Feel Like Complaining

My cleaning-out fervor has continued although we took a break over Christmas. We got back to the family room going through cupboards and drawers and tackling one of the computer desks.  I'd love to be able to give the computer desk to my step-son and his wife. They have an office with a computer for each of them and they're using picnic type tables because in two different moves, both of their computer desks have been broken. It's a big ol' heavy mother so I hope they will want to take it off our hands (they didn't, dammit!)

As they move into their new home I am counting the days (or years) that I can get out of this one. I think I am being practical, because the future as an older person (or at the very least, living with an older person) should be considered.

I have been going to this website for a 55+ community apartment complex. It's not a retirement home, I'm not ready for that yet! It's more for active boomers. You can rent with all utilities incl…

I shake my head sometimes and try to figure out why some older people (or just people in general I guess) act differently than others. Is it genetics, how they were raised, or the circumstances of their life? I'm not 'old people' bashing, just observing what I'm around a lot of my time.

My Lady is going through a 'I hate Kden phase'. But it's never to my face, I just hear it through the other girls. The story on how we got there is so long and involved I can't even possibly explain it. And to a rational mind it wouldn't make sense. Her daughter says that's just how she is and always has been, so it's nothing new to her; the way she talks about people and being mean and cranky. But to us girls, it's hard. She talks about them to me, and I don't believe her tales anymore than they believe the ones about me. But it still hurts. She's nice in the morning but by afternoon she gets frustrated, confused, and mean. The other girls think …

No.....not that big house!! I'm talking about my Step-Son's new home. They were unpacked enough to let us come for a visit soon after Christmas. The Kid was still in town so we grabbed the Grandkids' gifts and drove the short 15 minute drive north of us. Sorry no pictures, but didn't think it would be appropriate.

The $370K, 4 bedroom, 4 bath, 4000 sq. foot home sits in a quiet cul-de-sac. Geesh, just reading that intimidates me. As with anywhere they have lived, shoes off at the door is a rule. I hate taking my shoes off. My feet hurt on bare floors and I would have brought my slippers but didn't want to carry too much. Anyone who wants you to remove your shoes should at least provide a chair to sit in. So I lean up against a doorjamb to yank them off. Putting them back on was just as much fun.

This place is huge, huge, huge. A home I would have never even been able to dream about in about a gabillion years. A family or great room on the immediate right which for …

As with almost every year I get a new toy of some kind, nothing horribly expensive but just a little splurge for myself or the family.

You are probably thinking, "Another damn device for you Kden? Really, how many computers and tablets do you need?"

I did buy a tablet but it was a Christmas gift for The Kid. Other than her computer all she had was a hand-me-down IPod from her brother, which now has a cracked screen. Her and her boyfriend don't have cable and rely on their computers to watch movies or whatever through his TV. I knew she would enjoy a tablet to watch TV shows that she can't otherwise see anymore. She do love her TV! She also likes to play our games when she comes home; games don't play that well on an IPod. It's not a Kindle, but rather a Monster which has its own issues and isn't even for sale anymore through their website so I never even got to register it. But it was on sale, ha. She was disappointed at first that it wasn't a Kindle …

One more Christmas Eve story. We usually eat simple on that night, nothing fancy. For years it was pizza but some got burned out so we've been having a variety of options. This time we opted for a picnic with fried chicken and everyone would bring a salad of some sort.

I went to Rosauer's grocery store two days prior to put in my order for 2-16 piece chicken packs. I told them I would be there between 5:00 and 5:30. I was going to call and confirm my order to make sure it was being taken of but decided not to be so negative and think the worst. I mean, just because it's my usual luck for things to turn out that way it doesn't mean it would be the same with this.

"I'm here to pick up my order of chicken", I said at the deli counter, right at 5:00.

"Angela?", the girl said as she plunked down one whole chicken on the counter.

"Uh, nooooooooo. I had an order for 2 sets of 16 piece chicken that I ordered TWO DAYS AGO!"

Her and a young man …

The holidays have come and gone and we are off and running into the New Year.

It was nice to get together with the family again but it didn't last long enough. Seeing my brothers once a year for 4 hours tops is not nearly enough. I notice that we are older, grayer, fatter, and it's hard to cram a year of catching up in that short amount of time. My Mom loves having all of her kids home and we are all her favorite (her standard line on Facebook).

My older brother's wife is going through treatment for Lymphoma. She's gone through initial chemo and radiation and as soon as certain counts come back up she will be admitted to the hospital for 3 weeks to go through more intense chemo and stem cell transplant. Since she is in-between all of this she was able to join us and she looked great.

My younger brother is as crazy as ever. His wit reminds me of the actor Chris D'Elia from Undateable. A quick and cutting wit, he can fling it faster than anyone I know. I sure miss hi…