Birthday blessings

May 21, 2013

Happy birthday to me!

My daughter had someone special over for most of the day yesterday. I am thrilled to discover Taelor’s flirty side, found her showing off a selection of infant-to-teen pictures  endearing, telling him hilarious stories of her antics and trouble-making as a child. He seems like a nice guy and certainly admirable for taking three buses and an hour and a half in transportation time to visit her, not to mention the fact that he was willing to be here, the mother, parked on the sofa the entire time with my leg above my heart.

Who owns liquor stores, gas stations with convenience stores attached to a floundering bait shop? Hadn’t imagined the type but it certainly didn’t fall into Dan’s category-Mormon wannabe lookalike, clean butch cut hair, baby face, thin and wispy like I could give him one good belt and he would drop like a dead robin hitting the window pane. Shy and a bit indifferent about the details of the discussion we are having, I felt challenged to maintain his wandering attention though I suspect it had to do with the copious phone calls from the Manager of the gas station who was jabbering about some credit card slips and receipts left unattended. Dan has four children, two strip malls and a number of rental houses to maintain. It’s a wonder he isn’t burying himself in the dark recess of the back room at the liquor store sampling the product before it gets stocked on the shelves on the sales floor. Some of the tenants are causing him grief and he appears to be stretched to the limit in dealing with the excess garbage bags in the front of their unit, various shady characters coming and going, complaints about guest’s cars parking in the middle of the driveway so the others cannot park in their designated spots and a disgusting pile of an assortment of smelly and decomposing cigarette butts scattered on the lawn. Although I don’t have a cousin Guido to offer up I can certainly mutter sympathetically and nod in agreement to Dan’s incessant moaning. He seems to be more elevated after our talk yet I am not sure I got what I needed from the interaction. Certainly gives me more appreciation for the medium-sized business owner and all they have to juggle to “barely make it.” I will remember that the next time I race through the gas station to use the restroom which is the only reason I enter the establishment since I do not eat nor drink any of their products. Awhile back, Taelor unknowingly bought and consumed an egg salad sandwich at one such place of business and got a severe case of food poisoning. I thought that was in the manual-no eating questionable food at gas stations or from street vendors, she must have skipped that chapter.

I haven’t gotten out much in the last few days. No internet service and limited DVD access (my computer has never accepted nor will play a film-drat!) so I am juggling several books at once, writing many letters and post cards again and paying close attention to the color of the toes on my left foot. The blood flows down the leg but can only circulate it back up to the heart when there is pressure put on the bottom of your feet. Consequently when my leg is vertical, the blood flow stops at the toes. Therefore they become a deep purple. I learned that from McMarvelous while in Brasil.

Off to a late breakfast with a great friend and hope to scuttle by and get a knee wheel. Later on this afternoon I aim to get out of the house again to the Co-Op and buy some fixin’s for burritos and Izzy’s ice cream for dessert. Taelor also promised me a Dunn Brothers brownie to accompany it.