Happy New Year to Me!

Thank goodness the year 2005 is in the past! Especially so the last week of the year, as it proved to be not only traumatic, but completely horrid!

My company from Hell was asked to leave - BY ME! Something I've never done before and I certainly do hope never has to be done again! From the moment they entered my home, I was the object of ridicule, criticism, and sarcasm. I managed to hold myself together quite well when the meatloaf was too salty (no salt in the meatloaf at all - I haven't cooked with salt in many, many years), home-made applesauce was too sweet (not a bit of sugar was in it), my dog wouldn't make friends with them (she's no dummy!), it was too hot in the house (had to turn on air conditioning even though it was 58 degrees outside and I froze my bum), and on and on and on!

They couldn't sleep because they were used to having an electric blanket to keep them warm - took electric blanket off my bed and let them warm their bones with it, while air conditioner is still running to keep the house at their required temperature. (Thought I might have frost bite on my toes and fingers at this point!) They were in bed by 7:00 p.m. and they could hear the television in the living room, so I was banished to my bedroom where they wouldn't be able to hear that television playing. Then, they complained because it was THEN too quiet, making it difficult to go to sleep, you understand!

Next day --- I was up extra early to get coffee going (wasn't decaf, but they weren't told that as I started to get smart after a sleepless night) and start planning breakfast. They can't eat anything with wheat in it, so I just happened to have some bran meal (phew) and made pancakes for them. They don't like maple syrup - only blueberry - so took frozen blueberries and equal to make syrup for them. The sausage was too spicy (was the mildest that Jimmy Dean makes!), and the eggs weren't cooked HARD enough for them (scrambled the life out them!). After a while, they noticed my ASDF uniform hanging in my sewing/ironing/catchall room. When I was asked what that was all about, how much fun they had telling me "An old fart like you has no business taking part in such a volunteer-type activity - don't you know everyone in it makes fun of you behind your back because of your age, your inability to keep up, blah, blah, blah." Still was holding it together quite well - for me, at least!

We went out to eat later in the day (of course, my treat), and the litany continued. My car wasn't comfortable enough (it's a Lincoln Town Car for Pete Sakes), it took too long to get to the restaurant (I live in the country and 11 miles isn't that far to me), they sent back their steaks 3 times because they weren't done JUST RIGHT either time, salad bar wasn't to their liking because there weren't enough selections of dressing from which to choose (I think 8 selections pretty well covers most tastes), and whoever heard of drinking "iced tea" with a meal - how barbaric! I'm still holding it together pretty well, but was so tense I don't think I even ate anything all that day - drank plenty of coffee, though! So, I was pretty much a time bomb waiting to blow.

And, the inevitable happened - I blew! When we got back from our sojourn to the steak house, my company noticed the flag enclosed in the lovely cherry wood case. Upon reading the nice little card attached which notes Kermit's service in Viet Nam, the following statement was made: "Oh he served in Viet Nam - wonder how many babies HE killed."

I know I blew because I ever so impolitely asked my company to leave my house as soon as possible - cannot actually remember anything I said beyond that. It's impossible for me to explain to anyone how very angry, shocked, and hurt I was! They shouldn't have said what they said, especially in my home. They shouldn't have treated me like I was less of a person than them because I live in the south where EVERYONE is illiterate, related to each other, and still fighting the Civil War! Hmm, they've been to Alabama once in their entire lives and know everything about what it's like to live here.

They left - exclaiming they couldn't understand why I had gotten so upset. Duhh, take a look in the mirror, folks!

Micky Finn is not apologizing for her company, much less asking them to leave!