Bad Penny

I can't believe it. It can't be happening. But it is.

We took Bonnie to Ocean City, Maryland on the 28th and 29th. She loved it. She had never seen the Atlantic Ocean, or a boardwalk. She enjoyed it all.

Today, June 30th, we took her to the airport at 4:30 PM. Said goodbye. She cried. She said again and again what a wonderful time she had had with us. She's sweet.

On the way home, my husband said that he had missed me, and I said I had missed him. We have been together of course, but with Bonnie...well, it's all Bonnie, all the time. Anyway, we stopped and ate dinner, and came home. Sat down, watched the news.

Then at 7:00 PM, the phone rings. It's Bonnie. She's still at the airport. Mechanical problems have cancelled her flight. So, my freedom was short lived. Back to the airport we went, picked her up, and here she is.

She has a flight at 8:40 AM tomorrow, so I get to go to the airport again. She's just like a bad penny. *sigh* *sniff*

More travels with Bonnie

On Sunday I took Bonnie and daughter formerly known as Lucinda Sans to see Ghosts of the Abyss. This is a 3-D movie shown at an IMAX theater. It's about the Titanic. There was also a Titanic artifact exhibiton at the museum connected to the theater. Pretty good, not great. Came home and collected my husband, then went out for Mexican food.

Today, dddragon and her twins went with us to a Barbeque place called Memphis Blues. Good food. We always wonder if we're good customers, now that we "know" Jevanking.

Tomorrow EARLY my husband and I are taking Bonnie to Ocean City, Maryland. It turns out that Bonnie has never seen the Atlantic. I figure that's just wrong. She leaves on Thursday. Somehow I had thought that it was Friday. I made the reservations myself, which just proves how forgetful I am. So the end is in sight.

The BAS system actually includes throat clearing. Thanks to Lazy Iguana for the BAS acronym.

So it's dry sniff, sniff, clear throat, sniff, sniff...RUN.

 

Boring stuff...what did you expect?

Friday I took sister Bonnie to City Island. We walked the entire island. The scenery is very lovely, and of course, she loved it.

Later we went out for Chinese food. We drove up the river just for the view.

Saturday we took a tour of the Commonwealth's Capitol Building. Bonnie was properly impressed by this wonderful building. I've seen a LOT of capitol buildings, and I've never seen one any nicer than this one. There are some that rival it on the outside, but none that IMHO are as impressive inside. YOUKNOWWHATIMEAN?

We ate at the Fire House on Second St. Nice. Thanks, Lucinda for the gift certificate (Or whatever the heck you are calling yourself now. It's not nice to fool your mother that way.)

Bonnie loved everything. YouknowwhatI'msayin'?

 

Just shoot me

Okay. I know that things could be worse. How much worse I could stand, I don't know. Bonnie follows me around. Constantly. When I'm in the computer room, she opens the closed door and says, "Ha! I tracked you down!" giggle. She's taken to getting up at the crack of dawn, and will not go to bed until I've retired for the evening.

Good news is that she sniffs all the time. Dry sniff. Habit she's had ALL of her life. She's two years older than I am, so I've heard this sniff my entire life. Doesn't bother me. Nice little alert system. I can sometimes make a dash into a bathroom when I hear the sniff approach. Works for me.

Five and a half days left.

 

Travel with my sister

I took my sister Bonnie to Baltimore's Inner Harbor today. dddragon and her older (by one minute) twin went with us. (Younger-by-one-minute twin is at camp.)

Bonnie talked the hour and a half it took to drive to Baltimore, but it was bearable because I drove and didn't have to carry the entire burden of listening and nodding. dddragon was a big help. Grandtwin played one of those games...Gameboy or like that...never opened her mouth on the way down there. That's okay. I'm proud of her for not rolling her eyes even once. Well, I didn't see her roll her eyes. She might have been. I was driving as I said. Coulda been some eye rolling. Never know.

Bonnie and dddragon got into a small argument about whether or not it's okay for a man to wear a kilt in a workplace. dddragon has a co-worker who occasionally does that. Also, she has a co-worker who, while in the process of a sex change, dressed in women's clothing. Bonnie almost had a heart attack. I don't want Bonnie having a heart attack. She wouldn't be able to go home. Can't have that. No siree. YaknowwhatImean? YaknowwhatImsayin?

We raised our children to believe in the inherent worth and dignity of every person. I'm proud of dddragon for taking the stand that it's perfectly fine for a man to wear a kilt or a dress if he choses to. But I absolutely, positively, cannot have ol' Bonnie getting sick here! Nope. Wouldn't be prudent.

Half of Bonnie's conversation is, "You know what I mean?" said as quickly as possible, and one fourth is, "You know what I'm sayin?" also said very quickly. This leaves just one-fourth for pointing out everything. I mean everything. "Pretty flowers." "There's a cow." "That's an old building." "Ya'll have some real old buildings up here." "My stars, I never saw such old buildings." "There's another old building."

Apparently we have a couple of old buildings in the south central PA/northern MD area.

But the good news is that Bonnie loved the National Aquarium. It is a wonderful place and she appreciated it. Every step of it. She loved it over and over.

We ate at the Cheesecake Factory. Had a yummy meal. Bought postcards for Bonnie to send, took pictures, etc. Great weather. Bonnie didn't talk as much on the way home. She nodded off.

I love Bonnie. I truly wish that I liked her better.

 

Survival strategy

My sister Bonnie follows me around in the house...talking. She says "You know what I mean?" constantly. Sometimes she will vary it a little, "You know what I'm sayin'?" She's from Memphis. VERY southern accent. Cute in small doses. Bonnie has NO SMALL doses. She ends each statement with, "but, um"... So that she never is finished talking.

So I'm developing some strategies.

Strategies for survival: sleeping 16 hours a day - sudden bouts of constipation and/or diarrhea that require hours in the bathroom - relay teams of friends/family who call me frequently - movie marathons - visions of how wonderful it will be when two weeks is over - mentally composing chapters in a David Sedaris type novel I will write - arm twisting dddragon and Lucinda to take relief shifts - giving thanks I don't live with her permanently - realization that I probably don't need to listen or answer to most of the chatter - seeing myself on the isle of Capri at some future date.

Bonnie is a good person. However, she is so nervous that she will make YOU nervous too. She calls home to her family several times a day to be sure that they know exactly when to go to the bathroom, and how much toilet paper to use. Her husband has stopped answering the phone. She has even called the neighbors to see what her family is up to. Amazing.

My two sisters who have died always avoided Bonnie at all costs. And here I PAID to have Bonnie come up here. Talk about amazing! But I think dying to avoid Bonnie was going too far. I used to just MISS my sisters. Now I'm pretty annoyed to be left with this one. I gotta talk to them...in my head...about this.

Just another day

I took the good advice that some of you have given me and took my sister to a movie today. Saw Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
My husband says that it's good at first, and then just gets too silly. My sister loved it. She loves everything.

I agree with my husband... sort of. It starts out well, but then gets pretty silly. Still I enjoyed it. I was in the mood for silly. And I was in the mood for NO TALKING. A miracle did occur. Bonnie doesn't talk during a movie! Nice surprise. I like that in a movie-watcher. My husband doesn't talk during movies either, so I was a happy camper.

Now both of them are asking "When are we going to eat" So, bye.

 

Chocolate World Entrance 

A day at Hershey

Today my husband and I took Bonnie (my sister) to Hershey Chocolate World and then to the Hershey Gardens.

She loves everything. She really enjoyed the Chocolate World tour. I bought tee shirts for her to take home to her grandchildren. Naturally, when you are in Hershey, you eat CHOCOLATE. Boy, I do love chocolate!

The Gardens are in wonderful bloom. Acres and acres of beautiful flowers, most especially roses. No way to describe it. Again, she loved it. We also saw the butterfly exhibit. They are so light and airy, and they flutter all around you.

Temperature was just right. Bonnie talked a lot as usual, but I dealt with it better. Just smiled a lot.

My head hurts, my EARS hurt...

Only 11 days to go. I can do it. I invited my sister here. I paid for her ticket to fly here. I knew she talked non-stop. Okay. I asked for it. I can do this. Yes I can.

But it ain't easy friends.

She's a good person. A sweet person. But oh, boy, she must be afraid that if she stops talking that her lips will grow shut. No danger of that!

Today I took her hiking at the lovely nature trail at Wildwood Park. She thought it was beautiful. She's very appreciative of everything.