92705 Tuesday

9/27/05 Tuesday     
     A rough start for the day. Cherie was doing her morning chicken with her head cut off, I’m late, panic mode as she rushed to take care of all the tasks she waits till the last minute to do. She had decided to pay the $30 late fee for rent that we had talked about and I had told her not to. She probably forgot that and didn’t remember I had taken Fred over to the office to complain when they sent him a list of late fees and they had forgiven the fee. He has always sent his check on time because I am the one who mailed it for him. The fact that we were not notified till over six months after the alleged late payment had upset me so I had gone to the office myself to complain. It was explained to me that the new girl was just catching up on stuff that hadn’t been done. I also am sure they had changed who received and processed the checks because of a continuing problem with who they had been using. I need to write a letter to them about this to resolve the issue. I will refuse to pay it regardless.
     Presuming the check Cherie had asked me to walk over to the office was for rent I let Cherie know that we had been told not to take them to the office. When she said the letter that was with the check stated to take it to the office. With that I opened the envelop and saw it was the $30 late fee. Frustrated I told Cherie we had already talked about this and she started waving her arms as her voice raised an octave expressing her confusion and irritation that I could not perform the simple task of delivering a check. This as I was going to kiss her goodbye to send her off to work. “Fine, GO TO WORK” I said as I got angry. I saw the surprise and hurt in her face and feel bad about it now but being angry I went to the bedroom and she went to work without her kiss. I am not happy with myself and will make it up to her but she needs to get her morning better organized. Instead of concentrating on getting ready for work she runs around trying to do things that come to her mind as it searches for what might go wrong or what she neglected to take care of.
     I finally figured out how to write to the CD. It took a while and come to find out that the record function had simply been turned off. It has taken me weeks to figure this out. And then it took me an hour how learn how to record the journal. Every time I explore this computer I find more things it can do. Then I forget them and have to learn all over again unless it is a function I can repeat often enough to remember.
     It is a beautiful day out. Sunny and will only go up to seventy degrees or so. I have nothing scheduled but that can always change. Because the humidity is low it will be a good day for Fred to get out. As much as I would like to stay in and work on the website I will call him and suggest he get out.
     I dialed his number and got a busy signal. As soon as I hung up it rang and it was Fred. I will take him out shopping at 10:30 so better fix breakfast and get ready. My brain is sharp this morning and with the grace of God will stay that way. I think I will make oatmeal.    
     Got Fred out. Took him to the Dollar Tree where he got batteries, then the post office, Dollar General, and the Pharm. At Dollar General the isles were tight and poorly maintained. I was reminded of how good it was Fred didn’t drive as he ran into everything including one person and knocked items off shelves and racks everywhere he went.
     We got home just as Cherie arrived for lunch from work. We had already E mailed each other about the spat this morning so that was settled. I told Cherie that all couples will have fights but the key was what we do afterwards. We settled it and leave it behind. Cherie checked the letter I was writing to MD properties and laughed when she reached the part where I told them they could kiss my ass. I told her I just put it in for a laugh and did not intend to keep it in the letter. She asked me to cook dinner which is something I have been trying to get her to do.
     I am a little tired but it is early, only 12:30. This chair is hard on my back and the pain is rising. Maybe I should lay down for just a few minutes.      I rested for just an hour but it helped. I looked up recipes using dates to use up the two bags Wayne had given me. Found something that looks good so I will give it a try. As I put on some Simon and Garfunkel I have this thought. Cherie and I are lonely in a way. We are very content to just live with each other and have very little outside contact. The social attempts we had made in the past left us feeling like we were outsiders who did not belong. Cherie has only her dysfunctional family and my family is not there. There are some acquaintances we interact with such as the few I help and those Cherie sees at work. I do meet once a week with Jeff and that is as close as it gets. The old friends I seldom see. Eileen is a good close friend but her health is failing. I need to go see her more often. Enough of this crap. I need to get busy cooking date bars and getting this website put together. Through it I may be able to reach out to the world and find some we can relate with.
     Aunt Virginia called while I was preparing the fig bars. She wanted to give me an update on my grandmother. She is no longer eating and the Ensure makes her sick. The hospice nurse had explained that this is not unusual because she no longer gets up and when you lie prone for so long your body stops making the fluids necessary to digest food. She may linger on for a while but this is the beginning of the end.
     Virginia said she had not had Lee call because she had a hard time talking and couldn’t hold the phone. She didn’t like it because Virginia had to hold the phone to her ear. Virginia apologized for not calling to let me talk with her but I told her I understood, not to feel bad. Virginia said that Minnie Lee was the closest thing she had to a mother, which I of all people can understand.
     She only heard from Larry one time over the last few months and he was demanding to speak with Lee despite the fact Lee said she didn’t want to talk. He told Virginia that he would come visit in October, which just happens to be when Lee’s farm check comes in.
     Virginia said that Lee had settled sown so much it was easier to visit. She had been telling many stories of her past. Tales of my great grandmother cutting the fingers off an Indian and of my mother as a child. I asked her to write as many of these down as she could. One of my relatives had already recorded some of these stories. There are not many people left who came to Texas in a covered wagon. It is one of the deep regrets I have that life circumstances prevented me from knowing my family on either side. There is so much history that will vanish with her passing.
     We went to Swan Creek Metro park today. It was good to walk and we loved the smell of fresh air filtered by nature. As we walked Cherie saw two deer who were grazing by the trail. They were used to seeing humans and just kept on foraging as we watched. We kept walking and the trail circled around so we saw the same two deer with a third. It was a mom with two young ones and were about ten feet away. As we came back we both talked about how this is a good thing to do. We are both terribly out of shape and have been talking about joining the YMCA so we can get healthy.
     Cherie’s parents made it back from Florida. They are both sick with Ted still having the runs that plagued him the whole trip and Patsy having a bladder infection. They both had to wear depends on the trip, which is a first for Ted. He’s needed them for a while but refused. Here is a case where pride was literally messy. Cathy had aired the house out while they were gone but now that they are back the house is closed back up and she said it stinks again.
     The date bars I cooked sucked so Cherie took them over to her folks just now. If they don’t like them Nate will take care of it. I don’t know what will happen with Nate but it won’t be good. It is hard to have to take a seat and watch him living a life that will destroy him and not be able to help. I think I will start letting folks know about this blog now to see how it goes.