Towards the end of the day...

I just talked to my older sister. We talk on the phone a lot. We give each other lots of courage, each when we need it, sometimes one more than the other, lately she more than me, but that is okay, I gladly give her all the courage I can spare at this time of the year. It's almost been a year since her husband died and it is tough for her to live through the holidays now and keep the business running in the present economic climate, so she calls me and we talk and hopefully it helps. I am glad she finds her trust in me and her peace of mind. She's a tough broad who needs a listening ear.

It's been a good day. It's been a cold day. Every time I took the Überhund out I shivered in the cold wind and, of course, he had to dawdle and sniff at interesting spots for a long time. He's not done until he's made his mark on them and even then he'll go back and double check.

I went grocery shopping int he morning and I was cold on my bike riding into the wind and my empty shopping bag was waving like a flag on a steamship. I bought enough food for the next couple of days, until it is New Years and I will have to make sure I have supplies to last for those days off. I bought Napoleons to have with our coffee for when the Exfactor came over, because I figured I wanted to make it a bit festive since I had not seen him in a while.

He came over at about 1:30 PM and the Überhund was beside himself to see him, he wagged his whole rear end and squealed like a puppy. He has not forgotten who his first alpha male was, even though that is I right now. He acts like a little spoiled pup when the Exfactor is around as if he never gets any attention otherwise and is starved for treats and petting and all sorts of contact. I have to call him to order an tell him to calm down and behave and settle down.

The Exfactor actually stayed for an hour and a half and we had a good visit and chatted up a storm. Both of us were very relaxed and could enjoy each other's company. I think the fact that we both survived Christmas as well as we did was a big reason for that. Neither one of us had felt the urge to check on the other person's wellbeing during this time, assuming that all was well and if it wasn't we would hear about it.

After the Exfactor left, I caught the bus downtown and went to the optometrist and picked out a different pair of glasses, which, because of the warranty that I had, only cost me a tiny bit of money, even though they were more expensive then my original glasses, which was good, because I thought I had to pay the full price and I was very relieved. Because of the strength of the one lens, the new glasses won't be ready for a week, so I have to be patient, but I think I can manage that. With some of the money I saved, I bought some clothes at my super discount store for which I had a certificate for 25% off and I managed to buy two nice items for 21 euros.

Feeling very satisfied, I fought my way through the crowd to the bus stop and waited for my bus. There was now way I was staying downtown, because it was teeming with people shopping and tourists and you had to walk very patiently between the hordes of people to get from one place to another and then try and get into the entry of the store you wanted to get into. The cafés were full and there were no empty tables and I was hungry so I went home, where I had the big chocolate candy bar with orange filling that the Exfactor had brought me. It was very delicious.

This means that so far I have only had junk food to eat today and I am planning on having a bowl of muesli shortly to get some halfway decent food into me. It's all very wonderful to eat chocolate and whipped cream and it does wonders for my mood, but it is not very sustainable and I need something substantial.

There were more Christmas cards in the mail today, making me very cheerful and one was from my old boss whose secretary I was 36 years ago and we have kept in touch all these years. He had moved and gotten a new phone number, so I called him right away and he asked me when I was coming to visit my home town, where my older sister also lives, so I could visit him. I am going to have to make some sort of arrangement with the Exfactor about him taking care of the animals while I go up North for a few days. I haven't seen my older sister in a while either, so it is time.

Now I'm sitting here quite hyper from all the chocolate and in need of slowing down. I think the best thing I can do is put on my pajamas and get into the semi sleep mode, after I have had my bowl of muesli. Something sleep inducing is bound to be on TV. The Überhund wants something from me, but I can't figure out what it is. Maybe he just wants attention.

Well, that was my happy and fulfilled day. I hope yours was equally so. Oh, yes, I did clean the bathroom, I almost forgot to mention that.

Have a good night.

Ciao...