Bet your Thursday wasn't as interesting as mine! (Be warned this is a long one!!!)

Well now I was told before I left that this move to Virginia was going to be an adventure. Yesterday proved that to be true. A little background info is that we have a neighbor across the street who is 86, she has been in her house since the 40's. Her name is Ms. Conway. She is very nice, and I am sure means well, but I have gone into hiding after yesterday. Here's where it all started, we went away for the 4th and she had her son put our barrels in for us. As a thank you I made her some blueberry cake and brought it over with a card with our phone numbers as she had requested "in case of emergency". She invited me in and I stayed about a half an hour. She then excused herself since the visiting nurse was coming. She did ask if I would come back in the afternoon. Sure no problem. I ran my errands, came home and I was putting some things away when the door bell rang. It was her, and she was rather upset that our phone numbers don't work. We kept our New Hampshire numbers and she doesn't have long distance, however most of the people who call are from that area and we are not changing it (which does not make her very happy). I went back over and spent quite a while visiting her, thinking it was all harmless. You can't really get a word in because she doesn't let you and if you try to talk she cuts you off. She did mention how she goes to lunch every day and would like me to come sometime. She knows Brandon's cell is a Virginia number and we agreed that she could call it for emergencies. This was all on Wednesday.

Now me, being me, I am thinking she is a harmless, lonely, older lady who enjoyed the company and I would try and spend some time with her once a week. Having lost a bunch of time of Wednesday I had decided that Thursday I was staying home to get all the stuff done on my list. Those of you who know me, know that I do enjoy a good list!!! At 9 yesterday my cell phone rang. Odd, no one really calls me. I ran down and grabbed it and it was Brandon. He was sounding rather perturbed with life and told me "Ms. Conway called and she wants to take you to lunch today. She is going to the doctor and will be back at 11:30. She wants you to watch for her car and meet her when she pulls in." Okay, now wait just a minute.... when did I agree to go to lunch today???? Now she left for the doctor so I can't tell her I don't want to go today. I get ready and skip breakfast figuring I will have lunch instead. And I wait on the porch since it is the only way I can see her driveway. ( I know I am such a sucker sometimes!!!) She comes home and we get ready to leave. I learned in our outing yesterday that she is extremely frugal with money. She had to show me her thrift store purchase of her skirt. Thursday is senior day at the thrift store and you get an extra 20% off. Well, because of that she bought me a present. Don't worry you will get to see it below. Along with the present came the tour of her house for the third time so I could see all the ones she had and she could suggest where I should put my present. Mind you I am going to have to keep it on hand in case she comes to our house cause we all know she will look for it.

We left, and it is an unofficial rule that if you are over 80 you must drive a Mercury Grand Marquis, prefarably right in the middle of 2 lanes of traffic. And you must brake whenever you feel in necessary to show me whatever it is you want to show me. Always comforting on the 5 lane roads around here!!! We get to the take out place and she tells me exactly what she orders... 1 chicken sandwich, no potatoes and a small drink. I tell you if you think I was ordering something different than her it wasn't going to happen. That would make my lunch more than hers and she was treating. Somehow this whole lunch trip became more stressful as the time went on. We leave there and she drives around to "show me around". She contemplates stopping to visit her sister at the assisted living. Thankfully it was bingo time. I was feeling like I was being held hostage with Ms. Conway and her Grand Marquis!!! We continue on to stop at Kohls.

And for the most entertaining part of the ordeal, we get to Kohls because the panties are on sale today. Oh yes.. Nicole had to walk through Kohls after she cut the line of people to talk to the cashier and ask where the panties are located, and spent 15 minutes in the underwear department with Ms. Conway. See, it took so long because the new pair she brought from home had to be compared with the 3 pack at the store. Now we didn't just measure one pair of panties, we had to take each pair off one at a time and measure them. And I will spare you the details of exactly what kind, what size and why she likes only that kind. More info than you need to know and heck more info than I needed to know. We finally get to pay, and she promptly tells the cashier that they used to be 50% off not 40% off. Please find me a hole to disappear into!!!

We made it home after 4 hours for lunch, and then she was disappointed I wouldn't come in and visit because get this "Kathi (who lived there before ) had children to tend to, but you, you're just home all day". I have never wanted a job more in my life!!!

When Brandon returned from work I made sure to tell him not to answer for me in the future. He said, "well she didn't give me a choice. She got me on the phone and started to lecture me on how we better fix our phone so she can call us since she doesn't have long distance. And she didn't call me and leave a message, she called, hung up and then called right back. She pulled me out of class when she called and said that you had plans to go to lunch." Now wait just a minute, that is super sneaky since the story I got was she asked Brandon if I would like to go and he told her that "I would love to do that". HA!!!! If he only knew what the day would be. Needless to say Ms. Conway's number was promptly programmed into his phone and he will always let it go to voicemail. He is baffled still that I had to go "panty shopping" with her!!!!

So I hope you all had a fantastic Thursday, just thought you might enjoy my adventure of the day. See, I may not have lots of posts to put on this, but I sure have some interesting ones every once in a while!!!!

This is my prize. It was 96 cents at the thrift store with an additional 20 percent off. Now if you look close there is a green sticker still stuck on the side, there is black stuff on the handle, and the inside has dirt remants in it. But Ms. Conway told me that "you can just clean it up since you are home all day." Thanks!! I do actually do things all day. Ms. Conway turned the basket over to show me the "Teleflora" logo on the bottom because that means it is a good one. And if I am ever out I should pick these up but only if they are under $1. I figured I could get an African violet to put in it, and I told her my plan. She told me that I needed to go to the Dollar Tree and buy some artifical flowers or knicknacks to put in it. We shall see. Like I said, I can't even get rid of it since I know she will want me to show her where I put it sometime!!!