My Mother, the Sadist

Many of you know that I have been following a low carbohydrate diet. What that means to me is: no sugar, no wheat, no potatoes, no rice ... you get the idea.

So I sent Mom out for pork rinds (ZERO carbs!) and she comes back with two, two I say, different kinds of cookies and Scoops (tiny corn chip bowls). I tried to yell at her, but she smiled sweetly and said, "You have your snacks and I need mine."  Sigh.

Actually, the previous paragraph is strictly tongue in cheek because while I like the idea of a cookie (or six), I don't really care to eat one.

Mom's Plant Looking at Purple Flowers

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Have I told you that my kids are the best in the world? While Mom was out getting her hair done (and buying cookies!), the doorbell rang and a delivery man handed me a package. "I think it's wine," he said as I signed. Mom opened it and we discovered that Debbie had sent her a bottle of Jack Daniels.  And Mom was encouraged to share it "if needed." And guess what? There are ZERO carbs in Jack Daniels!! I guess I know what I'll be sipping with "Billionaire" after supper tonight!

Mom and I have reached detente so the JD will be shared in convivial circumstances. If she says something that ticks me off, I wait a while and compose what I'm going to say. We clear the air. If I do something that ticks Mom off, she tells me right away and I pretend to not be annoyed.  We both know what's happening, but we can live with it.

The Hummingbirds Constantly Check Out Many of these Flowers but They Don't Seem to Drink Anything Here

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Today's Lunch

Mom and I have been binge watching "Billionaire" which is a Showtime production starring Damien Lewis and Paul Giamatti. (I don't get Showtime at home.) Axe (Lewis) is married to one of the blondes who used to be on Law and Order and I can't remember her name to save my life.

Anyway, I have liked both guys' work for a long time and I'm enjoying this show. Although I must admit to feigning large yawns at the beginning of season one, episode one.  Axe was explaining stock trading and shorts and margins and the whole nine yards. While it was clearly understandable, I didn't care. Mom said, "They are trying to show you how smart he is -- it will get better." Well, it really did get better because there is a lot of drama. It's also great to see a portrayal of "life styles of the rich and famous" who do things such as order a Philly cheese steak flown in from Philadelphia to NYC for lunch -- for the whole company. Or, at the spur of the moment Axe decides to take his private jet and 3 friends to Canada for a performance of Metallica.

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And, yes, the above picture is yesterday's sunrise. I was actually up before sunrise today (still on Eastern time), but I was reading FB and didn't go out for more pictures. This is shot just outside of Mom's front door. The white gate on the right is the pool. (Big grin.)

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I got to see George, the dog, yesterday. He's still big and black and furry.  He always greets you by lunging on the leash and barking in a basso profundo voice. His owner, Eric and I had a nice chat. Eric and his partner, Paul, have been really great friends and a help to Mom. Eric is quite handy, especially since he's tall and can change recessed light bulbs without a ladder!

Mom and I met a man in the pool yesterday who rode his motorcycle all the way from Washington state! It took him four days. But yesterday and the day before, we had very high winds. He got into one pass where the winds were 50 mph and he said he was very scared. In fact, he said, it felt like he was riding on the rim of the tire because the wind was pushing him so far over on the bike. He said he was blown across the two lanes on a two lane road a couple of times. He added that when he got into his place in PS, it was time for two G and T's! His wife will be joining him next week. His wife is still working and he just retired and she had no interest -- so he went to Cuba himself!

I would love to go to Cuba! He said Old Havana is like what it used to be (probably when Papa Hemingway went there). But Havana was built up around 1957 and it was after the Communist revolution so it's very dowdy.

Okay, that's all I have. It's almost 3 p.m. and I'm going out to the pool. We're going out for Chinese food with friends and I need time to wash the chlorine off. (Big grin.) Ciao!