October 9: Still. Again. Whatever.
The nuisance babysitter….uhm, hired companion lurked around until the end of working hours, and finally, along about five o’clock drove off into the distance.
Very nice lady. But…y’know…I’m used to living by myself. And I’ve NEVER liked people lurking around me — not even when I was a little kid. And much, much less now!
As soon as she exited, I set out on a (hot!!) afternoon walk, sans doggy friend. Ruby, of course, likes to charge around the neighborhood at any time and under any circumstances. But it was simply too hot to drag her over the sidewalks and the asphalt roads.
Her human would have preferred not to go strolling about in 100-degree heat — humid heat! — but really: I just had to burn off some of the frustration and annoyance.
Not that the babysitter isn’t a very nice person, very pleasant. Not that she interferes with my life (well…she does, but that’s not her fault). No.
It’s simply that I’m accustomed to living by myself, having done so for lo! these five or six decades. And the result of that I really don’t like having someone lurking around all day, no matter how nice they are and no matter how much their presence enhances my safety and well-being. Yes: I do like people (well…most of ’em). But I also like my aloneness — to the extent of preferring it, most of the time.
What to do about this annoying development?
Well… My inclination is to say nothing. Just let it go on. And try to train myself to get used to it.
The alternative is much worse.
My son was seriously considering consigning me to an old-folkerie called The Beatitudes: effectively a prison for the aged and the infirm. And that truly does fill me with horror.
Mercifully, he allowed himself to be persuaded to hire babysitters…uhm, caretakers…to come in and fill the daytime hours with me. These women are supposed to keep an eye on me, take me to grocery stores, see that I don’t get into any mischief, watch that I bathe and eat and keep the house tidy.
Now…whereas I can’t say I like that prospect (ugh!!!!), it’s about a hundred times better than being consigned to an institution.
Our lady doesn’t get here until after Ruby and I have had time to make our morning hike around the ‘Hood. (That can fill anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour). And once the summer heat passes, she’ll be gone in plenty of time to let me make another little hike to run off any frustration and aggravation.
Plus she can drive me to grocery stores…and…I’m hoping, if I’m really nice to her, she may agree to help me get Ruby to the vet, whose offices are a bit too far for us to reach on foot. Especially in this heat.
Anyway…it’s annoying, that’s for sure. But it’s one HELLUVA lot less annoying than being locked up in an old-folkerie.