Purple Haze

The prompt today is ‘purple’. This is a colour to write about; a colour with meaning. It evokes an emotional response. In me, at least.

I will never forget the purple dress my mom made me when I was 11 years old. She was very good at sewing and often took us to Fabricland to pick out a pattern and fabric for our own, custom-made dress. I’m pretty sure I chose the fabric, because only I would have picked purple, not my mom.

Being a kid I guess I forgot about it….. until the day I opened it up as a present. I honestly can’t remember if it was my birthday or Christmas as they are only a month apart but I do remember opening that box and taking out the most beautiful purple dress I had ever seen! Not a flouncy, girly dress, but a tunic with long sleeves; folds sewn down the front to give a few pleats at the bottom. Sleeves that were long enough: I could never get sleeves long enough for me. She had sewn on a extra piece to look like a cuff.  And it was lined making it so comfortable! I loved it so much!

What was really amazing about it was that I never saw her making it! It was a total surprise! I don’t know how she could keep it a secret when we lived in a two bedroom apartment but she did. She worked in an office everyday so it’s not like she made while I was at school; I got home before her!  No, I can’t figure out how she did it except that I must have been a pretty oblivious kid.

I wish I had kept that dress. It went along with my original Barbie and all those Barbie dresses. I’d grown out of them so…… toss.

 

All through my grown hippy years I liked dark green because it was the forest and nature but now I ‘m back to purple. I have quite a collection of fuzzy microfiber purple throws that adorn my old couch in layers. When I’m getting ready for work, I’m also preparing to come home. My default position is laying in a purple haze on my couch.

Oh, I stay healthy. I eat well, exercise and stay active. But only so I can get back to being swaddled in purple fuzz.

The next two days I’m on 2:00 to 7:00. The throws will be neatly spread or folded to greet me when I get home about 7:35.  I program my furnace to come on so its warm when I walk in. That way I can take my uniform off right away  and put on soft cotton pajamas. This small thing makes me very happy. It’s almost worth it to have this job just for the sheer joy of getting home.

Almost. They have brought back the 1950’s music and we are all ready to kill. It’s OK to hear it for a short time every once in a while but try working to it hours on end, hearing the same songs everyday. It’s probably why there was a big fight the other day….. they are driving us insane!

I’m getting ready to spend 5 hours in that flourescent hell just to get back to my purple sanctuary.

 

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/purple/

Marching Triumphant

Boy, was I marching yesterday! Something happened that one dreams about, fantasizes about……

You might remember me posting about helping someone out, letting her stay in my guest room, who took advantage and stole from me. I had met her working in our store. She borrowed money from people all the time and finally left with only one day’s notice in a very busy time.

So everyone knew who she was and what she done to me when she came to the store yesterday…… wearing my jacket!

The front-end manager strolled in and said in a low voice, “Guess who’s at the deli talking to Dar?”  I looked but it didn’t register first. I just thought “Yuck”….. then it dawned on me;

“She’s wearing my jacket!”

“Are you going to go get it back?”

“Damn right I am!”

I threw down the cookie dough and marched right up to her; “That’s the jacket you stole from me.”  I said it loud and didn’t care who heard me.

She was flustered, “I didn’t know!”

“What? You took if out of my closet!”

“Do you want it back?”

“I sure do!”

She had to juggle some groceries while taking it off so I helped her get if off the last arm.  I walked toward the bakery where my co-worker and the manager cheered. Then I realized I had to put it in my locker so I went to the lunch room.  My boss was on his break; news had already spread to the lunchroom.  I raised the jacket over my head, triumphant!

“You got it!” he said.

“HA!  YES I DID!”

I marched back to the bakery, the proud march of victory!  My co-worker said , “I couldn’t believe it when I saw her taking off that jacket! WOO WOO!”  Later she went out for a smoke and said, “Everyone is talking about it. They always thought you were so timid!”

I was so pumped I had to post it on Facebook as soon as I got home. I felt as wound up as if I’d had 5 coffees.

It smelled of cigarettes and cheap perfume (isn’t that a country song?) so I washed it out. Besides, I had to get her cooties out of it, too. Make it mine again.

Oh, gosh, that was so immensely satisfying! I used to fantasize about running into her wearing that jacket… then she comes into my store wearing it!  O Happy Day!

 

https://lindaghill.com/2017/03/24/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-mar-2517/

Four weeks before I start!

Doing a re-blog today. Karyn is quitting her job and getting ready to walk the Appalachian Trial which takes months to do. I’m hoping we walk it vicariously with her. Good Luck, Karyn!

Accepting a Good Life

Recently I ranted about how sick I was of my job and couldn’t wait to quit. But yesterday I was feeling very good and have to accept the fact that I need to work and it’s giving me the ability to really enjoy the days I don’t have to work. I’m still sick of it but there is only eight months to go; the end is in sight.

I thought it would be a good idea to write about the ‘ups’ and not just the ‘downs’ so you don’t think I live in permanent depression.

Yesterday I went for a bone density test as I was diagnosed with osteoporosis a year ago. I’ve been taking medication monthly and 5000 IU of Vitamin D everyday * so we want to see if I’m holding my own, bone wise.

Being at the hospital reminded me of how damn lucky I am. First that I’m so healthy; seeing all those sick people that can’t just walk out into the sunlight reminded me of that.  The second that it is all free; just show your health card. Having all this news about Trump, health care and the costs just to be covered, reminds all of us Canadians how lucky we are. So soon we forget what we have and take it for granted.

It was a beautiful spring day yesterday; I did some shopping before and after my appointment and decided to go for a walk on the trail when I got home. What a life!

I felt elated, in a spiritual high. The sunshine, the trees, the sound of waves at the nearby beach, the blue sky behind shining silver birches was better than any church or cathedral. No worries, nowhere I have to be, no one expecting anything from me. Gosh, so lucky.

We can always see people with a way better life, then see people with an horrendously worse life. The spectrum of human experience is so vast, we are lucky if we can hold out in the middle somewhere.

So yes, today I have total acceptance of my life…… I’ve got it pretty damn good all things considered.

 

 

*footnote; My doctor told me to take 5000 IU of Vit, D everyday for the osteoporosis. It helped my moods so much! I definitely felt much better mentally and can feel it when I’ve missed a few days. Everyone; please take Vit. D….. it’s cheap and it works!

 

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/acceptance/

Oh, man…. a SoSC rant

Oh, man, am I ever sick of this job. (I can say it like this because; “Oh, man” is part of my vocabulary.)

Oh, man, am I sick of the drama. Yesterday I was working with co-workers mad at each other. Bitch, bitch, bitch…… but not to each other, to me when the other is out of ear shot. Their shifts were supposed to over-lap by two hours. I don’t think they worked side by side even 15 minutes. The baker left early and my co-worker got so pissed off she took her break after she’d only been there for one hour. I could have left an hour early but got stuck with what both of them were supposed to be doing! I’m sick of them both.

Oh, man, am I ever sick of wearing that uniform. Long johns under polyester pants with a belt and long-sleeved T-shirt under a button-down shirt and a sweater if its really cold.  After a half-hour drive in my whole groin area is soaked in sweat. I ruined my ‘good’ work pants splashing them with a chlorine floor cleaner, now I have pants with no ass at all so the waist band pulls into my gut. (And I’m lucky to have them because they aren’t giving out pants anymore.) Uncomfortable is too easy a word for how that fucking uniform feels. You can’t know how much I hate that fucking baseball cap.

I’m working all weekend again; it’s OK because I get weekdays off. I’ve been living around my schedule for three years now and spending most of my days off alone, trying to keep my life livable. I haven’t been on a vacation in over 10 years, maybe 15 even. Oh, man, I’m so fucking sick of it I could (and do) scream!

Eight months left before I get OAS; Old Age Security pension. Yes, old age. Too old for this bullshit!

How about meeting a man? That would be nice. I haven’t even met anyone I’m interested in meeting. And I’m sure not going to meet anyone wearing that fucking baseball cap and hair net and six layers of clothing around my middle and a resting bitch face.

 
While, I’m ranting and the subject is ‘man’, OMG what a shell of a man that Trump is. I am utterly disgusted at that clip of him with Angela Merkel , not shaking her hand. Oh, man, he’s such a pig!!! Surely he will get impeached….. how can they tolerate this ignorance?

Closer to home; he has dismantled the legislation that helps keep The Great Lakes clean along with other environmental checks and balances. He’s a disaster!

 
This is why I haven’t been writing; I’ve been so fed-up this week all I can do is rant and you, my followers, are the only ones I can rant to.

The next two days I’m on 2:00 to 7:00. Oh, man, I’m so sick of this job.

Thank You for listening.

 

 

 

 

https://lindaghill.com/2017/03/17/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-mar-1817/

OLW- Still Here

My first draft just said, “yeah, I’m still here” because that’s all I can think of to say, so I thought I would look in Google for something more inspirational.

https://lindaghill.com/2017/03/15/one-liner-wednesday-not-meant-to-be/

Parlay this Project

Sometimes WordPress gives me words I sort of thought I knew the meaning of but stayed away from using in case I was wrong. Like today’s prompt ‘parlay’. It sounds southern to me; two syllables drawn out, naturally drawling; “Paar-laaay”. Something to do with horse racing, maybe. So I looked it up.

It could be that; it could be a two-in-one bet but it also means taking something of little value turning it into something valuable. That’s what I really felt about lamp-making: you can make a lamp from darn near anything and make it beautiful.

It all started with a book I loved (that was stolen and I can’t remember the author) “Make Your Own Lamps” with fantastic lamps made out of ….. well, anything and everything. Two of them were made from gourds which I was  already growing and curing so I made one. I also make lamp shades with paper-mache so I was all set to parlay these projects into money!

I’m not handy. Bogged down by the hardware part of it, wiring and cutting metal (ew), I discovered my inner girly-girl, whiny and petulant. It took so long to make a lamp it would have to be a work of art to afford to stay home and make them. They were OK but no works of art. Even if I made enough to take to a craft show you could hardly give them away.

I hope it’s not stepping out of Stream of Consciousness to put in some photos. They are in my mind and at my fingertips;

gourd with paper mache shade

gourd shade and Bee lamp

There are a few interesting lamps around my house. I did enjoy making them and hope to do a few when I retire. At least I like to picture myself doing a few when I retire.

For now I will parlay this post about projects into two, two …. two prompts in one!

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/parlay/

https://lindaghill.com/2017/03/03/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-mar-417/