JACKING AROUND

Yesterday ended hilariously. We raked and weeded and dug and pruned frenetically through light rain showers and setting sun only stopping just in time to get to the nursery at closing time. The cutest guy--somewhere in his forties, but well preserved--greeted us and escorted us around the beds and sheds for the 20 minutes until closing. Such bounty and all 25% to 1/3 off. Michigan prices are unbelievably low compared to suburban Chicago. Like huge spherical, 2-gallon mums for $5.95! A later stop was Sam's Club and theirs were $16.95. We said, "So long," and that we'd be back in the morning and take time to first re-survey the terraced garden beds and to process what we'd seen and how much we can accomplish in today's allotted time.

Then, on to Sam's Club and increasingly mindless wandering. The brain cells were shot and our bodies and legs were throbbing from the exertion of the day. I had been on my feet for hours before the gardening. As I mentioned, my sister has the Tom Sawyer / Huck Finn thing down pat. She pranced around doing whatever and displaying her new wardrobe for my approval and critique, while I Murphy soaped her kitchen cabinet fronts, cleared the counter tops, and polished the windows. She had time for long phone conversations, and when another sister called to confirm plans for Thursday, JL complimented my industrious and said I was staging her kitchen. GJ said, "Don't take her home on Wednesday, bring her directly here!" JL said, "She may be back into her lying on the couch and reading phase by then!"

After Sam's Club we chucked all plans to make the Chicken Piccata--that will be tonight's menu--and headed for someone else's Italian cooking. Yum! Sinking into the bread and entrees, we entertained :) the young waiter and kept him busy refilling our glasses and bread basket! We left with JL wearing much of her dinner on her shirt front????? and with leftover in tow. (How many carbs can one exuberant senior citizen consume? Not me! The doctor warned JL that the new medication would increase carb craving...)

Even though we had not a thing alcoholic, our brain cells were long gone as we stumbled onward to Meijer's for some Clairol color touch-up--stay tuned, this cannot end well!--and got caught up in the greeting card aisle, laughing so uproariously that a complete stranger walked up and asked to see the cards. Our favorites were:

George Bush saying, "I have three words for you... Happy Birthday!" and, Two old ladies... The first says, "My husband always says why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free." The second says, "Well, I always say, why buy the pig when all you want is a little sausage."

The Shipshewana whoopie pies from Sam's Club were calling our names, so we managed to leave Meijer's and head back--exhausted to the point of dropsy. It must be familial--I repeatedly drop things when I try to bake or clean or sort after I have reached the point of exhaustion. JL grabbed the Ibuprofen and dropped a tablet into her water glass. After dumping the water and refilling the glass, she reached for the pill bottle and dumped the contents on the kitchen floor. As soon as she finishes "onesies" she may move on to "twosies." If not, it will be my turn, and I have never been that good at jacks...