LOOK WHO'S TALKING

When I was sequestered in my apartment during the pandemic year, I had many illuminating conversations with myself. The upside is that I tended to win most of the arguments. Even though I was relatively sane, I also talked to inanimate objects. For instance, when I found my misplaced cell phone in the pantry, I said, “What are you doing in here?” However, even though it’s a phone, it didn’t answer me.

I must admit that at times I also shouted at my television set. Not really!  However, I screamed at the news pundits appearing on my television set. They never yelled back at me, but sometimes the TV set did rebel.  On occasion it would go to a black screen and challenge me to go to a different “TV input.” That wasn’t one bit calming!

Now, that I have had my Moderna shots, I am free to don my mask and  get out and about. Happily, I can talk to anyone within listening distance. When I entered Walgreens for the first time I gleefully cried out, “I am back! It’s the first time I have been here in a year.” The clerk hid under the counter and whispered, “We missed you.” I think she was just being kind, because I had never seen her before. The fellow at Ace Hardware was more sincere when he handed me a toilet plunger and said, “Welcome back!”

When I entered the grocery store I felt as if I was entering Tiffany’s. Although I had always appreciated the grocery home delivery service, it felt good not having to tip myself. For a year, once a week, I drove my car for twenty minutes to exercise the battery, but I never went anywhere except back home. I always apologized to my little Saturn. It got even with me by killing the battery.

For several months, until the beauty shop in my residence re-opened, I cut my own hair. When my son Josh saw me on Face Time he said, “Mom, you are looking more and more like the Beatles.” And, I hoped it was more like Paul than John.

During the  pandemic, it was a great consolation to be able to take walks around the beautiful property, and I enjoyed joining some other early bird walkers, but we all wore masks and stayed 6 ft. apart from each other, so most of the conversations were a muffled, “What did you say?”  It was exhausting.  I did enjoy when I walked by myself and  could talk to an occasional deer, rabbit or road runner on the path.  The coyotes never stopped long enough to even look at me as dinner. However, it was disconcerting when two big, long tusked javelina ambled toward me. When I shouted at them, they ignored me and kept on coming until they reached their familiar path, looked at me with great distain, and walked away.

Slowly, things are starting to return to normal and I am able to have dinner with friends who live in the residence.  All of us have had our shots and the atmosphere is relatively normal. The only problem that presents itself is that now my conversations include more people than myself. So, I’d better develop some engaging conversation, and learn not to interrupt myself while talking.

Esther Blumenfeld

HAUTE CONTAMINATION

In case you hear some tramping going on in your neighborhood, not to worry!
It’s not Big Foot. Inspectors from your local Environmental and General Services Department may be checking out your recyclable bins. In Tucson, AZ they will be checking out the bins at 24,000 homes for four weeks looking for prohibited materials. Doesn’t that sound like fun?Imagine finding Grandma’s false teeth in an empty box of Cheerios. If, in four weeks, the inspectors discover more yucky stuff in your discarded newspapers, all those beautiful plastic bins will be removed and sent to recyclable Hell.

China used to take all of our recyclable materials, but in 2018 they got upset about something and will no longer accept our waste. So, we are on our own for millions of tons of waste, and contamination is costing lots of money. It’s pretty obvious that dirty diapers cannot be recycled. Neither can a dead skunk, which if reincarnated, has already been recycled once.

Therefore, it’s probably a good idea to bury a deceased animal—unless it’s a very small goldfish. Perhaps, then, a discrete flush down the commode would be acceptable (depending on the owner’s attachment to “Fred The  Fish.”) Tucson’s fire department will pick up a live rattlesnake and release it into the desert, but not too far from home, so it can find its way back.

When my son, Josh was in 4th grade his class assignment was to collect an assortment of insects. Josh received an award for the best variety of bugs which he had recycled from our swimming pool filter.

It’s not surprising that soon we will see Dolphins jumping out of the ocean wearing masks. Those masks that are now keeping us safe are polluting our waterways. “A mask can take as long as 450 years to break down.” Ah, for the good old days when all we saw tossed off of boats were cigarette butts and beer cans.

I know that recycling plastics, paper, and other discarded approved materials can help preserve our earth for future generations. However, I do resent it when someone takes someone else's work or ideas and recycles them as their own. But, looking at the positive Benjamin Disraeli said, “Plagiarists at least, have the merit of preservation.”

Esther Blumenfeld

UNEXPECTED RETURNS

These Covid-19  months have been extremely difficult for everyone—some people more than others—and finding something to laugh about has been a real challenge. Sometimes, nothing seems funny anymore.  However, I have found that memories that have been well stored, and filed away, tend to pop up unexpectedly when I think about a subject to write about. For instance, how often in life has an unexpected event provided a laugh? Well, given a choice it’s always better to laugh.

Many years ago, my grandmother had forgotten to put away a tube of shoe polish after polishing her shoes in the bathroom. The next morning, my Uncle Harry began to brush his teeth. To paraphrase Gertrude Stein, “A tube is a tube is a tube!” Admittedly, Uncle Harry’s mistake wasn’t as serious as confusing ear-drops and eyedrops (or drinking them), but one should beware of the inappropriate use of medications.

My Mother (the sister of the uncle with black teeth) was told by one of her friends that the cream used to shrink swollen hemorrhoidal tissue, when applied under the eyes, will also shrink those eye-bags. So, standing at the bathroom mirror, she began to apply the cream under her eyes—just as my Father walked past the bathroom. He took one look at what she was doing and said, “Dear, I think you are applying that at the wrong end.”

My brother (the son of these two people) knew that our parents frowned upon his smoking cigarettes. He was a teenager and naturally had to try a cigarette, so, one day, he went into the bathroom, opened a window, took a few drags and blew the smoke out of the window—right over Mother’s head as she was picking flowers. His smoking days were over.  It helped that he threw up.

It is always an unexpected pleasure to run into a friend from home when traveling to a foreign country.  One day, at Heathrow Airport, my Father recognized a man whom he had met somewhere, so  he gave him a heartfelt greeting. Turns out that it was Walter Cronkite, and he had met him on our living room television set.  

When in New York my husband, Warren and I got on an elevator with Isaac Stern.  Warren shook his hand and expressed his admiration for the famous violinist.  After we got off the elevator, I said to Warren, “My, God!  How could you shake hands with Isaac Stern’?  What if you had broken a finger or something?” He looked at his hand, and replied. “ My fingers look okay to me.”

Shortly after that experience, Warren was invited to lecture at the University in Mexico City. My Spanish is halting.  His Spanish was nil. He knew that an interpreter had been assigned to him, but was convinced that no one would show up. So, in Spanish, he titled his presentation, “There’s a Dead Horse in My Bedroom.” Students were lined up around the block.

Uncle Harry talked better than he listened. One afternoon he decided to sun bathe on the back porch of our house.  He had forgotten that Mother was hosting her group of Mahjong playing ladies, until he heard them entering the front of the house. He, and his jock strap, had no choice but to let the chips fall where they may as he streaked past them.  Afterwards, all he could say was, “I hope they noticed my gleaming white teeth!”

Esther Blumenfeld

SLUG IT OUT

Charles Darwin can rest easy, because his Theory of Evolution is still working.
After reading about the biological phenomenon called autotomy, I am convinced that some members of the Untied States Senate have sea slug DNA in their spit. For instance, it’s a fact that sea slugs can regrow hearts and brand new bodies after decapitation—just like Dick Chaney.

Biology researcher, Sayaka Mitoh describes sea slugs as being “small, cute and weird.” That certainly brings Senator Lindsey Graham to mind. This small, cute man was a best friend of the moderate Republican Senator John McCain. They saw eye-to-eye on so many issues until Senator McCain died. Then Lindsey Graham decapitated himself, and turned weird. Now his head keeps twisting and moving back and forth—along with his mouth. I don’t think he likes children very much, because recently, on a television interview, he said about the youngsters arriving at the border from Mexico, “Children could easily be terrorists.” Maybe that’s why they call it, “The terrible twos.”

Aquatic Ecology Professor Yoichi Yusa cut the heads off of 16 sea slugs. Several of the creatures regenerated. One even lost and regenerated his body twice. Reminds me of Senate Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell. With one body he delivered a scathing rebuke of former President Trump and his pals, “We cannot keep drifting apart with separate facts and separate realities.” And, then, with his second body he said, “I’d vote for him again.”

It is well documented that other creatures can cast off body parts when necessary. Some animals can autotomize their legs, appendages or tails whenever it suits them. Maybe, that’s the evolution going on with Senator Ted Cruz who has promised to “tell the truth and defend marriage." However, he really dropped an appendage or two when his wife was attacked and called “ugly.” Actually, I think she looks okay. So where’s the truth when Cruz calls the Voting Rights Bill a “fraud law.”? And where’s the truth when he and his buddy, Josh Hawley voted against the Senate certification of the Electoral College election count for President Biden?

When Hawley became a voice shouting about voter fraud (that was proven to be non-existent) he had obviously shed some skin. I don’t think he graduated at the bottom of his Yale Law School class in 2006. What kind of  constitutional lawyer  fights only for some people’s liberties? When at Stanford, people thought he was a “thoughtful, sophisticated person of depth.” They are now confused. Perhaps, like sea slugs, who eat a certain type of algae, he can now photosynthesize his food for thought from sunlight and oxygen just like a plant. That’s what probably happens after slug decapitation and the head sort of acts like a plant.

We need to watch to see if his face turns green. That’s a tip off!  We have already had a President with a colorful complexion. Maybe green will become the new orange.

Esther Blumenfeld

LET OUT

After a year of benevolent sequestering, it’s a very strange feeling getting into my little Saturn, starting the engine and driving—not just driving—but actually going somewhere. It’s been a very long time since I drove to a destination. I hope I can remember the location of my favorite stores. I hope they are still there!

Even though I still wear my faithful mask everywhere, I am now putting on some makeup and wearing clothes a bit nicer than sweats. After all, going to a bank is now an occasion. It’s like going to a masked ball in a very expensive venue. It’s good that social distancing is still suggested, so I won’t be tempted to give the bank guard a hug.  The only hugs I have received in a year are in my Yoga class where I hug myself while twisting my legs into pretzels.

I never thought that a tiny watch battery would mean so much to me, but getting my faithful wrist watch to run again is better than arranging an exorcism.

On my first parole day, the most entertaining event I attended was held at my favorite bakery, Beyond Bread.  I followed a woman into the bakery.  Suddenly, she abruptly stopped in front of me, and started screaming. Needless to say, I made a wide berth around her and quickly walked to the counter.  Happily, she wasn’t screaming because I had taken her place in line, but she was shouting and running in circles because the store manager had politely offered her a mask to wear in his establishment. She flailed her arms about and shouted about her “rights,” and she yelled about the Governor of Arizona. She was certain that he had told her that she did not have to wear a mask. How smart is someone who takes advice from a business man, turned Governor, who couldn’t sell ice cream in Arizona, a State with 350 days of sunshine.

The Crazy Lady yelled, “No one can tell me what to wear!” Obviously, no one had told her to wear longer pants. I did agree, however, that no one should make this woman cover her nose and mouth, because stuffing the mask into her mouth would have done all of us a favor.  As I left the establishment by the far, far away exit, I heard “Security, we need you at the front entrance.”

I don’t think they let her buy a loaf of bread, but I hope she got her just desserts.

Esther Blumenfeld