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By: Sandra Elzie
Yesterday afternoon I dropped by to visit with Miss Maggie at her big ole’ house on the hill….and you know how that lady can bake and that she makes the best cup of fresh-brewed tea in ten counties…well, anyway, we were sitting in her kitchen and laughing so hard that the tears flowed. All-in-all, I’d say we had a knee-slapping good time “telling tales out of school.” For those of you who aren’t Southern…or just haven’t heard this idiom before, it simply means we were having a good laugh at the expense of our family and pets. I’ve attached a picture to show you what makes two…slightly matured…ladies whoop & holler. In fact, we had such a great time that I’ve just gotta share it with you…but (shhhh) don’t tell anyone I told you…’mums’ the word.
You know what? I’ve got a better idea. “They” say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so let’s give that a try. A friend sent me this picture and I’ve just gotta share.
I think it’s humorously obvious that the guy in the convertible above is about ready to have a very bad day. But what about us “normal” folks?
When I saw this little picture and asked myself …What’s a bad day to me? … I immediately thought about the 40+ years that I got up at 4:00 to 5:00 a.m. to go to work. Ah yes, retirement. I’m now in my…(clears throat) 9th year of this fabulous thing called “retirement”…but, that’s another post.
Then I thought about the period of time we lived on acreage in the northern half of California and had cows—cows that thought the grass was always greener on the other side of the fence. Or how about that dreaded call from the school…”Good morning, Mrs. Elzie. I’m calling to check up on your daughter. We’ve really missed her the past nine school days and we’re wondering if her flu is any better.” (WHAT?!!!!!!!)
Also, owning pets can assure us that there will be “those” days when they do something so appalling that we have to repeatedly remind ourselves that 1) He’s part of the family 2) He’s usually not this destructive and lastly, 3) He’s just so darned cute. In my case, my little guy didn’t rip off wall paper…. just the better part of a roll of toilet paper.
Now I don’t know if you’ll agree with me, but I think “Bad Days” can even be rated on a scale of One to Ten. For instance…waking up with a bad head cold…and having to call in sick to work…would rate “One” in my book since staying home offsets some of the feeling rotten negative points. So what do I consider worthy of the grand prize—the ten-point trophy?
Hummmm, well, aside from some obviously horrible things that I won’t get in to since I want to keep this post a bit more lighthearted…I’d say the call I got from hubby saying that on the way to work he’d killed Bambi’s mother…(his words, not mine)…and in the process he’d totaled our pickup truck. Yep, I think that day ranks near the top of my list of things that would give me a hint that the day wasn’t looking very good.
So what does it take to make your list? (and don’t forget to tell us what point your experience rates on the Bad Dad Monitor!)
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Sandra Elzie is a published author living in the Atlanta area with her husband of many decades and their sometimes destructive, (but always cute) little feline, Jack. She also writes e-books as Sandra McGregor and her books are available at: http://www.amazon.com/Duty-Calls-Series-ebook/dp/B005LWVTY8/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1357997317&sr=1-3&keywords=by+Sandra+McGregor
You can read more about her on her website: http://www.SandraElzie.com
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by Sandy Elzie
For me a bad day can certainly cover the full range, but I do think I am fortunate in that my bad days tend to be things I can look back on & laugh about. So, not really that bad I guess. Though at the time…
The wallpaper cat made me laugh thank you!!
I love the picture of the cat. Maybe he can get a job with a wallpaper company. Tearing down wallpaper is a tough job.
One bad day I can recall is when I was at the hair salon getting my hair cut and I got a call from my daughter’s boyfriend that they had been in an accident on their way back to college and that my daughter was in the hospital. I raced out of there and drove to a city in Georgia a couple of hours away. Luckily, only her car was totaled and she had some glass cuts, but she was okay. My husband was out of town so I had to handle the aftermath of the accident in another city. But it could have been worse.
I think that most of the time a bad day for me is any day that starts with a phone call between midnight and 6 a.m.
Sandy, I enjoyed your post very much. Bad day? Well, one was three months ago when I stepped on a seam in the linoleum and water squished between my toes. I still shudder when I think about it.
Love the kitty picture, Sandy. I agree about your ranking for bad days. I killed Bambi’s mother once, too and it made for a pretty bad day. Actually we were on our way from South Carolina and it was night. But that sort of thing lingers… I feel for your hubby.
I have a 45-pound dog with a sensitive stomach. I know it’s going to be a bad day when I wake up and, as I’m stumbling to the bathroom in the dark, I step in a cold, slimy pile of half-digested dog food. ‘Nuf said.
Hi Mary,
Hey, any time we can look back on a momentary crisis and smile…or even better if we can laugh…then it’s all okay. I have too many of those kind to even begin to mention them all. Heck, anyone who has raised kids can come up with a ton of those times.
Hi Marilyn,
Yes, I’m a cat person, but I’ve never had one quite that destructive. Oh, don’t you just hate getting calls that there’s been an accident? We called our son once to ask him to pick us up…we told him our car was non-drivable. When he arrived I thought he was going to faint. Yes, it was a horrible looking accident, but hubs was uninjured & I only sported a quarter-sized bruise on my elbow.
Oh Debbie, I know just what you mean about early morning calls. When the kids are “out” for the evening it sends a shudder through you like none I’ve ever experienced at any other time. (It seems that writers have VERY fertile, imaginative minds)
Maxine, I remember you telling us about that day. Ugh! I remember a similar day, but I was walking on carpet and it squished. Oh my. Fortunately, it was a lot of years ago and the pain of the mess & the expense has dimmed with age.
Yes, Linsey, I’d say that day it was a tie….Hubs killed Bambi’s mother and she killed his truck. Win-win…in a sick, sad sort of way. I doubt he ever forgets the day.
Oh Pam, I cringed just imagining that stuff squishing in between your toes!!! Okay, okay, nuff said. At least it was half-digested, upchucked food instead of fully digested….
Okay, this time it’s REALLY nuff said.
Sandy, funny post.
A bad day for me is waking up at 3am (I work from 3pm to 12mid at a hospital) and not being able to go back to sleep. That kills my whole day. I write in the morning, and I’m at my best after a good night’s sleep. Luckily, those sleepless nights don’t happen too often.
Hi Connie,
Oh how I hate nights when I wake up & can’t get back to sleep. (Usually hubs is snoring…but sometimes it’s a story or a scene running helter-skelter around in there and I have to get up & write it down before I can go back to sleep.) At least it’s productively wasted sleep time!
A bad day for me is alot like Connie’s. I’m not a good sleeper, never have been. I wake up 5 to 6 times a night to pee, and it takes me ages to fall asleep after each journey to the bathroom. It also takes me ages to fall asleep initially. I usually go a week or more like that and then catch up on the lost Zzzz in a single weekend when I sleep for 15 hours straight…I hate it.
maybe one day I’ll be able to get some normal sleep, but until then, at least I’ll enjoy the wide-eyed evenings parusing pics like the one you provided, SOOO funny.
Have a nice week!!
Tamara
Do bad nights count? Taking the dog out and having him tackle a skunk. Being a small and stuborn terrier, he backs off only long enough to try to figure out the best way to go after him again. It was summer and all the windows were open. My husband sits watching TV and as I drag the dog to the door he says “Was that you making all that noise?” That was a bad smell day that lasted two weeks!
Bad day usually comes under I do every thing to make it go right and nothing helps. The insurance doesn’t understand they owe me instead of the other way around. Or a kid is sick and I have to chage what I was planning to do completely to go to the hospital all day.
I can sympathize with the sleep-deprived ladies. I also have trouble getting to sleep and have been known to stay up all night – wide-eyed, I might add. Of course, the next day is a bad one. Exhausted and sleepy does not inspire creativity in any form!
Lately my bad days have centered around our 12 y.o. dog whose health has suddenly declined.
Loved your post and pictures today as always! I really think the most recent bad day for us was getting a phone call early on a Monday morning from our daughter-in-law crying saying she was calling from inside an ambulance with our son heading to a hospital, as he was having a massive heart attack. He is 45 and a father of three and is a marathon runner, and had actually just been walking home from a cross-fit exercise class! He survived, Hurrah and is doing very well, but let me tell you, that definately gets your day off to a very bad start!!!We all had a very blessed Thanksgiving this year.
Over the past months so many bad things have happened, I’m trying to ignore minor ‘bad days.’ But just for you, I’ll say a bad day is when I forget something I have arranged and other people are left hanging.
Hi Tamara,
Hey, glad you stopped by & commented. Gosh, I’m sorry about all those sleepless nites you have. “They” say warm milk helps….it’s a lie. (I’ve tried it before) I can’t imagine 15 hours straight sleeping. My back would be killing me! Hope things improve for you soon.
Hi Miss Trudy,
Honest, I’m not laughing…much…about your dog attacking a skunk…or was it the other way around? Anyway, I’m sure you know the old wife’s tale about tomato juice cutting the smell. Did you try that? I have to agree thought, that it would make for a very bad day.
Hi Susan,
Sounds like Murphy likes to play in your life. From what I hear about your life, you have a very exciting one…but a bit too much time spent in hospitals. Thanks for dropping by to comment.
Carol,
I’m so sorry about your dog. It’s a shame that our beloved pets must some day get older and, like us, start having health issues.
Hope things improve for you both very soon.
Oh, Sharon, I’m so sorry about your son. That is sooooo scary. I got a call once from my daughter-in-law saying my son had been in a motorcycle accident and asking me to pray. He was okay, and I’m so glad your son is also. Gosh, and it sounds like he was working out & trying to be so healthy. Goes to prove that we don’t call all the shots down here. Thanks for commenting.
Hi Laura,
I know what you mean about forgetting something & leaving people in the lurch. That’s so embarrassing and I feel so bad…then I find myself apologizing over & over.
Thanks for dropping by & commenting.
Hi BJ,
I love that saying: “PAIN IS GOD’s WAY OF TELLING YOU, THAT YOU ARE ALIVE” I have my days, but thankfully I feel good most days. I know you have old war injuries…and work-related ones, so hope you have more good days than bad.
Take care, my friend and stay cool.
I have to agree with Laura, there are bad days and BAD days, but the worst are definitely when I let people down. Here’s to a great day for you!!
Hi Hildie,
I had a bad day recently when the vet told me how much my it would cost to get my cat out of there and home. Can anyone say…Sticker Shock? !!!!!
Thanks for commenting and have a great day too!