Overkill
Packaging and I are in a fight. We almost always are, because it is just so flipping difficult to get anything opened when you have arthritis in your hands. Even using scissors, it seems like the task is near impossible. But that’s not why we’re in a fight this time. Today it’s because, was it really necessary that the one – ONE – battery for my telephone (a battery that measures 2-1/2 x 2-1/4 inches needed to be packed into a box that measures 10 x 7 x 5-1/2 inches? Perhaps they use such a big box for some judicious reason, but I can’t think of it. I also can’t think why it annoys me so….

Up, Up, Up
And speaking of being annoyed (boy, I guess this is going to be one of those crabby get off my lawn kinds of posts today), I spent yesterday morning trying to figure out what the cost of my insurance will look like next year. The price – already horrendous – went up once again, which was no surprise. I will say that this year at least, the cost increase was slightly lower than my 2 percent salary increase, bringing my net increase to about two bucks more a month. That won’t even buy me a cup of coffee these days. My main struggle this time is with my dental insurance. That cost didn’t go up, but I got to thinking about how much more I spend on dental insurance than I would pay outright to the dentist without insurance for my semiannual checkup and cleaning. Of course, just about the time I decide to forgo dental insurance, I will bite into a popcorn kernel and will break a tooth. The truth is, I’m not much of a gambler. And the paperwork? It’s so complicated! When will Obamacare start making my insurance life easier?

Birthday Boy
I told Bill yesterday morning that he was king for the day, meaning he got to choose any and all activities for his birthday. What’s more, I promised him if he chose to work on his little car all day, I wouldn’t complain. Shockingly, he chose NOT to go to the gym; he chose a slice of pizza from our neighborhood joint for lunch, and chicken-parm-you-taste-so-good from one of our favorite Italian restaurants for dinner. Check out the size of this slice…..

The McLains (minus Adelaide, who is Washington, DC, on a school trip) came over after dinner for cake and ice cream. As I do every year, I told Bill I would make him any kind of cake he desired. He always chooses a chocolate cake, and so I was kind of surprised this year when he chose an ice cream sandwich cake. The cake is super simple to make, simply stacking store-bought ice cream sandwiches in a criss cross pattern, with whipped cream and whatever else you choose between the layers…..I chose Heath bar, caramel and hot fudge……

He was happy to be with half of his kids and three-ninths of his grandkids. The others telephoned him from afar…..

Ciao.