Adjusting my attitude

Some days are diamonds…..

Well, today was a cubic zirconia.

Not sure if it was my attitude

Or if it was my attitude.

Ha!

So after 8 or 9 hours of defying the odds, I escaped to my island in the sun…

Ok, the rain.

And had 2 margaritas.

When I left, I listened to Tom Petty singing, “you got lucky babe.”

I won’t cry in my beer about a day that went a little crazy.

Instead I will think about the positive things that happened today.

Hot coffee from DD.

Heather and brussels sprouts.

Scottie and the horse with no name.

Gabriel.  That cutie wootie grandson of Pat’s who loves blue ice from Rita’s.

Turkey, dressing, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce and biscuits for lunch.

Gina:  Just because.  She always makes me feel good.

Kyle’s beard.  Nice one.

Donna:  Oh yeah.  I can see her laughing her ass off, but in a quiet way.

Oz:  How can one kid know everything?

Rachael:  Always available, always supportive. Thanks for being you.

Mcat:  Gets the job done….. whatever it takes.

Barb:  To the rescue, no matter what craziness happens.  Is that why you are called crazy nana?

Liz:  How do you put up with all of us?

Greg, Kim and Rob:  I think you rock.

Dana:  What would we do without you?  Amazing!

Mary M  (Howie’s girl):  Love the way you follow up and communicate with all of us.

Shirley, Arnaldo and Kevin:  You really did the impossible today.

Kat:  Love the way you take on those challenging jobs…. not to mention the big payouts.

Ok, so maybe it was a diamond day.

If only I had adjusted my attitude, I would have realized that.

Shame on me.

Wolf

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Collaberation : a mighty force for success

Humping my way through the day.

Battling with my CSR peers in Wisconsin.

Voicing my opinions.

Trying to do the right thing.

Not really pleasing anyone.

Not even myself.

Feeling strangely about the lack of activity, no phones ringing, no wild frenzies.

Busy?  Yes, but not busy about fresh new ideas, innovation and future business.

Trying to do the right thing, while wondering if there is a better way….

Spending my time fixing problems

Spinning my wheels.

Inside, I ache to move out of this bubble, to explode, to move forward.

To partner with sales.

To collaborate with production.

To establish a trust worthy relationship with customers.

Win, win, win.

Everyone wins.

And at the end of a Wednesday, we all come together and feel good about the future:

Success for our customers, our employees and our company.

See you on thirsty Thursday.

We shall keep drinking, my  friends, until we get it right.

Wolf

Taking a selfie of an old hippie

Let us remember….

We once were hippies.

We had our flowers.

We believed we could live together.

We shared what we had.

It was love, baby, love.

Ok, and a few enhancing bouquets for our minds.

If you remember those days, you are getting a tad bit old, friend.

And if you don’t, well, you missed the love fest of the century.

Today is another story.

Not as cozy, for sure.

We take sides.

We criticize.

We hide in our shells, rather than venture out into the world of strangers.

Our trust is gone.

We are afraid.

We lock our doors.

We accumulate material things.

We love our little cocoons.

Communicate?

Yeah, ok.

On a phone, on the internet, on social media….

And on occasion, a face to face event, as long as we record each other, on selfies.

Ok, so I exaggerate.

Do I want to go back to the 60s?

No.

Do I think I am still a hippie?

Maybe.

But I am what I am, with all experiences, my history and my stories.

An accumulation of times gone by, of what is happening now, and if I am fortunate enough, I will be here tomorrow to experience life, whatever it has to offer.

Hope you enjoyed today.

Hope you remember the past, fondly.

And may the rest of your week be a fabulous experience on your journey through life.

 

Wolf

Sometimes, all it takes is a smile and a hello…..

Saying hello to strangers is a hoot.

Here are 10 of those people I hope to see again.

Sally Star:  85 years old, a little pixie, with a cowgirl hat and long white hair.  Came back to Pa to bury her sister. What a delightful person.  Funny, funky and just plain fun.

Rudie:  A construction worker.  Tall, lanky guy with a sense of humor and a smile that lights up the world.

Annika:  The newest addition to our customer service group.  What a beauty.  Bright, happy, and ready to take on new accounts.  I love the enthusiasm.

A bank manager, working on a Saturday.  Such a personable, lovely woman, who made my trip to the bank as pleasant as possible.  Sometimes we have to do things when our mate dies, and one of them is to remove him/her from the accounts.  This gal made it a breeze.

Mercy, it’s Marci!  Not that I have not met Marci before this, but it is rare when I do run into her.  She waited on our table when Patti La Pue and I had dinner last week.  She always goes the extra mile to make sure everything is perfect.

Neighbors:  Jerry and Dave:  OMG.  Has it really been years since we have seen one another?  He?  Looks like Bill Clinton.  She?  Says she is no Monica Lewinski.  They are a perfect match, and such fun to be with.

Jimmy:  A cool dude who works on the interstate bridge, away from home, a week at a time.  Quiet, reserved, and a smile that would knock your socks off.  It feels good to know Jimmy.

Wine store manager:  Oh yeah.  She works hard, carries cartons of booze out to cars, loves to give advice on the various wines, and is a peach of a woman.  I think I will go there more often, just to see her…..and to get wine, of course.

A 2 year old kid, running, carrying on, while her parents dined.  For some reason, she and I connected.. I think it could have been my Minnie Mouse hat, but it doesn’t matter.  She made me feel special.

If you get the chance, kick back and say hello when you run across a stranger.  Or reconnect with those you have not seen for some time.

You will be amazed at what that can do for you…… and for them.

 

Wolf

 

Are you serious?

I need a beer.

It is noon.

Isn’t that a reasonable hour?

I have no beer.

I remember this: In heaven there is no beer…..

It is time for the CB (chicken butt) to find the nearest beer outlet.

From 1pm to 4pm, that W#5#5@235 chicken butt went wild, but she managed to bring home a 6 pack.

A Sunday night.

A 6 pack night.

A wild and  crazy night.

Hey!

Oh Wow!

Hey!

Puff Daddy!

Let’s call it a weekend.

I am fried.

Yes,  a fried chicken butt.

Tomorrow?

Monday.

Ok, so who cares?

Yeah. Of course I will tomorrow.
However….

Tonight?

My best wishes for a lovely Sunday evening.

Ain’t I a son of a B?

xooxoxoxooxo.

Woofy….

And what will your legacy be?

Sometimes Saturday is a day for buckling down and getting something… well, at least a few things, done.

Today was one of those days.

Started out procrastinating.

You know what?

I can do this next weekend.

I really don’t feel like doing anything.

But I did.

And it was ok.

Not my normal Saturday breakfast ritual, a double screw driver for breakfast with additional orange drinks to replenish my vitamin C.

But I had a pleasant morning and afternoon, doing stuff that normally would put me in a crazed mood.

I thought about how my life has changed in the past year.

I no longer have to worry if I take too long shopping, drinking or doing anything else.

I have to answer to me.

And me?

Well, I am probably the most agreeable goof you have ever met, especially when it comes to defending my right to be happy and free.

Sometimes I reflect on what it’s like to be a single mother of a mountain lion and a runt cat, and wonder if this will be my legacy:

She had a blast, every day, celebrating life, and spoiling the cats in her life.

And she never regretted a minute of it.

I think that is a good legacy.

Do you?

xoxooxoxoxoxoxo

Wolf

 

 

Sometimes it takes a death to reach us and to teach us about living

31 years ago, I met Aunt Pat.

She was Jim’s Aunt.

She was a very opinionated, self assured woman.

Her husband?

Uncle John.

Unbelievably devoted to her.

I wondered if Aunt Pat really liked Jimmy, her nephew.

I mean, he was the anti Christ, the bad ass boy, the crazy nephew, who connected so easily with Uncle John.

Jim introduced us on a warm summer’s night, at Pat and John’s home.

“Tea?”

“Yeah.  Sure.  Ok. Tea!”

Well, even that crazy Jim drank tea at Aunt Pat’s.

She was the family watch dog.

She reveled in her religion, her family history in the Railroad, and her job in NYC.

Jim warned me:  If Aunt Pat doesn’t like you, you will know it immediately.

Oh oh.

Me?

I am nothing special.

I am a displaced Mid Westerner, who happened to run into Jimmy, Aunt Pat’s nephew.

I never felt at ease with Pat.

However, John was the exception.

If only I could get him to meet me at the nearby watering hole, we could have a blast.

Well, that never happened.

I married Jimmy.

We moved away.

And many years later, returned to the PA/NJ area.

Pat had not changed.

She was full of piss and vinegar and opinions.

Pat died today.

She suffered from alzheimers for the past 5 years.

I don’t think she knew that her nephew, Jimmy, preceded her in death.

And now: John?

I have a feeling he will follow her, in death, very shortly.

When 2 people have a special bond, and have lived together for decades, the will to live is no longer there.

They want to die together, as they had lived together.

I don’t know if Pat will have a memorial service, a funeral or what.

That is not important right now.

It’s John, alone, without Pat after all these years.

Life is fleeting.

50 years ago?

Seems like yesterday.

And then, suddenly, one day, it is over.

Are you living every minute, every hour, every day to its fullest?

If not, remember Pat and John.

They enjoyed a long life together.

And when sickness kicked in, in the last stage of their lives, they never gave up.

Life is worth living, if you have that special person with you, to love.

Tonight, everything has changed.

That is the way life evolves.

Good bye Pat.

Hang in there, John.

You had a special relationship:

For better

For worse

For richer

For poorer

In sickness

and in health….

til death…..

xoxooxoxox

Wolf

 

 

 

Make new friends, but keep the old….. one is silver and the other drunk

There is a lady we all know.

All right.  Forget that.

You know I am a Zep fan, but let’s not get wild over it.

After all,  do we Americans really know what a hedgerow is?

Ok. let’s move along.

The horse whisperer and I went out tonight.

Lovely dinner.

Lovely cognac.

Lovely night caps.

It is always a blast with Patti La Pue.

After the 5th or 6th Jameson, we both gave up the ghost and ventured into the abyss.

Women friends always have the best stories.

Regrets?

Love of our lives?

Hey, how about the best of times.

You know, the headlines say these are the best of times……

I do believe it’s true.

However, for those 2 idiots who left the HW  (horse whisperer) and the CB (Chicken Butt), forever forsaking the glorious years, up yours.

Now: that was easy to say, especially after wine, cognac, and 3 shots of Heaven…..

On this day, March 23, 2017, dinner was delightful.

Laughter was inevitable.

And regrets?  Hey!  Those were the days my friend, we thought they’d never end.

But end, they did.

And now, let us find enjoyment in our quest, climbing the stairway to heaven.

My parting sentiments?

Let’s do it again.

xoxooxoxxooxox

Wolf

A rare interview with a so called blogger

An interview with B.Wolf, a strange, goofy, so called blogger:

Hello.

Yeah?

How long you been blogging?

Uhm. I forget.

It’s been quite a few years, right?

Yeah.

So, do you have a lot of followers?

Huh?

Do people read your blogs?

Yeah, some do, mostly drunks and reclusive idiots.

Why do you continue, with the ridiculously small following you have?

I have a compulsion.  I can’t quit.  I need my fix every night.  And I don’t give a 2%5@%@5 if any one else reads this jibberish or not.  I just do it because I can.

Wouldn’t it be more satisfying to do something more worthwhile?

Could be.  But I have a tenacious personality.  I need to be an asshole and this is my daily opportunity to prove it to the world.

Hardly the world, BWolf.  You are not exactly a rock star.

Thanks for reminding me.  Is this interview over?

I guess… unless you have something meaningful to say.

One last thought:  Just do it.  Whatever it is that you love, do it.  And don’t look back, don’t worry about criticism, just do it.

But what if you continue to blog into obscurity?

Hey, I am already obscure.  And I am obnoxious.  And I intend to continue into oblivion.

And that, my friends, is the infamous BWolf, a wild and ridiculous goof, who roams the streets of rural Pennsylvania, trying to pass the bars.

She failed tonight….. again.

xoxoxooxoxxo

 

Wolf

A deranged list on a Ruby Tuesday, in March, 2017.

A Ruby Tuesday, for sure.

Never did like these things:

1.  Sales who approved something that was not even close to being right.
2. A cat who waited until I was wearing a new sweater before she clawed me.
3. Snow that is melting at the rate of 2 inches per day, in a 15 inch area.
4. A salad of raisins , grapes, olives, lettuce,  cranberries and feta cheese, without any croutons.
5. Several photos of me on FB when I was half in the bag.
6. Having to apologize for being right.
7. Conference calls that I have to host.  Sorry!  I just don’t feel I am sincere.
8. Talking to my husband, who died last September.  What the heck is wrong with me?
9. Pole dancing, constantly.
10. Hanging out with Harvey every night.  Yes, Harvey. Yes, the invisible rabbit.  Yes, I am deranged.

Hey kids!

If we wake up and are still here tomorrow, let’s call it a miracle, and dance as fast as we can.

Wolf