If it ain't one thing ...

The first two weeks of this new year have been quiet ... kinda sorta, that is. Bible studies picked up and our first monthly concert of the year was the Four Freshmen. We've had good times with friends and, in between ...Wellllllll, in between the dishwasher stopped working, had to take the dog to the vet to make sure she's all right, I had to see the doctor, "suffered through" a cold, had to get a new tire on the car, life, etc, etc. It's also been quiet because we haven't had any little visitors of this kind.

Whether Darth Vader, or Iron Man or Flash, or whoever, he always stands ready to fight!

The repairman who came to fix the dishwasher DIDN'T. And so, I have another call in and hopefully, he won't charge for not fixing it the first time. Not only that, but tonight, as I'm cleaning up the kitchen, I reached under the sink for a plastic glove only to discover a whole lotta water down there. It was very wet due to a leak in the pipes which DH wasn't able to fix.   Aaaaauuuugggghhh.Call in for another repairman.

In the meantime, (before discovering the leak) I'm cooking minimally, and hand washing and drying dishes. I can't complain at all because DH loves to eat out, so I  don't have to cook. Cooking and cleaning up is something I really don't mind doing, as long as there aren't too many dishes and pots and pans. DH would do the dishes, however, I'll just say I prefer to do this myself. It's somewhat therapeutic to wash and dry dishes and as I stand at the sink, I have fond??? memories of all the years my sister and I did dishes for our Mom. I washed, my sister dried. Every. Single. Day. With the exception of maybe a bag of burgers on Friday night, or a meal while on vacation, our family did not dine out.

In the summertime, Roberta and I had dishwashing down to a very fine art and could have the table cleared and dishes done in less than ten minutes. (If I am exaggerating, I'm sure she will let me know. Truthfully, I think we did them in much less than ten, but I will be fair in my estimation.) Our haste in finishing this daily duty, was to get back outside where the action was. Summertime stuff ... just hanging out with neighbor kids.

I do recall a few little arguments along the way as we did our work. It would begin with a splash of water as I plopped the dishes into the rinse water. Oh, sorry. Did I splash you? And I think she may have enjoyed giving back a dish or two and letting me know it wasn't quite clean enough. Ahem. I think a good swipe of a dish towel might have gotten that speck of food off without too much elbow grease. Ahhhh, those were the days. I also recall with a smile the times spent in the kitchen with Mom, my sister and my sister-in-love after a big Sunday dinner. The kitchen was tiny and we were always bumping into each other.

On a lighter note, I have been putting off DH about traveling. I prefer to stay home but, as I watch him around the house, I can see it would really be a pick-me-up for him if we were to go somewhere. He would like to do a Viking cruise, but it doesn't seem like a good idea to travel overseas at this time. At least for us. So, we will be going on a cruise not too far from the good old USA, and I think it will be fun.

And the good news about our sweet Trudy is that she is healthy for a dog her age. We have had her 15 1/2 years, and when we rescued her, the vet estimated her age to be about 1-3. She does have quite a case of doggie dementia and, while it can be very frustrating for us to watch, at least she isn't in pain. I am so relieved to know that. 

 She finds herself in places or spaces she didn't really want to be and can't get out.

Taking a rest after constant circling.

It was somewhat painful for me physically last week though. It was raining cats and dogs and time for this little dog to go potty. I knew it would be a struggle, but she was disoriented and went out to the middle of the yard. She circled round and round and round until she fell down. It was cold and wet out there, but I put on my coat and crocs to go out to get her and slipped, flipped and slid down the hill on my back trying to catch her! At least she had someone to towel her down with warm towels and put her in her dry bed.

As for me, I had to wash my muddy clothes and take a bath. I seem to be fine except for the fact that my perfect hair day that day was ruined by the escapade in the rain and mud. Oh, the sacrifices we make for our lovable creatures.