The big news of the weekend was not so good. My younger
Dana and I did not take out our dinner on Sunday. We chose to eat out, as the dogs were still very much a part of our life, and as the sign says, "If mom says no, ask grandma"! If they look up at Samantha with their (literal) puppy dog eyes, she can ignore them. I feel a surge of guilt as I put something in my mouth, whether it is good for them or not! I took them for a long walk on our return home, and they were obviously not happy with me, as it took three times around the block before they rewarded me with doing what dogs are supposed to do on walk before bed!
Sunday night was miserable. It was the third night away from home for the animals and in my experience, their experience is, "This is it". If the parents do not come home by the third night, they are restless and awaiting a key in the door. By the fourth night, they have given up hope and settle down. It was the third night, and I slept very little.
My Monday routine was not hindered, but I was slower than I had wanted to be. I saw Raul and enquired as to whether he had enjoyed his weekend. It appeared that 'the missus' had gone to visit her mother, and he was alone. He rather enjoyed the solitude as it had allowed him to go and take care of his horse (another string to this bow that I had been vaguely aware of, but not to the extent of his expertise in horse rearing) and do some maintenance in his own home. Apparently, his neighbour was also alone, and they had joked about being 'single' for the weekend. I laughed, and told him that the idea of being 'single' for the weekend at our age, meant that you could stay at home and do nothing! What a dreadful thought for a teenager! We talked about the weather, and things that were going on around the complex. With my accent, and his, it is sometimes hard for either of us to understand, and he does not always understand my English, and I do not always understand his. For example, the Spanish language is made up of 'masculine' and 'feminine', where as the English has a 'neutral' added. He will often refer to his son as 'her' or his wife as 'him'. I get confused sometimes when he is telling a story, or asking a question. However, I would very much like to be able to speak in his language as fluently as he speaks in mine!
After the 'code deciphering', I wished him a good day, and went on my way. I arrived at work an hour late, as I could not seem to finish anything at home. I had watered the garden as it had not rained, and checked out the cucumbers to see if there were any ready to pick. I found one that was almost there. I was going to have to ask Raul to cut me some more bamboo, as my tomatoes were now in need of a proper frame, rather than stakes randomly placed around the stem. I wondered if I would be as successful in gardening if I had more than a handkerchief!
Richard had taken Jamie back to the emergency room. He was still very swollen and looked as if he had been a whole fifteen rounds with a heavyweight boxer. Richard and Steph were concerned as his face was very distorted. I asked them to let me know the outcome as soon as they heard.
The dogs were a little edgy when I arrived, and started to settle down during the morning. Mummy did not arrive with me, so they skulked back to their beds, accepting their fate. Things could be worse! They could have been left with me on my own! No nonsense nanna! How awful!
Samantha called me from the zoo in Dallas. My heart did sink slightly, as I had, for some inexplicable reason, thought that they might be on their way home. However, unlike her grandfather, and her mother, she likes to spend the last day of a vacation, on vacation! I would rather pack up and be on my way first thing! I don't mind a leisurely start, but for me, the worst thing is arriving home in time for bed. I would think that some people would prefer to do that. Perhaps it is because on my long haul trips, I arrive home only wanting to go to bed and sleep and having no time to unpack before I drop. Admittedly, when I go away with my daughter we usually do not leave until the afternoon, enjoying every last moment.
However, I digress. It was Monday,, it was busy, we were a man down, and we had the dogs until well into the evening!
Richard had called me on a video chat, and Jamie, although still very swollen, was fine. The doctor had been observing them while they were in the waiting area, and could tell that he was not affected physically, and as there was no infection, he was satisfied that all was well. He seemed fine to me, and when I asked if he had been in a boxing match, he was quick to answer in the affirmative, giving a double punch to the air! He was not slowed down by the affects of the anti-histamine!
Thankfully, the zoo did not hold as much wonder as they had anticipated, and I received a call asking, "Guess where we are?" I knew the answer, immediately. They would be at a Buccee's, and if they were at a Buccees, they would be in Ennis, and if they were in Ennis, that meant they were on their way home. Just a county out of Dallas, and still far, far away, they were heading in the right direction. How long could they stay in Buccees? Of course, the answer to the last question was another question. How long is a piece of string? There is no answer.
Once again, we were at home with the dogs. I swam while Dana took them for a walk. I decided to take a little more 'me' time than usual, and finished the book I was reading. I was not overly impressed with the storyline, but as Samantha said, it was in the Dollar Tree, and probably not 'up there' with the classics, but the last fifteen pages were really very good! I am not an author, despite my aspirations, and the fact it was published, must have meant someone thought it was worth the print! I was pleased I had stuck with it until the end, and was now looking forward to starting another!
The animals were ecstatic to see their human parents, and jumped like kangaroos through the air to get to them. I was delighted to see the animals' human parents even more so, although my jump did not exceed as far off the ground!
With Jamie having the all clear, and the dogs gone, I was able to
My chat with Raul on Tuesday was not as long. I told him that I would be in trouble if I was not ready to leave the house on time! "Tomorrow you be on your own" he said, as he knows I drive myself on Wednesday. I nodded. "I can watch more of you!" he said. I hoped my face did not betray me, as I smiled and tried to decipher the code. I realised the problem people have with my language. It took a couple of seconds to translate. He could 'see' more of me, meaning that we could talk for longer. It is the difficulty of translating from literal into conversational. It is also the difficulty of putting words into a language which is not your first. Dana lived in Germany for a few years in the 70's and whilst he was not fluent, he could understand and make himself understood. It was when he mixed up a couple of words and verbs did he get himself into a bit of hot water! Hot water, literally being the problem! He asked for 'hot water' but told the waiter at the restaurant, "I hate my father". The waiter, fortunately, after the initial shock, understood that he had made a mistake and laughed. Unlike Samantha's French exchange student, who arrived at our house, and was confronted with a woman whose French was less than, less than fluent (yes, two) and when I asked if she would like me to wash her dirty clothes, actually asked if she wanted me to give her a bath! I soon realised my mistake but throughout her short stay, she was not convinced! Having said that, I knew that Raul was not being inappropriate! Dana was a little shocked when I told him what Raul had said, and how I interpreted it, until I said, "I hate my father", and then he understood!
I did have more time on Wednesday to chat, although not too much time. I had to go across town to have my nails done, and wanted to clear a couple of things from my desk before doing so. The weather was a little bit erratic, and I was also not sure if it was going to rain, so I had to water my plants. I asked Raul if he would mind cutting me some more bamboo. He said he would. I insisted that there was no rush, and only when he had time.
Dinner on Wednesday was accompanied by baked sliced eggplant with a topping of peppers and tomatoes. I was so proud of my side dish, all home grown! "Perhaps you could have chickens too, and then you would have your own eggs!" suggested a neighbour. The prospect sounded good, but a handkerchief would definitely not accommodate chickens. It did make me think though, perhaps, if I had a little bit more space...! I had made a chocolate orange swirled cheese cake for dessert, and was less than happy with it. When I made the filling, I had forgotten to add the egg whites that I had previously whipped, and had to scoop out one lot of filling and add the whites, then add the other half to the chocolate orange mixture. The result was that there was some mixture that did not have egg whites added. I knew it would either be wonderful or awful. When I presented it, a thought suddenly occurred to me. "As it is Bastille Day, I have made something to commemorate", I said. Apart from Dana and one other, my guests looked at me, blankly. Of course, they had no reason to know what I was talking about. "14th July. The day the revolutionists stormed the Bastille, in Paris. It was a few hundred years ago, so it wouldn't have been on the news recently", I said, tongue in cheek. "What is the commemoration?" asked my husband. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times", I added. Most knew the book, Tale of Two Cities, but looked blankly. "Saving the hierarchy from the chop?" Still blank faces. "Dessert, is either the best or the worst". Dana was smirking. He got it, but it was lost on everyone else! Too subtle I fear.
Samantha walked up to Raul's truck as we were mid-sentence on Thursday morning. "Both, please", I said as she stepped up on the stair. "I will cut them for you and put them in the car port", he said. "You are so demanding", she told me, and then said to Raul, "You should say "No", when she demands like that!" He thought it was very funny and started to laugh. She went to the front door. "Don't be late!" she said. "Now who is demanding?" I responded. Raul found it to be very amusing. I wondered if he would take any of this 'banter' into his conversation with his family. I hoped not! Despite being in the USA for many more years than me, and long before my daughter was born, he still speaks his native tongue when at home. His children, born here, are probably bi-lingual, and have an American accent, but 'mom and pop' are still 'old school'.
When we got to the office, my daughter's first comment as she entered was that she was surprised Raul wanted to 'watch' me at all, as I was so demanding. I told her that she had entered the conversation mid-stream, and that he was actually apologising for not having cut the bamboo the day before. I had said it was not a problem, as I only wanted them if he had time, and if he would be so kind, and that was when he asked for the size I wanted! Of course, this gave rise to some more innuendoes and I left the area!
My sticks were by my back door on Friday afternoon. I carried them in. Dana told me that he could have helped, but I explained by the time I put my thoughts into gear, e.g., where to put them, and how to lay them, it was easier to do it myself. He took my bag and I carried the sticks!
Saturday morning started the same way it usually does, and I waited for the big red truck to round the corner and pick me up! We shopped and were greeted by the staff in the stores, as usual. "Together again", someone remarked. We just smiled and nodded.
I sent Steph and Matnee a message. "Guess who just got stung by a wasp?" Start the week with a wasp story and end the week with a wasp story, with a bit of coded language in between!
By the time we had dinner, the sting seemed to have subsided, and my finger did not look any different to normal. It was a little sore at the 'entry point' but other than that all was well! I went to bed on Saturday, feeling rather happy and relaxed.
Bright red, itching and rather painful was my first thought on Sunday morning, as I raised my finger to my squinting eyes. I had been aware of the itching throughout the night, but had gone back to sleep. By the time I rose, my finger was rather large. I remembered what the doctor had told Richard. "After sleeping on it (meaning Jamie's cheek) it will begin to swell again. It will go down after 24 to 48 hours. Hmm.
I wonder if the interpretation of being 'stung' will pass on to another language. If the first film seen by a foreigner was the Paul Newman/Robert Redford classic of the last century, then it is possible my story telling may come through as being caught in a scam, but I doubt it would be most people's first thought. To start my post with a sting on one side of the pond, and end with a sting on the other has not happened since 1985 and the Band Aid concert! Although it was not Sting who appeared on both sides of the pond, but Collins! However, they sang together so perhaps there is a correlation! Where am I going with this? Who knows! Language is both useful and useless!
Typing with eight normal sized fingers, two thumbs and a double sized digit, mistakes are abundant, so please forgive me if there are more than my fair share! By tomorrow I shall be back to normal, whatever that is! I hope you have enjoyed my interlude and am even more hopeful that there will be no mishaps in ...........another story!
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