Monday, May 8, 2023

Pretty Feet


The main complaint I have about the series "Parenthood" is the way an entire extended family seems to be able to get together weekly for a big dinner at Mom and Dad's and different smaller combinations of them manage to eat lunch or breakfast together frequently at a diner. I may have already discussed this. All of the adult characters appear to have full-time jobs except for Dad and Mom although if I was Mom, it would take me an entire week to recover from the dinner I'd served up the week before. And yet- there they are, every week, the guys playing basketball, the women helping out Mom, the kids being teenaged and angsty or not, as their ages and personalities require. 
This does not ring true at all. 
Our family spends untold hours of time trying to figure out dates and times that we can all meet up and INVARIABLY there is someone who cannot make it due to work or whatever and that's just how it is. Take today for example- Jessie wanted to go get pedicures with whoever could go. She gave the dates of when she would be able and the rest of us gave our dates and it ended up that only she, May, and I could meet up this morning to get our toes done. But at least we managed that and since May hardly ever gets to participate in these fun lady dates, we were mighty glad to see her. 

When I got up this morning, Mr. Moon had already been gone for at least four hours to drive to Alabama. Bless his heart. He'd made and set up the coffee for me to be nice and hot when I woke up and left me one of his love notes. He is such a sweet man. He knows that it's best for all if I have my coffee promptly upon arising. But he doesn't have to do that. He just does. It is so often the little things that can charm a heart, isn't it? And of course, the opposite is also true- it can be the little things that make you want to scream. I suppose that if the good outweighs the annoying, all will be well. 
Which is why I try my hardest to do lots of the small good things for him because I know damn well that my bad things could drive a saint to murder. 

But back to the pedicures. We talked and giggled and two of the ladies who worked on our toes joined in at some points which is always nice. The lady who did Jessie's toes was quite young and quite sure that she knew almost everything there was to know about almost everything we talked about, which was fine. She was funny. 
After our pedicures were done, we went to the sports bar restaurant that I have come to love for their ahi salad. That salad is a sin of glory. We ate outside and did more talking and giggling. Oh my, but it is such a fine and wonderful thing to have daughters you can talk to about almost anything and who feel the same about you. At least I think they do.

But then the time came when Jessie had to pick up Levon, and May was riding with her so we split up and I stopped at Goodwill which was on my way home but I saw absolutely nothing that tempted me in the slightest. Some days are like that. I'm realizing right now at this phase of my life that every single thing I own will have to be dealt with by my children and god knows I already have a hundred times too many of those things. Items that may have called to me years ago no longer do, representing more of a burden to the ones I leave behind and I honestly have everything anyone could ever need and more. Far, far more. 

And then I had to stop at Publix and I went to a "big" Publix where I never shop so that was a fun experience. Sort of. Not like I got anything that I don't normally get. The girl/lady who checked me out was quite restrained, although polite. I noticed right before I was leaving that her name tag said, "Justice." 
Blew my mind. 
I told her, "I love your name," and I know I said it with all of the sincerity in my heart and I could see her thaw a little and when I said, "It's a beautiful name," she gave me a very real smile. 
The kind of smile that can make your day. I thought about how much I would love to meet her mama or her daddy or whoever had named her.

On my way home I kept a lookout for a magnolia tree I had passed on my way into town. It had blossoms that were low enough to get to and I found the tree again, stopped, and picked my own self two beautiful, beautiful blooms. 


They are not quite open so should last a few days. I am determined this year to keep as many magnolias in the house as I can. 

I went and checked on the fig tree and it is looking promising again this year. 


When I was in the garden to check on any more crowder peas popping up (slowly they come) I saw something that made me realize that Mr. Moon might have been right when he said I'd be picking beans before he got home. 


Those are tiny promises of what is to come. They are baby beans, still in their early infancy, but it won't take long for them to grow into adulthood. 
The cucumbers are starting to bloom. 


There is weeding and mulching that needs to be done and perhaps I will do that while Glen is away. 

I feel sort of at odds with him gone. I will be fine unless this stone decides to move and let us hope it does not. I think I am just going to call and set up a time to get that stone blasted. I would like to talk to the doctor beforehand but in a way, it's like getting on an airplane and trusting that your pilot knows not only where she or he's going but how to get there safely. Putting your life into the hands of a complete stranger who hopefully got a good night's sleep, who hopefully isn't a secret drunk, who hopefully is not in the middle of a horrible custody case or something. 
In this instance, I have a destination which is to be stone-free and I am going to trust this doctor to pilot me there. 
I will try to screw my courage up tomorrow and just do that. Call. Make an appointment. Write it down on the calendar, start a new jigsaw puzzle in case I need it when I'm getting rid of the remnants of the blasting process. 

Yippee-Ki-Yay, Mothafucka
, as Bruce Willis so eloquently said in the first "Die Hard." 
One of my favorite movie lines, of course. 

And now, if you'll excuse me, I believe I shall go fold some towels. 
I'm pretty excited about that. And then I guess I'll make a supper which involves these.




Love...Ms. Moon



27 comments:

  1. yes, it is those thoughtful little things that can both charm and make us scream! Bless Mr Moon's heart for the love note and coffee! Glad you had pedi with 2 of your girls....at least. And Justice sounds like she thoroughly benefited from your kindness and acknowledgement of her unusual name. Love is what we all need...and sometimes it only takes a sentence or a smile to bring it on!
    Susan M

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    1. The older I get, the more apt I am to give sincere compliments to strangers if I feel compelled. Why not? I think it makes me and the person I'm complimenting feel good.

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  2. You worked mighty hard to make Justice smile. Good thing you had coffee on awaking. That trip around the garden looks promising. Figs, yum, though not to me. I don't care for fresh figs, but dried figs are lovely.

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    1. Last year I got enough figs to make a few jars of preserves. It would be nice to be able to do that again this year.
      Garden is looking pretty good but I'm seeing way too many of the giant Georgia Thumper nymphs. I had to admit I smash them when I can. Those things can eat a garden like nobody's business.

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  3. We get fig trees every year. Usually UNDER the deck where the bird poo deposits the seeds.
    How kind of Mr Moon to set you up with coffee.
    I would love to have a pedicure but my toe nails are manky. I wouldn't subject anyone to them.

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    1. Birds are terrific seeders, aren't they? They just don't always pick good places to plant.
      Honey, they used an actual cheese grater on my feet yesterday. It was disgusting.

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  4. PS-I simply added you again as a blog on my list. It copied you on top of the old selection and now your blog is there in my feed again.

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  5. I have fig envy! I've rarely had the chance of fresh ones, the season here being maybe week in October, and very few farmers grow them. I had dried ones today, nice, but not the same.
    Mr moon is a nice man, yes. When will he be back?

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    1. I think he will be back on Thursday. He's having a very good time. He sent pictures of him and a bass that he caught yesterday.

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  6. Pretty Feet, such a lovely indulgence to get Pedis or Manis... sure wish I could still go get Pedis, but as an Insulin Diabetic my Docs advise against it, so, Ugly Feet. *Le Sigh* They want your Foot Care done by a Podiatrist and they're almost always big burly Men who don't have a light Touch, so, no Thanks. Sounds like a lovely day spent with Family, but, yes, logistically getting everyone in one spot on any given day is a challenge for most Families. The Ahi Salad being a "Sin of Glory" made me Smile, never heard that phrase, it's delightful to describe Food Porn.

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    1. Oh, I am so sorry you have to deal with diabetes. I know that's not easy at all. And what a shame not to be able to get pedicures. I can see why your doctor advises against it though.
      "Sin of glory" is an apt description of the delights of that salad.

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  7. I’m totally with you on the family hey-togethers!!sounds good, but pretty impossible to do..! How lovely that you had at least two of your daughters along for the pedicure, and a delicious lunch too! I’m so impressed (and a little jealous) of your garden produce .. but I’m now getting ready for planting here too- already planted lots of celery, peppers and lettuce, and tomatoes are next! I love spring! And re. morning coffee: it’s such a gesture of love for us to have the coffee ready to go in the morning - just click the ‘on’ button and it’s done in five minutes!😍xo, Rigmor

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    1. Definitely not a realistic portrayal of a family with four adult siblings and their children. But it's still a good show.
      The garden is looking very good but it hasn't really gotten horribly hot yet and the bugs are not out in full force. They will be. And they will be as hungry for fresh vegetables as we are.
      Our coffee maker is programable so you can set it the night before to go on at a certain time. I don't know how I lived before that became a thing.

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  8. Of course I am envious of your advanced plants. We've had rain all day so no fires, here anyway, and the garden is turning greener by the minute.
    I'll have to take a look at the show. Glad you got to hang out with two of your girls. We'll be visiting my middle daughter next month, which I'm so looking forward to.

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    1. Yes but just when your garden is an absolute Eden, mine will be bug-eaten and sad, sad, sad. And it'll be too damn hot to go work in it anyway.
      Hurray for getting to go see your daughter!

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  9. I love the brilliant blue toenails :)
    And you have beans and cucumbers coming along! I'm giving up on any kind of vegetable growing, the possums here treat my garden as their personal midnight buffet and every single tomato seedling has vanished. The only thing left in a pot is a single potato plant, we'll see how that goes.

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    1. I like my blue toenails too.
      Oh, no! Possums are just so rude! I mean, they eat chickens and gardens too. People are always talking about how they're really so lovable and deserving of respect but I'm not exactly buying that. I know that all critters have a purpose but I'm not exactly sure what a possum's is.

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  10. Beautiful nail colors you all chose. I especially love the periwinkle. And yes, daughters are a special blessing when they are such as yours and mine. They remind me of that Toni Morrison quote about women giving each other back to themselves. A brave move to get the stone blasted, but better than the uncertainty of the alternative, perhaps.

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    1. I like that periwinkle too! Jessie chose well.
      Aren't grown daughters wonderful? And that is a beautiful thought from Toni Morrison.
      Update on stone blasting tonight.

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  11. I'm with you on the meeting up. One of my daughters lives in the same street and we get our hair cut by a nice lady who comes over. Not too hard to organize, right? Hmmmmmmmm. Those magnolias are gorgeous. And who couldn't love a man who sets up the coffee before going out!

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    1. Oh, that sounds perfect, Jenny! We used to have a friend who cut hair who would come over and we'd set up a stool in the driveway and she'd take care of all of us.

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  12. You have so much growing and blooming already. May 15th is the day to start planting here so you are way ahead of us.
    Hope you can get your stone taken care of soon so you can put it out of your mind (and your body). Can't the doctor just remove it?

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    1. The dang stones CAN be removed surgically but that is a very invasive procedure, as you can imagine, cutting into the kidney. They don't do that unless the stone is in a place where it can't be blasted and it's causing serious problems.

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  13. I'd like a bowl of crowder peas cooked in butter and garlic. I had such a thing many years ago at a fancy "rustic" restaurant in Atlanta and haven't had them since. I bet you make them in some divine way.

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    1. Not sure I've ever had crowders cooked in butter and garlic but why not? Like most legumes, they will happily take on any delicious flavor you add to them. I usually just cook mine with a little soy sauce, olive oil, salt and pepper. And onions. Sometimes a piece of bacon cut up. As you know, pork is the go-to bean seasoning in the south.

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  14. Justice IS a beautiful name. I wonder why we don't see it more often?!

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.