On Second Thought...

1.    Welcome to Wild Kingdom – or at least that is what it feels like here these days. When I moved to this Active Adult Community 10 years ago, I knew there would be deer around. This area was once full of forests, and who in New Jersey hasn’t lived among the deer for years? They don’t even flinch when they see cars or pedestrians approaching. But lately, my neighbors have been reporting sightings of everything from foxes to wolves to coyotes. Last week I had to slow down the car to allow a bunch of turkeys (or possibly turkey buzzards) to pass. One person in our residents’ Google email group posted a picture of a coyote feasting on one of those birds. So now I only open my garage door and inside door when I pull the car out. Otherwise, who knows what is going to run in? Marlon Perkins, where are you?
2.    After a beautiful July 4, who would have guessed that the hazardous air quality from Canadian fires would make going outside nearly impossible just two weeks later? And no one could have predicted that ice cream and cake would be health foods compared to bacteria-laden lettuce and other vegetables that have caused explosive diarrhea. Oreos would never do that to us. Bad time for salad bars.
3.    The summer FLIES by. It is barely Memorial Day and then July 4th comes before you can blink. Then all the Back-to-School stuff appears on the shelves everywhere, bathing suits are replaced by jackets and coats, Labor Day sales start and so does school. The buses will be back on the road before you know it and ice cream season will be over (we can disagree on that, but I have my rules). If Costco doesn’t have its Christmas merchandise up by now, at least I know I can buy a Halloween costume and plenty of candy. I just wish winter would pass by this quickly.
4.    I was buying cold medicine the other day and the nice, young cashier smiled at me and said, “I need to see your ID.” She knew how ludicrous it was to check the license of a 75-year-old woman, but she was just doing her job. I asked her what the age restriction was, and she wasn’t sure if it required the buyer to be 18 or 21. In either case, I was qualified.
5.    I think I have finally reached the stage of life where I no longer own any clothing originally purchased at Korvettes or Caldor. Kohl’s is another story.
6.    I wish I could remember the important things as well as I can remember the lyrics to every Motown song. Wait – Those ARE the important things!
7.    This sounds like a pretty lame excuse for not paying something, but for the first time in my life, I ran out of checks. Out. Completely. And I discovered this fact when I wrote out a check for a local event and realized that not only were there no checks remaining in that checkbook, but there were no more checkbooks in the drawer. How could that happen, you ask? I so rarely write checks anymore that if I got that notice on the most recent pack, it would have been 2 years ago. I started the last batch in 2024! So now I ordered more and am hoping I don’t need to pay by check for a service call or to reimburse a friend until they arrive. This next batch should last me for the rest of my life at this rate! Meanwhile, I will pay online and use Venmo as I have been doing. PS – Rest easy; the new checks arrived in Saturday’s mail.
8.    Why am I seeing Dubai chocolate being touted in the supermarket these days? Chocolate from Hershey, PA, wasn’t good enough?
9.    I saw a guy in the airport with his shoe untied. The laces were long and thick and kept flopping around behind and in front of him. It took all my restraint not to flag him down and say, “Dude, how can you not see that your shoe is untied? Tie it or you will trip over it!”
10.    Also in the airport, the guy in front of me in the line for Boarding group 2, standing under the big green sign that said, “Boarding Group 2,” turned around and asked, “Where is Boarding Group 2?” You can’t make this stuff up!
11.    As we get older, we experience many new sensations – new aches and pains, and limitations on what we can and cannot do. But here’s a new one: A friend told me she sneezed so hard that she lost her train of thought. Mine is often among the missing, too, but I don’t think I sneezed it away!
12.    Sometimes I cough and someone thinks I sneezed and they bless me for the sneeze, and then I have to explain it wasn’t a sneeze but a cough, which for some reason, has no status as bless-worthy. But why? I’ll take all the blessings I can get!
13.    Recently I saw a TV commercial for Planters Peanuts, and it reminded me of the old Planters Peanuts store that was located on Route 22 for many years. There was someone dressed as Mr. Peanut who had to stand outside the door gyrating to draw customers inside. Not only did they sell all kinds of nuts, but there was plenty of nut-related merchandise, like Mr. Peanut mugs, glasses and cute kitchen accessories. Maybe they dropped that live promo because no one was nuts enough to flail around outside in a Mr. Peanut outfit all year long. 
14.    I don’t mind going to doctors who don’t take your blood pressure or make you get on the scale. Like my Retina specialist. No scale or BP for him. He just sticks a needle in my eye. Yuck, right?
15.    After having had my left knee replaced in 2025, I am now a graduate of the Joint Replacement Surgical unit at my local hospital where the surgery took place. I recently received an invitation to a dinner for fellow joint replacement patients where we can compare notes and experiences – and I can even bring a guest. Why would I want to compare scars with other knee patients? Would we discuss learning to use a walker? A high toilet seat? How much pain and swelling we had? I don’t want to relive that experience! The staff wants to feed us and then pump us for information on our experiences. What will they serve? Leg of lamb? I’ll pass.
16.    This isn’t mine but it is too good not to share – I wonder if my recorded call was ever used for quality or training purposes as they tell you when your customer service call is answered. They also tell you to listen carefully because some of the options may have changed. I’d like them to know that I didn’t memorize the last set of options so I have to listen carefully to know what button to press.
17.    I signed up to get alerts about local road conditions and weather issues in my area, so now I know when random streets that I have never heard of in my town or the rest of the county are closed. And I’m informed about traffic snarls in neighboring towns that I never drive to. I could turn off the alerts, but every one in every 100 messages might just be one I need to see.