Momma’s Pizza

Momma’s Pizza is a wonderful little pizzeria in FortWorth, Texas. They serve an amazing mug of cold beer. I do not really like beer. There are only two places that I will order beer and this is one of them. The mug is so cold that the foam on the beer freezes. It is amazing and goes great with their made to order pizza.

My favorite pizza is pepperoni and fresh mushroom. The crust is thin but not crispy. It is there to basically hold all the ingredients in one place. The ingredients are fresh and there are plenty of them. Today I noticed a sprinkling of pepper. It was really good.

The edge of the pizza is the best part. It is thick ad breads and golden brown. They dredge it in garlic butter. It is intense. I am not really fond of eating alone but I made an exception today. It was well worth it.

Momma’s Pizza is more than good food. It was good times. The high school band would meet there after the game and we would eat pizza for hours before going out to Tee Pee the drum major’s house. I also remember meeting my college sailing class there after we had to take our finals in the rain. I got an Avon that final because I demonstrated properly how to flip about back over using the centerboard. It was also where Chuck and I went on one of our first dates. He kept trying to impress me with the symphony and high dollar steak houses and I asked one day if we could go bowling, eat pizza, have a cold beer,and grab some cookies at Central Market. Good times for sure.

Momma’s pizza also represents my comfort food. My step-father Harry, whomI adored, would take me out for pizza and beer if I made it home from dates before curfew. I would tell my dates I had to hurry home for my next date.They would laugh when they heard it was with my father. The day we buried Harry I stopped of at Momma’s Pizza for pizza and a draft in a mug.

Today I was on my way home from being with Chuck at the hospital. His mental state is not very good. I spent the afternoon shaving him. It was a very intimate experience. It calmed him. On my way home I stopped in for pizza and a draft. I felt instant gratification. That is what makes me a foodie. just thought I would share.

Growing Old is not Easy

It has been an awful few weeks. My best friend, Lover, and Husband of the past 11 years has suffered from epilepsy. We did not have a clue he had it. We thought he had a stroke in December of last year but now it is more involved. I have spent the last two weeks at the hospital with him. I am not sure what comes next.

I am lucky that I still have a job. I recently got a contract position with an aircraft part supplier. They are so kind that they told me my position is still there for me. I am not making any money with them at the present but I will manage. I do have some retirement funds coming in.

I am using this time to set up an Etsy shop. I go to the hospital in the morning and stay until the afternoon. I then go home and instead of sitting in my room and crying, I am making myself useful and productive. It will be an adventure in media marketing for me.

I will not go into great detail about my husband’s illness. I am able to share many things in my life that are very personal but at the current time this illness is just too painful for me. I adore my husband and over the past week I have been deeply saddened by his condition. My heart is breaking into millions of pieces. Later I will be able to share more on this subject but it is just too real right now.

Soooo, I am having to learn to survive both mentally and financially. This can be done. I will share my journey with you guys if you are interested. If you have any questions or comments feel free to share.

TGIF . . . NOT

So I am on the second Friday of my post retirement job. I went ahead and took a contract position because I am not structured at this point in life to make the corporate ladder climb. Any hoooos, I went to work on Friday.

When I arrived my co worker and trainer, who is a very personable and likable ex gang member, wishes me a happy day with a pleasant greeting, I replied stating that I was going to apply a positive outlook to the day to make it go by quicker. I then proceeded to opening my Coke and it spurted all over my desk, paperwork, etc, Cleanup on isle 88.

One of the ladies that works with us came by and said good morning, We asked if she had big weekend plans. She stated she was going after work to get her step son out of CPS. She told us her and her husband had been through multiple testings including hair follicle drug testing, They were remaining clean and were getting their children back. I told her I wished the best for her family.

My trainer and I worked diligently and steadily making the day go by. We took our lunch break in our cars listening to our radios and making needed personal calls. The Texas heat is rough and it takes a long time for our cars to cool down.

We continued the work day. My co worker leaves at 2:45. He came back into the building and told us to call 911. The recovering addict was passed out in her car. I went out to her car to see if I could help. A woman told me the girl had no pulse. I checked and felt none. her skin had already started changing colors. I started CPR. The ambulance arrived. They took over and told me she had already passed away. The police came and marked off the area as a crime scene. They took a statement. It is considered a homicide until proven otherwise.

I wrote out a statement for work. I talked to a few people about the incident. I asked permission to go home. I drove away from the parking lot. Her lifeless body was lying on a backboard covered by a sheet on that hot Texas concrete.

Today sucked.

Retirement . . . Not Yet

So I am 56.5 years old. I thought I was ready to retire. My accountant told me to retire. My husband has retired. I just can’t do it. So last week I went back to work.

It does not really matter what I do or what I get paid. It is interesting to have the freedom to just work at whatever and not to be stressed at climbing the corporate ladder.

I have no need to be the alpha. I just want to go to work, sit in my chair, do my work, and go home at the end of the day. We shall see what happens.

Fly Little Sparrows

I hear the young adults stirring in the other room. I hear the sound of their babies crying. I hear furniture being moved. These are heartbreaking noises. These noises are like the sound a mother bird hears as her young flaps it’s wings on the edge of the nest. Oh little birds please do not break a wing.

The girl has told me that Wednesday will be moving day. She let me know that the real grandmother will be watching the babies while she and my son make the big move. Small digs to let me know she has already replaced me. I am not offended at the thought of some one watching the babies but more so the intent of the comment.

We have discussed what items are to go and what is to stay. She has confiscated some of my favorite throws. I am a recovering blanket baby. I do not want them returned. They are in a room with three dogs that share their bed. I have seen and smelt my dryer when she washes her linens.

My demented husband and I are hulled up in our room for this great fiasco. I do not want to find any reason to be angry or petty over personal belongings. I know that if I go out into the general population I will find something to say wrong. I want this to be a day of celebration and independence for them as well as for myself and my husband.

My heart breaks at not getting my morning hugs and kisses from our sweet granddaughters. If I had my way all the grandchildren would live here. LOL. I cannot be selfish and hinder my sons growth out of my own concerns.

They are scared. They have been making a budget all week. They are pretty fragile but my prayers go with them. I just go back to my favorite song line. His eye is on the sparrow and I know he watches me.

Ice Cream

Who does not love ice cream? I adore it.

As a child some of my fondest memories were about ice cream. My father would often take us to the Dairy Queen for a dipped cone. I remember one night after watching the Miss America pageant we went for ice cream. I could not have been more than 6 or 7. I remember thinking that Miss America must get to eat all the ice cream she wanted.

Ice cream has always played a major role in my life. When I was a young woman I was an accountant for a large dairy manufacturer. We made milkshake mixes for some of the major fast food chains. I also worked as a quality manager. One of my tasks was to mix up the soft serve daily and test it for flavor. Oh what a great job.

After my children started school I went back to work. I got a job that was temporary. It was at an ice cream manufacturer. My job was to pull a gallon off the line every hour and test the weight of the candy chunks. Fun times.

The day my last child was born I was craving a chocolate shake. I went to Braun’s and got the biggest one they had. After I ate that thing it set me into early labor and I had one of the biggest pre-term babies in the NICU. He is now a happy 22 year old man.

I am now lactose intolerant and arthritic. Ice cream does not do well for me. My husband has diabetes but his weakness is ice cream. Last night he had snuck into the freezer and ate four ice cream sandwiches and a large bowl of no sugar added Bluebell. He also added a large helping of caramel syrup to the mix.

He lay in bed complaining that he was not feeling well. I checked his sugar. It was off the charts. I gave emergency insulin and that was that. He swore off of ice cream and made promises that he will never keep. I told him I am not responsible for his love affair with ice cream.

I scream you scream we all scream for ice cream.

Lost Little Girl

My husband and I love children. We are too old to have anymore. We have a total combined if 10. One passed at birth. Like I say, we love children.

We host foreign exchange students. We have hosted a total of 13. We have two more coming in the fall. It is a wonderful opportunity to study different cultures and to make new friends.

My husband used to manage a grocery. One day a young teenager asked him for a job and also a home. She stated that her home life was intolerable and oppressive and she had been kicked out. She was over 18 but looked every bit of 12. She was still in school. We agreed to take her in.

She asked what the rules were. We told her the doors lock at 10. If she planned on staying out later let us know. If she stayed gone too many days without letting us know we would put her out. Also, no drugs or men in the house. Other than that she was an adult and life would hold her accountable. She was like a tiger out of the bag. Needless to say she got pregnant. She came to us with this information. she had plans for an abortion. I told her she had freedom of choice but I also have freedom of choice. She cold not stay if she were to abort.

She brought a beautiful child into our home and is a precious little momma. My son moved into the house. I told him to stay away from this young woman. You guessed it. We now have another beautiful child in our home. The house is full. We encouraged the kids to move into their own place. We have had heated conversations.

This morning this sweet young woman was very organized and pleasant. They are moving tomorrow. She greeted me in the kitchen with a smile. She told me of her progress in setting up her water,electricity and cable. I told her she should be proud of herself. She is doing good.

I will miss this young family being in my home but it is time for them to grow and mature. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. We have an empty room with a crib.

Many plants grow on my farm. I love to watch them bloom.