More

I awoke this morning to more snow.  I didn't order more snow.  I didn't want more snow.  It was only a couple inches of the stuff but I had an assistant arriving so I had to go out to shovel the driveway.  Once I get out there I don't mind it so much but it's a real struggle to get up the gumption to go out and tackle the job.

This morning a guy from the Water Department came to change the meter, as they do every 20 years, and he discovered that in the interim someone (not me, not us) had reconfigured the piping so the new meter didn't fit in the space available.  Which meant I had to call my plumber, who luckily was at home three blocks from here and wasn't busy, to come over immediately to replace part of the pipe for $105 that I hadn't intended to have to shell out today.  In my heart of hearts, I think that the Water Dept. people should have to pay because they're the ones with the meter problem and they're the ones who had to change it out but you and I both know that will never happen.  Turned out that the Water Dept. guy knows my plumber so it was a little old home week as a bonus.



In today's mail came a USB drive (OJ calls them UPSB drivers) with a curated selection Lala's Yellowstone pictures.  It was fun flipping through them, reliving our fun vacation in the wild west.  We did have a good time and saw some amazing things.






14 January--Barbara Malcolm, Spies Don't Retire. 

Dawn light sparkled on the light chop as the boats slowly motored to the dock.  The snorkelers talked in low voices about their night on the island and what their wives would say. 

“Do you think they will be at the dock?” Dimitri asked.  No one had to ask who “they” were, every man was certain that his wife would be the maddest when they got to shore. 

“Sonia will have called the Coast Guard, I’m sure of that,” George said. 

Dimitri nodded. “I am wondering why they didn’t find us first,” he said. 

George shook his head.  “Maybe they called Franz who said he would be coming to find us and would call if he needed help.” 

Dimitri shook his head and covered his face with his hands.  “Irina will have decided that you sabotaged the boat to interrogate me in peace.” 

George snorted. “And Sonia will think the same. We must confess, Dimitri. We have to tell them the truth.” He rubbed the back of his neck to work out a crick. “I’m tired of sneaking around like I’m having an affair.  I’m retired, you’re retired, let’s write reports on each other saying that we are harmless and blameless, that we refuse to be drawn back into their paranoia.”

“Our wives or our handlers?” Dimitri asked. 

George looked him in the eyes and said, “Both. I’m too old for this foolishness.”

“Me too.”

Guess what?  It's supposed to snow again tomorrow and probably over the weekend.  I can hardly contain myself.  On a happier note, I spoke with Walgreen's about being double billed for my flu shot and was told to ignore the bill.  Then I said I was surprised to be charged for it at all and she said she was too.  She'll bill Medicare and send me a refund check when they pay up.  So that'll cover half of today's outlay...
--Barbara