Purling Oaks

Wait!

Wait!  Please wait.  I'm not done with that person yet!

A probably futile and definitely selfish request, don't you think?  But I think we all make it when hearing of a less than desirable diagnosis, or some other life-changing event, for someone close to us, someone who makes a difference in our lives,  whether that person is a parent, friend, husband, wife, co-worker, aunt, uncle, cousin, grandmother, grandfather, or variation of any of those roles.   I know I've made that plea a number of times, too many times.  Sometimes, I get more time.  Sometimes not.  Sometimes, the extra time comes with big changes for the person I've pleaded for as well as the relationship I have with them.

For me, that request comes from the fear of the absence of someone I, however unreasonably, expect to be there, participating in my life, forever.  I want to continue to be able to enjoy their presence and not deal with anything else but that.  No changes allowed.  Everybody's happy and healthy.  (Yes, I do live in a dream world.)  And this news is the reminder, the wake up call, the slap, that life just doesn't progress the way I want it to.  

I know some may say, "Grow up!"  I am, I have, and I continue to.  I suppose this post is part of the process for me and a way to air my fears. 

Rants on Thursday

I'm typing this entry in the cats' temporary Fortress Bedroom of Solitude.  The cats are restricted from roaming the house since new epoxy flooring is being installed in the basement.  The interim installation steps are not feline-friendly.  I thought I would spend a little time with them and, well, I'm receiving a lot of verbal complaints and stares conveying my felines' displeasure with the current state of affairs.  Oh well....better this than kitties stuck in epoxy.

Why do other drivers think it is imperative that they travel 20 to 30 miles per hour over the posted speed limit in a construction zone?  The speed limit is 45 MPH for a reason, the drivers' safety and, more importantly, the safety of the construction workers.  I had a driver pass me on the shoulder of a single lane on the Interstate in the construction zone.  Dangerous and stupid.  I really hate driving in the Chicago-area.  I have to deal with the construction on top of the *normal* congestion.  I would have to take tranquilizers if I went back to living in a congested city. 

Another thing.  If your boots or shoes are covered in construction debris, don't bother to take them off when walking over wood flooring.  Especially when someone has just cleaned said wood flooring and the flooring is still damp.  ARGHHHHH!  Somebody's mom should have smacked somebody upside the head a few more times in their formative years.  Yes, since I'm home tomorrow, I'll be handing out some less than gentle motherly advice to anybody that doesn't remove their footwear before stepping on my wood flooring. 

As long as I'm at it......I think anybody with a badge (and I'm thinking law enforcement here) should be thanked, not despised.  These men and women risk their lives daily to protect us and keep our communities in some sort of order.  Without these people performing their job every day, our lives would be much harder and our families at higher risk.  I'm aware there are some Barney Fife's or other jerks that can make life miserable but most men and women in law enforcement should be supported.

I think that's it.  Now, I'll see what I can do to deal with the feline complaints.

Put those eggs back where you found them!

Saturday, I kicked myself out of my self-imposed exile in the house* and ventured into Madison for a shopping expedition.  I've been a bit cabin-feverish (like most Wisconsinites) so a trip out in the sunshine was good medicine.  High temperatures in the 20s, blue skies, and minimal wind kind of off-set the snow- and ice-covered roads I had to travel to get to a state highway.  When the Jeep slides on the road when I stop to get the mail, it is as bad as I've seen it in our relatively short tenure at this location.

Anyway, off to Target.  I had a few items to find there and then I set off to grocery shop at Woodman's Market (eastside).  I know, grocery shopping on a Saturday afternoon is not the sanest thing I've done lately but the weather was good and I needed a place to go.  I found the items that we can't obtain at our local Piggly Wiggly (yet) and cruised some of the aisles.  I like to see what might be new, product-wise, so I cruise. 

In my cruising, I saw so much waste, I couldn't believe it.  Why do shoppers decide they don't want, say, the dozen eggs they just picked up, when they are in the paper aisle and just take them out of their cart and leave them on a shelf by the napkins?  I saw a number of examples of this vile behavior throughout the store.  Why do people waste food like this?  They could just give the unwanted item to the cashier if they didn't want to truck back to the refrigerated section to return it.  But no.  I don't see this type of behavior at our Pig.  Of course, the Pig is a much smaller store than Woodman's.  I didn't actually see anyone do this or I would have said something to them...I'm forward like that.  When someone is going to cost me money in the long run, I will definitely say something.  Now, if I could just transform myself into their mother or grandmother and give them a *smack* on the hand, life would be good.

*Last week was a teleworking week.  Not so, this week.

Bottled water, anyone?

This morning I woke up and felt relatively rested and refreshed from Monday's travels.  Brushed my teeth, took my vitamins, showered and all the usual get ready for work routine.  I got to work and my co-worker (who is staying at a different hotel) told me he got a call from the hotel manager this morning before 7 am telling him that the city we are staying in has issued a boil order.  That means don't drink any tap water, don't brush your teeth with it, don't take your vitamins with it unless you have boiled it for 5 or 10 minutes.  Did my hotel call me?  Was there a notice posted anywhere in the breakfast room?  No, to both of my questions.  GREAT!

I'm not sick yet and I'm hoping that I've been very fortunate through pure luck.  I called the hotel manager and left a voice mail (nicely) stating I was very disappointed that they didn't notify their guests and told them that at least one other hotel had the courtesy and concern for their guests to tell them about the hazard.  No response from the manager yet.  I don't watch local news when I'm on the road.  I suppose I should start, eh?

So, being the practical gal that I aspire to be, I stopped at the local grocery and joined the throngs in the water aisle. 

I must have had a premonition of this event yesterday, because I bought beer and had it cooling in the frig in my hotel room --- ready to kill any germs upon application.  *grin*

Steady but angry and tired

I'm Bookends!
Which Simon and Garfunkel album are you?

Here's my contribution for the day. Thanks, Vicki.

That's about it, folks. I am beat, heart-wise and body-wise. I had an important teleconference at work, then a long drive, followed by a funeral for a beautiful 29-year old woman who left her husband and two young sons (and so many others) behind on this earth because she did something stupid. (Not a deliberate suicide, either.) Hey, out there....if you think you aren't something special to someone, think again. You are special and your presence with us here is important. Don't do anything that risks you leaving ahead of schedule.