Margaret’s coming for the weekend, and it’s been an awfully long time since I’ve had anyone here.  Certainly no one in 2022 that I can think of, and even last year I think the list would be quite short.  But I’m completely ready, shrimp in garlic cream sauce over spaghetti tonight, Milanese chicken tomorrow and stew made with coconut milk and coriander on Sunday.  Three bottles of tequila laid in as well.

I have an annoying situation with my Jetta in that the air conditioner has decided to work sporadically, and while fine this year as it’s freezing cold, if we get heat I’ll be very upset as the dogs won’t tolerate that.  I decided to take it into a shop, and as the one I called said they could fix a 2015 Jetta’s A/C, I booked the appointment.

Marie had to pick me up at 8:30 AM and drive me home, which was fine as we went for a walk, but then it took until 1:30 before I finally called and they said “Oh it’s a bigger problem than we thought and as Volkswagen has some proprietary issues we can’t get into the A/C/”

Propriety issues?  I said to the guy can you imagine how much it’ll cost me at the Volkswagen dealer, and he agreed and gave me the name of a local mechanic who works on Volkswagen, secret codes be damned.  Then when I got home I told Carl the handyman the story and he provided me with yet another mechanic who knows how to bust into the A/C of a Jetta.

Speaking of Carl it was raining like mad one morning as he was working on my deck, so he ran into the garage for shelter.  Later that day he asked me who used the BB rifle he saw in there and I said “My son used it for shooting mice in the basement.”  Carl also has two sons so he just shrugged and nodded.

As I get older I realize the worst mistakes I’ve made in my life more often involved saying no rather than saying yes, so I’m trying to say yes more often.  I was invited to the memorial of an old boyfriend, and though I hadn’t seen him in over 40 years, we’d become ‘friends’ on Facebook (whatever that even means) so I thought what the heck, I should go.

I was very glad I did, as I learned Don was a talented painter, played guitar, was a scuba diver, a gourmet cook, loved to travel, learned Spanish and was learning Italian, loved his mom, was a great uncle, shopped at thrift and read.  I sat there thinking you know, I should probably just kill myself right at this very moment.

But then I cheered up as I’ve discovered a new channel on You Tube called The Nurse Flipper.  This woman buys all manner of stuff at thrift, and then shows how much these items can yield on e Bay and other popular places.  Being suggestible, I immediately decided I would be the next Nurse Flipper (she’s an actual nurse…)

I raced to a few thrift stores and bought some items feeling sure thousands of dollars awaited, came home and carefully Googled each item and realized I am not going to be the next Nurse Flipper.  It’s still fun, though, and to that end Margaret and I plan to scour the shops for treasures tomorrow.  Because you just never know when the next Aynsley cup and saucer set will appear.