I'm feeling some stress,
since I'm about to ride the city bus,
for only about the second time in my life,
to get to work,
since my car's broke down,
and my family doesn't have a way to help.
So,
to ease the stress,
I'll count my blessings,
below the squiggly.
1. Tonia,
my bride,
is very smart,
and she truly loves me,
adores me,
caresses me every time I get close enough,
and calls me over from across the room,
to caress me some more.
2. I have a place to stay,
here with Tonia,
in a room added on to the back of a house;
it's 12' by 14',
and has a cellar under it;
we cook in our room,
in a microwave,
and a hotplate,
and a toaster oven,
and a coffee maker;
I'm drinking strong, black coffee,
as I type.
3. I have a steady job,
working at a Walmart store;
they work me pretty hard for an old guy,
but they like me,
and respect me for that hard work.
4. Speaking of money,
my bride,
Tonia,
helps me manage my pay from my job,
and brings in more money,
from other sources,
such as her part time job.
5. Speaking of money,
and things money buys,
I have a five pound brick of cheese,
that I just cut into today;
our income is so low,
and we had to spend $175,
just on parts,
to fix the old car;
the thing is,
having plenty of fatty foods on hand
is certainly one of our most important blessings;
I can take a big one pound cube from that brick
to work with me,
and make cheese sandwiches
that'll stick to my ribs,
and tide me over,
even if they assign me
to help unload the truck,
a grueling process that takes
two or three hours of non-stop work,
no pauses,
no standing still for a moment
to catch your breath,
just pick up a box,
take a few steps,
and set it down,
rinse and repeat,
for two solid hours,
or maybe three.
6. We have a washing machine that works well,
and a very long, four wire, clothesline,
about 25' long,
and lots of clothespins;
as soon as I publish this diary,
I'm going to wash another load,
and bring in two loads from the line;
they've been out all day,
while I was working on the car.
7. We have a very solid car,
even though it's not working at the moment;
it's a 1991 Ford Crown Victoria,
essentially a Ford Galaxy 500
from the 1960's,
with electronic ignition,
disc brakes,
air bags,
etc.,
added on to make it a much better car
than anything actually built in the 1960's,
but the drive train,
chassis,
and body,
are heavy steel.
Heavy steel.
no wonder the cops and the cab drivers
drive the big Ford Crown Victoria.
Yes,
the 5 liter engine,
dragging around all that heavy steel,
make it a gas hog,
compared with the lighter,
smaller engine cars,
but I have no children,
so those who have children and grandchildren
are using,
as a family,
way more fossil fuel than I am.
8. My wife's cousin
is selling us a
1990 Lincoln,
essentially the same car,
for only $500,
payable at $100 per month.
That way,
Tonia can drive the Lincoln,
and we'll use it when we go out of town,
and I'll drive the Ford
to work and back.
The Lincoln was owned by a little old lady,
Tonia's cousin,
so it should be in much better condition
than the Ford.
9. I have a computer,
and high speed internet,
and friends like you,
and a certain talent,
a way with words,
if I may be so bold as to say so,
and using these things,
I often get emotional support
from some of you,
to add to the support I get from
Tonia,
and Uncle Randall,
and Terrell,
which is a lot.
I could write a diary
on just Uncle Randall,
and another
on just Terrell;
they are impressive people,
with a great deal to teach all of us.
Well,
my list is sloppy,
not organized well,
but it's all for a little thoughtful reading,
not to be picked apart.
I hope you enjoyed it.
Tell me about your blessings,
in the comment thread,
if you like.
Thanks for reading.
2:18 AM PT: Oh! The weather!
I forgot to mention the weather,
in my list of blessings.
The weather,
here in Wichita,
Kansas,
right now,
gives me a delicious chill in the air,
as I take clothes down from the clothesline,
and as I look up at Jupiter,
almost directly overhead,
in the constellation Taurus.
Delicious weather!
Thu Sep 20, 2012 at 3:14 AM PT: To all who reced, tipped and commented,
and to the rescue rangers,
thank you.