Smile-breaks
All of a sudden
Did you ever go from being bored for hours on end to suddenly not having enough hours in the day? Seems like everything happens at once. It's still pandemic time, but tax time, vaccine scheduling—trying to for hours on end at the computer—electric problems, gophers romping around, dying plants, twice-weekly swim lessons for son, haircuts all around. . .what a week!
I swear. Oops! Sorry. I couldn't believe how busy I got all of a sudden. The front porch light died. It wasn't the bulb, which we replaced—but no shine came out. Called the electrician.
Something white floating in the pool at the end of the day. What could it be? A piece of white plastic—one of the side flappers from the pool-sweep. It was broken, so I couldn't stick it back on. Off to the pool store next day. Later a haircut. Been a while. Paul's haircut next week.
Got my taxes done—and my son's. E-filed them. Next day remembered I forgot something important on mine. Amended them. Can't e-file amended taxes. Printed them out—two copies. Had to go the UPS store to mail them to the IRS and the Franchise Tax Board, certified mail. No parking anywhere. Needed gas. Gas station's next to UPS store.
Got gas. Parked there. Hurried over to the UPS store, pandemic mask still covering my face. Mailed everything. Whew! Now they owe me money!
Bought an angel to keep watch over a friend on the East Coast. Trip to Hallmark store. Trip to the UPS store again. Good parking this time.
Time for Paul's Covid vaccination. Got lost going there but arrived in time. Nice man at sign-in sent us to the middle of the line instead of the end. Prob'ly because Paul's in a wheelchair. Paul chatted cheerily to the check-in woman as we waited and got vaccinated with no complications, not even a sore arm.
The chaise lounge I ordered arrived. Package damaged; chaise defective. Back to UPS store with huge box. Thank goodness for sons with trucks and grandsons to carry huge boxes. Oh, no! Shipping charges: one hundred and fourteen dollars! To be paid by me!!! Third party seller on Amazon won't pay. Long phone call with Amazon, negotiating for shipping credit. Begging. Demanding. Two weeks and many emails later Amazon issued a "goodwill" credit for the full amount. Whew!
Electrician came. Fixed everything. I paid, wished him a good day and that was that. Uh-oh. He left the fuse box lid up. I almost broke it trying to close it, but all is well now.
Haircut went well. Picked up a bag of potting soil at the hardware store afterwards. Watered my potted plants after dinner. Speaking of watering the plants, had to get new ones for all the empty pots that had healthy plants until the vagaries of the weather—and maybe some incompetence on my part, maybe— cast its wicked spell on them.
Went to Dixieline where I always get good plants. Parked by nursery side door. Hopped out. Nursery door blocked. "Use main entrance." Paul was waiting in the car so I speed-walked—too old to run—to the front. Got rusty orange, bright purple, delicate white and cute yellow flowers.
Still, one large pot to fill. The tree in it died last winter from nasty bugs. Drove to Rancho Valhalla Nursery to buy a fig tree and two small pots for the extra flowers I got at Dixieline.
Got home. Pretty pots had no drainage holes. Take them back. Get some different ones. Talk about busy. Oh!
Easter! What to do? Bought Easter candies for my daughter and son who live with me. Baked Snickerdoodles—from scratch, yay!—for the sons' and grandsons' families who live nearby. Ordered gifts for the great-grandsons. The day came, visits from everyone, still masked and happy. Good Easter. Oh!
Legal stuff! Drove to San Diego to sign my restated trust and will with a notary at the law office. Didn't get lost. Other than our daily car cruises to get Paul and me out of the house, daily walking and stretching. . . You get the idea.
So. Today. Today I was bored out of my skin. Nothing to do. Nowhere to go. Did a little filing. Stuck my DMV registration sticker on my license plate. Walked and stretched. Back to pandemic normal.
Hope you're all holding out okay.
