Hanky Panky?

Preparing to do my nails today. I removed my polish last night, saw that my nails needed smoothing and conditioning by a professional.

After having to give up my long-time pedicurist, because the male owners of the salon kept screwing up my appointments, last time I had professional work done was September of last year when one of Trainer’s female fighters recommended the "older, short, fat one" at a nearby salon and I ended up with Nora at 11:00.

Nora did a great job, it was worth the half hour I had to wait for my 11:00 appointment, but Nora was incredibly expensive ……… $100, plus I tipped $20 which I later calculated should have been $15.

At Nora’s prices, no way was I going to try to get an appointment with her today ……… would not have been able to anyway, as Nora is booked up weeks in advance.

I decided to try a salon over by the University that I knew took walk-ins.

Preparing to head out, I saw what I assumed was Next Door Neighbor’s son entering her unit, followed by a female.

Hmmmmm, what hanky panky is this?, thought I.

My mind went to hanky panky because out of the vault popped the memory of when my ex-husband’s married uncle would sometimes use our apartment during the day, when we were at work, with ex’s permission, for a hookup with his girlfriend.

Returning from the nail salon with a satisfactory shaping and conditioning, but less than satisfactory $60 paint job, plus $10 tip for manicurist, $10 tip for pedicurist, I could smell cigarette smoke coming from NDN’s unit as I walked up the stairs, saw the kitchen blinds were open and what appeared to be cooking going on.

It appears someone is now living in NDN’s unit for the time being.

NDN is not gonna like her unit smelling like cigarettes when she returns.

As for that less than perfect paint job …. when I sat down in the chair the Deluxe 1 was quoted as $38. I must have sat in the chair way longer than I thought because, once the work was done, the price of goods (nail polish) and services (manicurist/pedicurist) increased to $60.

It is what it is, so I didn’t make a big deal of the price increase — that’s not my style. I tipped, headed back to the complex and, on the way, noticed the paint already coming off the tip of the thumb nail and child-like paint job around the bed of the nail.

The manicurist's child-like paint job is repeated in the nail bed of every single nail.

Once upstairs, taking a good look at work done by the pedicurists, it's amateur ville there as well with paint on my skin.

I really don't want to have to pay Nora at 11:00's prices but, next time I need professional work done, I may have to.

Beastmode

Other than seeing Next Door Neighbor’s son going in/out of her unit yesterday and early this morning, nothing new to report.

With son's own family to care for, his two jobs and a wife that doesn’t like his mother, this taking care of his mom’s wants and needs has to be a heavy burden.

As of yet, no one has asked about NDN’s whereabouts. I don’t think anybody knows she’s not here, in her unit.

The only person likely to know she’s not and wonder about it is the Nice Old Guy upstairs across the quad. Let’s call him Mr. W.

The windows of Mr. W's unit are directly in line with NDN’s windows and, from the way he draws his blinds to allow for viewing, I’m sure he peeps her and probably watches me as well, but his vantage point only allows seeing me when I’m going up/down the stairs, entering/exiting the unit.

NDN and I are his television program, and he peeps us from two channels.

His favorite channel is the bedroom, where he can tune in early AM while still in bed.

Bedroom

During the day, he tunes in from his main room.

Main room

He’s old, nice, the grandfatherly type who struggles getting around with a cane, so I don’t think either of us minds the peeping and though his peeping isn't doing NDN any good right now, the peeping sometimes makes me feel comforted to know someone is watching and can call for help if he sees one of us fall on the stairs or get accosted at our doors.

NDN did intimate once that Mr. W had been a little flirty in an old fashion way ……… when they passed on the walkway and she asks how he’s doing, he’d said "Better now" with a sly grin.

I think she was flattered, but then she learned he used to be Church Lady’s special friend here on the complex, which made him look somewhat less harmless, just another player.

So, anyway, I’m sure Mr. W is wondering where NDN is and who is that man going in/out her unit. If we pass on the walkway, he will ask.

Because NDN is so private, I don’t know if she wants me telling folks she’s in the hospital. I’m not offering that information, but will be in a bind as to what to say if asked.

Yesterday was a false alarm and a waste of my time.

The notice posted to our doors a week or so ago, the same notice I pulled from Next Door Neighbor’s door on Monday, directed us to be prepared as early as 8 a.m. for "inspectors" to enter our units, test fire sprinklers.

I set the alarm for 6:00 to give me time to perform my morning rituals, be dressed and ready.

It was a False Alarm. No one showed up. I could have awakened at my regular time.

Red Light called a few days ago to tell me there was to be a "Health Fair and Bingo" in the Community Room, then tried to sell me on attending by saying the group coming in did bingo differently.

The event wasn't on the activity calendar, so how she, who is moving for certain on May 2nd, came to be privy to this information I do not know, but it appears she’s still involved in activities up to the very last.

Because I’d been noncommittal, Red Light sent me a text around 10:30, reminding me.

Inasmuch as the inspectors were nowhere in sight, I went downstairs to check out this health fair.

It was busy and noisy, with residents getting blood pressure and blood sugar checked. Raffle tickets were given out to those signing up to be cuffed and pricked.

I passed and pretty much just did a less than 5-minute walk thru — in one door and out the other when I saw nothing that interested me.

Returning to my unit, I did see Head Maintenance Guy escorting the inspector ……… not "inspectors" but one lone guy into the building across the grassy knoll.

Expecting the inspector would be escorted to my building soon, I waited and waited and waited and, but for the fact it was a one-day inspection, I’d be waiting still.

Like I said ……… false alarm, waste of my time.

Going beastmode this morning made up for yesterday’s inactivity.

The little Spanish lady that doesn’t speak much English ……… the lady with the disabled husband that I and others, who don’t speak Spanish worked at helping learn how to play bingo, had invited myself and the Talker to her Zumba fitness class.

Talker declined but I, even though Zumba is on the same days of the week as my workouts, decided to push myself and go beastmode — Zumba at 9:00, Pain Cave at 11:00.

It was an entire hour of high energy high impact movement, complete with disco strobe lights.

I thought I was going to die.

I was careful to not injure myself by jumping around, kept my movements within a manageable safe range but, even so, I sweated like a whore in church, felt dizzy at times and had to lean on a wall for support.

So, though it was tough getting up and out early for the class, and even though my favorite part was when the moderator would announce "One, two, three, stop" in between movements, and even though most of the music and spoken words were in a language I do not understand, and even though the sessions are on the same days as my Pain Cave workouts (M W F), I plan to go back, try to build up my stamina ……… and possibly my language skills.

20 Days Later

Life can literally turn on a dime.

I think it was Friday when I noticed the sign management attached to our doors the previous week — alerting us to Annual Fire Sprinkler Testing this morning, was still on Next Door Neighbor’s Door.

Hideously Tacky Doormat is deceiving
as to the artistry inside

Strange, thought I.

Though NDN is friendly, she's very private and pretty much doesn't hang too much with residents here and our activities. When she does go out and engage, it's usually elsewhere, with people and activities of a more bougie nature, away from us just plain folk types.

Her being such a private to herself person, it’s not unusual to not see or hear a peep out of her for extended periods of time.

So it was I didn’t think anything about having not seen her for days and weeks until Friday, when I realized the notice was still on her door.

That got me to thinking something might be wrong inside, because the notices always somehow disappear after a day or two …………… are taken inside by her I assume.

Thinking something might be wrong inside, but not yet alarmed, when I got up on Saturday, headed out to log in walking miles, I told myself to check the carport for Lucille ………… the name she’s given her car, because maybe NDN was on vacation.

Lucille was still parked in her usual spot.

That’s when I began thinking the worst ……… that she might be inside ……… deceased.

That has happened here.

Trying to talk myself out of that thought, I told myself if that were the case, us neighbors would have smelled something by now.

Sorry to be blunt, but I'm a realist.

Now alarmed, I started to knock on her door, but saw that her blinds were shut tight, like she’d gone somewhere after all, and I decided to give it another day or so — until yesterday morning for the notice to disappear.

It didn’t.

So while getting suited up for yesterday’s workout, now on full alert, I had it in mind to stop by the office, ask for a welfare check on NDN. But then it occurred to me that I might still have her telephone number in my contacts.

I did.

She answered on the first ring.

"Are you okay in there?" asked I.

"No, I’ve been in the hospital since the 2nd".

When she was unable to keep any food down, her son took her to the hospital where, whatever was wrong was made worse.

Not happy with the medical care, her son removed her, took her to another hospital where what had been made worse was made even worser.

Judging from my own medical center experiences, I believe it, which is why I’ve turned away from materia medica as much as possible and rely more on Holistic Care.

At any rate, NDN says she's in bad shape, hooked up to IVS, doesn’t know when she’s going to get better, and then oddly began talking about her plants and how they are inside her unit dying.

I don't have a key to her unit, otherwise I'd water her plants; and she tells me her son lives too far away and has two jobs, so he can't babysit the plants.

She then began asking me if the corner market delivers groceries, as she doesn’t see herself returning to the independence she previously enjoyed.

I assured her the market does, but then I opened my big mouth and said that I can pick up groceries for her when I do my own shopping.

I think she set me up ………… brought it up knowing I'd volunteer.

But whatever ……… it’s not a big deal, and I can opt out if it ever does become a big deal.

NDN was evasive when I inquired, more than once, as to what exactly is wrong with her.

If she wants me to pick up and deliver groceries, bring up mail, that's carrying Hippa and being private a little too far, because I don't want to risk catching whatever she's privately keeping to herself.

Looking like a big deal already, unless she can give me some assurance as to risk, I may have to withdraw my offer, tell her to let the delivery people handle it after all.

Just think though ………… how quickly life can turn on a dime, a healthy today is not promised for tomorrow; and I’ve seen it more than once around here where one day a resident is living an independent lifestyle, the next day the resident has a caregiver.

NDN has been in the hospital for 20 days and, but for that notice on her door, I'd still be unaware something might be wrong and sound the alarm to have her checked on.

Because I too pretty much keep to myself, don't engage with family all that often, I used to wonder how long it would be before anyone realized something has happened and send in the calvary. Now that I train religiously, arrive on time and have done so every M W F for the last five years, Trainer is actually closer to me and more concerned about me than family. If I were 5 minutes late, he'd be on high alert. Otherwise, I’d be completely decomposed and smelling up the complex before anyone noticed.

Earth Day

Knock Knock Knock

As if I don’t have enough on my plate, I walked into the bedroom yesterday afternoon to switch outfits after having run errands and …………… so much on my plate that I’ve been incorrectly referring to Twin 2 as the daughter who is estranged from her adult children.

Twin 2 has no children — she devoted her energies to helping me step in for her twin’s kids when their mom (Twin 1) was in her prodigal experience ……………… not financially and/or emotional there for the kids.

It's Twin 1 whose heart is breaking at not being able to turn back time, make amends for bad parenting choices.

She’s given the moniker Twin 1 because she came out of the womb first, five minutes ahead of her sister, Twin 2.

I’ve made what corrections I could find to recent posts misidentifying which twin is which, but no surprise I misidentified the twins as I’ve been walking around like a zombie last few days with the family’s dramarama clogging my brain (thanks for that word Karen), but as I was saying ……………… I walked into the bedroom yesterday afternoon to switch outfits after having run errands when, through the bedroom window I spied the Talker’s disabled brother sitting on the bench outside, along with two fit looking guys.

Oh! Oh!, thought I. That looks like my Little Knock Knock’s uncles and if they’re here on the premises, then she is as well.

Sure enough, there was a knock knock knock on the door shortly after.

Little Knock Knock said she’d not been around because of school, but that she’ll be visiting me again soon with another bear to babysit.

No way José, I said to myself. Another bear would be her manipulating me into creating another book — like the one I made back in 2023 when she dumped a bear on me.

I told her I can’t handle babysitting duties right now that, if she left another bear, I’d have to charge her for babysitting, and I hurried her away with a bag of See’s chocolate eggs.

My last visit to See’s, just before Easter, the clerk had tossed a handful of those eggs in my bag. Knowing eventually Little Knock Knock would resurface, I’d saved them in the freezer for her.

Little Knock Knock’s grandma has an upstairs unit; consequently, is one of the few residents who can climb stairs, get to my unit, so she was standing there with Little Knock Knock when I begged off babysitting another bear.

Hopefully, grandma understood the message and will hold Little Knock Knock back from burdening me with another.

Earlier that morning, I ran out of a needlepoint floss color and had to make a run to the craft store.

Checking out, the cashier asked, "Would you be interested in signing up for a credit card?"

"No thanks".

"You can save x number of dollars on today’s purchase".

"No thanks".

Then she tried to interest me in a Rewards program and some other something.

"No thanks, No thanks, No thanks".

I know she was only doing what her supervisor asked her to do ………… push these things onto customers, but how many times can one say "No thanks" before going off?

Fortunately, I maintained, was polite and firm with my no's, even though she was making a pest of herself and made me forget to use my coupons.

Since I was in the area of the Tire Place, I popped in to get the tire pressure checked, where the kid on the air station also tried to play me the fool.

I’m sure he’d too had been told to do so by his supervisors …………… If a woman comes in, take advantage of her, turn the free air service into her paying for other services, because he told me I needed to replace the back wiper blade ($20) and have the lug nuts replaced ($80).

Bullcrap, thought I.

I’d just last week taken the car into the dealership for its annual multi-point inspection, and the invoice made no mention of needing a back wiper blade and lug nuts replaced.

So, either the kid at the tire place is fibbing or the dealership is fibbing, or both are lying.

I purchased the Jeep in 2018, have logged in only 15,500 miles. So with so little driving, and definitely not overusing the wiper blades because I don’t drive in the rain, I seriously doubt the blades or lug nuts need changing out; consequently, the tire place is jerking my chain.

On the other hand, because the Jeep came with the last Lifetime Warranty Jeep offered on parts and labor, it is within the realms of possibility the dealership doesn’t want to bother with services for which they will not be able to charge me, so made no mention of either.

Can’t trust anybody anywhere these days, so I googled and learned "Depending on the type of vehicle it is and the age, the lug nuts may need to be replaced anywhere between five and 15 years; As a good rule of thumb, a vehicle's wiper blades will last six to 9 months".

I might pop into the dealership, get the blades changed, but I’m not worried about the lug nuts and wish folks would realize I may be of the elder generation, but that doesn’t mean I’m gullible, and they can run any old game on me.

Meanwhile

Life goes on around the complex, and elsewhere in the world, as I kept thinking thinking thinking of the best way to approach the monkey wrench thrown into next month’s visit to Long Beach or ways around it.

What I've decided is to skip Day 1 of the Festival altogether, so I can enjoy alone time with the babies before the Party. Tell Twin 1 Saturday's a bust because of the Party, that I can stop by her place, spend time with her on Friday, before I check into the hotel, then early breakfast on Sunday, watch the Parade, go together to Day 2 of the Festival.

When that solution popped into my head, the thinking thinking thinking stopped.

Heading out for yesterday morning’s workout, I noticed TinTin had finally removed the dresser drawer from her patio.

How did I miss that?

I was here, inside, all weekend, heard nothing that sounded like furniture being moved.

I checked the dumpster on my way to the car, didn’t see it, so what did she do with it?

Did she move it inside?

What finally prompted her to remove it was probably management getting into trouble with the Inspectors when they (the Inspectors) were on the premises last Thursday doing whatever it is they do.

I didn’t stick around for the Inspection. I used that day to get the Jeep serviced. So, no idea if my unit was inspected.

Returning from the Cave yesterday morning, I ran into the Talker who tells me Not Dead Nancy’s unit was inspected.

Inasmuch as Nancy has been in the hospital for over two months, and her estranged daughters (another dysfunctional family situation) have been going in taking things …… according to Nancy’s next-door neighbor, no telling what the Inspectors found inside that somewhat abandoned unit.

Other than that, I’ve no idea which units were inspected. Only that TinTin moved the dresser from the patio …… after-the-fact, which indicates she probably received a long overdue Lease Violation.

News coming out of the Hush Trial is that Mr. Docket No. 71543 fell asleep during jury selection yesterday.

Social media comments, as was expected, have been brutal ………

Last week's kitchen adventure was Fried Boiled Eggs. I tried various recipes, different spices, had Fried Boiled Eggs for breakfast, lunch, dinner before I moved on.

This week's kitchen adventure is Cabbage Soup, ala Mistress Maddie's recipe.

It was delish and filling with old-fashioned Hot Water Cornbread on the side.

Thanks for the recipe Mistress.