Here is some more of the heterogeneous stuff that floats around in my mind:
Scam alert! I had a call supposedly from someone at Microsoft. “We’re concerned about your computer.” “I do not discuss my computer with strangers.” “But ma’am, I’m not a stranger, I’m from Microsoft,” he said with a honeyed voice. “Do not call me again!”
Monday we had three calls: “Someone from a foreign country is trying to access your Microsoft account. Call this number, or we’ll close your account.” Knowing full well that Microsoft doesn’t call people, I double checked with Russ at Key Computers. “It’s a scam. They try to talk you into spending a bunch of money to do something that you don’t need.”
A reader asked me to repeat these tips to help thinning hair and brittle nails. My hair dresser advised me to eat cottage cheese and Greek-style yogurt every day for extra protein. I discovered Dannon’s Oikos lemon meringue yogurt. It’s so yummy that you could put it in a pie shell. This regimen has greatly helped my nails and hair.
As I write, Pusscatkin is purring loudly and has her rear end on my knees and her front half and paws resting on the computer desk while her chin rests on the edge of my laptop. She’s obsessed with the printer and comes tearing in from the other room when she hears it. She’s convinced that there’s something alive in there. Between naps, she does ornithological research at the greenhouse window, tail twitching.
Christmas gifts: We agreed that after over fifty-two years of Christmases we’d spend a limit of $50 each for gifts for each other. It was rather fun, trying to be clever. I was ill, Vicki ordered my list from Amazon, including a big box of biscotti and handkerchiefs. I absolutely hated my recent, touch-screen Kindle. Bill and Vicki found a used, reconditioned, old-fashioned one at Amazon for $35, and I’m happy again. He also gave me two legal tablets for note-taking and two pens.
Instead of expensive Christmas gifts we agreed to have Merry Maids clean our house once a month. It was one of the smartest things we’ve ever done. Two women spend two hours, and when they leave the house is pristine. As one ages, one has less energy and motivation, or perhaps one has various aches and pains. It’s very easy to say, “I’ll dust or scrub the floor tomorrow.”
When I was a Realtor I encountered people who had gradually let their homes become so cluttered or dirty that I had to refuse the listing until they got the home in shape. A dirty, messy house is unattractive to buyers and may depress the price. People buy expensive tickets for various events or constantly eat out in restaurants. Why not pay a professional to clean your house? The price is a la carte. You choose what you want done. The cleaners have even washed our big greenhouse window.
Alan Hunter, a fellow columnist for the Weekly View wrote a column about hiccups. This can be a very serious problem. Our friend, Bill Vrabel, accidently discovered a sure cure. During an attack, he was walking around while drinking a liquid and put his left hand on top of his head. Hey presto! The hiccups ended. He tried it other times, and it worked.
I tried it with the same result. The desk clerk who was checking us into a hotel had a terrible case of hiccups. “Trust me and try this,” I said. When we were leaving to go out for dinner, he said, “Ma’am, that was the weirdest thing. I tried it, and it worked. Randy, a real estate client was drinking a coke in my office. “Darn these hiccups!” “Randy, stand up, put your left hand on top of your head and drink your pop.” A change came over his face, and he said, “That’s the oddest experience I’ve ever had!” wclarke@comcast.net