An update on recent blogs…
Murphy, our border collie, tolerated his surgery well on Friday and was back home with us as of yesterday. He’s laying behind me on the floor as I type. Just knowing he’s there makes life a little easier.
He is sporting a very nasty scar near his right ear that would scare any member of Hell’s Angels. Also, a large plastic cone which he has to wear for 10 days. The heckles from neighborhood dogs has already begun. The, “Murphy Lamp” is the new fad. We’re looking for a light bulb-shaped bone for his mouth to complete the look.
He is buoyed by the fact that our soon to be three year old granddaughter Olivia is visiting from Texas. Just when you think everything is wrong with the world spend ten minutes with this little girl and feel rejuvenated. If I had the first clue as to how to post photos with this blog you would all be gushing by now.
If you email me at, “Trappedinahappylife@gmail.com” I’ll send you some.
Anyway, we’ll know a bit more about Murphy’s future when his pathology comes back in about a week. Whether he faces any more immediate challenges or not. Paws crossed.
I posted a few days ago about movies to watch when you’re in need of a laugh. I failed to mention a pretty big one, a movie most of you have not only never seen, you likely have never heard of. It’s called, “The Castle”. It’s an Australian film starring Michael Caton. The only person in it you may have heard of is Eric Bana, who starred in Munich, and also later as, The Hulk”. This film is quirky, silly and endearing. Well worth the effort of tracking it down. And if you think you’ll see a funnier movie this year, “You’re dreamin”. That line will sound much funnier once you’ve seen the film. If you can’t find it, email me and we’ll send you our DVD, $4.99 rental fee plus shipping.
Today is Professional Nurses Day. So hug a nurse if you know one, or if you’ve benefited by one. But mostly, tell them thank you, for what often is a thankless job. And to those four nurses at the University of Pennsylvania who held me down 24 years ago when the doctors had to catheterize me, sorry about the bruises and loose teeth. But, you did have it coming. That’s just not right what you did.
And while we are not on the subject, my darling wife has to explain to me why it is that with just the two of us in the house, except for occasional guests, we have 24 forks in our kitchen cabinet utensil drawer. It it like they are mating and reproducing overnight. I would mix a few in with the spoons in their slot but I’m afraid I’ll wake up tomorrow with a bunch of sporks. I think when you’re empty nesters eight is the maximum number of any single utensil that you need. If you’re using any more than that it means one of you has died and a bunch of people are coming over with a ton of food. Or we could empty the utensil drawer all together and just each have our own Swiss Army knife. When I can no longer close the drawer because of the height of the fork, we have reached, “I have a problem” land.
And let’s all address the elephant in the room. If you’re going to brunch today at 11:30, it’s lunch. Brunch is at 10:00. Once the clock hits 11:30, it’s lunchtime. Call it whatever you like, it is lunch. Doesn’t matter that there are eggs on the buffet table.
I should know. This is a subject I know very, very well. When I was a younger adult man and worked in an office, I would try and put off eating lunch as late as possible. If I could hold off until 1:00, and be done at 1:45, then I’d have only a little over three hours work left before it was time to go home. And have dinner.
As I grew older, if I was on the road, when I was hungry was not the issue. I could never start my lunch before noon. In the car, by myself…lunch in the sack…11:52…waiting…11:56…not yet…11:59. Okay, 12 noon…go!
Now, at 57, going to be bed early (by early I mean I rarely see the number, “10” on our clock), means I am up most mornings about 5:30. I love these long days. Walking at Haverford College at 6 am, back home with Mad’s coffee by 7 am, but…it means having breakfast usually about 7:00 – 7:30. So how does that affect the rest of my eating day?
Right now my lunch begins daily at 11:30. I’m usually done by 11:45. Problem is dinner doesn’t start until 6:00. So now, I face the same dilemma in reverse. Holding out from lunch until dinner.
And some days if I’m having a bad morning at the office, I make my 30 second killer commute early to the house and stare at the clock to see if I can start prepping lunch at 11:20. Maybe start eating at 11:25? Maybe the clock is slow, anyhow. Oh, c’mon, Comcast can be wrong!
In closing, isn’t it odd that the moment are bodies stop growing vertically, they start expanding horizontally? And never stop. So much so that they then begin shrinking vertically. But never horizontally.
Up next…why are so many of us in a hurry…to die?
Trapped in a Happy Life 