Feeling like Lady Astor

My helper Marilyn came for her periodic visit today. Her arrival always motivates me to do a bunch of stuff that I would never do or make time for. Can still gather a bag for the thrift shop. This time I looked in some drawers I don't normally use, and found this "award" I got from a magazine -- I put award in quotes because all I did for it was to write for the magazine. It's big -- a bit bigger than a salad plate in glass -- and it's dated 2006. Came in this permanent satin lined box. We recycled the award, put the box in the thrift bag.

I also gave away three decks of tarot cards. I actually love the look of tarot cards, but I am resigned to the fact that I will not become a reader -- I tried but I don't have enough patience so out they went. Also out was a set of earphones which somehow I got for free as some bonus years ago, and if you live alone, you don't really have much use for earphones, big ones, so out those went as well. Oh, and a box of books to my friend who has a book club, and two individual books to the post office for friends.

This is a lazy confession, but I hate folding sheets and so the weeks that Marilyn is here, I save them for her to fold and I enjoy sitting there (like Lady Astor) chatting with her and watching the precision with which she folds sheets -- even the fitted ones. Lord knows I've tried to fold a fitted sheet well. I really have. I even watched a Martha Stewart show where she demos the process, but where Marilyn's finished product is a neatly folded rectangle, mine is a roll of jumbled fabric.

She ran a bunch of errands from the post office to Staples to dry cleaner, thrift shop, bank, etc. After she left, I called Ray the handyman. I said, "I'm looking for a gardener, are you interested?' Oh yes, he says so he stopped by and I gave him money to go buy plants and for his labor so we'll see what he comes up with. I have to say I love just not even being involved in any decisions, and he has "ownership" of the garden and does what he wants and that's fine.

So I'm feeling very pampered today with a personal assistant and a gardener. Where's a masseuse when you need one? As Mary says, "We would make good rich people." I wonder how long it would take for me to go from totally grateful as I am now to bitchily critical.