The high pitched sounds

Allison and Ty had a date night and asked Blaine to watch Eli. Usually they have friends of theirs take him for the evening, and then they return the favor when their friends go out. It just didn’t work out this time. Eli is Izzy crazy, has been since he first met her. Izzy is kid crazy. It seemed like a good idea to bring the two of them together. Oh, the running, the jumping, the high-pitched sounds....

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Then there was a trip to the vet

Overnight, Mica had to take the little white dog to the vet. Looks like he picked up a bacteria from something he ate from the vending machine that is the back yard. I visited him on my lunch hour. He seemed a little tired but was still happy and active. He raced me to the couch and flopped over for a belly rub--all part of our routine greeting.Meanwhile at a groomer across town, Izzy was getting...

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And the good luck continues

On the way to work this morning I was rear ended by a high school student. There was little speed involved and no visible damage to my car, and I’m hoping that means there’s no damage at all because he backed up and took off before I could get out of my car. The rest of the commute was annoying. I came upon a delivery truck that was stopped and straddling both lanes. Smoke was pouring out of it. Traffic...

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Mower guy

I'm too tired to function. Tonight I'm going to get to bed early. Just have to return a call to Peggy who left a voicemail saying she needs a favor. The mower guy cut the grass yesterday. It looks like hell, but it's short enough to keep my neighbors from rioting. Mica's mower guy said he'll mow for me and can start on Friday. He's to come by tomorrow and text me an estimate. My fingers are crossed...

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Wingman

Last week, the night before I left for New York, I got a call from my late cousin’s wife, Vicki. She is the guardian of my cousin April who has Down Syndrome. Vicki had organized a gathering to celebrate April’s 60th birthday, which is today, and wanted to invite me.There wasn’t time to do any shopping while we were in New York so this morning was the first chance I had to pick up a present. I can’t...

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And then I arrived home

The funny thing about the trip Eve and I took to NYC is that everything was perfect. More than perfect. Flights landed ahead of schedule. We did everything we wanted to and it was all fantastic. Strange things, all good, happened. We laughed about how we had slipped into a happy little world for a few days. And then I arrived home. I noticed my lawn hadn't been mowed. It was past due when I left...

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Over or under the bus

Before I picked Eve up this morning I picked up a cup of coffee and a bagel breakfast sandwich for Blaine. Last night he received bad news about a friend's health (not someone I know). I thought he may not have slept well and would skip breakfast (he often does). I could do something about one of those things, so... When Eve got into my car, she sniffed. "Were you drinking coffee?" As if. Upon...

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Ahh, Bach

My boss waved me into his office this morning. “Do you and Eve get along pretty well?” “We do, yes,” I answered, trying not to smile. “Well enough that you wouldn’t mind spending several hours in a car together?” “Yes, we’d be fine.” And that’s how it came to be that we were selected to attend an out-of-town meeting tomorrow.  The coworker who died was scheduled to go with another person...

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Henry's coffee klatch

A quickie to catch up. Yesterday, Sunday, my brother and I went to a family reunion of our Mom's side of the family. He has been attending for about 10 years. I started going around five years ago. For many years I was too uncomfortable to go. I didn't want to attend a family reunion where I not only didn't know anyone but I didn't really know those I'd be representing. I have many memories of my...

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Between semi-sweet and semi dry

Mica and I had a pedicure this morning. We found a new place we like, one where we don’t feel our feet are being ridiculed in another language (although they probably are). I wanted pretty toes and extra moisturized legs so I could wear a skirt and sandals tonight. Blaine and I went out with Kim and John, or rather we made arrangements to meet at a winery where there’s live music on Saturday nights....

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Bluebirds

After work I stopped at the hardware store for sink-fixing supplies. I need to replace the stopper in the bathroom sink. I haven’t done this before but YouTube makes it look doable. I thought I knew what I needed but after standing in front of half an aisle of possibilities I realized I needed to do some research. I may have to ask for help, but then again maybe I won’t. Mica and I went to Greg’s...

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Have my attention

May I have your attention, please. May I have your attention, please. A tornado warning has been issued for this area. A tornado warning has been issued for this area. Please take all appropriate safety actions at this time.That notification repeated over the automated emergency alert system in our building for over an hour this afternoon. It was a malfunction but by the time someone figured out how...

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Friends

In this day and age of selfies and social media, why do people freeze up and turn away as soon as someone shows up with a camera? I need them to not do that. We had a group of people in the office today, and I was asked to take pictures inside one of the meetings and then at the catered lunch. It was the lunch where I ran into the trouble. Still, I snapped a few sneaky candids that will work. For...

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Sensitive pallet

Last night Izzy allowed me one-third of the bed to start. Later on, after kinks had developed in my neck and shoulders, she jumped down for a few hours. She rejoined me toward morning, nudging her pointy nose in my ticklish spots until I moved over enough to please her. I went back to bed after taking her for an early morning walk. She came in once but only deposited her ball on the bed to ensure...

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Didn't work

I’m with Izzy tonight. We were planning to have a lazy night in our ugly, comfy clothes but then Blaine called with an offer to bring dinner over. Izzy immediately shook until her coat was fluffed and beautiful so I decided I better put on something without a drawstring or Cubs logo if I wanted to stand a chance with Blaine. Didn’t work. ...

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In NYC

An IM from Eve about 10:30 this morning: What are you working on over there that has your full attention?My reply: Henry needs something written by end of day.Eve: Henry would be lost without you.Me: He would! Eve: You make his work better!Me: I do!Eve: You are the wind beneath his wings!Me: Uh...Eve: Bette Midler is going to be in “Hello Dolly.” In NYC.Me: She’ll be good in it.Eve: I’d like to get...

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Color comes back

Eve was back at work today. The stream of people stopping at her office to welcome her back was so steady it was nearly 10:30 before I had a chance to pop over. I tried not to stay long because she was trying to get caught up. She remarked that she can’t concentrate long enough to accomplish anything. It’s a shame grief can’t be distributed among those willing to take on some of it. Just before...

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Encucumbered

Someone at work brought cucumbers from their garden to share. I thought I’d pick out one so I can try a new salad recipe. The smallest one in the bag was 16-inches long. What the heck? I was going to skip it but then decided to bring one home anyway.Blaine came over to replace the pane of glass. While he worked on that, I sliced the cucumber into enough slices to make two salads and keep enough to...

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A new concept

I decided to add a dorm-size refrigerator to my office. Mica helped me haul it and move it in tonight. I’ve gone back and forth on getting one for over a year. There is a full-size refrigerator in the break room. It’s generally disgusting, as many workplace refrigerators are, but it has other issues too, some mechanical (temperature fluctuations) and some human (lunch stealers). I keep losing bottles...

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Shattered glass

My kitchen is small and has three doorways--from the living room, the outside landing and an enclosed back porch. The refrigerator is in the corner nearest the door to the back porch. That door is an old wooden thing with a square window in the middle of it. It’s a useless door--no lock, not a great seal anymore--but it serves its purpose and it has a window that allows light in provides a view of...

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Last game of the season

Blaine and I went to a baseball game tonight, the last one of the season for the city’s minor league team. They play in a ballpark designed in the style of Wrigley Field, Fenway Park--the old, beautiful ones. It is a wonderful place to spend a summer night. Sitting there in the third inning, sharing a bag of popcorn, Blaine wondered aloud why we hadn’t made a point to go to a few games this summer....

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About this week

As I left for work Monday morning I pulled the cell phone out of my purse and saw I had missed two calls from Eve, one made late Sunday night and the other only a few minutes before. I called her back, and she broke the sad news that her mom had died in the night. It wasn’t expected so the shock was especially strong. The funeral was this morning. A lot of what went on this week was related to Eve,...

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