I woke up at 7:45 am.  I had been up a few times, but fell back to sleep.  It has been years since I slept so late.  After getting coffee and making the bed, I actually contemplated staying in my pajamas all day.  The day seemed so much shorter than usual, I wasn’t sure it was worth getting dressed.  Then I remembered one ingredient I needed for a recipe I wanted to make that day.

I decided not to wear pajamas to the supermarket.

I took my car to the dealership because a piece fell of, which I discovered was called the fog cover.  Fortunately, it was in stock and the man told me it would cost “twenty-one thirty with tax.”  I have dealt with cars forever, so I anticipated paying a fortune.  The piece was plastic, so I was surprised it cost as much as he quoted.  He put on the part and took my charge card.  When I got the receipt, it was for $21.30.  I thought it was going to cost me $2130.

I am happy.

I was unhappy with my shower head.  The pressure seemed to have changed.  I cleaned it.  Nothing happened.  I decided to by a new one.  I talked to Julie who had researched buying one herself.  I decided to wait for my visit to her and buy one then.  I did.  Carrie said it was easy to install and told me it would come with white tape to put around the pipe.  She had replaced hers also.  I bought it, got home, and found myself inclined to delay installation.  Then I decided to take the risk.  I opened the package and found no white tape.  The instructions said nothing about white tape.  I took off the old one, put on the new one (easily) and took a shower.  I was happy.  I told Carrie my installation did not require the tape.  She said, “Things change with progress.”

Learning from my daughter.

For 7 ½ years of the eight years I have rented my home, the heat did not work.  It only warmed the bedroom.  Being from the Midwest, I could handle the cool temps, because this is California.  How cold does it get?  I finally told my landlord about it and the furnace was replaced in August.  Today, it was 42 degrees when I woke up.

The heat is on.

I received a notice from Subaru about a recall on my car.  I scheduled an appointment and was told there were three recalls.  I took the car in and left it for a few hours.  Work was done on the brake hose.  Three days later, the red brake light went on.  That was a Sunday.  Today is Monday and it is still on. I called Subaru and the soonest they can get me in is Thursday.  I was assured the car is safe to drive.

Be aware I just put this in writing!

I learned a long time ago that I am capable of not paying attention to small things that might be meaningful for me.  I went to the gym today, as I do three mornings a week.  I did the treadmill, bike and ropes.  Then I went to the weight room and noticed the yellow tape across the entrance.  A sign indicated that the room will be closed for two weeks as they redo the floor.  Off to the stretching I go, a bit disappointed.

As I left the gym, I noticed a sign on the door indicated the news about the weight room.  The sign has probably been there for weeks.

There is a message there for me.

I asked Isaac and Ari what they wanted for Hanukah.  I got a list from both.  When I was at their home with Julie and Carrie, we decided to go in together.  We sat on the internet, with the boys present, and went over the selections.  We planned on buying each more than one item on their list.  And, so, the purchases were made, the boys knowing what they were getting.  Then Ari spoke his usual line, “That is enough.”

Once again, conscious of how much we spend.

I have had many dogs in my life, thus I know the experience of aging and death. It is always awful. Today it is Gracie, one of my grandkittens. She and her brother Mango have been with Julie for years. Gracie was a finicky eater, and Julie patiently did whatever was needed on a given day to please her. Gracie would lay flat on her back to have her tummy rubbed and she was always rearranging things on the dresser or kitchen table. She also helped Julie do work on her computer. Needless to say, I could go on.
A devastating loss.

The idea of going on a vacation with my whole family has been on my mind for a while.  I have expressed this and cited the possibility of going to Russian River, one of their favorite getaways.  This week I was with them and I was handed a manila folder and told there was something to hang on my refrigerator.  It was a picture of a home in Russian River and the message that we will be going for my birthday.

Yep, I cried.

It is December.  I have felt colder this winter.  I have the heat on in the house.  I am conscious of wanting my clients to be comfortable.  I started keeping it after clients left for the day.  I started keeping it on during the evening and then during the night, at a lower temperature.  Am I getting older?  I can accept that, but I don’t want to pay a fortune to stay warm.  Clients and friends started to complain about how cold it is outside.  I heard others talk about how they are running their heat more.

I liberated myself from the age concern.