Counting My Blessings

 As I was washing dishes, with an attitude, I am listening to an audio book. Well, trying to, above the roar of the TV. His new favorite show is reruns of Last Man Standing. As annoying as that is, I am pretty sure I would find it too quiet to multi-task in the absence of HeWho annoys me.

In the midst of my pondering, I forget that I just fried up four pieces of low sodium bacon in order to create a BLT (hold the T, as I am out of tomatoes) to deliver to the man in front of the TV. This loss of momentary memory caused me to pick the gas burner cover up with my bare hands. I stifled an excited utterance that was particularly salty and instead said my favorite new expletive "well, cheese on a cracker". Don't know why, since no one noticed that I was holding my hand under a very cold stream of well water gushing from the spigot.

I listen to my audio book and suddenly feel silly about being so annoyed. The book, The Displacements by Bruce Holsinger, is a cautionary tale about global warming. At the center of the story is a family ordered to evacuate Miami due to a pending hurricane. The father is a doctor and is busy helping to evacuate critical patients, while the mother and her children are on their own. Her purse is lost, left sitting on the ground behind her car and she has no phone, no money, no credit cards and only discovers this when she runs out of fuel.

They are bussed to Oklahoma and are at the mercy of FEMA along with thousands of other. Miami is gone, washed into the Atlantic Ocean, along with their home. Unable to reach the father (the daughter has a phone), they have no idea where he is or even if he made it out alive. They have just been assigned their tent in a field of thousands of closely placed tent. 

The book is on hold and I am forced to count my blessings. The saddest part I have read (heard) so far is when they are forced to relinquish their beloved dog to a shelter in order to board the bus. This made me cry as I imagine the incredible sacrifice.

One can be thankful and annoyed at the same time, though. Am I annoyed at the man holding down his chair huddling under covers and proclaiming it is too cold in here? Yes, I am. But I am thankful he listened to me when I said not to bother the thermostat, that I was not cold.

Had a haircut. Mother would be so proud, since her opinion was that very woman over the age of 30 should have their locks shorn and embrace very short hair. I am well over 30 and kept my hair long for many years past 30. I think long hair is easier to deal with day to day. That being said, short hair is cooler and easier to dry and style and I am always hot. I sweat so much, I could proably just add shampoo and wash my hair without first wetting it.

The weather forecast says we are done with frost and yesterday was downright hot. I planted squash and beans and peas. The tomato seedlings remain indoors for another few weeks. I planted the ten daffodils I dug up out of the ditch and moved fallen leaves to discover that my hostas are poking up through the ground.

Finished the book and got a few surprises. It was a good read. Now, back out to play in the dirt.