Random on Three Days

Wednesday:
The weather is almost delightful! A sweater and long pants is all that was needed today. It's chilly at 51 degrees but it feels good. I prefer this chill over the summer heat here and I'm not complaining.

The daughter, Carrie and I headed to the mall today to look for a pair of shoes for Ted. It's not a 'need' but a 'want' so it was a Christmas shopping event we embarked on. We ended up having lunch at the mall, not finding the shoes we were seeking and returning home without accomplishing much. Lunch was yummy.

Fruitcake? I've heard a lot of jokes related to this holiday dessert. I'm not afraid to admit it here.  I like fruitcake. Pat, my friend at the corner loves to bake and a few days ago she made a fruitcake. She has been drenching it in bourbon and today I stopped by for a slice she promised to save for me. I'm not a big bourbon drinker but if you choose to mix it up with same candied fruit, flour, eggs and lots of sugar, I can handle  me some bourbon.
 Eggnog and fruitcake are my biggest clues that Christmas is approaching. There will be no white Christmas but there will be lots of spiked drinks, cakes and cookies that aren't seen all year long. Divinity makes it's appearance on the shelves at the stores. I feel about Divinity the way others feel about fruitcakes. It's not a sweet that I crave.
Thursday: 
I have been lax in posting.

Carrie spent the night and is now awake and watching her morning cartoons. We're hoping for some warm temps today so we can go bike riding. I haven't been on my bike for days now and I miss the exercise. Maybe later?
Later I headed to Walmart instead and it wasn't on that bike. I'm cruising around the store, my cell phone to my ear, when someone sneaks up behind me and wraps their arms around my thighs. Surprised? Well, yes, just a little. I spun around and heard a giggle and Carrie saying "See Poppy, I told you we would find her!"
Carrie had convinced Poppy she needed a toy so they headed to Walmart shortly after I left the house. Carrie spied my car in the parking lot and convinced Poppy it was my car? She said "check the back seat to see if my car seat is there" and "hey, look, there is my jacket" and ..look! there is the crease Nana put in the car when she hit the mailbox. Boy, was she pissed."
Ok, little girl. You convinced him already. You can stop with the stories, especially the one about the mailbox.
My company was not wanted by Carrie. She took her Poppy's hand and led him away saying "It's Me and Poppy time" "we don't want you."
Had I been a sensitive sort, I would have been devastated. Instead I recognize freedom when it is handed to me, so I wheeled that cart in the opposite direction and fled.
Later when they arrived home, Carrie found me to deliver a bit of news. She said "Poppy was talking to a lady at the store."  "Really?' I said "and was she a really young lady?"
"Nah, Nana, she was old and she hugged him."
I'm wondering what defines "old" to a 5yr child. All the time she was sharing this with me she was keeping her eyes on her Poppy  to gauge his mood. Did she expect fireworks to erupt from the story she had just told?  No tense moments here. The husband occasionally runs into people he worked with when he worked for Baker Hughes. Usually they are happy to see him. We had to explain to Carrie that these were old friends he knew. I told her there were selective FEW that Poppy could hug and all of them must be wearing lots of clothing and not carrying dollar bills in a skimpy belt at the waist. I'm not sure she understood the reference but she nodded with a serious look on her face and Poppy just smiled.
Sarcarsm doesn't work well on a 5yr old. We moved on to other things.