I Don’t Want To, I Don’t Have To, You Can’t Make Me!
I have been seen wearing a T-shirt lately that I received from my Granddaughter Robin and her husband David. It says proudly in bold print: I don’t want to; I don’t have to; you can’t make me; I’M RETIRED. It took me a while to warm up to the idea of wearing it. I have seen other people wearing those shirts with similar messages and I just wasn’t sure that I wanted to do that. Anyway, one day, I put it on because Jerilyn had placed it conveniently on the top of the other shirts in my drawer. It didn’t take long for me to overdo it and Jerilyn had to literally rip the shirt from my back. Sometimes, I long to be normal.
I have been trying for a while to get my cholesterol within the limits set by our family doctor. I have been drinking a mixture, prepared by Jerilyn, called “Jogging in a Jugâ€. Just what she puts in that awful tasting drink is beyond me. It taste like something akin to battery acid. I let out the most animalistic sounds after swallowing the two ounces after breakfast and dinner.  She has assured me that it will improve my cholesterol readings. My last test showed 175, but my good was low (33) and so almost all of it was made up of the bad stuff. I am getting another test this month and I will keep you posted on the results. I am tempted to rename the concoction “Dying in a Jugâ€.
My truck has become sickly lately. Saturday, I decided to replace the valve cover gaskets, thinking it was perhaps a 3-4 hour job. Turned out to be much more than that. About 6 hours later I was desperately trying to get everything back together the way it came off, get a bunch of grease off my hands and arms and get ready for dinner at a local restaurant and some country music entertainment afterwards. I still have traces of grease around my fingernails much to Jerilyn’s dismay. Somehow, she doesn’t seem to understand that grease and dirt don’’t bother us guys as much as it does the female population.
My daughter, Debby, came over Sunday and she and I went for a 2 mile stroll (40 minutes). It is always good to spend time with her. It seems like we don’t spend as much time with each other as we should. She has her own circle of friends, all about her age, and she just has a hard time fitting her dad into her busy schedule.
Jerilyn’s mother (Gladys) normally comes over on Sunday around 1:30 pm and I take her home around 6:30 pm. This has been going on for several years now. She is 88 years old and her health seems to be failing her somewhat. As I was driving home from her retirement community the other day, the thought crossed my mind that it was quite possible that this weekly routine would be coming to an end before too long. The thought made me sad.
How many things do we do over and over, feeling that we will be able to do them indefinitely and then one day realize that an end may be near. We all, probably, have people in our lives who are approaching the end of their life. Our recognition of this is important because it allows us to make sure the time we spend with them is more intimate. I have been able to do this with the last two deaths in our family and it gives me a warm feeling to know that I was able to spend some quality time with each of them before they died.
Well, guess it is time to close and get ready for the NCAA Championship game. I’m pulling for Ohio State. Hope all is well in your corner of the world…. Tommy
