How do I begin my day? Grumpy, groggy, giddy, bleary, resentful – and two other sleepy dwarves. I know it beats the alternative but, as W.C. Fields so wisely put it, “All things considered, I’d rather be in Philadelphia bed.”
First of all, my morning usually starts about 1:00 P.M. To mind the house, the wife, the pets, deliveries and phone calls, the son and I balance two odd shifts. I stay up till 5 AM. The son works a midnight shift, gets home at 8 AM, and, him going to bed at 1 PM usually wakes me up.
Occasionally, for things like doctors’ appointments, I might arise somewhat earlier. One day, after making sure that both sets of plumbing still work, I came down when the son was still up. He remarked that, for at least the first half-hour, I was like a whirling dervish, or my hero, Taz, the cartoon Tasmanian Devil, never still for a second.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but the wife is not known for finishing tasks. Doors and drawers gape partly open, waiting to be damaged, or to smash unwary knees, elbows or heads. Dishes that could be in the dishwasher, or soaking in the sink, sit on the cupboard. Food scraps sit beside – or occasionally on – the compost container.
The son often empties one of the two containers of iced tea in the fridge, so there is iced tea to be made. Dogs want out…. Dogs want in. Their kibble bowl needs to be topped up. Their water bowl needs to be scoured and refilled. Cat kibble dish needs to be filled. Soft cat food needs to be put out, and yesterday’s dried-on dish needs to be soaked and washed. Apparently I’m the only one who knows how to do these things. And let’s not forget the kitty-litter tray in the basement.
I try to start my informal to-do list by taking a thyroid pill. My metabolism runs a bit slow. It’s one reason I gain weight. I’m supposed to take it on an empty stomach, and wait a half-hour for absorption. Finally, I can take seven more pills, of 6 different medications/supplements – a general anti-pain pill, an antihistamine because of dogs and cats, two Vitamin D pills, because of my vampire lifestyle, one Vitamin C for general health, a pill to stop further prostate enlargement, and a maintenance dose of Cialis to improve blood flow to help it work.
I don’t think it’s fair. Like many older males, I got an enlarged prostate, which interferes with achieving an erection or orgasm. So the doctor put me on a medication, the side effects of which are to impede the ability to achieve an erection or orgasm! I asked my doctor to do something to lower my sex drive. She says that, at my age, it’s all up in my head. I told her, “That’s why I want you to lower my sex drive.”
At last, I can begin to think of making myself some lunch, but often the wife will request that I make her something first. She’s only been downstairs three or four hours, but she’s been far too busy checking Facebook, or playing Words With Friends, to make something herself. She once asked me to take her somewhere she’s never been…. So I showed her the kitchen! 😛 🙄
Finally, the sprint is run. The race is won. At last I have time to sit and relax, and perhaps read my newspaper and solve the word jumble, and do the crossword puzzle. Let’s see, six down…. Constantly occupied – in 4…. = BUSY. 😉 😀