cold

• It's a blustery, rainy day. I drove to town to take some donated books to the library and to mail some books that I've sold. I stopped for gas and while I pumped it the wind drove a cold rain that made me shiver. I had to take a moment to be grateful that I no longer spend days like this exposed to the elements while completing my mail rounds. Being retired means you can go out in the rain for a little while if you want, but then you're back into your cozy, warm rabbit hole, safe and dry.
• Dorothy will be home from work soon. I'm making pinto beans, c0rnbread, and fried potatoes for lunch. That's a meal to console a wayfarer who's travelled through a storm.
• We've decided to question each other when our actions are out of character. Explanation: At Walmart the other day I noticed two packs of Prilosec among the groceries travelling down the conveyer belt to the cashier. I didn't question it. I assumed it was on sale and Dorothy was going to stock up. As she walked away from the counter she noticed she was charged twice for the stuff and questioned the cashier about it. The cashier told her there were two of them and I confirmed that I had seen two so we ended up giving one back and getting a refund. I should have spoken up when I saw something out of the ordinary. Then, Monday, Dorothy had to take a drug test for possible employment with the Cherokee Nation. As soon as we arrived at the human resources office she had to go to the bathroom. I thought to myself, 'that's odd. Why would she go now when she has to pee in a cup in a few minutes?' I asked her that when she returned from the rest room. Why didn't you mention that before I went?, she wondered. I told her I thought women could pee at the drop of a hat. But, not to worry, after a few glasses of water she was able to produce. And I've had some mental lapses of my own lately, mostly having to do with the checkbook. Or I'll be working on a project and have to go into another room for a tool and forget what tool I needed by the time I enter the other room, or I'll start doing something else and forget about the original project until hours later. So we've made a pact to put on the brakes when we notice something out of place with each other and not proceed until we're certain we are both in our right minds. We are determined to not go gently into the nursing home.