I had left my glasses in the kitchen. Consequently, turning my head to look across the room to the display on the digital clock wouldn’t help. Without my glasses, I am at a loss to see much. Didn’t Solomon make some statement about a person’s vision fading in old age?
The thing I found most surprising about my delayed wake-up this morning is that the General wasn’t in bed. It was the first time since she stopped working in 2013 that she’s gotten out of bed before me. By nature, the General is pretty competitive. Racing to see who can get up first isn’t a daily competition she signed on to win.
So, had the rapture come and I was still here? Apparently, I didn’t give much credence to that possibility, but the thought did cross my mind. Obviously, I was getting a slow start – a very slow start. I had awakened sometime after 2:00 a.m. to the whimpering sound of Snickers coming from his crate in our closet. Seriously, how long could I ignore it? If the dog needed to go outside, it would be less than humane to ignore his notification. He is a thoughtful and kind dog.
When it comes to dogs, Snickers is an unexpected surprise. For starters, he and I have a lot in common. Some have commented that we look alike. I take that as the highest of compliments because Snickers is a cute dog. Actually, he has a winning personality. The dog is always happy. In addition, there is nothing he like more than to go. Two letters – one word – and the dog is jumping up and down with joy. He loves to go for a ride. He starts wagging his tail when he hears anyone mention the word “go”.
The General was sleeping soundly sometime after 2:00 when the whimpering sound started. We set some ground rules early on related to her getting another dog. I put her on notice that I wouldn’t object, but she would be responsible for his care. In many respects, it was like a parent bargaining with a seven-year-old who wants a dog. The seven-year-old will make whatever commitment necessary to get a dog, but you can rest assured they will not be totally responsible for the dog’s care.
I couldn’t ignore the whimper. I reached for my robe and slippers and made my way to the dog’s crate. Did I mention Snickers was glad to see me? I took Snickers outside and he did his business. Actually, at 2:00 something, I felt pretty rested. That was then, but the contrast between then and now is significant.
Returning Snicker’s to his crate apparently wasn’t the destination he had in mind. No sooner had I gotten back in bed than the whimpering started again. I opted to ignore it. When I didn’t heed Snicker’s beckon call, the whimpering ceased and barking began. Did I mention that Snicker’s seldom barks?
For the next hour the game played itself out in a repeated cycle. I’d get out of bed and the barking would stop. I’d get back in bed and the barking would begin. How did Snicker’s know? Seriously, our bedroom and closet are not connected. The closet is on the other side of the bathroom. So, I was up and down and down and up. It was a repetitious cycle.
Finally, the General offered her two cents worth. Of course, without my hearing aids, I’ve discovered that I can’t hear it thunder. I think Solomon also made some comment about a man’s hearing fading along with his vision. Trust me, I’m living the dream and it isn’t pretty.
We celebrated the General’s birthday last night with her brother and sister-in-law. Andrea and Kevin also came over. At some level, I was horrified by the number of dirty dishes involved in the process of preparing egg rolls, cashew chicken and Mongolian beef with broccoli. There were lots of ingredients, but that basically was the menu.
The General’s sister-in-law had verbalized her desire to help prepare the meal earlier in the week. The General’s brother even threw in a helping hand with the egg rolls. My contribution was to mostly set quietly at the bar and stay out of the way. It is a tough job, but it works best when I manage to do it.
The sister-in-law is always good for a laugh. Honestly, things always work out for her, but she sometimes travels the road less traveled and has a delightful time in the process. Often, I just shake my head in amazement and disbelief. In her defense, I could have made the same kind of mistake. I’ve never made Chinese food and I’d be totally out of my element.
It was a mistake anyone could make. Okay, so I’m being kind! Obviously, the primary ingredient was the beef. It seems like a reasonable expectation that one wouldn’t want to serve it raw. The beef required more time on the stovetop than the other ingredients, or so it would seem. Actually, according to the recipe, you started with the beef. The next step was stir-fry.
Most folks would probably interpret stir fry as a verb. It is an action item. Stir fry defines how you prepare the beef. At the end of the day, confusion could result if you interpreted stir fry as a noun rather than a verb. Consequently, the recipe was interpreted to start with the beef and add in everything else. Stir fry was interpreted as the everything else.
It took a little back tracking to correct the mistake, but it was delicious. Actually, the entire evening was a delightful experience. Following the meal, while the General and I visited with her brother and sister-in-law, and the table in the dining room. Andrea and Kevin went into the kitchen. Would you believe, they thoughtfully had the dishes all done when the conversation in the dining room ended.
My contribution throughout the evening was mostly set quietly and stay out of the way. What begins well ends well.
All My Best!
Don