The Hard-Knock Life

THE TOP OF THE
CHRYSLER BUILDING.

What a day I had today! It started with breakfast and an online crossword puzzle. Then out for coffee with San Geraldo. I tried "cooking" recently at Café Manila. When Tere was here, she and I went for coffee before San Geraldo was ready. He met us there. While we waited, I actually poured my hot coffee into the ice-filled glass all by myself. Without spilling a drop. Yes. I cooked. Tere said I looked panic-stricken as I did it. And then I thought, "Oh, crap. Now he's going to expect me to do this every day." The next day, I spilled the coffee on myself and the table. San Geraldo is back to pouring.

After my relaxing breakfast and coffee today, the "hard-knock life" began. We stopped at the market for more fruit (and free slices of watermelon for our walk home).

We got home and I folded yesterday's laundry. I washed another load of laundry. I played with the cats. I cleaned bathrooms. I cleaned mirrors and picture frames. I played with the cats some more. I dusted furniture. And we're not even expecting anyone.

I DID IT MYSELF!

I DID THIS MYSELF, TOO.  NO SENSE CRYING OVER SPILLED COFFEE?
(SOMEONE MIGHT THINK I PLANNED IT.)

I gave Dudo some of the new treats San Geraldo picked up. He's very slender. Moose is kind of husky. I was concerned about how we were going to add some girth to Dudo while not adding more to Moose. It turns out, Dudo loves treats. Moose does not. So, that's going much better than I expected.

DUDO, THE LONG DRINK OF WATER.
(AS THEY SAY IN PARTS OF THE USA I'M NOT FROM. OFTEN PRECEDED BY A "HOO WEE!")

WHAT A DAY HE HAD TODAY! AS SEEN THROUGH THE DEN WINDOW.

I washed breakfast dishes. I hung today's laundry to dry. I trimmed and staked the bougainvillea. San Geraldo trimmed and washed plants, and did a whole bunch of work outside. Then he made a delicious salad for lunch. Lettuce, chicken, tomato, avocado, papaya, almonds. It could have fed eight. There's none left.

THIS IS WHAT SAN GERALDO CALLS A LUNCH SALAD. (HE HAD ONE JUST LIKE IT.)

I washed lunch dishes. I then polished the terrace railings. I finished with a half-hour of Spanish study.

THE RAILINGS NOW SHINE LIKE THE TOP OF THE CHRYSLER BUILDING.

OK, the above-described work didn't begin until after noon. It was all done (including the one-hour lunch break and playing with the cats) by 4:30. Maybe I should review the meaning of "hard knocks." (My father always told me that was the school he went to.)