Circumstances involving a local family have highlighted the details of obtaining a Power of Attorney. At this SITE there is a short exchange that can get you thinking. From the little reading I’ve done, maybe it would be wise to get a durable Power of Attorney that comes into effect after an unexpected incapacitation. Not that I’m planning on knocking anyone over the head with a piece of firewood.

I wonder if you can have a Power of Attorney for your spouse in case you are abducted. Or if I need one for Der Bingle if he winds up in the Place of Probing.

WARNING: I quickly researched a topic in this post and didn’t read the entire article I sited. I should have been alerted by the name of the website – CRACKED. Still, it’s got some interesting stuff in it . . .

Today I am going to mow in LaGrange County, assuming I cannot find any excuse to do otherwise and that the 20% chance of rain doesn’t single me out. I don’t mind the mowing, except that it takes hours and the dratted grass grows back. Usually quickly. Last summer I had a long spell of not mowing, but that was due to outlandishly hot and rainless weather for Indiana. I remember fireworks were banned on the Fourth of July.

I have yet to see a snakey this summer so I am dealing psychologically with that first EEEEEEEECK!!!!!  of the season.

I have now reminded myself of the island off the coast of Brazil that is populated with Golden Lanceheads. Let’s see if I can find a reference – I know you just want to have such thoughts in  your head. Oh!! Look! I’ve found a SITE that tells of six scary islands. I actually have not read further than the first sentence of the second island concerning the plague in Italy.

Of course, I will go back and read about all six islands . . . because I am on the crazy side of stupid.

I may or may not leave the house today.

I scanned Internet headlines today and found this little eye-opener: Worst Charities. I’m interested now in seeing a breakdown of the financial dealings of America’s Best Charities.

I didn’t see this yesterday; I don’t know how I missed it. But this morning I woke up early . . . and I think it was because this was nudging my psychic vibe detector: POST FROM POTTERMOM ABOUT SOMETHING FOR SHANE

I immediately sent Quentin the link because we are talking about this fellow below and he’s sort of well, uh, maybe I’d just better not say anything.

Yesterday I decided not to go and mow and flirted with reading a book I picked up at the dentist’s office, but I felt that some things had to be done – so I put the book down and really, really cleaned THREE bathrooms. And vacuumed the staircase and cobwebs and planned the smart- alecky things I can say to other people living here.

All of a sudden it was 5:30 and I went for my walk.

And then, all of a sudden, I remembered that The Great Gatsby is playing at the The Strand and that tickets are only three dollars. I decided to go and took my head that had been up close with three toilets and the body that is attached to it and got in the shower. I put on a skirt and a safari blouse and my parrot necklace – have I shown a picture of it here? – and drove over.

Ah, the Gatsby parties were like shows in Las Vegas; it was a colorful movie, to say the least. Do you know I watched that entire movie of opulence and did not think once of all the time I had spent earlier scrubbing areas where toilets meet floors? It was a flashy set with the outline of a story over it. Actually, it makes me think of one of those 30 second rabbit summaries of movies, only it was two hours and 34 minutes long.

It was not anywhere real. I mean I could not feel the distance between really wealthy people and my little toilet-cleaning life. Because of this movie, I think when I see something outlandishly overdone, I will be tempted to exclaim, “Oh, Great Gatsby!” But that doesn’t mean I didn’t like the flamboyance in super color and on the big screen and I want to watch the Robert Redford version again to see how that strikes me.

I think The Great Gatsby is better as a book. (Well, gee, AmeliaJake, it is supposed to be a great American classic.) In fact, the best parts of this movie as far as the story is concerned were when the narrator character (Nick) recited paragraphs verbatim.

Actually, I suppose at first reading, it is sort of a chick flick book. It is repeated readings that let you really appreciate the sentences. Well, that’s my opinion.

Oh, and that book from the dentist’s office: I started reading it and then just had to skim and then tossed it aside to be returned. I can honestly say cleaning bathrooms was more fulfilling.

I am back from the dentist with my clean teeth and a free toothbrush, along with some strong toothpaste for plaque. It is before noon and I could pull on my orange work pants with the cool pockets, spray myself with mosquito repellent and head up to LaGrange County to spend time mowing. Or, I could not do that. Flip a coin? Well, that would give me a 50% chance of actually going.

I think I’ll so some patented AmeliaJake Reasoning it Out. There is a 10% chance of rain this afternoon and yesterday when I was thinking about the week, today was predicted to have a plus 59% chance of rain and thunderstorms. I had not planned on mowing today. Now, it is, as I wrote, 10%, so should I change my plans? However, the grass may not have grown to a really needs cutting height because I cut it short last time, and, really, Mother always liked for it to have a bit of height – hated the scalped look.

Friday has only a 10% chance of rain and then it would look nice for the weekend. Of course, that means trusting the weather predictors who were wrong yesterday and Friday is 72 hours away. Then there is that old saying about not putting things off. That may be wise, but it is sooooo not AmeliaJake. Changing aspects of my character might be dangerous to my health at this point in my life. Hey, that may sound like an excuse but Winston Churchill, arguably The Greatest Briton, said that he could stop drinking but it would not be wise to tamper with the habits of a lifetime.

Let’s see: changing my plans, changing my habits. Oh, dear, TWO changes; that might really be risky.

Also the dentist’s office has a “Read & Wait” book program and I have one I started in my hand . . .

It’s a cleaning. Time flies sometimes. Actually, my appointment was for today but I had to cancel because of a conflict with an important appointment for Summer. Then I see a text message: Can I come at 11 am on Tuesday? I voicemail back, “Yes.” I get a call around five – Uh, the 11am is gone but how about 9:40?

Going to the dentist these days isn’t bad – no non-prenumbed shots to the roof of the mouth. And actual pain medicine after if needed. But way back in the corners of my mind are these gut-level memories of drills like they use in road construction and big, long needles that you FELT and the advice to ice up your jaw and take some aspirin. Yeah, that worked.

Well, that may not have been the best pep talk I’ve given myself.

Yes, I have been pampering my back today . . . and just about everything else. I have not been thinking, just reading light-weight stuff. The problem with that is the telling of the basic story isn’t bad, but when the author tries to tie it up in an ending, you do think. You think, “YUCK.” Oh, well, on to the next one.

Speaking of endings, it appears the author of the Jerry Series, to whom I served as an assistant has abandoned the project. Sooooo… That seems to leave it open for some anonymous person to pick up the story and wander around with it and then wait for the original author to go ACK!!!! or GRANDMA!!!!!!

Right off the bat, I can tell you that Jerry has six toes. Well, he had six toes; surgeons amputated the littlest one when he was learning math and insisted on Base 11. And it wasn’t the “little toe” that was taken; Jerry’s littlest toe was actually the second one over from the big toe – in other words, what would be our middle toe. That was very trying on the toe on the end. Before the operation, he had been the little piggy who had to do nothing; now he has to to WHEE WHEE WHEE all the way home.

As an aside, do you know there are little people out there who think the little toe when wee, wee, wee all the way home because his wasn’t allowed to go to the bathroom before they left for home?

I should not have started thinking, right?

I am thinking I strained my lower back muscles because of pain; I made it bold because it is more than a little ache, but not nearly a big PAIN. So I took an Aleve and then I threw caution to the wind and took two aspirin – Hey, I’m got a strong stomach, and now I am slowly stretching around.

When Crate & Barrel ships some glasses, they wrap a bubble wrap around the order that consists not of the little bubbles we all know and love, but square inch pockets of air . . . and last night I folded up a piece of it and put it under the small of my back. It helped quite a bit. I may have to order more glasses – an odd number, dontcha, so they just can’t ship them in the 12 pack boxes, but need the amazing square bubble wrap.

I should have kept my mouth shut – they will probably start selling it now.