January 2016 From My Perspective
Usually I’m not real thrilled with automated phone rigmarole
about “press 1 for this; press 2 for that”, etc. I called my pharmacy which has always been
very helpful, and I didn’t think there was much the staff could improve
on. It has installed an automated phone
service of helping you get to what you want.
One is still able to talk with a real, live person if there is a need by
pressing “0”. I told the pharmacist I
liked the new telephone program because I found it to be helpful. He asked me how I found it helpful. I told him, “It is helpful with my short-term
memory which is waning at my age.” He
laughed for a while and told me my positive statement about the new phone
system was the first one he’d heard.
Brenduhh came over for tea.
During our conversation she mentioned her hubby was having an erectile
dysfunction problem. She said, “He told
me of his problem and apologized over and over.” Well, that was very nice of him,” I
soothed. “What did you say to him?” “Oh I told him I appreciated his apology, and
there were no hard feelings,” she blurted. Furthering our multi-topical conversation,
she excitedly told me of her 100 pound weight loss. “Trudy, I finally made it to losing 100
pounds. I’m going to go out and buy the
tiniest two-piece bikini bathing suit I can find.” Being the conservative, modest type that I
am, I suggested a 3-piece bikini.
“What’s a three-piece bikini?” she asked. I told her, “That’s the two-piece bikini for
you to wear and a blindfold for all the others.”
A Spanish proverb says – “More grows in the garden, than the
gardener knows he has planted.”
Do you wish the world were happy? / Then remember day by
day, / Just to scatter seeds of kindness / As you pass along the way. -Ella Wheeler
Wilcox, poet (5 Nov 1850-1919)
A friend was telling me that someday YOU TUBE, TWITTER, and
FACEBOOK would be consolidated.
“Really?” I commented. “I can see
it now; the site will be called ‘You Twit Face’.”
That reminds me of FED EX consolidating with UNITED
PARCEL-------it would be called FED UP.
A mathematician bought out APPLE; he called his company
APPLE PI.
The Russell Stover Chocolate Company has an outlet store
about 45 minutes from my house. I was
returning home when I saw the exit where Cracker Barrel was just across the
street from it. I quickly called my
friend, Marva, to ask her if she had an order she’d like me to fill. She gave it to me. I told her I was stopping at Cracker Barrel
for lunch and would drool over to Russell Stover’s to fill her order; I found
all she wanted. (Yes, you read that
correctly.) I called her when I got home
and told her what I’d gotten for her. “I
got you a bag of dark chocolate nut clusters.
The nut selection is: almonds, cashews, peanuts, and pecans. Oh, and here it mentions coconut, too. Do you think you’ll like it?” She thought for a minute and said, “I think I
might.” I asked her, “Do you want me to
open the sack and eat one to see if you’d like it?” There was a pause, then a firm, “NO.”
Here are some bumper stickers I’ve seen: “You’re too close!! I don’t kiss in public.”; “Your vehicle’s
color won’t look good on my lawyer’s desk.”; “BACK OFF, BUMPER HUMPER!!”;
“Please do not make my bumper your wake-up call.”
Brenduhh’s husband came over to ask me something; he was a
bit upset. “What’s wrong, Bubbah?” I
asked. “Well, I asked Brenduhh to make
me some cornbread. She put 3 slices of
white bread on a plate and dumped a can of corn on top of it. I asked her what it was, and she told me
she’d made cornbread for me. Would you
please teach her how to cook, Trudy?” I
rolled my eyes and told him I would. “I
don’t dare mention ‘nut bread’ to her,” he said.
I saw two signs the other day. They said, “Smile, you don’t own all the
troubles in the world,” and “No one is in charge of your happiness except you.”
That put a lot in perspective.
I was asked, by a friend, “To you, what is a true
friend?” Here is my reply: “To me, a true friend is someone who accepts you where
you are and gently, when they see some flaws which are not to your benefit,
invites you to grow. Their silence can speak volumes, and they don't have
to talk; their company is fulfilling, even when they only have briefly
been with you; their shoulders are strong for you to lean on when you need to;
and they are a reflection of you, and you don't have to look in the
mirror. You can tell them your darkest secret and know it is safe and
understood. They are like phosphorus....only seen when things are dark.
They are the first to come when you need them, and the last to leave making
sure you're all right. They are the ones who will tell you, ‘May you be
in heaven 40 years before the devil knows you're dead.’”
I’m getting older, as you are too. Here are some observations you might agree
with:
1. I talk to myself,
because sometimes I need expert advice.
2. Sometimes I roll my eyes out
loud. 3.
I don’t need anger management; I need people to stop irritating me. 4. My
people skills are just fine. It’s my
tolerance of idiots that needs work. (see #3) 5. The biggest lie I tell myself is “I don’t
need to write that down; I’ll remember it.”
6. Even duct tape can’t fix
stupid, but it can muffle the sound.
7. “Getting lucky” can mean
this: I slept longer than 5 hours; I
slept through the night without a bathroom call; I walked into a room and
remembered why I was there; I laughed/sneezed/coughed and had dry underwear. 8. I
go to the grocery store, hear a little voice call, “Mommy” and don’t have to be
concerned it’s my child who is lost.
I had a heavy box sitting on the stairs for one of the kids
to bring up to the kitchen to me; it had a note on it which said, “Whoever
reads this first, please bring this to me.”
The first reader did just that saying, “Here’s the note you wrote,
Mom.” My eyes rolled over and over.
I overheard one of my kids talking while watching a scary
movie. “Mom said love is the most
important thing. Did you know
that?” Second kid responded with, “I
love watching scary movies. I think that
counts.”
While I was talking to an acquaintance, evidently I said
something she didn’t like. “Gods Trudy,
don’t you think before you speak?” they snarled. Since I wasn’t real friendly with this
person, but didn’t want to flat-out offend them, I smiled and said, “What, and
spoil the surprise for both of us?”
I have found that one of the biggest communication problems
is we tend to listen to reply, not to understand. Listening and hearing are two processes. Most people can hear, but it takes special
ones to listen.
I believe in being prepared and warning others. I have signs in my windows which say, “BEWARE OF
DOG”. They should actually say, “BEWARE OF PERSON IN HOUSE WHO IS NOT
MEDICATED AND HATES INTRUDERS”, but hey, that’s a lot to read if your intent is
to steal in the dark of the night and the signs aren’t lit by a 5,000 watt
bulb.
These are easy to make and delicious.
Hot Ham & Cheese Party Rolls
Ingredients
1
can Pillsbury™ refrigerated Classic Pizza Crust
¾ lb (12 oz) deli ham (thinly
sliced, but not shaved)
12 slices Swiss
cheese (thinly sliced)
Glaze
6
tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1
tablespoon Dijon
mustard
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
Instructions
Preheat
oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Unroll the pizza dough onto a cutting board and press into approximately
a 13x18-inch rectangle. Top with ham and cheese slices. Starting on the longer
side of the rectangle, roll up the edge tightly. When you reach the end, pinch
the seam together and flip the roll so that the seam is face down. Cut into 12
slices, approximately 1-inch wide. Arrange in prepared baking dish. Next combine the butter, brown sugar,
Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and poppy seeds in a sauce pan over medium heat.
Whisk until the butter is melted and the glaze is smooth and combined. Pour
evenly over the rolls. Cover and
refrigerate for up to 24 hours or bake, uncovered for 25 minutes until golden
and browned. Makes: 12 rolls.
“Flappergasted” when you have gas leaving your firmless body and you’re surprised.
Scotch, my Great Pyr grand-dog, is a sweetie. He lets us
know when a leaf blows across the yard, a bird flies by, a strange car goes
down street, and that he’s glad to see us at anytime. When I go to visit
my son and his family, some of Scotch comes home in the form of his long, white
hair on my pants. Ahhhh, the memories he leaves for me.
I hope this new year brings you warm memories and kindness
along the way. Trudy
