It was a big day in Moon Land today. Jessie, Lily, Rachel, Liz Sparks, and I were all set to get pedicures this morning. Liz was excited. She told me that the last pedicure she got was for the wedding of a friend. She thought about it for a second and then she said, "And her son is about to graduate high school."
So it's been about seventeen years for her. I whooped with laughter.
Of course it turned out that Jessie could not come. Not only did August test positive for strep, so did Levon although he wasn't showing symptoms. So they were both home from school although both were feeling pretty darn good.
Here's what they looked like after Liz took them some chocolate chip, pecan cookies.
Before I met up with the ladies, I took my leftover turkey soup and last night's eggplant parmesan for the Weatherford's to eat. I gave the boys a quick hello and August asked me what I was doing there. "Bringing you some food," I said.
"What kind?" he asked.
I told him and he said, "I won't like that," and I said, "And that does not bother me in the least."
He gave me a hug anyway.
It looked like Lily might not make it today either. Maggie and Gibson are both home from school with icky coughs but Lauren offered to stay with them. Lauren is...the best.
So we got our magical massaging chairs with foot baths and chose our colors. I opted for a rather violet-hued pink today, instead of my usual dark red but Liz liked the red one. Lily got sparkly green and gold and Rachel got a sparkly bronze, I think we'd call it. We felt so fancy. The tiny lady who did my pedicure was the sweetest thing. She would look at me over her mask with the most caring expression like, "Is this good? Is this?" And I praised her over and over. She reminded me a little of the nurse who took care of me after I had the kidney stone blasting procedure who seemed to view me as a cherished grandmother. She treated me with such tenderness. I would adopt either one of them in a heartbeat.
Lily went home right after we finished up at the nail salon and Liz and Rachel and I went to lunch at a new Peruvian place nearby. It was fun and lovely, too.
Isn't Rachel beautiful?
And doesn't Liz look like a movie star in her sunglasses?
Yes. Yes she does. We all three got sandwiches and what was called "pumpkin soup." The soup tasted entirely of cheese in our opinions but who could complain about that? It was delicious!
We talked and laughed and there may have even been a tear or two (I mean, I WAS there) and when lunch was over I thanked Rachel for hanging out with her elders. She's as sweet as she is pretty.
And then I went to a kitchen supply store to get cheesecloth and it turned out that the guy working there is someone I knew back in the olden, olden days. He and his wife were good friends with my darling Sue-Sue. We caught up and he seems to be great. Says his wife has just retired after teaching for 47 years and is now volunteering in the same school and taking a Master Gardening class.
Some people really do not know how to relax.
And their daughter is about to get her PhD. So they are well and it was good to see him, good to hear such fine things.
Then on to Costco where I bought a giant bottle of spiced rum because of course you can't buy a small bottle of anything at Costco. That's what I plan to soak the cheesecloth in before I wrap the fruitcakes in it, and then cover them tightly with aluminum foil. I now have enough spiced rum to make fruitcakes well into the next decade.
So that was my big day. I've really not felt great today. I hope with all of my heart that I'm not coming down with strep and I'm probably not. Lord knows I've been exposed to it quite a few times in the past year and haven't gotten it. Seems like I'm always getting a little sick at fruit-cake making time. Another fine holiday tradition.
I have not gotten any more of the horrid spammy comments since I started comment moderation but in a way, that disturbs me because it seems that perhaps whoever was making the comments actually does read the blog and knows that they wouldn't get through. I don't know. I'm going to be a good hippie and say, "I'm just not going to give that a lot of energy," and soon I'll take comment moderation off and see what happens then. I think that for people who always moderate, it's no big deal to do but I am so used to not having to do it that it seems like a bit of a pain in the ass to me. I'm not complaining. What blogger does not live for comments? And honestly, it's more of a disturbance in my holy and proscribed daily routine than a bother.
Man, the rut I'm in is so deep that I have to look up to see bottom.
I cannot take credit for that line. When I lived in Winter Haven, our across-the-street neighbor was a woman named Wilma who was country-born and country-bred and she had some terrific phrases. The one I just quoted was something she said once about a person who was in a deep depression and it went more like, "He's so down he's looking up to see bottom."
I'm not sure I've ever heard a more accurate description of depression. I have never forgotten it. And when I think about it, I also remember a friend of mine whom I loved so very dearly who got completely hooked on meth (or was it crack?) and one time, when we were talking honestly, he said, "Mary, people always say you have to reach bottom before you can get better but what they don't know is that there is no bottom. Every time you think you get there, it just goes lower down."
Phew.
He did later get off drugs and was doing well and his joy in life was enormous. And then...he had a cardiac event that killed him instantly. He is sorely missed by many and will always be.
You know what? It's really hard to be a human. That's one of the things Liz and Rachel and I talked about today.
Let us ponder that and remember to be open to the possibility that most of us are doing the very best we can, no matter what it looks like from the outside.
Carry on.
Love...Ms. Moon
those are some lovely feet, beautiful women all.........and a good day! Hope you feel back up to snuff tomorrow (I think that is a dated expression as well!)
ReplyDeleteSusan M
Our feet felt reborn!
DeleteI’ve long envied your fruity cakes Mrs. Moon. Xo Rebecca
ReplyDeleteI always feel like I am carrying on some ridiculous tradition when I make them. And yet...
DeleteI love you, woman.
Those pedicures looked so much fun! Love the colors. Made me want to go out and get one. I'd be in a quandary about what color?? LOL! Sorry to hear the boys have strep. Hopefully it's a quickie and is gone without a lot of misery. I love 'old sayings', too. One I grew up with is, "Fear is useful when it's on a leash, but it's always a mad dog when you let it run free in your mind."
ReplyDeleteParanormal John
There are definitely men getting pedicures these days. I see them often in the salons. And I know men who wear nail color too. So- maybe you should start thinking about what color might suit your fancy.
DeleteThat is an excellent saying, P. John. But how does one keep fear on a leash? I have spent my entire life trying to figure that out.
Once I figure that one out Mary, I'll be the first to let you know. I'm the poster boy for failure...though the saying makes sense...if only....
DeleteParanormal John
Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me, a novel by Richard FariƱa, Sixties singer/songwriter, friend to Dylan and husband of Mimi Baez, Joan’s little sister. Margaret
ReplyDeleteYes. I remember it. I read it. Same-same in a way, about being down, just different ways of saying it.
DeleteThe thought of having my feet handled is, well, I'm shuddering just saying it! So pedicures aren't my thing, which is too bad because they look like the greatest fun and bonding.
ReplyDeleteSome people just have terrible issues with having their feet touched and sometimes touching others' feet. My dear Billy is that way. Don't even TALK to him about feet.
DeleteIt is great fun and bonding. As Lily said yesterday, "I didn't grow up with the idea of pedicures being a thing but we have certainly taken to it now!"
That lunch looks as good as the toenails! Hope the boys recover very soon.
ReplyDeleteThey were both back at school today!
DeleteWiser words never spoken...it is really hard to be a human. On the brighter side, the toenails look fabulous. Hope all the strep stuff clears up soon for the boys and you dodge the crud.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I am sick. Well, not physically, at least. But hey! My toenails are lovely!
DeleteThat line 'he so down he has to look up to see bottom' rally gave me a giggle, even though I am pretty down myself.
ReplyDeleteLike Boud, I don't like having my feet handled. I wonder why that is?
Some people just don't, Debby. That's all there is to it! I'm sure it's a gene.
DeleteHitting bottom and then sinking even lower sounds absolutely terrifying. I can't even begin to imagine. I have so little knowledge of depression.
ReplyDeleteThe lunches and the toenails are awesome.
Have the kids been checked for that RSV that seems to be getting around? I plan on getting that vaccine along with my next covid booster.
Oh, River! You are so lucky to not have much knowledge of depression. It is a life-crushing thing and can, as we know, be a terminal illness.
DeleteThe kids did get checked for Covid and for flu and both were negative. They did test positive for the strep. I guess we all need to get the RSV vax.
Rachel IS beautiful. Does her hair always match her outfit? The boys don't look like they're suffering. It IS hard to be a human. and that's the truth about reaching bottom.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...
DeleteI shall have to start being more observant of Rachel's outfits in relation to her hair!
The boys seem to already be fine. Luckily for them, they got on the antibiotics quickly and they took effect right away.
If I believed in reincarnation, I would wish that I was a beloved cat in my next life. Like one of yours.
Here's hoping the boys recover before Christmas. Not a good time to be unwell.
ReplyDeleteYour toes all look lovely. I am envious. I have manky feet.
It is hard to be a human but what choice do we have? Although there are days I wish I was a cat.
They're good...for now!
DeleteMy feet have gotten more knobby over the years but mostly due to some form of arthritis, I think. I have spent so much of my life barefoot or in flip flops that shoes have not misshapen them. I am lucky to have had the option!
P.S. There are many days I wish I was a cat.
DeleteThose gorgeous boys with no tops on make me feel even colder.....it is apparently minus 1c outside at the moment......phone says " feels like -5". I can see the top of the car with a good layer of frost on it. Warm coats on for me and the dogs this morning ( I have a friend's dog with us too!)
ReplyDeleteYesterday started out freezing (literally) and warmed up as the day progressed. Crazy weather. Sounds like you're just getting the cold part of it. Stay warm!
DeleteI just went for a mani-pedi yesterday too, although no nail polish because having to put your woolly socks and moon boots back on afterwards kinda negates all that hard work doesn't it. But boy oh boy did it feel good! I'm glad you all had such a good time!
ReplyDeleteI had to think long and hard about whether or not I could get away with wearing flipflops after my pedicure. It was cold when I left the house and I was wearing shoes and socks but I took my flipflops and by the time my toenails had been polished, it was warm enough to wear them!
DeleteThis post made me think of Truman Capote's short story "A Christmas Memory." The woman says a phrase I adore, "Oh my. It's fruitcake weather" and then she and her young companion begin amassing supplies to make fruitcakes. I've never made one, but I love the ritual Capote describes.
ReplyDeleteYes. It's hard to be human. It helps to honor this truism by trying to be more curious than judgmental. Not the easiest thing to do, but much more kind to our fellow travelers.
~Susan Z. from Ohio
Yes! I, too, think of that story when I'm making fruitcake. There was a beautiful little movie made for TV of that story. I fell in love with it as a child. They sent a fruitcake to the president!
DeleteI agree, Susan. You are exactly right- it is good to be curious about why a person might be acting the way they do. We never know what their story is. I believe that with all my heart.
Having said that, some people just appear to be jerks.
"trying to be more curious than judgmental." - Susan, thank you so much for saying this. I'm putting it in my heart.
DeleteChris from Boise
That's a beautiful message and one I would do well to keep in mind when I get frustrated with people. Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteThose boys don't look TOO sick!
I needed the reminder too, Steve.
DeleteNah. Those boys were fine!
Is there anything better than pedis with the gals. Sorry that Jessie couldn't join you, and that the grands are under the weather, although they don't see to be too affected by their seasonal afflictions. And yes, Rachel is beautiful and Liz is glamorous in those sunglasses. Also, this being human is more than a notion, but we keep on. Big hugs to you my darling friend. We've entered the tricky season.
ReplyDeleteOh, I know it! The tricky season indeed. I'm already having a hard time and isn't that crazy with all the riches I have in my life?
DeleteBig hugs back to you, my love. Here's my hand.
Yes, carry on.. and do one thing better every day. By the way, I had the same with spam bots - I wonder if they can tell if you comment moderation on, or whether putting on filters them more effectively.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I am far from doing even one thing better every day.
DeleteI know nothing about spam bot technology. Nothing at all.