"Oh, I look like a hag when I wanted
to look like Shirley Temple" Bette Davis in "Old Acquaintance" smoking and
pacing away as she gets ready to be accept a marriage proposal by a man 10 years
younger than she is.  This has nothing to do with this blog but I was just watching this movie on
TCM and that line, as only Davis can
deliver it, really cracked me up!!

I
don't know why or how it happened---karma? tis the season? --but I have been sort of
swamped with many material gifts lately but, more important, it mostly is coming
from people I really care about.

Where to start? Without mentioning names I got a $150 gift
certificate for Publix supermarket
and $50 one for the Old Florida Seafood House plus a $20 gift certificate for
The Olive Garden. One afternoon I went to my mailbox and there was a surprise
package consisting of a piece of hand carved wood and 2 Batik hand paintings on
material.

This
week I got my carton of food from the Pantry of Broward containing enough food for a month
for most people plus 6 chocolate cupcakes, a can of escargot, noodles with black
bean sauce, a 5 pound turkey breast, a 5 pound bag of fresh frozen blueberries,
a ball of mozzarella cheese and a 5 pound container of natural vanilla yogurt. 
To top it off when I got back to Gateway I was informed that tomorrow we would
get commodities.       
                         

Without expecting anything in return I have been doing
some research for a neighbor who has macular degeneration which is more common
among older folks than is generally known. I've done it because I like doing
things like that and I am interested in anything that can affect my eyesight
plus she is the lady that pushed me to get the shingles vaccine. On Monday she
handed me an envelope and told me not to open it until I got upstairs. She had
previously offered me money but I refused it because I wasn't doing it for
money. When I got to my apartment I opened the envelope and there was cash in
it. I attempted to return it but she insisted that she wanted me to have it and
was grateful for all the information I had given her.

On November 11, 1981 I met the love of my life and
28 years later, though we haven't been together for awhile and he has had
another partner for a longtime the man  who was never good at 'little things
mean a lot' remembered an important day in both of lives.

Without a doubt I am one lucky guy with friends all
over the world, all over the United States, and in Florida, with an  extra nod
to Allen for being there for,  and with  me, very Wednesday to take me on my
errands and Fridays to enjoy a movie not to forget the 'little' extra dollars he
adds to the 'party' now and then.

Now
if I would only win the Powerball or
Lotto on Saturday but I don't want to ask for too much!!!