For Sale

Well, my house is on the market now. I signed listing papers on December 19th and the group of realtors came over during the day today to look the house over(Bet that didn't take very long, ha ha!) I'm curious how it all went but my son who was home and let them in is now at work until late tonight. So I'll just have to wait to hear the story. SLA called me at work today. She still doesn't have her cell connected or a regular phone in her new apartment, but was visiting her sister and called me from there. SLA also doesn't have a car! She has had such a run of bad luck this year, surely next year will be better.

Last night I made some chocolate Oreo Balls from a super-simple recipe I saw on PBS (appropriate, eh?) I have no counter space, a tiny little oven and not much room for baking supplies. Simple is good at my house! I ate three of the finished product, which was one or two too many, as they're very rich and taste like candy. My son ate quite a few of them and I had to make him stop so I had some left!

The remaining little candies I put on a new snowman plate and covered with that pretty colored saran-wrap to take over to the neighbors. They are, bless them, still plowing our driveway. I had found a matching Christmas card with snowmen on it and it was specific to "neighbors" so very nice and obviously picked out just for them.

This morning I raced over there on foot as soon as I saw their yard light go on and their truck come out of the garage. They usually have the truck warming up in front of the house for a little while before leaving for work. They leave almost the exact time that I do (very early!) and so we usually get to wave at each other on the road.

Mrs. Neighbor was pleased to get the plate of goodies and the card. She told me that the city is putting a sewer line in to our road this coming summer. I told her that I'm putting my house up for sale. She thought I might do well, because it's such pretty land, up on a hill with a nice view. Yes it is, sigh. But we both agreed that having city sewer will help with the sale.

I have tomorrow off from work. Had twelve hours of leave remaining that would have disappeared when this year ends. I applied for the time off, did not hear back from BZ before I left work tonight. I stopped and picked up a few groceries on the way home and then cooked dinner. Now I'm wondering if I should just stay home tomorrow and not worry about it? It's true that I applied for the time off pretty late, but BZ is usually quite good about things like that. Guess I'll risk getting into trouble again and use up my hours. I'd planned to pick up SLA at noon tomorrow too, and had hoped to visit the V-Man again but he's gone all day and working all night. He suggested that we exchange gifts on Thursday night.

Do you still have a busy rest-of-the-week ahead of you?

From my E-mail
Dealing with Chocolate
Chocolate is derived from cocoa beans. Bean = vegetable. Sugar is derived from either sugar CANE or sugar BEETS. Both are plants, which places them in the vegetable category. Thus, chocolate is a vegetable.

The problem: How to get 2 pounds of chocolate home from the store in a hot car. The solution: Eat it in the parking lot.

Diet tip: Eat a chocolate bar before each meal. It'll take the edge off your appetite, and you'll eat less.

Put "eat chocolate" at the top of your list of things to do today. That way, at least you'll get one thing done.

The Problem of the Drum
There was once a small boy who banged a drum all day and loved every moment of it. He would not be quiet, no matter what anyone else said or did. Various attempts were made to do something about the child.

One person told the boy that he would, if he continued to make so much noise, perforate his eardrums. This reasoning was too advanced for the child, who was neither a scientist nor a scholar.

A second person told him that drum beating was a sacred activity and should be carried out only on special occasions.

The third person offered the neighbors plugs for their ears;

a fourth gave the boy a book;

a fifth gave the neighbors books that described a method of controlling anger through biofeedback;

a sixth person gave the boy meditation exercises to make him placid and docile. None of these attempts worked.

Eventually, a wise person came along with an effective motivation. He looked at the situation, handed the child a hammer and chisel, and asked, "I wonder what is INSIDE the drum?"

No more problem.