I Love Lucy

I wrote this post a while ago; but it sadly has to be updated. My doggie friend Lucy passed away on June 20th, 2024. When I got the message from her momma, it just about broke me. I loved her like she was one of my own. I'm just so glad that one day maybe two weeks prior, when Brie and I had to pass the shop, she suggested I stop in to visit Lucy. I did! When the car pulled in, Lucy was laying in the open garage door. She saw the car, let out a howl and got up. By the time I got to the actual door, she was there to greet me with her wagging tail and French Mastiff smiley face. I asked Al how she was doing and he said okay, but was still having some medical issues. But I was so happy she recognized me, I petted her and talked to her to my heart's content, and afterwards, as usual, she went to the treat cabinet for daddy to give her a treat.  Then she went back to lay down, content. She was down to a trim 168 pounds by this time. I knew what that meant; however, I prayed for the best. I'm just thankful I got to see her one more time. I love you and will miss you Lucy: and I know my Pumpkin Louise was the angel to take you to your new home. 💔💗💕

This is subtitled "A Shameless Plug". 

Once upon a time, I inherited a car repair shop from my former next door neighbor, Mark. My car needed some work and he said, "Take it to my guy Matt. He's a great mechanic and will give you a good deal. Just tell him I sent you." I didn't know how much weight Mark's name held, but decided to try it anyway because I needed a good price on the work that needed to be done.

And guess what: it worked! I did get a great deal. But the thing is: Brie went with me to drive me back home. It turned out that she and Matt had worked at the Great Escape together when they were teenagers! So they reminisced and I think she was very instrumental in the good price too! To say nothing of the excellent service provided by Matt. So that place became our shop of choice.

Until Matt left for greener pastures and I can't say that I blamed  him because the shop went through a metamorphosis, and not in a good way.

Anyhoo: when my car needed work again, Brie actually messaged Matt to find out where he went. He said the magic words: ABC Transmissions. I knew nothing about this place but if Matt worked there, it must be all right.

What an understatement! The owner and everyone associated with this place always go above and beyond with us. Great service, great people, great price and...Lucy!

The first time I went there to pay when my car was ready, I entered the office. Lying In the corner was a behemoth that looked like competition for Cerberus, except with only one head. It looked at me and I looked at it, then it slowly rose and headed towards me. I honestly didn't know if it was a dragon or what. Fight or flight reaction went through me until Al, the owner said, "This is Lucy. Say hi to Rita, Lucy."

Lucy? Such a harmless name for a dog that could easily have torn me to pieces! She came over, sniffed me ( I was hoping she didn't smell my dogs on me and attack!) and then must have deemed me okay. Lucy was the biggest female dog I had ever seen. Al told me that she was a French Mastiff.  I tentatively reached out to pat her on the head, and she let me. I sat down and she came to sit in front of me for me to continue petting her. "Aww," Al began, "she really likes you!"

Thank God she did! She turned out to be a gentle giant. I noticed that she was wearing a huge pink collar with shiny decorations. She has spa days (wish I had one!) and knows she's pretty. Um...at first I thought she had a face only a mother could love. Never mind her head is bigger than both of my dogs put together! She is six years old and weighs 191 pounds. Her wagging tail alone could take me out at the knees. But she loves me and I have come to see the hidden beauty in her large jowly face.

So whenever I go there, Lucy greets me like an old friend. I sit down and pet her and tell her what a pretty girl she is. I admire her girly pink collar (which could wrap around both of my dogs) and talk to her as she sits her 191 pound self on my foot like it's a cushion. If I stop petting her, she turns her head around or looks up at me like, "Um...I don't think you were done loving me yet".  Yesterday, when they were changing a headlight for me (gratis) I was rubbing her back and sides and telling her stories about how spoiled my puppies were. She looked at me like she understood. Oh I'm sure Al and his wife spoil her too!

Her newest way of showing me love is when I sit down in the shop, she gets up on the seat next to me so she can climb into my lap! Now I can't really accommodate all 191 pounds of her, so she contents herself with having her front paws on my lap. And after the loving, she goes to daddy Al for him to give her treats so her auntie Rita can watch her enjoying them. This became a regular habit and we would laugh about it (me and Al, not me and Lucy, haha).

So my shameless plug is for ABC Transmissions on Saratoga Road in South Glens Falls. You can tell them Rita sent you! And don't be afraid of Lucy: she's a softy wrapped up in a huge body. I love Lucy!

Here are a couple of pictures so you can see what a French Mastiff looks like, although Lucy is bigger and more solid. Can't wait until I get to visit her again. But I hope it's just a social call! 🚗

The Piano

 There is a movie of this name that came out around 1993. Won 36 awards including three Oscars and a Golden Globe. But I never intend to watch this movie because it is sad.

"After a long voyage from Scotland, pianist Ada McGrath (Holly Hunter) and her young daughter, Flora (Anna Paquin), are left with all their belongings, including a piano, on a New Zealand beach. Ada, who has been mute since childhood, has been sold into marriage to a local man named Alisdair Stewart (Sam Neill). Making little attempt to warm up to Alisdair, Ada soon becomes intrigued by his Maori-friendly acquaintance, George Baines (Harvey Keitel), leading to tense, life-altering conflicts."

If you don't want to know what happens at the end because you think you might see this movie, skip this next paragraph:

"At the end of the 1993 movie, Holly Hunter's mute character Ada McGrath throws herself into the sea tied to her beloved piano. But rather than allow herself to drown, she fights back to the surface and goes on to have a settled life with her daughter, Flora, and lover Baines, played by Harvey Keitel."

But that's not what this post is about.

In 1994 I saw ads on TV about an album called Pure Moods. It was a compilation album (in my case, cassette tape because I didn't have a CD player) and it had really beautiful songs on it. I loved this cassette and played it often; then I finally upgraded to a CD and it was even better. But after awhile other music took over and I forgot all about Pure Moods.

Until one day last year. I was having a day and Pink Floyd just wasn't cutting it. I perused YouTube and came across Pure Moods. I hadn't heard it in forever, so decided to go down that memory lane.  YouTube was kind enough to list all 17 of the songs. I remembered most of them, but not all so it would be good to refresh my memory.  As the songs played and I worked, I was glad I had put this on. Then came the 16th song...

As God is my witness, I had no recollection of ever hearing this song before.  I looked at the list: it was something called "The Heart Seeks Pleasure First" by Michael Nyman. It wasn't familiar at all. However, it is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. It's mostly just piano, and it turns out that it is from the movie "The Piano".

I stopped everything I was doing to listen to this song. And all I could think was, "I bet Robin could have played this song to perfection." No doubt: being the classically trained pianist that she was before she died. I wondered if she had ever heard this song before. I felt in my heart that she had.

I downloaded the song onto my phone. I have it as my ringtone. And when I'm having a day, I put on the half-hour extended version of this song and think of Robin. And I feel her presence, which makes me happy. 𝄞𝄠𝄟 And that's what this post is about.

I Just Wanted Something For Lunch

 I was at work yesterday waiting for lunchtime when I realized I had nothing for lunch. Well, I had a small can of pineapple rings, some peanut butter and Ritz crackers (yes I'm able to eat them again!) but you know I didn't want any of that. I decided to check the specials for one of the places I like, to see if that would work. And yes: they had a cup of baked potato soup, 1/2 a grilled cheese and ham sandwich and a cupcake for $11.95 as their special. I figured it had better be the best cupcake in the world as I eagerly dialed their number to put in my order. The phone rang and rang, no one picked up and then a recording came on. WTH? I checked the number again to be sure I was dialing correctly, it rang and rang, no one picked up and the same recording came on. Ugh! Could they be that busy? So I went back to their Facebook page and saw a note from 2/10 saying they were having problems with their phone so to dial this other number. I eagerly dialed that number: it was a fax machine! Ugh!! 

I thought about just driving over, but they are usually so busy if you don't call in ahead of time, you'll be waiting and I didn't have that much time to waste. Ugh! So no cupcake for Rita!

Then I decided I should just walk over to our cafeteria and get a nice chef salad. Then I remembered that they haven't had Spring Mix for a year; and how did I know if they used Dole salad mix, which has all been recalled? Ugh! No salad for Rita!

I finally hit upon just going to KFC for an extra crispy drumstick. Or hey: maybe a chicken pot pie! Those are good. So I got in my car and drove to KFC. And there was no line, so that was a good sign. I gave my order to the employee and then drove around to pick up my soda and pot pie. I paid, and the employee first gave me my card back, and then handed me my soda. I noticed that it seemed inordinately full, so I swished it around for a few seconds. "Excuse me," I began when I had his attention, "you forgot to put ice in my Dr. Pepper." "No I didn't. We don't have any ice as our machine is broken." For some reason this really annoyed me. "No ice? Isn't that something you should have told me beforehand since now I don't have a cold refreshing drink?" "I'm sorry."

Well so was I! Now I had my delicious chicken pot pie, and a warm soda which just didn't go together. Just my luck. 

So I drove back to work, sat back at my desk and only pouted for another minute or two about my Dr. Pepper. I mean it wasn't the employee's fault that the ice machine was broken.  I dug into my chicken pot pie. I could tell it was a different recipe but that didn't matter because it was delicious. However. along with this new recipe I saw they had added more peas! Ugh, I hate peas! So now I had to eat around them and move them aside so none would sneak into my mouth. Seriously!

Yeah I know: it's a first world problem. And you know what? I have the same problem today! One day I will learn to bring lunch from home every day. At least that way I know what I'm getting!

I Knew It Was A Bad Idea...

 It's almost the greatest concert of the year day! Okay, there's a little football game being played around it, but seriously: Snoop, Dr. Dre and Eminem? Count me in!

Anyhoo, in preparation for the Super Bowl, last night on CBS they had a countdown of the 10 greatest commercials of all time. I really had to think about if I wanted to watch this show: and it was because of Brie. I knew if they showed any of the old Budweiser commercials, the waterworks would come on. 

Before the show even ran the first commercial, she was reminiscing about her favorite Clydesdale commercials. Like the one where the puppy has a best friend that's a horse, the puppy gets sold to a new family, and at the end of the commercial all the horses chase the car and stop it so they can have the puppy back. At the end the horse and puppy are frolicking, and Brie is crying. And that's before they showed the commercial!

Or the one where the horse is chosen to be in the big parade so leaves the farm. The owner who sold him is so despondent. Then he finds out that the horse team is coming near his town so he goes to the parade. Sure enough: the horse recognizes him, leaves the parade and finds the former owner so they can have a mini reunion. Tears!

So I knew it was a bad idea to watch this show with her, but I wanted to see if any of my favorites would be shown. And they were:  like the Doritos commercial where the little boy suckers the guy into believing he has a time machine (It's the future!); the Mean Joe Green commercial with the little boy giving him his Coke after a loss, and even I get a little sentimental over the Bud commercials. They had the best ad agency in town.

So we watched it, Brie cried, I tried not to make fun of her and it was all good. Does that make me heartless? I don't think so. I'm just able to enjoy sentiment without getting too mushy. But I didn't make too much fun of Brie for having a little marshmallow center 😊 After all: one of us has to! And by the way: the Bud commercial with the puppy was number one. No surprise there!

So for those who aren't football fans: you know you'll be watching specifically for the commercials. I saw the new one for BMW featuring Salma Hayek and Arnold Schwarzenegger. That's a good one! Can't wait to see what else is in store.

I don't have any skin in the Super Bowl, but if I have to choose a team: Go Rams! Hey don't judge me: I like their uniforms 😃

Why Pumpkin Was in the Doghouse

Everyone knows that Pumpkin Louise is my beautiful little diva dog. With her luxurious hair, lively face, calm demeanor and intelligence: you can automatically tell she is a show dog (although we don't show her). Lilly, on the other hand, from the back looks like Albert Einstein and the weasel from Foghorn Leghorn cartoons had a baby. Her long-haired Chihuahua-ness never quite manifested itself properly. But we love her unconditionally and she has a pretty face and street smarts.

I thought that Pumpkin's good breeding and lady-like ways would rub off on Lilly. WRONG! It seems like the opposite has happened. Hence the reason why Pumpkin is in the doghouse.

A few months ago Lilly got into my work bag and ate an entire Milky Way Midnight bar. 3 ounces of dark chocolate will kill a 10 pound dog. Lilly weighs 7 pounds and the candy bar was 2.7 ounces. It wasn't all dark chocolate but it was enough that I snatched her up and took her to the emergency vet so I could lighten up my wallet. Thankfully they were able to induce vomiting so all of the dark chocolate came up. Crisis averted, and Lilly was mad at me for the rest of the night!

I thought she had learned her lesson until about a week later.  The girls and I had gone out to dinner. When we came back, there was a Dove Dark Chocolate bar laying by their bed with a perfectly shaped bite taken out of it. "Lilly! Are you trying to kill yourself?" Yet the girls blamed me because apparently it had come from my work bag. "You need to put your stuff away! Your dark chocolate is going to kill Lilly!" they cried. "You have to take her to the emergency vet!" Are you kidding me? I didn't notice them pitching in any part of the $300 I knew it would cost me, just like last time. I picked Lilly up and headed out the door.

In the car she looked at me with her huge dark eyes and I couldn't stay mad. She was just a dog, and she loved me to distraction. I didn't want anything to happen to her. I pulled into the parking lot and went in with her in my arms.  "Didn't we just see you not too long ago?" the receptionist asked, rubbing her hands in glee at the thought of more of my hard-earned money going into their coffers.

"Sadly yes, and we're here because she ate more dark chocolate." "Oh no: how much?" "There was a bite taken out of a Dove Dark Chocolate bar. " She looked askance at me. "Why do you leave your chocolate where she can get to it?" "I don't!" I said defensively. "She just goes where she isn't supposed to." The vet tech came out and tsked when she saw Lilly. I explained what happened. "How much do  you think she consumed?" "Only one bite," I answered. "Oh that's not as bad as last time. How about I let you take her home and you watch her very carefully. If she shows any suspicious signs, bring her back immediately." Thankfully, they didn't charge me.

When I got her home the girls took her from me and fussed all over her, which she loved. Pumpkin and I were relegated to the other couch, which was fine with me. Of course my diva girl wanted her belly rubbed, so she turned over on her back and I rubbed her belly. As I looked lovingly at her, I noticed something. Her mouth seemed to be in the exact same shape as the bite from the candy bar! "Pumpkin Louise! Did you frame Lilly???" The girls looked at me like I was nuts (nothing new). "Did you throw away the candy bar?" "No," Brie said, "it's on the table." She went and got it; I held it by Pumpkin's mouth and sure enough: the bite was the exact same size and shape! She had taken a bite out of it and left the bar there as evidence. Yet we knew Pumpkin hadn't eaten the dark chocolate, because it would have shown up in the white fur around her mouth and neck. I knew she was smart, but who knew she was that smart. Little bratty girl! She was definitely too smart for her own good!

So from that point on, I kept the dark chocolate out of their reach. And that's why Pumpkin was in the doghouse: because she framed her poor sister!

Random Thoughts Again!

 As I'm sitting at my desk at work, I happen to be eating some poor man's Oreos. These are the little six-pack of cookies you can buy at the store that aren't as good as a real pack, but hit the spot anyway and keep you from eating a real pack of 39 cookies. So as I'm eating these cookies, I look at my desk and see the Clementine I found in my work bag. I had already eaten my sandwich; so this just reminded me of the lunches Marie used to pack for us in elementary school. The only thing missing was the boiled egg. Ah, memories!

Looks like I'm going to have to update my husband list. Jason Mamoa is getting a divorce! I'm sad that a marriage is breaking up, but still - it's Jason Mamoa!

I've worked in a new department since October 18th and I love it; and my new team! My co-worker Jesse's office is just across the way from mine, and I have a clear view of him in his office. Earlier he was eating something and not sharing. He must think he's invisible. He is not. Hook a sista up Jesse!

I had to leave work to take Kitty to work since Debbi is in Florida on vacation. I had asked her what time she wanted me to pick her up. She said, "11:30". I asked, "Do you have to stop anywhere on your way?" She said no. Yet she didn't have to clock in until 1:00. She is just like my father and my sister: they also had to be at work mega-early because...I don't know, they thought they might miss something?? I'm sure in my father's case it was to be social: have a cup of coffee, visit with his co-workers, that kind of thing. Kitty likes to get the lay of the land: see who's working, maybe have some lunch, or take a walk to Hobby Lobby or Home Depot. But my sister was the worst: she would set her alarm clock 2 hours early. I finally had to ask her, "Why do you set your alarm so early, when you don't get up?" She answered, and I'm not making this up, "So I know I have 2 more hours to sleep." 😮 OR: you could just stay asleep until it was time to get up! That never made any sense to me, but I guess it worked for her. And even with that: she would still get to work with at the very least an hour to spare so she could read the paper, which she also could have done at home. But like they say: different strokes for different folks! I know the early bird is supposed to get the worm but who wants that???

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week I did the same thing: got home from work, put on my jammies, said I was taking a nap until dinner and then slept through dinner and most of the evening. When I'd wake up I'd think it was morning, but it was only 9:30, or 11:00, or 11:54 p.m. What the heck? But I have a situation going on that is just draining me, so it's kind of understandable. Then I go back to sleep: only to wake up at 2 a.m., or 3 a.m. and stay awake. Then I pass the time running plot lines through my head. When I finally go back to sleep, surprise! My alarm goes off within 15 minutes. This is not an example of good sleep habits. Especially when I woke up this morning and Lilly was happily snoozing on my head. Seriously!

Look: Jesse is eating again! I can't tell what he has but it looks good. I'm going to have to talk to him about that. After all: sharing is caring! I'm kidding: he doesn't have to share his food. I just like to pick on him. Mangia Jesse!

And now: back to my spreadsheet. Until another random thought hits! Like this one: I'm listening to Pure Moods 1 on YouTube.  The 16th song is called "The Heart Asks Pleasure First" by Michael Nyman. It is a song with beautiful piano playing in it. Every time I hear it (and yes I downloaded it and it's also my ringtone) I think of my sister Robin. This was a song she could have easily played, because she was a classically trained pianist. So whenever I hear it, I think of her and it calms my soul. Miss you Sissy...

Same As It Ever Was

 So...this Christmas was going to be different, I said. I'm going to wrap presents early, I said. Why do I lie to myself, and others???

I was so pleased with myself because I received all of my online orders early or on time. I was going to immediately open them, sort them, and wrap them as they came. I was going to be ahead of the game and just relax Christmas Eve, drinking dark chocolate hot cocoa and watching Christmas specials. That was my plan right up until Christmas Eve, when I realized I hadn't opened any of the packages and now could only vaguely remember what I had ordered for which daughter and where I had hidden them!

You would have thought this would have spurred me to action but NOPE. As Brie kept saying, "You'd better do your wrapping NOW before you get sleepy and then want to take a nap and then wake up in the middle of the night and then sit up mad until daybreak." I indignantly kept replying, "I'm going to start wrapping as soon as you leave for Adam's house to get your stuff out of the way, and then I'll wrap Kitty's when she goes upstairs. Trust me: I've got this."

And as you can imagine: I didn't have it. When Brie left, I bribed Kitty to wrap her sister's gifts for me. She was happy to oblige, and add her name to a couple. I didn't care because it allowed me to continue to "rest" on the couch. She did a great job too: thanks to my flat wrap. You know I'm not going to fool around with the rolled paper! I have no patience for that and I'm happy to order flat wrap from Amazon every year. Which the girls happily use as well! But I digress...

When Kitty was done and had them placed artfully around the tree, she asked when was I going to finish wrapping. I said, "As soon as you go to bed. And no peeking!" You know Kitty didn't believe this for a minute. "Well make sure you do it and put the gifts under the tree." "Of course I will!"

And of course I didn't! When Kitty went upstairs to bed, I immediately laid down on the couch. Brie texted me to make sure I was doing what I was supposed to be doing, and I lied and said I was busy wrapping. Busy napping is more like it! And just like every year in recent history: I fell asleep. I woke up at 4:20 in the morning, horrified. Then I decided to watch a couple of TV shows. Hey: "Mom" was on! By the time I had gathered the presents I could find, it was going on 6 a.m.! I hauled the items into the dining room, opened them and commenced to wrapping. It probably would have been more successful if I'd commenced rapping, because I hadn't found everything! I wrapped what I had and then had to go scavenging for the rest of the presents. I found a few, but not all. Oh well: the girls were used to that. But it was still a good haul for them, considering they are grownups! By the time I had everything under the tree it was 8:18 in the morning. I laid on the couch and put the blanket over my face. 

Kitty was up at 8:40. Wow, the shortest nap for me in history! But she said she would wait for Brie to get home so we could open our gifts together. However, she did do her stocking and was pleased. When Brie got home around 10 a.m. or so, she laid on the other couch and tried to stay awake while Kitty opened her presents. She was thrilled with everything: especially the Sailor Moon hoodie her sister had gotten for her. Afterwards, Brie and I fell asleep while Kitty watched Christmas shows. Finally we woke up enough to open ours. Kitty won the "Make Someone Cry" award for the beautiful magnet she got her sister, talking about the special relationship sisters have and how much she loves her. Go Kitty! Made me miss my sister a little more, but it was worth it to see Brie cry 😊

So let's be real: no one was surprised that I was up so late (or early, depending on your perspective!) trying to find and wrap presents. And no one was surprised that 2 days later I was still finding and giving them gifts! I guess that's just part of my charm.

Anyhoo, I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and will have a wonderful 2022. I want to thank whoever was in a reading mood New Year's Eve, because I had 80 reads which put me over 27,000 for the life of this blog. Thank you so much! And as usual: no resolutions for me except to keep writing and hopefully keep entertaining you all. You are always welcome to reach out to me!

Stay safe, stay healthy and Happy New Year! Blessings to you all 💗 And trust me: next year I'm really wrapping the gifts early!