I have to...

I have to start writing a post, otherwise I will fall asleep again behind the computer. I feel myself nodding off. Well, you all say, go back to bed then, but I'm not quite in the mood for that right now.

I woke up face down on my book, with my reading glasses still on, and with indentations around my eyes from them, so I look like a raccoon. It is not a pretty sight.

So, I just ate a bowl of porridge and now I'm having another coffee and I should be joining the human race any minute now. Yes, in the quest for complete alertness, I am willing to make big sacrifices. I will eat and drink until I am out of my stupor and fully functioning.

Well, those were some last famous words, because I went to the sofa and laid me down to sleep for another 3 hours. That's better, isn't it? I don't know why I was so resistant to that in the first place. All I had to do was sleep a little longer. Crazy woman...

One big thing I had planned to do yesterday was write Christmas cards and, of course, I didn't do that. Instead, I spent my time behind the computer and watching TV and falling asleep watching TV. Now I must do it today, there is no escaping it.

Gosh, I make it sound like it is some terrible job that is like a punishment that I have to undergo. Of course, it is nothing like that at all. I am just not looking forward to writing the note that I will have to include with the few cards that go to people who don't know that we're divorced. That's what really is keeping me from writing those Christmas Cards.

I bought a crinkly long green shawl yesterday for 5 Euros. It's really kind of neat and I wear it draped around my neck untied for decoration purposes. I was at the drugstore to buy vitamins and next door to it is a clothing store that had them on sale. I do love getting a bargain. I ordered a green denim skirt on line for 10 Euros and a yellow string tank top for 7 Euros. I love it when I can get deals like this. It was a savings together of more than 30 Euros. I am becoming so frugal, but at the same time, I want to look good.

My sister liked her necklace very much and put it on right away, so that was a success. We had some cheesecake and espressos and her kids showed us the new clothes they had bought downtown. They are old enough to go shopping by themselves and come home with just the right stuff. My nephew is the youngest at 14 and had bought himself 2 pairs of new shoes and he really had done a good job at choosing the right kind at the right prize. They get a monthly allowance that they also have to use to buy their own clothing with and they manage it well. It teaches them to plan and be responsible.

My friend Joost called me and we talked for an hour. It is a wonderful way to waste time. We always have something to say to each other and never fall into silences. He's probably one of the people I feel most at ease with, because I can tell him anything and he always has a wise word for me. I like having wise friends, you always learn something from them and I have learned a lot from Joost. I am happy that I have wise friends on line as well. There are people out there who, in a few sentences, can completely straighten me out. Having the perspective and input of someone else are always good things, especially when you know you can trust that person.

I drink milk faster than an elephant drinks water. No matter how many liters of it I buy, I only barely make it until I have the opportunity to got to the store again. Of course, I use it in my coffee and my muesli and porridge as well and I am somewhat limited in how much I can take with me from the store on my bike. Right now, I use 12 liters of milk a week. That's about 12 quarts of milk. I think a liter is just a little more than a quart. Still, that's 3 gallons of milk a week. That's a lot for a single person, isn't it? I try to always buy low fat milk, but when the store is out of that, I buy whole milk, I don't like the taste and look of nonfat milk. It's so watery, I feel that I am paying for almost nothing. I am very suspicious of nonfat milk.

When I was a kid, milk was left at the front door in bottles and a layer of cream was always at the top. Now, that was proper milk. And I liked hot milk and the fact that it always formed a a skin on top of it, because I liked to poke that with my finger and lick it up.

That was just a little aside.

We were in France once at a roadside restaurant to have coffee and in the first place, the coffee was horrible, but in the second place, the manager had watered down the milk and you could almost look through it, that is how opaque it was and it tasted terrible and did not make our coffee milky. The Exfactor complained very briskly in his excellent French and the manager acted like he was completely unknowing and innocent and as if he was completely confused. Didn't expect one of the tourists to come to him and speak very good French. It was such a farce.

That was another aside.

I think the Überhund wants to go out, I may be able to delay him for a few minutes, but that is it. He's done his piddle out back and now he wants to go for the real thing.

I hope you all have a great Sunday and that the sun shines for you. It does here.

Ciao...