraged to dine on pythons to reduce the population of this dangerous invasive species. Okay, no problem.

Back in January of 2016 in Thailand, dining on Cobra was the latest fad according to my guide. Had I been offered it, I would have been willing to give it a try. My issue is eating mammals which I refuse to do. After all I am one and so are you!

I've eaten frog legs and gator tail. Growing up there were plenty of cracker cafes featuring frog legs on the menu. My father a Yankee born and raised in Detroit enjoyed them and would share with me. However one place served a platter with the toes still attached. -- That ended it for both of us!

During the 1990's there was a restaurant chain that specialized in gator tail. I ordered a platter. It came served with a dip, without it, the meat was bland.

I've enjoyed more common and popular menu choices that made squeamish family members and friends wince and gag.

For my 21st birthday I tried Escargot (snails) at the Petite Marmite in Palm Beach.  I also enjoyed it later in Paris. Both times, all I could taste was garlic butter!

And I've eaten and enjoyed Calamari (squid) and also raw oysters on the half shell many times.

Recently I read that shrimp are considered the cockroaches of the sea. This is due to the fact that they are omnivores and feed on trash in the waters. -- Seems I once read something similar about oysters. However I plan to continue enjoying both!

Iguanas are another invasive species here in Florida. They'll be next! In some countries they're considered a delicacy and referred to as "Chicken of the trees".

I firmly believe that in another couple generations eating insects and reptiles will be the norm thanks to overpopulation and climate change. However by that time I will be gone and forgotten. But I'll probably be chowing down on them in a future life, just like everybody else.