No Cause for Alarm

Have you ever had some of those days when you feel like the ball, in a pinball machine? For some time now things around here have been too calm and uneventful. That is until recently.

Last week we were around the stores (four of them) looking at 5x8 area rugs. Of course we couldn’t agree on a pattern or price, so came home empty handed a number of times.

I should tell you that lately when we go into the store, the carpet area in particular, we appear to get funny looks from the staff, or else it’s my imagination. Anyway that’s how it feels, as the hairs on the back of my neck start to tingle.

I forgot to mention that in her eagerness to examine every rolled up carpet in the store, Elizabeth has a wrestling match, eventually managing to pin every carpet with a fall in the aisle! Believe me, everything falls down and it looks like a bomb hit the place. After a half baked attempt to correct the situation, we sneak furtively away and leave things for the store assistants to sort out. You get the picture.

The other day we had a great day, at least we thought so. We had settled the carpet fiasco a day or so prior, so didn’t have to worry about that anymore. So out we went again and ventured into the uncharted waters of a huge new mall complex. Hiking boots and a good quality leather back pack were the intended shopping victims for the day.

We do seem to get ourselves into some situations at times, well the wife does, and she belongs to me so we’re it!

We didn’t get the boots that day but the back pack was a real beauty!
Or was until one of the zippers went a few days later. I will spare you the wails of anguish accompanied with the pain. Talk about panic stations!

First we tried to fix the zipper but quickly realized that we were out of luck there. Next thought was obviously lets get a return, or better, an exchange. That’s when Elizabeth paled somewhat as she told me she had that very morning dumped the cash register receipt into the garbage! Mission impossible now was to recover the receipt, so you know what that entailed.

Fortunately for us they have quite a sophisticated garbage set up here, so at least we wouldn’t have to go through mountains of crap.

As it was there was the wife up to her armpits sifting through the bags looking for our bag of litter. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would ever see her doing that.
Believe me the relationship between Elizabeth and her new leather bag is a torrid affair, so nothing was going to stop her from getting that receipt back!

I could see she had been successful when she came back with a triumphant smile on her face, albeit a little mussed up.

The following step was pretty dull after all the excitement and panic. A trip to the store, a few nice words with the assistant and out came the wife smirking all over her face and brandishing her new bag.

On the way home we called in at the carpet store. They had some smaller rugs on sale to match the carpet we bought earlier, so we picked one up. ~

At our apartment we are lucky, not only do we have the elevator, but they have a shopping cart to help carry the loot the upstairs.

The elevator is not overlarge, so when we get the cart in there plus me with my walker it gets somewhat congested. Today we were going upstairs in the elevator when Elizabeth decides she wants to turn the cart around ready to get off at our floor, that’s when the fun began, again!

In turning she somehow caught the emergency button with the buggy, which dials for help, thus setting the alarms in motion! Elizabeth’s first words were “Wow! The shopping cart is the exact same height as the alarm button!”

To our horror there didn’t seem to any way to shut this thing off! ~ Yeah, you got it. We hightailed it out of there as if the place was on fire, thankfully nobody answered the call this time. Never a dull moment where we are I can tell you!


C’ya

Loss of a Legend

Today is another sad day in the film world and that of all movie goers. All too frequently, my heart is heavy once more at the loss of yet another icon of the movie business. I speak of course of Paul Newman.

Throughout my life I think I can say I saw most all of his movies. Who can forget such classics as "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "The Verdict," “Exodus“ "The Sting" and "Absence of Malice” to mention a few.

This last year or two it seems like too many have been vanishing from the big screen of life.

Of course he will be sadly missed, as he now joins such giants of the film world, as Clark Gable, John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart, Marlon Brando, and James Stewart, the list gets ever longer. There are many good actors out there but, I wonder sometimes, wherever are the new great ones that will fill the void? They do appear to be few indeed.

If you’re like me, you think these men would live always, so you seemingly never notice how old they have become, for I know I don‘t. I’ve often marveled at the artistry of the make up people in films. Lets face it, old can be made young and young made to look old.

Over the course of going to the movies one sees many actors, then you see the great ones the likes of Paul Newman and others that have passed before him.

These are the giants that I feel should live forever and indeed they do, if only in memory. In losing Paul Newman it causes me to glance around at the ever decreasing numbers of those greats that are left. Sleep peaceful my friend, I thank you for the memories you bestowed upon me and mankind.

Soaring Free

Spent the last couple of days involved in nature things. That kind of reminded me of a poem I wrote not long ago. (clickable thumbnail)




C'ya

Adventure

This is a part of an adventure that I have become involved in recently. You have seen the pictures that I posted of the park last year. So whether you're Irish or not "Keep the Green".
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This announcement of course is more in keeping with people close enough (Ontario Canada) to take advantage of this fine event, come out and enjoy.

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You are invited to be our guest at the 10th Anniversary celebration on Sunday, October 5th from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. at the Park. We will meet old friends, make new ones and celebrate all that the Park has become over the last ten years. The afternoon's activities are detailed in the attached poster. We hope to see you there! (clickable thumbnail)




C'ya

Dogface

Aren't Moms just wonderful, she sent us this card recently.

At 82 she still has a knack for picking a funny laugher. Thank you Mom, you're a sweetie.





C'ya

Tidbits

I was idly reading an article, contemplating the latest price for gas and wondering what new highs and lows were in the local news today.

One of today’s topics I believe was something to do with grocery stores and bagging your own groceries. ~ There was some mention about cashiers bagging or not, or at least something along that line of ~ Can you remember when?

Along a related line was the latest on environment green. No more plastic bags ~ back to paper bags again? But then what about cutting down the trees to make the bags? I tell you it’s a no win situation.

So can you just imagine some person having to bag their own groceries, standing in the line up and hating every minute of it. What was worse, ~ even having to buy the bags!

There they are dragging their butt and grumbling all the time while they bag. I guess one can’t blame them when you see the prices in the grocery stores these days.

This for some reason prompted me to come out with the remark:

‘Bag your own grocery shopping bag rage!’
I mean like. ~ Just think about it.

We have road rage and someone stole the parking space rage, or someone jumped the lineup rage etc, etc.

“Jeeze the stores these days want you to do their work for them! While they stand watching, with their blah, blah, blah.”

If you’ve ever grocery shopped, then you have heard it all before I’m sure.

Meanwhile you get someone else who is waiting in line, getting a little bit impatient, stomping around whilst waiting their turn to bag.

I can see it all now, ~ “Man gets arresting for whacking another customer with a wet lettuce while bagging same!” ~

The mind could work wonders with that one.

I must keep that possibility in mind and shop where they bag the groceries for you!

C’ya