SoCS: Do/Dues

Do I want to retire? Hell, yes! I’ve paid my dues.

Well, actually I haven’t paid a lot of dues in the way of taxes but then I won’t be drawing any great dues, either. Enough to quit this job, though.

My only shifts now are ‘closing’ the bakery which means cleaning the bakery. It’s hard work. I get called in for extra shifts all the time because of our unreliable young people. I’m not saying all young people are unreliable but ours are.

There is an older lady (my age) with us now (she will be reliable) who used oversee all Sobey’s bakeries in Southwest Ontario. She retired this year then a few months later asked my boss if she could come and work with us a couple of days a week. She told me, “Retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I got bored.”

Oh, please let that happen to me. Imagine having nothing to do? Then imagine “so I’ll work at Sobeys?” I can’t. I can’t imagine it.

In her defense, she was working full time her whole life and hasn’t learned to do anything else with her days. Not the case with me….. working at a job just takes up my time.

Of course, she will never have to do the closing shift. She’s paid her dues to Sobeys.

I’m glad it’s been hard lately because it’s helped me confirm that I’m not staying on ‘a couple of days a week’. I’m not driving in the winter and closing the bakery. They cannot call me because 1 of 3  called in. Sure, I can say ‘no’ but then I feel bad for who ever is stuck. Either way it puts me in a bad mood.

I can hardly do this anymore: I’m so sick of it. I’ve paid my dues….. I’m almost 65 and I have lots of better things to do.

 

https://lindaghill.com/2017/09/29/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-september-30-17/

Take That!

“Sew buttons on your underwear!”

This is the correct response when someone answers with “So?”

We used to respond with “So there.” but my ex-husband taught me what they say in Wisconsin. He learned it from his Mom.

(I looked up the meaning; In the Depression people were very poor. When the elastic wore out on their underwear, they would sew a button on it and fold it over.)

This will confound any speaker and guarantee you getting in the last word.

https://lindaghill.com/2017/09/27/one-liner-wednesday-works-for-them/

Happy Birthday, Sis!

Today I want to dedicate this post to my sister. It’s her birthday today and she’s ‘down east’ on a tour….. last I heard she was on Prince Edward Island.

When my marriage ended, I also lost my home and my job. She took me in and helped me get back on my feet. I don’t know what I would have done without her. She still is very supportive and always has my back. Even though we are 64 and 69, she will always be my big sister.

Happy Birthday, Sis!

Hot and Cold

How many of us are going to write how frigging HOT it is now? This is Canada! This is supposed to be autumn!

I’m pissed off. I was supposed to work 4:00 to 9:00 today and tomorrow. Tonight is a stag and doe for a co-worker and its on my way home from work so I thought “at least that will make me go. I can grab a nap before work and I don’t have to get up early.”

Yesterday my boss phoned and said the new (lazy) girl has a bad back and can’t work all weekend would I work noon to 8:00 both days. Of course I will but I’m pissed off. By the end of that shift I will just want to go home.

And it’s hot out. Stinking awful hot. Too hot to take my break in my car so I’ll have to sit in that freezing cold lunchroom with the music and announcements and people talking over that.

Not only that, I woke up before 6:00 a.m. and couldn’t get back to sleep. There will be no nap. I’ll drive to work in my hot car (no air-conditioning), get a sweaty crotch from my polyester pants and walk into a freezing cold store. At least the bakery will be just right.

I wanted to talk about my visitor who talked, solid for two days. And I had another run-in with the thief who stole from me. But I’m too hot under the collar to write about that now. I’ll have lots of days off next week….. I hope.

https://lindaghill.com/2017/09/22/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-sept-2317/

Mighty Mon

An old friend used to call me Mighty Mon. I really liked that. It was because I used to sing “Here I come to save the day!” like Mighty Mouse and also I was a caver back then which really impressed her. It was great to have a name with power.

The reason I used to sing “here I come to save the day!” was from a skit by Andy Kaufman that I remembered and loved for years. Here is a chance to share it with you.

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

 

Tentative

I’ve taken a few tentative steps to the kitchen to get coffee. The guest room is off the kitchen and my guest is still sleeping. Now I’m safely back at my computer hidden in a nook.

Now what do we do? It’s pouring rain. Once she gets up she will start talking and not stop. I’ve heard about every brother, cousin, ex, cousin’s ex’s, neighbours, neighbours cousin’s ex’s…… Oh my lord.

ooops….. she’s up. Gotta go. I can’t tell her I’m writing a blog because she’ll want to read it for sure.

Found me and saw this….. good thing she didn’t ask.

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

The Edge of Glorious

It’s starting; the trees are turning. The solid green background out my window is getting texture and depth with different shades of orange, burgundy, and gold. Soon it will be glorious.

But not today. Today is cloudy, hot and drizzling. Normally I would be quite happy about a day inside, having worked last night but a visitor is coming today who has never been here and we will be stuck in the house.

Yes, I’m having a visitor. This is a very rare thing…. as in never. I’m way out of my comfort zone having company. And it’s for two nights!

Two nights, two days. It’s been glorious summer beach weather all week. Now we are in for two yucky days then its going to be glorious beach weather for another week. But these two days have to be wet.

Damn. I wanted to get this gal out walking as much as possible because she talks. She talks and talks. And I have a feeling something is going on in her life because of her sudden urge to visit me when I haven’t heard from her in years except in Facebook.

She sent me message via Facebook on Thursday asking if she could come for the weekend. I didn’t see it until Friday morning and that was the next day already. I told her I had to work Sunday so she said she would come Monday, which is today.

We were friends many years ago, when I was young in Toronto but never really close. We were in the same circle of friends. Thanks to Facebook I re-connected with my old friends and we’ve had a few re-unions. She was at one of them but we didn’t speak much. A year later she phoned me and talked. And talked and talked. It was an hour and half easily. I was switching ears and getting tired, waiting for a space to hang up.

That was about six years ago. Now, out of the blue, she’s coming here today. Why? I wonder.

That’s why I’m worried about being stuck indoors. Why can’t it be glorious today and/or tomorrow?

Am I too hopeful that she might like Scrabble? Will she talk over the TV at night? Then there is the morning……. OMG in the morning she will be here when I get up!

However, I’m hoping for one thing and I’m sure this is going to happen: a glorious sunset over the lake. It’s supposed to partially clear up this afternoon and that makes the best sunsets.

I sure hope we still like each other by then.

 

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

Post post script; Now I can’t tell her I write a blog. This is a good thing. To those of you starting out; don’t tell your friends or family about your blog because one day you will want to write about them.

It’s Evolution, Baby

I don’t talk much about being vegetarian and never bug anyone about eating meat. People are going to eat whatever they want. But now that the prompt is finding a word with ‘vol’ in it, I must say; ‘It’s evolution, baby!’. It’s what we need to do as a species to help save the planet: it’s not just our cars that are polluting.

It’s also the evolution of our species, spiritually. Even though many still eat meat, great lengths and much thought has gone into how they are slaughtered ‘humanely’.

I’ve watched the evolution of vegetarianism! When I first started (which wasn’t one day or week, it was a gradual falling away) people used to say things like, “You’ll die!”  Now its common and even thought to be healthier.

But I cannot be smug because the evolution of vegetarianism has surpassed me with a new generation of vegans. And here lies another reason I don’t bug people about eating meat; I love dairy. I love cheese and paneer, sour cream, yogurt and BUTTER, lots of butter. I only used to like seafood because you dipped it in butter.

Habits are much harder to change as you get older. They are deep grooves walked in for years and years. The older you get, the harder to climb out. I often wonder if I would be vegan if I was young and starting out in life.

But I’m not.

https://lindaghill.com/2017/09/15/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-sept-1617/

Weak Motive

OK. This is it. I have to start doing some serious housework. The summer is behind me, I have all the groceries I need, visited my aunt yesterday and I’ve been resting so much I cannot rest anymore.

I wish I had a better motive to motivate me. If someone was coming to visit me I would get into a frenzy of housework so I’m pretending someone else is going to look at my place. If they were just coming for a coffee and maybe go to the bathroom that would be fine as I keep the basic living triangle tidy; couch/kitchen/bathroom, but clutter is forming around the edges, my hidden office is a mess and my bedroom has the faint odour of old lady.

All summer I let it go somewhat because I have the good excuse of working so much. Now I don’t. My motive has to be ‘for me’.

That’s a concept that is new and bewildering to woman as they get older. So used to doing things for someone else and now faced with doing it for the one who means the least; our self. Ten years ago I found myself in the position of having ONLY myself to look after.

We certainly were not raised to think of ourselves. I was raised is if thinking of yourself was selfish, almost a sin. There were no ‘me days’ or ‘down time’, you just took the next number for who needed help: it was never you.

Years ago, when I was still trying to have kids, I didn’t do any Christmas decorating because we didn’t have kids. And because we didn’t have kids, we went somewhere else for Christmas. One year it dawned on me that I could decorate for myself, for my own pleasure.

Housework isn’t as fun as Christmas decorating. It’s for myself, yeah, but I don’t really care. My triangle is tidy. The hallway looks really clean……. stop…

Motive….. my motive is to have a clean organized home for myself…… like the way I thought it would be if I was single…… before I was single.

 

 

https://lindaghill.com/2017/09/08/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-sept-917/

Summer Crescendo

Last week the tourist frenzy reached a crescendo on Sunday when the hoards swooped in and looted our bakery. They emptied the bread and bun shelves and took the cakes faster than….. (trying to say it nice and not what I’m really thinking) ….faster than the slow person could re-fill it. I went in a 5:00 p.m. and it wasn’t over yet.

I’ve noticed, having lived in a beach community for a few years, that the summer doesn’t slow down towards the end but goes into full tilt and reaches a crescendo as if everyone is desperate for their last chance to have fun. Driving around like the world is going to end tomorrow….. kind of like Dec. 24.

Monday afternoon it was over at the store as they drove out of the area en masse. I sang while I was on the road, “So long! Farewell! Adieu to you and you……!”

Tuesday…… peace. It’s so quiet here now…. the occasional car or delivery truck on the road I live on.  My hours are cut back so I can say, “I’m semi-retired.” That summer/work/hell reached its crescendo and it’s over! I never have to do that again!

Wednesday I drove to work right through the now quiet town. It only took me 25 minutes. I took the extra cake rack out of the freezer and re-organized so we can actually move around in there. I put out cakes and no one took any. Our regulars practically ignored us…. it was wonderful.

For the next couple of weeks I have hardly any hours at all and I’m fine with that. The fall is setting in…. firewood season, walking on the trail…… aahhhh…. I made it!

I’m also feeling fortunate to be in a safe place with so many tragedies unfolding around the world. The storms, the forest fires and the whole planet ending up in the hands of two crazy, stupid, delusional men……. how can that BE? How can they have so much power? It’s insane!

It almost seems as if we are reaching some crescendo. I hope it means a huge change in consciousness to make things better; a revolution, not an apocalypse.

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