SOCK MONKEYS!

When my son Dan was sick, I bought him a red sock monkey with a heart on it.  That was in about March - it was on sale after Valentine's Day.  He absolutely loved it and kept it by his bed in his apt.  Yes, he was 39 but he knew his mom was a little weird and wanted to cheer him up. So since then I've been seeing them all over.  I got some sock monkey socks and even a pair of Nick and Nora flannel pajamas with Christmas sock monkeys at Goodwill for $2.50!  (Which I promptly ended up selling on Ebay for $17.00!)

So the other day I was at Kohl's and saw this end cap of Nutcrackers.  I'm still looking for a tropical one - maybe with some palm trees or parrots or something - when low and behold what do I see?  A sock monkey nutcracker!  Of course I swooped on it because there were only 4, one of which was all intact.  The others had something broken on each one.  Who'da thunk I'd ever find something like that?  Needless to say, it's going to be on my desk all year long because it reminds me of Dan.

It's funny how when you lose someone you love, little things seem to bring them closer to you.  Some days I think about him a lot and miss him terribly.  Other days I am OK with the fact that he is no longer suffering and he's in a much happier place.  I guess you just have to go with the flow.  Life goes on, or so they say.

Neighbors

Why is it that one neighbor can turn a perfectly good neighborhood into "the 'hood?" 

My next door neighbor is a single (or probably divorced) woman with two absolutely worthless teenagers.  Their front yard is dirt which can grow nothing but 3 feet tall weeds.  They do have a nice stand of about 3 big bouganvillas that bloom a beautiful red but underneath them is a huge cardboard box and other assorted trash she and her able-bodied kids are too lazy to remove.

Don't get me started on the cars.  There are two what my Dad used to call "gun boats" in her driveway.  One of them is a dark grey and has not only weeds growing all around it but now some guy is using it for parts, which he leaves on the driveway underneath the back end.  Lovely.  The other car is white - I suspect - and at least she drives it once in a while.

Did I mention she has an old refrigerator on her front porch?  I saw them deliver a new one so maybe she's just keeping this one for sentimental reasons.

And her back yard.  My husband and I consider our back yard/patio to be our little slice of Paradise.  We watch TV outside all year long, enjoy our pool, and have parties for our friends.  I'm ashamed to have people look over the wall and see that green, bug infested pool in her back yard.  There is icky stuff floating in it!  I've been calling the City of Mesa people since 2004 (yes, I keep records!) and so far....nothing.  They can't even make her empty it.  And no one uses it....ever.  We've lived there almost 10 years and I've never once seen her or her kids in that dank tank.

We are very fortunate that the rest of our neighbors - across the street and next to us on the other side - are wonderful people who make the effort to keep our neighborhood nice.  None of us has a perfect yard or home, but it just takes one really bad one to spoil the overall ambiance.  Can't afford to move so we tolerate our token tenement.

New TV Shows

One of my friends posted on Facebook that she must be old because she's looking forward to the new Fall TV shows.  Then I guess that includes me.

So far, I've loved the new "2 1/2 Men."  Especially the fact that Ashton Kutcher is comfy without wearing any clothes.  I, too, am comfortable with him not wearing any clothes!  Damn pixilation - spoils everything.  If that show was on HBO, I'd start paying up, that's for sure.

"2 Broke Girls" was pretty funny.  Imagine a formerly rich girl actually thinking about starting her own business.  I think I'm going to like this one.

Wasn't that crazy about "New Girl."  She was annoying.

I don't think I'll be able to sit through "X Factor."  I was kind of happy to see Simon Cowell leave "American Idol" and I'm in no hurry to begin that arduous process until January.

Other new reality shows: not on my radar.  Guess I'm a sitcom girl at heart.  Throw in a few "Bones" and "Law and Orders" and I'm content.

And I've waited all Summer to find out whose picture DiNozzo was looking at in that Super Secret file on "NCIS."  Now that I know (and my guess was incorrect) I can settle in to the most popular show on TV.  How does Mark Harmon stay so cute and cuddly? 

And who didn't want to know what happened when Jax and the SOA boys got out of the slammer?  The new Sheriff in town is a nasty dude.  But I think he's going to get real tired of the Mayor's crap very soon.  We'll see.

The new shows and returning favorites should keep John and me quite content on the patio this Winter, propane heater blazing and hot toddies in hand.  Dare I say it?  Life is good.

My First Blog

WOO HOO!  My first blog.  Sounds like it should be a Hallmark Christmas ornament. 

I'm new to this blogging thing.  But I've read a lot of them, mostly through Facebook postings from friends passing on new Blogs they like.  I hope I have time left to write my thoughts. 

Getting old sucks.  Especially after you've had a "mandatory" triple bypass.  It was a good thing, probably saved my life.  But during the recuperation period, I lost my 39 year old son to cancer.  So 2010 was not a good year. 

But life goes on.  You get older and then you realize you have no one that cares what you leave behind.  What happens when I die?  My husband certainly doesn't want any of my crap from my past life.  My son probably would have looked through it, gotten a few laughs, saved a couple of things, and then what?  I've come to the realization that all the stuff I have means nothing any more.  Some good memories, yes, but those are in my head and heart.  Maybe I should keep all my stuff in case I get Altzheimer's so I will remember who's who in my past!  Who am I kidding?  Not gonna happen.

Wait - I'm getting too maudlin.  Blogging should be more fun.  Enough with the whining about getting old sucking.  Sometimes it really ROCKS!  When you're old, you can do and say whatever you want and people either laugh and say you're cute or laugh and say you're old.  Win-win situation!  I definitely like to make people laugh.  No sound is better than laughter, especially when I am the one causing it.  I always felt that it was much better to have people laugh at me than to laugh at someone who can't take it and doesn't deserve it.  Like people who are "different" for whatever reason.  None of us is perfect and to laugh at life's imperfections, no matter how slight or obvious they are, is just not right.

So stay tuned to my blog.  Pass it on to others.  Hopefully, it will make you laugh or even cry.  I just think it's time for me to blab on a blog.  Thanks for reading!