Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Simplicity



This is a shot from the top of Jockey's Ridge in Nags Head, North Carolina. (This has nothing to do with Mathews, of course, other than we do have some sand and water.) It's one of the largest sand dunes east of the Mississippi....or west of the Blue Ridge Mountains...or south of the Mason-Dixon line? Let's just say these are some very tall sand dunes. I like how basic the elements are: sand, water, sky.

Why can't life be as simple as this picture? I'll give a free boat to anyone who can answer that question for me.


In the past 12 hours, the following has occurred:

1. My mother informs me that I no longer receive local channels on my Direct TV. I wouldn't know this because I gave up television for internet months ago. Nevertheless, if anyone has ever tried calling Direct TV, you know that it requires the patience of Job and about 5 hours to get through to them.

2. My boss called me this morning at home to say that yesterday the telephone operators (who work 24 hours a day) discovered some stuff they think is mine, such as my insurance cards, bills, etc. Yep, that's my stuff. Of course the one and only day I don't put my personal stuff, which of course I do at work, in a bag because I couldn't find an empty tote bag due to vacationing last week, I dump it all over the parking lot for the world to see.

3. I came home from work to discover no telephone service, which of course means no internet. I have a severe internet addiction that was made worse during a one-week absence from a keyboard last week. This is a 911 emergency, and I nearly had a stroke.

4. My son this morning says, "Mom, Uh-oh, we've got another one." In a panic, and not able to imagine what "another one" could be besides an insect infestation or a sinking boat, I race to him to discover he has brought an injured butterfly into the house. As I was blaming the killer cats outside, he corrects me and says he found it in the garage jumbled up with some camping gear. So indeed we DO have an infestation, this time of dying butterflies. I instruct Son to make its last moments peaceful, and he is now preparing a lovely box with green leaves and grass and flowers.

5. No internet service since yesterday morning.

6. No internet service since yesterday morning.

7. Dog barking all night long. No sleep, plus no internet service.

8. When I go to brush my teeth this morning, the light bulbs in the bathroom pop and sizzle. I have no replacement bulbs.

9. I have no cat food, and I have six hungry cats threatening to attack me if I set foot outside with no food.

That's enough. I am exhausted, although I could certainly add more to this list.

OK. Let's change our perspective and make this a good day. On the brighter side, as long as these are my biggest problems, life should be good, no?

Of course, I DO actually have bigger problems, but as long a I am in denial about them, life is still good.

Yep, life is good. That's my story and I'm stickin' with it.

13 comments:

tj said...

...That's the spirit! You go girl! ;o)

...And what a sweet boy you have to save a butterfly. I once pulled off the road because a butterfly flew into the grill of my car. I took it off of my grill and put it in the car with me and it came to and then started fluttering around inside the car. I mean, seriously, how cool is that to be driving down the highway with a Monarch butterfly flittin' about in the car with you?...lol... Okay, okay, so I'm simple... :oD

...Do you have any canned tuna? Sometimes in a pinch I give our cats some canned tuna but be warned they'll look at you like your God or somethin' once you do. It takes 'em a day or two to resume their "oh it's just you" nonsense again...lol...

...Girl, I'm wishin' you a much better day filled with smiles, joy, laughter and a lil' wine... ;o)

...Blessings...

Anonymous said...

I love the fact that Sam is preparing a box for a dying butterfly with grass and leaves. This speaks volumes of his caring nature, and no doubt his upbringing. I've seen little boys in action and I know their first reaction is to be cruel. That has made me feel better just knowing he will always be like that! I would probably be doing the same thing, so I understand and appreciate that. Good job Sam!~!
Love, Little Sis, Big Aunt.

Unknown said...

How beautiful that photo is! What a great story to share. Please enjoy your day and I do hope all the situations resolve.

Unknown said...

Serenity? I knew there was something amiss when I saw that title. Something to sucker the unknowing reader into your life of ants, sinking boats, injured butterflies, no local tv....and an internet addict with no connection.
I'm so wise to you!

Ok, so the title does the picture justice. I love it. The whole reason the dune buggy was invented in the 60s or 70s.

I would die without internet. It's the air that I breathe.
Keep your chin, up and know that tomorrow will be better. Just think, all of this makes lip gloss on your cups and glasses seem like a cake walk.

foolery said...

Bumming hard for your phone/internet situation. I'm guessing it's fixed now, or we wouldn't be reading this?

I'm awfully fond of your son, as I have come to understand him, by the way.

Mental P Mama said...

I'd just start drinkin'.

Chesapeake Bay Woman said...

tj - A Greek friend of mine says that butterflies are the spirits of our loved ones....or something like that, please don't quote me. Anyway, I can't imagine what good luck/blessings/fortune must have been bestowed upon you after having saved the life of one. (And I forgot about the tuna trick. I went out and bought more food so all is well now.)

Baby Sis - Are you taking back pain pills again? (I told Son what you said and he smiled.)

LOTS - Thanks. We passed by Willoughby Spit on our drive home from Nags Head last week. I stuck my hand out and waved once traffic started moving again (there was an 8-mile backup at the HRBT).

GJ - Do you know that I did not see ONE lipgloss stain on the wine glasses or coffee cups last week on vacation with those two sisters? It was a miracle.

Foolery, yes, internet/phone service is back. I put in a service call to Verizon last night, however my father, who knows the inner workings of The Network around here, called someone we know and by 9:00 this morning all was resolved.

MPM - I love your thinking. I just might do that.

Anonymous said...

Blast that stinkin' Verizon.

That is all.

Big Hair Envy said...

I. LOVE. OBX.

We REALLY need to do lunch. SOON.

Chesapeake Bay Woman said...

SINAFF - Thank you. And I enjoyed playing The Pyramid over at your site.

BHE - I would love to. I have set up an e-mail account for here so that people can contact me if they desire, however I haven't put it up yet. Nor can I remember the password to it, but nevermind. If you send an e-maili to ChesapeakeBayWoman@gmail.com, see if that goes through. Then remind me to check it. Then remind me to find my password, and then we can correspond to figure out a time and place. If you don't get a response from that account, then I've forgotten everything (surprise!). I'll figure out a Plan B. Once I think of it. - cbw

Keeper Of All Things said...

First thing.....shoot the dog!!! Or at least beat on nieghbors door till they shoot the dog!!
Brush teeth in kitchen sink....who knows maybe the toothpaste is good for porcelian!!
bring barking dog over to keep the cats in line
And Girl .......Denial is just somones reality!!

Anonymous said...

But hey, you didn't fall UP any stairs and that's a good thing!

Although...

The no internet thing would have done me in by now. I would give up food before I gave up my internet!

Karen Deborah said...

It could be worse, the fiddler crabs could come back,...