July 23, 1967

There is a page on Facebook called Anything & Everything Music that pops up frequently on my feed, and it's so good. It is music charts whether it be yearly, monthly, daily, top forty, top twenty, and so on. Today, I was treated to the top ten for the day.

On July 23rd, 1967 was ten years old. It was Sunday morning and I was in my room playing Solitaire when my Mom and my sister Stephanie came in with wet eyes. Mom said 'Grandpop passed away.' I've never heard that expression so I asked what it meaned. Mom said, 'he died.'

So much information: A terrible new expression, Which Grandpop because Mom's dad was more energetic, and tears that I had never cried like  that. My first heartbreak. 

I always listened to the radio constantly courtesy of my two older sisters. Most of these top ten jewels are my favorites.  I never knew what was on that chart, but today it means so much. Light hits like 'Windy' and 'Up Up and Away' bring me back to the long rides to the mountains to bring my grandparents to their vacation destination. These songs are happy songs and I feel happy. 

More hits like 'Light My Fire,' 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' haunt me with their dark, heavy melodies and instruments that make me melancholy. 

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It was a simpler time up until that time. It was fun with 'C'Mon Marianne,' 'Little Bit O' Soul' and I liked that there were apostrophes in the titles. The rest on the list I loved even though I didn't know what they meant.

My maternal grandfather passed away 55 years ago today.  I was so devastated. I saw him a few days later and he looked like Grandpop. It was summer so there was time to think. Maybe this was the time where I grew a little because in time my Grandpop made me smile. I remember hearing 'Windy' picturing clouds and 'Up, Up and Away' with a nicer place than the one we live in now, and I still picture him on the way to Heaven. It's a nice feeling!

A lot of years, a lot of heartbreak, and the healing that happens, albeit the grief we endure.  I still think of Grandpop with a pause, then I smile because I knew him and I loved him!

The Tesla Shopping Cart

It had to happen. All our paper products were disappearing before our eyes. It was time to cross state line into Delaware and trek to BJ's. Thank goodness we only go there about every six months. 

Paper towels, toilet paper, napkins, tissues, diapers and wipes for our granddaughter, and everything else. When it was all said and done, and we spent $364, and we were in the parking lot, it was time to load all our stuff into the car. All the big packages were put where they belonged and I started loading the fluff: peanut butter and jelly, tuna and sardines (yuck!), tomato products, and a host of delicious goodies.

I was down to the last few things and I found the perfect spots for them and I really enjoyed this Tetris-like activity...I arranged everything so I could put the last treasures in, and I turned to the shopping cart...and it was gone!  

I looked in all directions.  I said to You-know-who, "The cart is gone!" 

She said forcibly, "Well go find it!" 

I looked in all directions again. Under my breath, I muttered and probably cursed a little. I relooked in all directions and stood still for what was a few moments, but seemed like hours. 

Finally, a young lady looked at me and said, "Sir, your cart is over there." This cart traveled across the street and parked itself where it was supposed to be - in the shopping cart corral. I repeat...it perfectly parked itself. No wonder I couldn't see it. This shopping cart is a Tesla shopping cart! 

I wanted to go home and put everything we bought away and email Elon Musk and tell him his invention has flaws, but I was wiped out after that ordeal. I wish I had that young lady's email address so I could thank her for pointing out the cart...and for calling me Sir. It's been a long time since I've been called Sir...and I still like it!

Bliss! Bliss?

We were apprehensive. This strange sickness was in the air, but we were okay. We decided to chance it.

We were cleared to travel on that day in March...March 8th. Bus ride from Boothwyn, PA to New York City. Temperatures checked, passports checked, forms filled out...and we were off!

It was a beautiful cruise. 

We washed our hands every ten minutes and sanitized every five. "Good morning, Washy-Washy!" sang the crew.

No self-service in the buffet because we didn't touch anything. They gave us utensils and plates and the food.

We had a fascinating balcony, and we had a full moon, and a quarter moon, and sunrises that the pictures don't do it justice.

                                                                     

The New York harbour was breathtaking, Night or day!

Jersey Boys (Frankie Valli The Four Seasons), Six (HerStory of Henry VIII), comedy, Beatles cover band...We were entertained!

Fun on the Bliss! Talking to the children when we were not at sea! Little fishies on the hallway carpet that guiding us to our destination (and they didn't work because we were lost most times.)

Kennedy Center in Florida. I still like his comforting image although he died when I was six years old...

...and now...finally...the Bliss!

It was March 15th. We left the ship and got our temperatures checked again. The computer recognized our faces from our passports. We rode back to our home, and we are still there!

Jackie had noticed that she starting getting symptoms of a virus and called her doctor.  Long story short, Wednesday morning, March 19th, she was tested. Self-isolation became mandatory quarantine. Her symptoms grew into fever, cough, loss of taste and smell, et.al. Ten days later, the results were in - POSITIVE!

Meanwhile, I had one day where I had a fever, and it went away. After a few days, I had a high fever, agita, and loss of taste and smell for eight days. Since Jackie tested positive, the health department said that I was a probable case. We are statistics. We are getting older. We are getting better and wiser.

Now I sing Happy Birthday twice...to me...when I wash my hands...twenty seconds!

Now I see the news. Covid is a word I never heard before March 15th. Now it is the most uttered every minute of every day. Sometimes I can't stand it. The reports can be repeated on CBS This Morning, the Evening News, and even Sunday Morning and the local News. One time is enough!

How about the commercials! The commercials have the word Covid in them...and depressing piano music...and a dentist that will comfort us while we purchase a gift card for somebody else to be used when 'this' is over. 
'Oh Oh Oh! It's magic ya know!' A favorite song from Pilot from 1975 when I was a senior in high school.

Now it's 'Oh Oh Oh Ozempic and two words after that.' Nope. Can't do it all the time.

The wonderful people that are on frontline workers can't see the news or the commercials. Pause for a moment to honor them. I wish it was all over...

Good thing that the warm days are here. We have a porch to be on. There is no television on the porch, and when we need the news, it will be there.

 Happiness, Joy, Bliss - This was what we felt on that ship. What we felt after we left was not. I wish that the powers that be would have made the decision to postpone the cruise. Too much sickness. Too much worry. Too many sick friends. Missing my family. Missing my friends.
I want a haircut. 

I want to go to the grocery store. I want to go to a restaurant. I want to see my family. 

We can dream. We can hope. We can get better. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day. In the meantime, we're here. Wanna chat? Zoom call?  Private message? I'll wait...and there are still crossword puzzles to solve, books to read, and dirty bathrooms to clean... 

Hang in there. It's gonna be better...