Monday, August 16, 2010

Thoughts on my mind as I cook chicken soup


I hate cutting up a whole chicken to make soup. The one I just cut up looks like it was butchered, but I am planning to throw the bones and skin away, so I don't care. Anything to get it done. It's 4 pm and I had such a strenuous morning I am unable even to think of getting into the pool, all due to bad planning. Let's see, I missed the bus to go pick up my meds at Walgreens, so I decided to drop my books off the library instead so I could take the Central bus north. After I had walked around the library a while and picked up 7 books I thought looked interesting, including two fat ones, I came out and started walking up the street to catch the bus to Walgreens. Oops, I ran completely out of energy as I only ate a banana and coffee for breakfast, so decided I could not go a step further without FOOD. It was now after 10AM and the temp was rising, rising. I only got as far as the Japanese teryaki (can't find that word in my spelling book) and I chose coconut shrimp for me and beef teriaki (we will try spelling it this way)(spell check still says no!) for Doc. Doc had given me $10 for our lunch. I didn't want to buy him the chicken because I intended to make this chicken rice soup. I didn't know if he would like the coconut shrimp which was divine. That sauce! (later he said he would have liked the coconut shrimp).
I trudged on up the street thinking heavy library books were a bad idea ( I always think that but make the same mistake over and over) so decided to just take the Central bus back home and go again tomorrow for meds. As I almost got to the corner to cross the street I saw my bus just leaving. I thought oh heck, I will take the McDowell bus to Walgreens after all, get my meds, so I won't have to make another trip tomorrow.
Oh no, two young women with little kids were sitting on the bus bench. No chance of them getting up and giving me a seat. Another girl was sitting there, too, but she was obese and chances were she needed the bus seat more than I did, so I stood until the bus showed up.
Naturally I had to get bargains at Walgreens, including two boxes of my favorite cereal at $2 a piece. I needed dish soap and toilet paper and a B card for my grandson Jamal. I staggered out the door now loaded down to the max and managed to make it across the street with the sweat pouring off my body. The bus bench was again full, but a man probably close to fifty got up and gave me a seat. Bless it, there are still gentlemen left in the world.
While I was waiting for my bus I contemplated my life and problems. Doc had called me at at 12 pm last night. I was asleep and never made it to the phone in time to pick up but noted it was him. I thought I will call him back but he did not respond. I thought he could be having a hemorrhage and is not able to dial again, calling at this hour. I pictured him sliding to the floor dead. I thought if he does not call again I will have to find that extra key he gave me to his apartment and go down and check. Just then he called back. He owned up to calling me. It seems he was agitated over a friend coming to borrow money. He said it was a case of emergency and he was going to be generous. He wanted to get my approval. I said, sure, go ahead. I thought of times when I give out money when someone is in dire need and don't tell him for fear he will object and say I can't afford it. Even though it was a fairly large sum of money, I thought the reason was adequate. So having settled that matter pressing on his mind, he hung up. He said he didn't want me to find out and be mad so that is why he was calling me at 12 at night to tell me. He claimed he thought I would be up writing my blog!
Not this time. I was unable to go back to sleep for a couple of hours having been wakened for what I thought might be an emergency. Just then the bus showed up, interrupting my thoughts. I jumped up slowly to be the first in line to get on so I could grab a front seat. Bus drivers usually stop in front of old ladies looking so loaded down they might drop.
But no, he did not open the door. It seems a wheel chair wanted to get off. So he let down the ramp while I hoped I would be able to stand that long. What was the hold up? It seemed that the old lady could not get her scooter going! Umph, looks like she finally got it going, oh, killed it, now slowly she is coming down the ramp at an excrutiatingly slow pace.
The bus driver finally goes back to the front and opens the door and I leap on! I am kidding, I lumbered on with all my sacks. When we got to my stop he said, "take it easy, take all the time you need." I thanked him profusely for being so thoughtful as I slowly and carefully got off and went inside. When I finally got to Doc's I pounded on the door. This caused him to leap from his bed where he was taking a nap and rush to the door naked. I said, "Oh, get back in there and get decent! I pounded because I was using my last bit of energy to make it to your door!"
First off, I gave Doc back his bus pass. He frets if I don't and I collapsed thankfully on his futon. I had to ask him to bring me a drink of water, as I said I was too bushed to wait on my self, and I needed to hydrate. Doc is a lovely man who will wait on you if he sees you really need it, and does not complain at all. He was hungry and asked for his lunch. (No longer naked, he did go get some clothes on)
He wanted me to watch some more documentaries he had recorded on the lost books of the bible.
Now I am home writing my daily blog as my chicken bubbles in the pot. I will soon grate some carrots, cut up some onion, and add rice and I will have a delicious soup that will last me at least 4 days!
Such is the life of the old alcoholic and the old fat lady paying the price with groaning joints. See the source of the problem in knees showing in library book photo.

4 comments:

salemslot9 said...

I'm so glad
you made it
back home, Gerry

does Doc open
the door naked
for everyone?

lol

kanyonland King 2.blogspot.com said...

I would guess not many come to his door! You did have a day trying to get around carrying heavy books.
Knowing you will probably get books, you should make that a single trip (on the bus at least home). I was happy to read the chicken soup was on and you were recovered.

kanyonland King 2.blogspot.com said...

Now who can say that picture is not beautiful? You must be writing your blog!

LaRena said...

Well after reading your trials to get books and meds, my aggravation of giving independence seems small indeed. Everything is relative. We have had so much going on in our family that my woes seem minor.

I hope I don't have to resort to bus trave because I know nothing about how it works and I am afraid I wouldn't be able to press on like you did. Especially without water. I never leave the house without a bottle of water. Be careful in this heat.


Herrad

Blog Archive