Nothing in particular

Today is sunny and cold. We did not get the amount of snow that had been forecast – fortunately, so the driveway and front walk are passable.

The spouse is cooking, I don’t much now, did for years and years and when it was down to the two of us it got to the point I got tired of the complaints and “retired” from the kitchen.

Turns out it was probably a good thing since I was not the one doing the grocery shopping, the lists provided were either forgotten or ignored and when plans for a dish or meal were left in shambles without the required ingredients there was cause for complaint. So now the spouse continues to do the shopping but only gets a few items I request – usually while wandering the store while on the phone with me and that’s usually rather comic.

“I’m in the bread aisle.”

“Grab a loaf of pumpernickel.”

“I’m past there.”

“Go back and grab one. It’s not like you’re across the store.”

“Okay, got it.”

Long silence with store and cart noises for a minute or so.

“I was thinking.”

“Okay, and?”

“Rolls.”

“What?”

“Rolls, I forgot to grab them.”

“Are you still in the bread aisle?”

“No, I have to go back.”

And on through the store he goes, going back to various aisles even though he keeps saying he doesn’t want to go back.

“Did you get the things I asked for?”

“Not yet.”

“You’ll have to go back to get them.”

“I don’t feel like it.”

“Then why didn’t you get them while you were where the items were?”

“I was talking to you.”

“No, you weren’t. Most of the time you weren’t on the phone, it was sitting in the cart. I could hear the wheel squeak and the canned music in the background.”

“I was thinking.”

“Please, would you go get those items?”

“Oh, all right. I’ll be home soon.”

There are variants on the phone calls from the stores. Sometimes they are more spouse thinking out loud than conversations, I only have to grunt once in awhile for those and they usually occur while spouse is in a home improvement store hunting for some small part or fastener. I used to go along on those expeditions, they were long, the whole place had to be traversed several times. I can’t walk and stand that long anymore and the last time I used the electric cart it took three of them and hours to get done and decided it was silly to go with him anymore. So now it’s virtual, sort of, since he can’t send me video (thank heavens).

A lot of work still going on around the building, it keeps spouse busy and out of trouble, except for his home improvement store expeditions – they take even longer when he’s alone. I just heard the car leave – know where he’s off to.