Even Felix Unger gets tired!

the Hanukkah table...

   Folks laugh at me alot for being such a Felix Unger.  It's even funnier now that I'm married to an Oscar Madison.  If any of you don't recognize these names, you are either terribly young, or you are old enough to have forgeotten the names of "The Odd Couple",  first a Broadway play, then a long-lasting TV show starring Tony Randall as Felix and Jack Klugman as Oscar.  Tony was a neat freak to the point of OCD (Obsessive-Compulsion Disease), and Oscar was an absolute slob. Now, I'm not quite as obsessive as Felix, and Moshe isn't quite the slob that Oscar was, but it still makes for some interesting moments... 
     Most of the time, we are able to just shake our heads over each others' oddities, and we even laugh out loud over God's great cosmic joke of putting together two people at such opposite ends of this particular pole... Most of the time.  I  try to leave the odd little items where Moshe sets them, and he tolerates my putting things away before he was really finished with them.   We joke about our differences...
     For example, the other day, I glanced into the dining room.  I have it decorated for Hanukkah with royal blue, white, and gold.  I have candles, an angel, stars of David,  Gelt, the Hannukiah, etc.  When I glanced into the room, I saw a small object of royal blue;  I got kind of excited, thinking that Moshe had either found or purchased some little item to add to the Hanukkah decor.  Upon closer inspection, the royal blue was the handle of a screw driver he had set down on the handiest flat surface.  I found him in another room and thanked him profusely for his "decorating assistance".  We both got a good laugh.  And, that's the way it usually goes... I LOVE a good laugh, and I am well-known as someone who laughs more than 'most-anybody else.

One of the Hanukkah gift baskets...

        WELL... Saturday morning we were preparing to go visit friends out-of-town.  (Yes!  We went down the mountain!)  The day before, I had selected my outfit, had everything laid out in the bathroom - towel and washcloth,  underwear,  clothes, jewelry, makeup, even two choices of barrettes for my hair.  I had also gathered several canned goods (relishes, jams) to take to the party, made a platter of cookies, prepared gift baskets for our friends, and prepared a big pan of macaroni and cheese - ready to pop in the oven Saturday and take "down the mountain" in my insulated Pampered Chef casserole carrier....  Good plan, huh?
     Meanwhile, Oscar, uh, I mean Moshe had set his wet rubber gardening shoes by the back door.  It had been rainy for a couple days, and they just never seemed to get dry... On a whim (I guess!?!) , he placed them in the gas oven so that the pilot light would help dry them out.  Good plan, huh?
     Teamwork.  Always teamwork.  I come along about 30 minutes later and turn on the oven to preheat so that I can bake the Mac and Cheese,  timing everything just right so that it will stay as warm as possible on the trip to our friends' house....  A few moments later,  we both smell this incredible burnt-rubber stench which has permeated the entire house.  (Oh, by the way, did I mention that I had a migraine that morning???  This always adds to the joy of this type of event.)   I walked up the hall to the kitchen, and found Moshe very solemnly studying the wood stove;  he said he was worried that something was burning in there that wasn't supposed to be... I followed my nose, walked over to the oven, and - voila - the stench of the rubber garden shoes got even stronger.   Like I said, teamwork, always teamwork...  Good plan, huh?
     Okay, so I aired out the kitchen, ran the exhaust fan,  put the Mac and Cheese into the oven, set the timer, and continued getting myself ready for the trip.   It worked out just right... by the time I was ready, the timer went off.  I took some of the stuff out to the Jeep.  (Did I mention I had a migraine?  Oh, and, did I mention it was pouring rain?)  The back yard was flooded - about an inch deep or so.  Fortunately, I'd had the foresight to put my good shoes in the Jeep, and wear work shoes for the "transfer process".  One box of stuff was too big for me to fit in the Jeep by myself, so I went to get Moshe...  Good plan, huh?
     Uh-oh.  He was sitting at his computer, calmly reading blogs.  I told him it was time to go... (Ummm, did I mention that I had a migraine?)  He went to the closet, fetched out some MUDDY shoes, and started washing them off - in my kitchen sink!  (Did I mention that when the timer went off was when we were supposed to LEAVE?)  Okay, after my meltdown, Moshe got the last big box of stuff into the Jeep.  We were a bit damp, but we were ready to roll... Oh, except for the fact that Moxie got into the Jeep and Moshe had to physically haul her out...  By the time he got her out and scolded her pretty good, his clothes were fairly wet.

   We drove down the driveway, only to discover that Moxie was chasing us.  She is very adamant about wanting to join us on any and all car trips. Moshe backed up, got out of the Jeep, scolded Moxie, told her to "Stay".  She sat down.  We drove.  She followed.  This persisted  six or seven times.  (Did I mention it was pouring rain?)    I kept saying, "Oh, just let her run after us; she'll give up eventually."  But, Moshe said, "No, she's got to learn who the Alpha Dog is."  By the sixth or seventh time, Moshe was soaking wet, not to mention furious with Moxie.  He got in, drove a bit, and said, "Well, at least she isn't following any more."  Just then, we spotted her happily running alongside the Jeep... ("Daddy, Daddy!  Can we play that game some more???)  We kept driving.   Ah, teamwork.  Even the dog is helping the team...

     So, we went to the party... had a wonderful time.  My headache lessened enough that I could enjoy the get-together,  even sing a couple solos...  We came home that same night...still pouring rain.  The next day was regroup and recoup;  we were both fairly worn out, but got alot of necessary work done.  The rain stopped and some very frigid weather arrived in its place.  Temps down in the teens.
    Yesterday, I got up at 3:30AM... drove down the mountain AGAIN!  My little Mommy had surgery yesterday, and, of course, I went to be there...  The surgery was supposed to start at 8:15, but got delayed until 9:45.  I stayed until about 2 PM to make sure eveything was okay, then headed back up the mountain... That's alot of road-time for a homebody like me!   Got home around 5 PM, and could barely hold my head up during supper.
     Today I, the compulsive member of the household, am tired.  Dirty dishes? Too bad.  Floor needs sweeping?  Oh, well.  Laundry piling up?  It'll keep.  Even Felix Unger gets tired some time.
             Shalom Y'all - Twyla