Returning from the War

After eight relatives, one small intestinal blockage, one severe bad back spell and a whiz bang of a time in spite of it all, I'm back.

We've had Yankee Cousin (who flew away home today), two Cowboy Cousins, one Husband's Alabama sister, husband, younger daughter and two chirren we had never laid eyes on for company plus my own, down the road folks.

Mother, once again, decided to get really sick in the midst of some of it and scare us all to death. (She has to stop doing this!)

And, of course, not to be outdone, after standing/sitting in the ER for a few hours (eleven), I couldn't stand up or sit back down without crying like a big old baby and needing help to do that.(Sitting, not crying. I cry by myself very well.)

Yankee Cousin and I had an adventure on our own, as she volunteered to drive me to a chiropractor in the next town up, IF I could get in the car, which I did.

The car decided to get in on the act and I knew something was wrong by the unusual and persistant whir it was making. So we went to the garage instead; explaining our dire circumstances.

Nephew, who I claim as "First Born" because I practiced on him before Daugther was born, declared thirty minutes to repair after parts were delivered. It was twenty minutes before my appointment, which was growing more and more needed by the second.

Gazing upon my crooked and pained self, he said, and I quote, "Drive my truck".

What he did not say was my "honking, four door, six feet off the ground, monster of a truck."

It was almost worth it when we turned the corner and Yankee Cousin gazed upon it. With a tiny voice, she said, "Oh, I can't drive that."

I encouraged her to just sit behind the wheel to get a feel for it, asked First Born nephew if it was automatic (it is), and slowly began the uphill climb into the seat in my pained state.

Yankee Cousin gulped, looked at my crumpled body and said, "I guess I'm driving it..." and away we went.

Even the chiropractor winced when she saw me, and the new tech guy got all giddy when he looked at my back and exclaimed happily about how swollen I was.

Yankee Cousin was ecstatic after her wild adventure of driving such a huge vehicle, and we dubbed her a redneck for sure, now.

She treated me like a baby the rest of the time she was here. Not used to seeing me act like one, I guess it shook her up pretty badly.

Maybe by next week I will be back to my normal every day pain, Mother will be feeling okay again, and we can resume normal as we know it.

Thank God the refrigerator stayed fixed.

The Northern Invasion (again)

She's here! Yankee Cousin is here!

We picked her up at the airport this morning. Yay!

So what if I don't have a refrigerator anymore? (Died yesterday)

So what if the ding dang refrigerator is only seven years old?

So what if my refrigerator before this one lived 29 years? 

So what if I have more company coming Thursday? (Cowboy Cousins from Texas)

So what if the new part of my NEW SEVEN YEAR OLD Refrigerator won't be here until Wednesday or  Thursday?

Thank God for friends who let you use their freezer and coolers.

Thank God we have water and electricity, which includes air conditioning.

Right?

Right!

Something Old Something, Well, Old

I was sorta cleaning out the shelves in the refrigerator (only the front, I won't lie), when I noticed a crack in the plastic at the very front of the shelf.

This is where the heavy stuff like milk is held, so I guess someone (Husband) banged the jug down too hard and cracked it.

That's my theory, anyway.

Here this is, a refrigerator practically brand new, and it's got a crack.

Now, I couldn't exactly remember when we purchased this refrigerator, so I asked  Daughter, who is still young enough to like, actually, have a memory.

"2008." Came her swift reply.

See, I told you it was new.

To me, a refrigerator that is only six years old is new.

The first refrigerator in this  house was originally purchased  in 1979 as a scratch and dent, which it was.

Then, after only twenty-nine years of service, it up and died on us.

When we (quickly) transferred as much as we could to my mother's fridge and then hurried on to town to purchased a new refrigerator, I felt a little guilty. But dead is dead and we had frozen foods on the line, so purchase we did.

We spread out in the store so as to find what we wanted as quickly as possible. All three of us, independently  of each other, picked out the same refrigerator.

It was obviously meant to be.

When the Refrigerator Delivery Men delivered our new fridge, they also offered to take off the old one for us at no extra charge.

I was appalled when they set down the new one next to the old one. Had our old darlin' really looked that bad?

Why, yes it had.

The aforementioned Refrigerator Delivery Men were astounded that our old refrigerator was twenty-nine years old.

"Lady," and I quote one of them, "You will never, ever, ever have a refrigerator last that long again."

They then reverently toted the old gal out.

We said a tearful good-bye to our faithful friend.

No sir, I guess they don't make refrigerators like they used to.