Thanksgiving Day Surprises

Yesterday,  while working Turkey Day at the hotel, I had two pleasant surprises.

The first was my blogger friend Spo of Spo Reflections (see here).  He called on my phone at work to wish me a happy Thanksgiving. How nice to hear an actual voice in real time sincerely wishing me a happy Thanksgiving. Especial Spo, a sweet and gentle and caring person there ever was. If you're among his friends, count yourself fortunate.  He and his husband Someone has great enriched my life by their wit, humor and kindnesses. I wish they were my neighbors but alas, they live far away in Arizona. 

The second surprise was my boss and owner of the hotel were I've toiled the past thirteen years with my cheery hospitality personality thousands of guests. I had mentioned to him earlier in the week, after I asked him what he was doing for Thanksgiving. He said he was cooking a turkey dinner for nine friends at his house.  I told him that what I would really like for Thanksgiving was a few slices of leftover roast turkey breast.  I don't want the whole turkey and I don't want to buy one of those water infused bland turkey breasts at the store. I told him I was tempted to go one of those places where they dish out turkey dinners cafeteria style to the homeless. I could pass as homeless, I'm old, tired and bedraggled looking enough. Only thing is stopping me is that I would probably be exposed as an imposter if one of my neighbors is spooning out the turkey gravy on my mashed potatoes.

There I was, at about 10:30 PM, on the last hour of my shift and I hear the door open.  "Who could that be?" I thought.  Viola!  It was the owner with a Zip-loc bag of three thick turkey white meat slices.  What a pleasant surprise!  I really didn't expect to get the turkey.  By the way, one of my co-workers is from Turkey, the country. But I digress.  Folks, that turkey will be consumed this evening for dinner. I plan to make a broccoli, Stove Top, cheese casserole with those turkey slices. 

Doesn't take much to keep me happy folks. Just some kindnesses like these two very kind individuals passed my way yesterday.  

I'll pass it on.

Thanksgiving Day

Here we are at yet another Thanksgiving Day. 

The temperature outside is a sunny 48 degrees, perfect for some window cleaning. Yes, this is what I do on Thanksgiving Day. I also cleaned my blinds in my bedroom. However, the window cleaning didn't go so well though. I had to go out through the garage door and I didn't know Bill was still working on the garage door.  

In Bill's previous life he was an electronics technician for RCA (remember that company) and GE.  He took early retirement from that job forty years ago. However, he just can't get the electronics thing out of his system. He always has a project going on. This time in the garage.  He's hooking up an alarm system for when someone drives up our driveway. Of course he's had that hooked up numerous times in the thirteen years since we lived here but this is a project that he's never finished with. He always "runs into a problem."  I asked him "Do you ever take on a job that there isn't a problem? Just once, did you ever take a job on that ran smoothly without any problems?"  He looks at me like I just stepped off a space ship from Mars and says "Well, I ran into a problem here."  

The problem this morning was that instead of going into my home office and checking my e-mails, playing online Scrabble with Pat and other Internet searches, I decided to clean my bedroom window blinds. While I was cleaning them I noticed the windows outside were pretty gunned up.  After cleaning my blinds I went outside through the garage door which I had to open. When I hit the automatic garage door opener I heard a bang and ka-boom! That was screwdrivers, screws, ratchets and who knows what hit the cement garage floor.  Yep, Bill's working on a project again, a project that never gets finished.

When I met Bill lo these many years ago his project was building a living room couch. Yes, a living room couch from scratch. He already had the frame built. The whole time I visited him in his New Jersey garden apartment that couch was never finished. He eventually threw it out, unfinished. In the fifty-five years we've been domiciled together he always has unfinished projects. I've asked him numerous times "How about doing some maintenance like painting or repairing or cleaning?"  Nope, he likes his projects. 

Years ago I looked up to see if this was a psychological thing with someone always working on a project.  Sure enough, it is. I forget what you call it but Bill has it.  Over the years I've grown accustomed to his penchant for unfinished projects but I have to tell you folks, at times my patience is tried.  Like this morning. Of course he's mad at me now because I set him back by opening the garage door. So here I am at my computer kvetching about it. 

I'll go back to my regular routine here at my computer. Then lunch, nap and to work this afternoon at the hotel. We have a full house today. Thanksgiving and Christmas are always the best time at the hotel, almost to a person most of the guests are in a good mood and very pleasant company on the holidays. When I leave the hotel tonight at 11:20 PM I'll see that steady stream of headlights of cars going in the opposite direction of me on Route One, headed for the tax free outlets for Black Friday. Then tomorrow the hectic Christmas season shifts into high gear.  

I may have mentioned this once before but the one thing I would like for Thanksgiving is a nice slice (or two) of turkey breast with maybe some tasty stuffing (Stove Top will do).  I mentioned it to my boss and the owner, he's having folks over to his place for Thanksgiving dinner. I know it was bold of me to ask but maybe he'll take pity on me and bring me over a taste of Thanksgiving. Every Thanksgiving holiday I see these reports on TV about churches and others feeding the homeless Thanksgiving dinners. I've always been tempted to get into one of those lines but I'm too much of a snob to do so.  

Wherever  you are doing today for Thanksgiving, I wish you the best and think of me when you're feeding your pie hole one of those delicious brined turkey slices.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Annual Maintenance Checkup

This morning I had my semi-annual dental appointment at 8 AM for teeth cleaning and a checkup. Good news, the cleaning wasn't too painful and no new issues with the teeth I have left. The only painful part was paying the bill when I left the dental office.

At 9 AM I had an appointment a few blocks away at the medical imaging office. This appointment was for an X-Ray of my abdomen for my appointment with my urologist next week. He's keeping track of my latest kidney stone that is forming in my old, decrepit body. Hopefully we can head this kidney stone off at the pass before it makes its passage through my very tiny little urethra tube thus causing me such unbearable pain that makes me want to exit this early existence. 

Last Friday I had an appointment at my dermatologist. He, or shall I say she (student doctors observing) removed potentially precancerous actinic keratosis formations under my left armpit and lower back.  Waiting in the room for my doctor to evaluate me, he entered with two women, students. Didn't even ask me but just proceeded to evaluate my body which was only covered by one of those flimsy hospital gowns with the open back. I only had my shorts (underwear) on.  I apologized for my sagging body (always an embarrassment these days) while three sets of eyes scanned said body. He informed the students "Mr. Tipton has three choices, we could shave off the keratosis, leave them (to an option because the constantly itch) or burn them off".  "What will it be Mr. Tipton?"  I said "Burn them all off!", which is what I always have done. The "burning" is done with dry ice. And it hurts.  It burns. Smoke happens. But at least I'm not itching any more and I've dead ended any possibility of those skin formations turning into cancer. This is over twenty-five years now I've been having keratosis skin lesions burned off my skin. None on my wrinkled and weathered face this time though. I walked out of my dermatologist's office sorer but relieved that I won't be itching for a few more months until the next visit in May of next year.

I am so thankful that I have medical insurance to cover all these health care expenses and that I have doctors to take care of me to help me survive a few more years.  

The "Holidays"

Here we go again, "The Holidays".  

This week is Thanksgiving. As in years past, I'll be working at the hotel on Thanksgiving Day. No complaints here, I'm used to it.  Interestingly I meet the nicest people at the hotel during the Thanksgiving holiday. Usually grandparents visiting their children and grandchildren who stay at the hotel because they can't take all that grandchildren activity 24/7.  Can't say as I blame them. I couldn't either.  Whoever the guests are, they always seem to be in good spirits which I welcome.  Life is too short to be unhappy. Be happy folks!

Now once we pass Thanksgiving Day we'll get inundated with Christmasy things. Some of the worst is that U.S Post Office advertisement that is singing  "There Is No Place Like Home For The Holidays". OMG! Do we have to listen to THAT until Christmas Day?  Come on Post Office, take that commercial off before you turn our brains to 
mush:

.

One good thing this holiday though, I haven't heard too many "HO, HO, HO's"  God, I can't stand that phony Santa "HO! HO! HO!"  

I probably sound like a "Bah humbug" kind of guy but I'm not really. I love the Christmas season and "the holidays" but what I don't like is the over commercialization. 

The one Christmas activity that I have always engaged in and enjoyed is sending and receiving Christmas cards. However, for the first time in my living memory, I think I'll drastically cut back on my Christmas cards this year. There are those former co-workers and friends I've been exchanging cards with every year, I'll still send those because I truly wish them a Merry Christmas.  There are also a few blogger friends I like to send cards to.  But I don't think I'll continue to send cards to those relatives and others who I never receive a card from.  My cards are probably just an annoyance to them anyway. And the relatives, sad to say almost all of my relatives are Trumpers. Can't do it folks, just can't do it.  I've unfriended all of them from my Facebook account so why send them a card wishing them well as long as they continue to support the criminal in the White House. They're lost, especially to me.

I'm looking forward to spending a week before Christmas in Philadelphia with my friends. True friends. I'll be returning Christmas Eve to work at the hotel.  I'm also working New Year's Eve, which is always enjoyable for me working at the hotel.  Long gone are those days when I celebrated New Year's Eve partying at the gay bars in Philadelphia. Those were the days folks!

Ambassador Sondland Drops the Bomb

Guess who isn't going to jail for Trump?

Whomp! There it is folks. Ambassador Sondland dropped the bomb this morning at the House impeachment hearings. He decided to stop lying and covering up for the criminal in the White House (Trump) and admitted "they were all in on it" re the attempted bribery and extortion of Ukraine.  

Good on Ambassador Sondland who decided not to go to jail for lying to Congress and tell the truth that there was an extensive bribery and extortion scheme going on directed by Trump through his henchmen Guiliani, Pence, Mulvaney, Perry and Volcker to hold back 391 million dollars in funds from Ukraine unless the Ukrainian president would say publicly he was opening and investigation into Biden's son and the so called Ukrainian intervention in the 2016 U S election.

"The Truth Shall Set You Free" as the photo at the beginning of this blog post shows so clearly.

Prediction here, Trump will resign because of "health reasons" but only with the proviso that he be exempt from any future legal action against his lifetime of criminality.  Thus will have completed his lifetime of breaking the law and getting away with it.  

Get ready all you Hillary and Obama haters:

President Nancy Pelosi

Mouse in the House

This past Sunday as I was exiting the kitchen to the garage I almost stepped on a field mouse that was on the door ledge. It quickly scampered away.


Oh no, not a Mouse in the House again.  Remember the problem I had last year?  One night after I came home from work I encountered a mouse in my pantry.  I think he was as surprised as I was when I opened the door looking for a late night snack.  I put out mouse traps and caught the little (fat) bugger the next day.  He was hiding out under the refrigerator next to the warm coils. Much to my surprise I also caught another mouse in my Have-a-Heart trap.  I think that was his wife. I took her down to the end of Oyster Rocks Road, to start a new life in those wetlands near the Broadkill River.

Yesterday I prepared (with peanut butter) and put out four deadly mouse traps. I also put out the Have-a-Heart trap with a big chunk of cheese. 

This morning I expected to see a squashed and bloody mouse in one of the traps.  Nothing.

This afternoon when I went out through the garage I happened to see two brown eyes looking at me through the metal screen of the Have-a-Heart trap.  One lucky mouse 

Bill and I took it down to the end of Oyster Rocks Road to join its cousin from last year that I released there.  

I put the Have-a-Heart trap out. I fully expect another mouse to show up. Hopefully it will be smart and take the bait (a big chuck of cheese) in the Have-a-Heart trap. 

Philly Visit

Me and Pat at Little Pete's restaurant in Philadelphia, PA November 2016

On this day three years ago my Canadian Travel Buddy and I were ending our week long annual winter stay in Philadelphia. 

This photo was taken at Little Pete's restaurant very early in the morning when the streets were deserted.  I was up early to walk Pat to the bus station for his twenty-four hour journey back to his home in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Pat and I stopped for a quick breakfast.  I also wanted him to experience Little Pete's restaurant, a 24 hour restaurant that I used to frequent during my bar hopping days back in the 70's.  

We hadn't planned to stop at Little Pete's, Pat usually just stops at a Starbucks, but walking down those rain soaked, darkened streets on that cold November morning I saw Little Pete's and memories came flooding back over me. I asked Pat if he had time to stop.  He did.

Our breakfast was as good as I remembered it as it was when I bopped into Little Pete's after the bars closed at 2 AM.  However, the waitress gave me the sad news, Little Pete's was closing after many years on 17th Street in Philadelphia. See here.

This is just one instance of the adventures Pat and I always have when we get together four times a year, twice in Philly, once at Pat's hometown of Hamilton, Ontario and two weeks in California. 

More adventures await us but it's always nice to be reminded of our past adventures.