Petunia rambles on and on….

Kids, I hate to tell ya this, but there’s another reason you’re all getting nuttin’ for Christmas. It’s not because you’ve been bad – you probably have been, but I just don’t catch you at as much shit as I used to when you all were still young and here at home. Nope, it’s something else.

I’ve lost my damn mind debit card, and that’s gonna seriously curtail my ability to spend.

As is my habit when I can’t find stuff, I spent most of the day in a frenzy looking for it. I looked in all the intelligent places. It’s supposed to be in that little pouch that I carry, the one with the strap that goes around my neck  that goes with me when I’m at a concert, on the dancefloor, the little goodie where I keep my driver’s licence, a few plastic items, cell phone and a wee bit of cash. I have practically taken it apart piece by piece, I’ve searched it that many times. My purse has been up-ended and the junk spilled all over the table. I’ve searched my pockets, and his pockets, coats, laundry. It is not in the car. I was out there crawling around, bottom end up, checked under all seats, folded the seats up and down, checked the back, in the console, under the mats. Three times. Checked in bathrooms, kitchen counters.

At one point, I got a “vision” of it.  I could see it sitting right on the edge of something. But I couldn’t quite tell, in this “vision,” what edge it was!!  Around I went, hunting again. I’m thinking, I had it in my hand and got interrupted by something – you all know the way my mind goes off in tangents, and I jump from one thing to another.  I’m thinking that I put it down somewhere, on the edge of something, while I went off for a second to do something else, maybe turn down potatoes that were boiling over, put the dog out, listened to a good song. Something. Knowing I’d get right back to it and then, of course, put it away properly. Where it belongs. So I wouldn’t lose it.

Around I go again, probably searching the same spots for the umpteenth time, getting madder by the minute. Furious at myself for doing this AGAIN!

And I start finding things, which, I suppose is a good thing. Sort of. I found 5 circular knitting needles, still in their packages, that I didn’t know I had.  And 2 sets of double-point needles – well, they’re handy. Found 3 knitting projects in tote bags, started but not finished. Damn. And a pair of socks on a long circular. Uh, that makes 4 projects.  I found a black brassiere that I’ve been hunting for. Two bobbins for the Ashford spinning wheel, the older one. Found the new prescriptions that I just got from the doctor, so I could file them with the new insurance carrier, set up the new mail-order stuff. Sat down and did that right away or I’ll run out of the meds that are supposed to keep me from running around like a madman. Got that done and starting running around like a ……..

Now I don’t want to go through all the shit you have to go through to cancel out a card, and sure as hell don’t want anybody else using it. So where am I sure I had it last??   Think. Think. Think.

Last Wednesday, I had it. Veteran’s Day. 

Yes.  I’m sure. I remember much of that day very, very clearly. Went to that dedication ceremony. Went to Best Buy, got batteries for the phones, and a new case for this wide-ass laptop that won’t fit in the old case; paid with the debit card.  And then…. What next?  Yeah, we went out for pizza and a beer; paid that tab with the debit card, too, to keep some amount of cash in my wallet. 

It was while we were there, eating pizza, that my brain stopped working, went on vacation, lost 40 years.

I’ll have to just keep looking for that damn card. I probably had to pee when I got home – remember, beer drinking. So the debit card has got to be somewhere between that car and one of the bathrooms? 

And my brain? Well, it’s still lost in my long ago. And I don’t know if I want to bring it back – the music was so much better back then.

I found more pictures from our trip up into the Poconos last month. Brothers are together – that’s what it’s all about.  Good times, bad times, together. Usually a pattern of how they get on with each other develops in childhood, except when there’s a big age difference. Mine are almost 10 years apart in age. So a pattern develops in childhood, but often alters dramatically when they both become adults.

Jim no longer locks the younger ones in the barn loft. They’ve gotten past that. (And we no longer own the barn!) The brothers deal with each other on more equal terms. The younger one has grown up to be taller than the firstborn, and pretty damn brawny, but still, I see some of the relationship of long ago. They plot together now.

From a distance, I could see it. The older one’s got an idea; he’s coming up with a plan and I already know at least one of them is going to end up cold and wet. I can see it coming.

Sometimes you have to get closer to know what to do next.

On the rocks, out in the stream where you’ve got a good view of things.

See, across the stream, a tree broke and fell, and it’s half in the water and half on the bank on the other side. And these two grown up adults decide that they must fight the tree, dislodge it and watch it sail down the stream. They’re gonna win!

But the old patterns revive. See Jim further away from the water? See the college-educated one closer to the edge, trying to get a much larger tree trunk dislodged with a skinny stick. This is the old way they worked together when they were much younger, where age and cunning would almost always win! I was watching all this, taking the pictures even, knowing what was going to happen before they were done.

They fought on.

But the end was exactly as I expected.  The tree never moved. Brian was half soaked. Jim was dry. Both thought it was a great day! I’m very lucky in the fellows I’ve got. Always wanted a very tall man. When I didn’t find one locally, I grew my own.

When I should be doing chores, or cooking, or cleaning the bathroom, I’m surfing the ‘net. Found something of interest.

Appliances that save you money!! 

1. Slow Cooker/Crockpot – Studies have found that using this little goodie, that we all probably already have, is an energy savings – and not just my energy!  Ten minutes spent dicing and chopping meat and veggies to be tossed into the pot is a time savings for me, and the cooker running 8-10 hours on Low uses less energy that it would take to prepare a dinner of meat, potatoes, vegetables on the stove or in the oven. Anything we can do to reduce the electric bill helps.
2. Bread Maker – Yup, already have one of those, too. The bread it produces, in smaller loaves, is better for you because it’s not loaded with all those preservatives that I can’t spell or pronounce, and if you buy flour in quantity and store it properly, it’s cheaper to enjoy fresh, healthy bread.  And the house smells so good, too.
3. Coffee Maker – This goes out to all those that stop every morning at their favorite shoppe and purchase fancy prepared expensive coffee products. Add up the cost per day. Do basic 4th grade math to figure what it’s costing you per year. STOP stopping there and either book a trip to Europe with the savings, or add them to your monthly mortgage.
4. Soda Maker – I don’t know anyone that has one, or uses one, and I don’t know that I’ve even seen one in a store. Guess the whole point of adding this item onto their list was – Geez, do we realize how much of this stuff we drink? I strictly limit my caffeine intake because I have sleep difficulties. (Genetically, I am 25% owl) I have one can of caffeine-free Pepsi most evenings. No coffee or tea. No regular soda. A single can of Mountain Dew would have me awake until Easter. When I quit smoking (March 2007), it apparently triggered some sort of waistline/ass-growth (WAG) hormone in me, and I’ve switched that evening beverage over now to DIET caffeine-free Pepsi only. GAH! (After being skinny as a rake-handle all my life, I have to learn about calories and dieting at this point in my life???  WTF? Even 5 years ago, I’d have never believed that I’d ever be worrying about a weight issue).
5. Water Filter – This is directed to all those who are spending vast quantities of money on bottled water. They have stuff on the market that fits into a pitcher and cleans the gunk out of what comes out of your faucet. My refrigerator has a filtration system in it – they send me a reminder to change the filter thingie every few months (and I have a reminder set in Outlook!) (because I have CRS syndrome). The cost of the new filter is FAR less than cases of bottled water. Plus you need to add in the cost of the doctor’s visits and muscle relaxer prescriptions for when you toss your back out hauling all those cases into the house.  If you’ve already bought all those bottles, refill them at home.

If you incorporate any of these tips, try to figure out how much the savings would amount to and allot it to something worthwhile, rather than spending it all in a yarn store such as a deposit into a high-yield savings account or applying it to pay down an outstanding bill.  In 13 years, I’ve paid almost 25 years off my 30-year mortgage. It can be done!