MORE Rambling Raves

Sometimes, a writer gets writer’s block. And sometimes, a raver runs out of raves. But I will do my best. I have a few raves to ramble about today, but they’re relatively minor.

Every day, many of us ponder, “What should we have for dinner?” Why is this a struggle? I’m not sure. Perhaps it’s due to the overwhelming number of options. I remember discussing meal choices with a friend. He mentioned he was not in the mood for Chinese food because he had it yesterday. He then ruled out Mexican food, having had it a few days ago. This illustrates the dilemma we face. Do Chinese individuals eat Chinese food daily? Do Mexicans consume Mexican food every day? Do Americans eat American food every day?

A friend is frustrated about always asking her husband what he wants for dinner. He typically shrugs and says, “Umm, whatever.” One evening, when dinner time arrived, he inquired about what they were having. She shrugged and echoed, “Umm, whatever.” What did they end up having? I’m not sure—I was afraid to ask.

Choosing what to eat shouldn’t be that difficult. I occasionally search online for fresh dinner ideas, but nothing ever catches my eye. The options were always the same: beef, pork, chicken, fish, eggs, salads, and occasionally a bit of lamb. Chop them differently, add a few new spices, and change the cooking method—great!

Some people can’t eat certain foods or just don’t like others, and many are consistently anxious about gaining weight. Lately, I’ve met individuals using the new diet injections that suppress their appetite. While these shots can be expensive, the reduced food intake supposedly results in a lower grocery bill, partially offsetting the cost. Additionally, they face fewer decisions about what to eat.

I need to rave about one aspect of that venerable game of golf: there are different places to tee up your golf ball on each hole. The black tees are farther from the holes for long hitters, the white tees are for average hitters, and the red tees—the closest—are for women. As they age, most golfers cannot hit the ball as far, so as compensation, male golfers are allowed to tee up their balls from one of the closer tees.

Many men switch from black to white tees, and in some instances, they can even go from the white to the red tees. What’s wrong with this picture? Women don’t receive similar consideration as they age! Red is red, and that is that. Is that fair?

Lately, I’ve been feeling down. How can I overcome this? Usually, a trip to Costco would boost my endorphins, but that hasn’t worked recently. Why is that? I recently completed a complex 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle featuring the interior details of a Costco store. Now, when I visit Costco, it feels like I’m inside a live jigsaw puzzle. It’s so unsettling. Who am I? Where am I? I need to escape! I don’t have any puzzles going, which is unusual for me. I’ll be more selective when choosing the subject of my next puzzle.

Reading a good book has always been uplifting for me. So, what’s the problem? Since Hubby started writing novels, I’ve been editing his work. Now, when I read for personal enjoyment, I find myself editing that book! It reminds me of my college days when I had to read for comprehension. That’s okay, though – most of the recommended books I’ve read lately are disappointing. Do I need to lower my standards? I started reading a book last week with a four-and-a-half-star rating but couldn’t finish it. Maybe it’s my age. It went on and on about a man and a woman getting to know each other. Of course, one thing leads to another, but that other thing never happens in this story! Good grief! Get on with it! Boring!

Having a clean house is always a positive experience. I used to do all the cleaning myself, but I can no longer meet my own standards. Now, I have two cleaning ladies who come every other Wednesday. They’re like the Energizer Bunnies—the house is immaculate within two hours. The shower doors shine without a trace of watermarks. I sit in awe, admiring my sparkling, clean home! But then, disappointment struck. Since it was getting chilly, I put on a pair of white socks. After walking around the house, I noticed my socks were dirty—not excessively dirty, but far from white! Yet I saw the cleaning ladies using clean water and mops to wash the floors! What went wrong? I guess the floor doesn’t get as clean with a mop as when I would get down on my hands and knees and scrub it!

A few months back, I attempted it, and it was a disaster. Even wearing knee pads, working on my knees hurt. Wringing out the rag I used also posed a challenge, causing discomfort in my hands and wrists. But the biggest issue was getting back up! However, like most things, there’s a solution: I’ll just wear dark socks from now on!

Still searching for a way to beat the blahs, I resorted again to Google. Yes, many ideas are provided online about how to perk up one’s spirits. First, it said that it’s okay to have the blahs now and then. That’s encouraging. However, I wouldn’t say I liked their ideas: – Write down something you should do and do it – Problem: I don’t want to do anything. Be nice to someone. I’m almost always nice. [Note almost.] I can’t recall the rest; there wasn’t much help there! However, one online suggestion caught my attention and immediate approval: EAT MORE CHOCOLATE!

Our recent election was getting me down. An Australian friend said their citizens laugh at our political shenanigans, but I find it too irritating to see humor in them. I like Mark Twain’s quote: “Politicians and diapers should be changed often for the same reason.”

The Northern rain birds and snowbirds are now returning to our desert. They are excited and joyful as they rave about our 75-degree weather. Most are nearly naked because they are used to much colder temperatures. We desert rats are warmly dressed and still shivering. It’s perfectly reasonable. We’ve undergone a 40-degree drop in temperature! While swimming in the heated community pool with goosebumps, a few scantily clad snowbirds walked by and commented on the perfect weather. Yes, it’s all relative.

Many snowbirds like to remodel their homes, even though the previous owners spent thousands of dollars doing the same thing. Folks like to make their homes their own, and our community is currently overrun with construction vehicles catering to the owner’s whims.

Our neighbors are having their roof repaired. Why do I rave? For one thing, I hear constant pounding and hammering for days. Then, the roof needs to be cleaned before the tiles are reinstalled. How’s that done? With a powerful blower, of course. Years and years of sand have been blowing off the neighbor’s roof into my yard and house, so much so that you can’t see out the window because of the blowing sand. I hadn’t seen this much sand since I visited the Sahara Desert! I hope a few windy days are in the forecast so the sand will blow away, but I don’t know if I want winds that strong.

Speaking of sand, years ago, I put a sandbox in the yard for my son and his little friends to play in. Also, I wanted to look out the window and keep track of what the monsters were doing. One day, I looked out, and a bunch of neighbor kids were playing in the sand. Was my son there? No! He had escaped to parts unknown. After I moved from that home, the parents of those kids weren’t happy – the new owner planted strawberries in the sandbox!

Having a pet supposedly affects one’s mood, but how will that mood change? The other day, a guy was walking around one of our parks with a pet boa constrictor. He must really be desperate for a hug and a squeeze.

A friend told me her son was given four hermit crabs as a birthday gift so he would have pets. Don’t believe me? Just google hermit crabs as pets. They were even voted Pet of the Month once. They are supposed to be low-maintenance, but after reading the many pages describing how to care for them, I don’t think so. No thanks!

The days are getting shorter, holidays are approaching, and daylight savings has ended. No wonder I have the blahs. I think I’ll pour a glass of wine, eat some chocolate, and try to find another jigsaw puzzle that won’t make me dizzy. For dinner, maybe I’ll make hermit crab cakes!

Do you have things to rave about? This is a great spot to do it, and our readers love hearing from you.