Saturday, July 14, 2007

Good-Humor Hints & Funk Remedies

I’ve told you before, that I, and only I, am solely responsible for the pleasantness or unpleasantness of each new day.

Now I haven’t always thought that way. When I was a young thing I thought I was on this earth for others to acknowledge, entertain, and amuse, but I’m wiser than that now. I know better than to put that kind of heavy unreasonable burden on my mate or offspring. So, in realizing this, I also realize that most days I simply make my own choice. But sometimes, I can’t. And on those days amusement has to come from somewhere. Without a small tickle or brief amusement, I can’t raise myself out of the pit.

This morning I was in the pit. Talking positively to myself while I washed and dressed didn’t help. Writing a list of things to be grateful for didn’t help. So I remained in a funk while I drank my morning java and then doggedly loaded laundry. While I was downstairs I grabbed a loaf of bread and meat for supper from the freezer. Still in a funk.

And then I laugh.

The bread I pull from the freezer has a small sticker that says:
“Apr 30/07
Heavy Rye.
Yeast?
Maybe not?”

I chuckle as I remember the day I mixed that bread and baked it and then didn’t know if I put in any yeast. And when Hub asks me what the sticker on that bread loaf says and I tell him, he laughs too.

And the label on the package of beef says, “Pound fast, cook slow.” This was a cheap cut of meat with very little marbling so though sliced into lovely steaks, I wanted to be reminded when I went to cook it that it was not meat for quick grilling.

Maybe these little chits don’t have the same impact as a good laugh over a comical situation with friends that come for coffee and maybe it isn’t rolling-on-the-floor humor. Maybe only someone like Mr. Bean (or his teddy-bear) could appreciate this kind of warp. But still some days it is enough to make me a lot more cheery than I might otherwise be.

I guess what you need to understand is with my memory fading, the notes in my deepfreeze are as surprising to find and pleasing to read as letters from an outside source. On a bad day, like today, it is particularly nice to know someone is/was thinking of me.

What funk? Who? Me?

Nah…It’s going to be another fun day.

6 comments:

Spicy said...

Roberta,
Nothing more fun than laughing at ourselves. I too have started to leave notes everywhere and mark items on the calendar. What is frustrating is looking at the notes and they don't make sense? I'll have to be more specific!
Just spent 2 days looking for my glasses. Finally found them in the freezer? Good thing I have 2 pairs.
Well, was there any yeast in the rye bread. I love rye toast in the morning.

Roberta S said...

You're so right, matty. And yes, the bread did have yeast. In fact MD and Hub said it was the best rye bread I ever made. Toasted? That's how I like it best but for sandwiches, it's pretty special as well.

Pauline said...

R - I leave notes for myself, too. Only I absentmindedly tuck them into books to mark my place and then can't find them. Just last week I found one that was to remind me of a dentist appt - for last month! Ooops.

Roberta S said...

Obviously, pauline, your books go where you go. I laugh with you because if I saved all the grocery notes/lists I so intently and thoughtfully complied and then left at home when I went to town, I'd have volumes.

Knowing how forgetful I can be if I have a medical appointment, I paste up duplicate notes at eye level everywhere except the middle of my forehead.

brad4d said...

I have more glasses than . . well let's just say when Marko last visited he brought me a pair. Working in my yard, I find pairs that have fallen from my T-pocket all the time. I have made a real spectacle of myself.
there are 4 post-its on my monitor and 1 on my printer, I know someone who was on the design team (for Post-its) at 3M (in St. Paul) so maybe it's just homage to Adrienne?

Roberta S said...

brad4d. I know what you're saying. Doesn't Hub get so impatient with the hunt we are always on for one of my many pairs of glasses. Yeh, can't read that stuff without them.

I was so intrigued by the thoughts in your recent blog. I invite anyone here to go to brad4h's place to get a broader and better understanding of our own responsibilities for our own good time.