Becky says things about … reasons to be cheerful

This was so good; I want to keep it.

BECKY SAYS THINGS

Oh, brave Listener. We’ve all had a bit of a rough time recently.

There are several reasons why we are all feeling a bit peeved, irked, and somewhat vexed:

1) It is February. February is an obnoxiously depressing month, it knows it, and it doesn’t care. February is insufferable.

2) We are still paying off our Christmas credit card bills. This is intolerable.

3) Our New Year’s resolution diet and exercise regimes have failed miserably and we are eating more doughnuts, peanut butter, and full fat milk than ever before to cope with the depression of February and Christmas credit card bills.

4) The couples amongst us have had a relationship-busting argument on Valentine’s Day, and the singletons amongst us have just been reminded that they are SINGLE and ALONE and destined to remain that way for the rest of their sorry lives.

5) There is nothing to look forward…

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Stood up at an airport

Yep, that’s it in a nutshell. I got stood up at an airport. Let me tell you about George. He was so cute and cuddly. I thought he was the one. He was so nice and warm and he seemed to be as crazy about me as it was about him.

I met him at a friends place up north in Thunder Bay. We were instantly attracted but I had to go back home to Grimsby in Southern Ontario; a two day or crazy 36 hour drive. In those days you could fly up fairly cheap. When there was a canoe trip planned for a weekend, the best way was to fly up.  That’s what I had done when met him.  They next weekend he flew down to Toronto and I drove him to my place. We were so tight. I was smitten and I thought he was, too.

There was another canoe trip arranged for about a month later and I planned on flying up again. We wrote to each other; real letters written on paper and sent in the mail; this was before the internet.

I was telling everyone about the new love of my life and how I was going to see him on this canoe trip. I had stars in my eyes. Another friend from Toronto was flying up with me for the trip, we both expected to be picked up by George and taken to our friends place, north of Thunder Bay.

We landed and looked around but he wasn’t there. We waited for while but he didn’t show up. I found a phone booth and called him. His mother answered and called for him. He answered the phone sounding like he just woke up and was really sleepy.

“Where are you?”

“oh, I didn’t tell you, I got back with my old girlfriend”

We phoned my friend who was hosting the trip. He was a friend of George’s and had expected him to pick us up as he lived an hour’s drive away while George was right in Thunder Bay.

“Sonofabitch, typical George” he said.  We waited for a long time before he could come a get us….. wasting most of his day.

On top of that my ex was on this canoe trip, wanting to share a tent.  But you know what? Now it’s a great story. So remember, all you young people when your heart breaks or something terrible happens….. one day it will be a great story and maybe even funny!

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/02/22/daily-prompt-tainted-love/

Aging and working

Aging and working

Having a job when you are in your 60’s is not easy. I’m finding that out. I haven’t written a blog in a couple of weeks because I worked 5 days last week. That’s what most people work…. 5 days a week, 8 hours a day.  I can barely do 5 hours and I am so freaking tired. Fortunately, I am back to 3 days a week  on five hour shifts. This is do-able.  I am also learning two jobs; bakery cake decorating and cash.

Yesterday I had my first trial by fire on the cash. It was just before the woman’s hockey game at the Winter Olympics in Sochi. The store filled with people stocking up before the game. I had a solid line for about two hours. I’m still looking for the codes of fruits and vegetables on a roll-a-dex with tiny numbers, lost when I get a coupon, learning how to ‘sign off’…. and speaking with each customer. It’s our policy to make eye contact and be really friendly. I can do it and I like it. But when you are going as fast as you can and they are whizzing by…. it’s hard not to see them just as their items to be processed.

I will learn these jobs and get into the swing of things and be able to blog on my days off occasionally. I really enjoyed this article from The Globe and Mail (Toronto, Canada) on working when you are old.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/facts-and-arguments/how-i-summon-up-all-my-my-charm-and-guile-as-an-aging-waiter/article16937139/

I have today off but I want to go babysit my grand nephew.  I will return!

Starting Again

I haven’t been writing much lately as I just started a new job and we’ve had record amounts of snowfall which is just more work if you own a house. Yesterday I had the day off and it snowed even more. It had snowed all night and ended around 2:00 in the afternoon so I went out to feed the birds, clear my satellite dish and bring in wood. The snow had blown and drifted so it was mid-thigh deep all around the house, making walking major exersize.  First I had to get out to the shed and clear enough space to open the door. I use my chimney cleaning tool which has extensions so I can reach the roof and clear snow away from the dish without getting on a ladder. It’s light and flexible so its easy to get around the dish without wrecking it. However, the only way to do it is pull the snow down on to myself. The drift against the house is up to my crotch.

Next is the bird feeder which is just a little platform for everyone; birds and squirrels. The squirrels had been digging for seed on the feeder and the little junkos where diving into the soft snow, looking for seeds. I cleared the snow off the feeder and cleared the way around it, kicking the fresh snow away down to some old spilled seeds. The squirrels like to hog all the good stuff filling their cheeks with sunflower seeds so I spread the seed around for the ground feeders. The weather as been so bad that my pals the crows are around, too.

 (Crows are a very proud bird and don’t like to go to feeders. If I go to the window they will fly away so I crouch low then get to a spot I can see them without seeing me.  These are very smart birds. I tried to stay away from the kitchen window but they kept one ‘on watch’ for me. When I sat on my livingroom couch, which is on the opposite side of house from the feeder, a crow was sitting on a tree branch looking straight through at me. I really wondered if it could actually see me.)

Back to my snow ordeal. I made my way to the front of the house; just walking is work I tell ya! The snow has been piled around so high but now it’s all blown in. My car is buried. I shoveled the front doorway and steps then just walked back and forth between the car and my house. I shoveled my way to the side of the car and cleared off the top and windows. By this time I was sweating and exhausted and had to go in.

My neighbour has been plowing my driveway because my usual guy has been down with a broken bearing. But my driveway is getting smaller and smaller. I have to make a 15 point turn to turn around.  I really wanted the big guy to cut me some space.  I got his answering machine in the afternoon and stressed the rest of the day and night that he wasn’t available. Finally he called me at 10:00 p.m. to say he’d be there early. He’d been out plowing all afternoon and night.

I got up at 6:00 a.m. to make sure I’d be up to pay him  and he came at 8:00. I’m working at 10:00. So I have to go get ready. If there are mistakes in this, so be it.

Last Monday the owner of the store I work in asked me if I would also go on cash part time. My bakery boss gets first pick at my hours then I get a couple days more on cash. I’m happy about the money but worried how life is going to be working 5 days a week.  This winter has really been brutal so I’m questioning if I can keep it all going.   I don’t know unless I try!

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