Thursday, July 25, 2013

The Hard-Knock Life

THE TOP OF THE
CHRYSLER BUILDING.
What a day I had today! It started with breakfast and an online crossword puzzle. Then out for coffee with San Geraldo. I tried "cooking" recently at Café Manila. When Tere was here, she and I went for coffee before San Geraldo was ready. He met us there. While we waited, I actually poured my hot coffee into the ice-filled glass all by myself. Without spilling a drop. Yes. I cooked. Tere said I looked panic-stricken as I did it. And then I thought, "Oh, crap. Now he's going to expect me to do this every day." The next day, I spilled the coffee on myself and the table. San Geraldo is back to pouring.

After my relaxing breakfast and coffee today, the "hard-knock life" began. We stopped at the market for more fruit (and free slices of watermelon for our walk home).

We got home and I folded yesterday's laundry. I washed another load of laundry. I played with the cats. I cleaned bathrooms. I cleaned mirrors and picture frames. I played with the cats some more. I dusted furniture. And we're not even expecting anyone.


I DID IT MYSELF!
I DID THIS MYSELF, TOO.  NO SENSE CRYING OVER SPILLED COFFEE?
(SOMEONE MIGHT THINK I PLANNED IT.)

I gave Dudo some of the new treats San Geraldo picked up. He's very slender. Moose is kind of husky. I was concerned about how we were going to add some girth to Dudo while not adding more to Moose. It turns out, Dudo loves treats. Moose does not. So, that's going much better than I expected.

DUDO, THE LONG DRINK OF WATER.
(AS THEY SAY IN PARTS OF THE USA I'M NOT FROM. OFTEN PRECEDED BY A "HOO WEE!")
WHAT A DAY HE HAD TODAY! AS SEEN THROUGH THE DEN WINDOW.

I washed breakfast dishes. I hung today's laundry to dry. I trimmed and staked the bougainvillea. San Geraldo trimmed and washed plants, and did a whole bunch of work outside. Then he made a delicious salad for lunch. Lettuce, chicken, tomato, avocado, papaya, almonds. It could have fed eight. There's none left.

THIS IS WHAT SAN GERALDO CALLS A LUNCH SALAD. (HE HAD ONE JUST LIKE IT.)

I washed lunch dishes. I then polished the terrace railings. I finished with a half-hour of Spanish study.

THE RAILINGS NOW SHINE LIKE THE TOP OF THE CHRYSLER BUILDING.

OK, the above-described work didn't begin until after noon. It was all done (including the one-hour lunch break and playing with the cats) by 4:30. Maybe I should review the meaning of "hard knocks." (My father always told me that was the school he went to.)


14 comments:

  1. I love your lifestyle. You two really seem to have the secret of enjoyable living.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stephen:
      I hold up well under so much stress, don't I?

      Delete
  2. WooooHeeee! You must be done tuckered out. Just like Dudo except perhaps with a bit more dignity ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sharon:
    Ahm so wore out, I'm pantin' like a lizard on a hot rock!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Do I get some sort of bonus point or credit for reading right the way through that litany of hard work all by myself?

    I'm knac... I'm exhausted. Put the list of jobs down and back away...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Owl Wood;
      So sorry. I hoped this wouldn't be too much for you to contemplate all at once. (On top of all this, I completely forgot to mention that I also changed a lightbulb.)

      Delete
  5. And you aren't expecting anybody? For the life of me Mitchell, WHY?!
    Feels good thought eh, getting some things done!
    Now, that salad looks great. I think I may borrow that mix of ingredients. Do you use any vinaigrette?

    ReplyDelete
  6. You are a busy guy! I understand the problem of putting one cat on a diet while trying to give another cat more to eat. It's really hard!
    Sunny (the cock-headed cat)is a porker and will gobble his food then push Tweedy out of her dish. Tweedy is our little old lady who eats very slowly. She's thin and arthritic and needs all the nutrition she can get. I keep trying to limit Sunny's food and get Tweedy to eat more but it's a losing battle.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ms. Sparrow:
      After such an exhausting day yesterday, I took it a bit easy today.

      We definitely lucked out in the fact that we've already tried 3 different treats on the cats. Dudo goes nuts for them all. Moose sniffs and walks away. I never expected that.

      Delete
  7. Have you given the cacti a go with the feather duster yet?

    Dudo's thin-ness puts me in present mind of 'my' Ginger - who's almost certainly never had a home or, if he had, he's run away to live with me along with my two other 'residents'. He's got alarmingly skinny just in the last couple of weeks, though he's still eating well. (Tapeworm?) Trouble is, not knowing where he came from, I've never taken him to a vet, as well as his not having been neutered. (I just can't afford to get him put on a vet's books) So that's my present concern.
    Anyway I don't mean to concern you with my worries but you know that whenever anything goes wrong with someone for whom you have great fondness, no matter what species it is, it takes over your entire life.

    Meantime, when you get Dudo filled out, I'm gonna come there and tickle his tummy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Raybeard:
      Moose likes tummy tickles from strangers... but not on the first date. I think Dudo would wait for a marriage proposal.

      We were a bit worried about Dudo lately. He's always eaten what we give him but never with the enthusiasm of Moose. This is a relief. I hope all is well with Ginger. Those vets' bills can be a nightmare.

      Delete
  8. Oooh, I love it when cats stretch out like that! Lean mean purring machines! ANd I wish I liked coffee. It looks so good on ice. If it makes you feel better, Gordon can't pour either! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Knatolee:
      That's a standard position for Dudo. No trust issues when it's just us around. When a stranger is in the house, he shrinks into this tiny little rat-like thing.

      I love coffee... and coffee ice cream, and coffee candies. I hope Gordon can slice, cut, dice, peel. I'm better at pouring than at those things... which says it all.

      Delete
    2. Hee hee hee! He's good at cooking, but watch out when he's pouring! :)
      I love your cats!

      Delete

Please visit www.movingwithmitchell.com if you would like to comment or stay up to date. I stopped posting here and reproduced all previous posts, as well, 25 September 2018. Thanks!!!