American Idol

I just got home from the American Idol show in Pittsburgh and it was WONDERFUL. One of the benefits of retirement is having lots of free time to watch my favorite shows. I went with the daughter of one of my best friends. She, over the years, has become one of my best friends too. We arrived early and had a nice leisurely dinner at a restaurant across the street. The concert began with the 10th runner-up and continued on to the Idol winner this year ... David Cook. For those of you that watched AI this year, the two "Davids" were very popular and when they performed, the crowd went wild. For an evening, I really felt like a kid again. I so enjoyed the evening and forgot my new status of senior citizen! We should all take the time out of our lives to do something special for ourselves. This was one of those times for me. :)

Sticky Notes and Coffee

When my husband "retired" from AT&T, we took the money and invested his retirement money. However, he was too young to retire so he went on to another career and I retired for real. He works very hard. It all started accidentally but one morning I left him a "post-it" note about something stupid which was beside the coffee pot. I don't drink coffee but each night I get the coffee ready so when he comes downstairs, it is ready for him. Well, the "sticky notes" have become a part of our morning ritual. It might be a little joke about something we've laughed at or just a note that says "I love you" but, nonetheless, the note is usually there. And, sometimes, he leaves a little note for me. Making his lunch every evening for the next day, getting his coffee ready and leaving silly notes is a small way to tell him I appreciate him and thank him for working so hard when I don't have to.

So here's to "sticky notes" ... a small way to say a whole lot ... :)

Whatever

This is the one word that can make my mood go from sweet to sour in an instant. The other day I stopped at Subway and ordered a sub. The sub I ordered had various meats and, of course, cheese, etc. I told the girl I only wanted one type of meat and to substitute extra American cheese for the forgotten meats I didn't want. When I stepped up to pay, she stated my order and said it would be so much extra for the American cheese. I really, really, really, in a nice tone, asked why I was being charged for extra American cheese. She shrugged her shoulders and said "WHATEVER". I cannot describe what that one word did to me.

Having worked at a bank for upteen years, I know what it is like to work "for the public" so I quietly paid the bill and left.

The ride home was rather loud. I was by myself and ranted and raved about that one particular word. Why is it that one eight letter word can cause such rage? (How many of you counted the letters in that word to see if I was right?) :)

Anyway, that is my gripe for the day. Whatever ....

A Little Yellow Bird

Growing up, my Dad always had bird feeders in our yard. I loved watching for birds with my Dad. Our yard also had squirrels. One of my funniest memories was watching Dad grease the metal poles. He wanted to feed the birds ... not the squirrels. So the squirrels would make a running leap onto the pole and quickly slide down onto the ground shaking their heads.

Throughout the many places I've lived since then, I always had bird feeders. The other day, while walking into the house, I passed my feeders and noticed a little yellow bird that didn't fly away as I passed. It was clinging onto a net feeder that I had bought for wild finches. I went over to the feeder and the bird didn't fly. One of his feet was caught in the netting. It was a hot day and I don't know how long the bird was there.

I gently cupped the bird in my hand and gently released it's foot. I walked to the other side of the yard where there was plenty of shade and placed the bird onto a tree limb.

I watched as the little bird sat there for awhile and it finally flew away. What a feeling of joy I had as I watched him regain his freedom.

I am sure many people would say that it was just a stupid bird. But not me. It deserved a chance to live and I helped.

So next time you see a yellow bird at your feeder, take the time to wonder if it was my little yellow bird.

Dad would have been proud of me.

My new blog ... Dang!

Reality. Sometimes it is nice and sometimes it is not! I am 57 years old and during a recent holiday, I walked out of a grocery store with a cart full of groceries. A young lady came up to me and said, "Mam'm let me help you with those". I looked around and sure enough she was talking to me. I nicely refused and told her that I was okay but thanked her anyway. She insisted on following me and when I got to my car, she proceeded to place every bag from my cart into my trunk. She then asked me if I had someone at home to help me. I smiled and said yes and thanked her. Hmmmm .... on the way home I didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. I laughed because I certainly did not need the help but was touched by her kindness. On the other hand, I felt like crying because I realized ... dang, I am a senior citizen. Guess being 57 has it perks!