Well, this has been an interesting week. Not near as exciting as exploring Europe, that’s for sure, but it certainly has been a test of my nerves and emotions. First of all, my oldest son goes back to college this weekend and is renting an apartment this year instead of staying in residence. This means that he has to take all of his furniture with him, and every time I imagine his bedroom empty my eyes seem to start leaking for some reason. I know, get over it right? I should be getting used to it by now, but it’s still hard :(.
Then on Wednesday I had to deal with an elderly client at work whose wife had committed suicide, and when he started to cry, saying that he didn’t know how he was going to live without her, I almost lost it myself.
When I got home that night I was still feeling rather emotional, so I decided to have a quiet night watching TV and reading. Everyone else had gone to bed when the phone rang at 10pm. As it wasn’t a number I recognized, I just ignored it at that late hour. Then I settled down to finish a creepy book I was reading. I had just turned the last page at 11pm when all of a sudden there was a knock at my front door. I live in a small rural area where I get very few knocks on my door, let alone at 11pm at night!! I considered just ignoring it, but then I thought it might be a neighbour with a problem, so I went down and opened the door to find a man from our natural gas company. He said that there had been a problem because of a contractor slicing through a gas line, and they needed to gain access to check everything out. At 11:00 at night?!?! I was not comfortable with letting him into my house, so I told him that I would check if I had hot water and closed the door, letting him wait outside. I wasn’t letting this guy into my house at that time of night. It just didn’t feel right. So, I went up to the kitchen and started running the water. Suddenly, there was someone behind me, and I screamed, just about having a heart attack. It was my son, Bryan, wondering who was at the door. I thought the gas guy had come into my house anyway!! Once my heart calmed down, Bryan and I both went back to the door to get rid of the gas guy, as our hot water was working fine. It was after he was gone that I noticed that I had a voice mail message and it turned out to be the gas company advising that they would have workers coming around door to door. I guess if I had answered the phone I wouldn’t have been so freaked out by my late night visitor LOL!!
Now, it’s Friday and we are heading into a long weekend. I think I really need it this week :). Before the weekend festivities begin though, it’s time for the mystery photo. And don’t worry, there are lots of photos to come from our trip, but I have been trying to catch up on a few other things at home before I dive into regular blogging again. Ok, ready, set, go…..
photos from the loonybin 
not sure–it was not something you were going to wrap around the gas man’s neck is it? Or is it the pull to the bell that brings your butler to you? I was on vacation last week and missed last week’s mystery photo…………..
LMAO!! You just made me laugh out loud at work imagining me throttling the gas man :). But a butler – now there’s an awesome idea. Sigh……
double sigh, bubble, toil and trouble…………………..
🙂
Oh my goodness –what a week for you!!!! So sorry about all the things that happened this week . Whew. I am pretty sure I know what the picture is. It is the room key holder thingy, right? When we stayed at a Chateau in France we had a similar one. Kind of hard to stick in the pocket but easy to find!!!!
Thanks Beth Ann. A chateau in France – that sounds wonderful. Oh, how I loved Paris, and I really need to go back because we were only there for 2 days, and there was so much more I wanted to explore. I would love to see the countryside too :). I will reveal the answer tomorrow morning.
I would have scream too Cindy. I don’t know what it is about teenage boys when I’m downstairs and they’re walking around upstairs it sounds like a herd if elephants stomping around but other times I don’t hear them coming up behind me. In to today’s picture….hmmm. It looks like a tassel with a hotel name on it. Is it for your hotel key?
I know, I have elephants quite frequently in my house too :). So, have you moved your son back to school yet, and how are you doing with it this year? Nobody else would probably notice that I am still feeling it this year, but I can tell that I’m kind of down this week – just not myself.
It’s an alien spider with a name tag wrapped around its head.
Well it sounds like you’ve had everything scared out of you now, Cindy, shouldn’t be any more fear left. That said now you can invite LouAnn and I to eat all of your chocolate. Yay!
Wouldn’t it be fun to all get together and sit and eat chocolate all day? Some day we are going to make it happen :).
LOL. I just had a mental image of us all sitting around a table scarfing chocolate down. Oh my gosh, I would drop all pretense at etiquette and gobble it all up. 😉
I will be there!
Yayyyy!! Chocolate party :).
Sorry you had a fright. Quite right though, not to let in a stranger.
As for the object. In order to keep one’s subjects in order, one needs a flunky flail. I’m glad to see you have been influenced by your trip. 😀
Tee Hee!! Yes, I know a few people that need to be flailed :).
P.S. The voice mail genuine ?
Yes, actually. One of the girls at work was not home to take the call or open her door, so they turned her gas off in case there were problems.
Cool. 🙂
I’m late again, looks like some sort of ceremonial tassle from a church, maybe Notre Dame, but it’s a bit bright so more likely Sacre Coer. Have a great long weekend.
Thanks :). Hope your weekend is great too – you’ve been busy having fun this week haven’t you?
we have indeed Mrs BC goes back to work after two weeks off on Monday
It sucks going back to work :(.
This looks like the end of a tassle, like you might see on a red carpet (background) with the fabric & the gold bob which hides the knot. The wording looks like Pantheon, so I’m going to guess this was somewhere quite old, maybe a rope fence keeping people away from a treasured object in a museum?
Did you by any chance have a key from the Villa Pantheon in Paris. Flail those flunkies. 😛
You made me scared sitting here in front of my computer! How frightening to have a man standing outside the door in those circumstances. Glad it was all ok, I’m going to have to sleep with the lights on tonight!
Don’t worry – your squirrel buddies will protect you :).
🙂 🙂 They’d better…the cat would just help an intruder.
Hahaha!! Bad kitty.
Good morning everyone :). It’s moving day for my baby, so I thought I’d better post the answer before I am too busy hauling boxes. Many of you got it correct again, or at least were on the right track. It was the tassel attached to our key for our hotel in Paris (Villa Pantheon), and damn it was a heavy key to have to carry around all day. It was hard to lose though. Good job!!
Next time you can leave the key at the front desk. I didn’t like carrying it either. And I actually knew this one. Too bad I was out of town
Now why didn’t I think of that? 🙂
It is so nice to have u back Cindy. Glad you enjoyed your trip! I too had the gas guy come around but he was checking the meters outside at 1am no less! Mart told him to go away and come back during the day. Should have called the cops on him! That is nuts!!!
Thanks Irene :), and yes it was the late hour that made me so uncomfortable. Everyone was asleep!! It was very strange!
Ohh wow what an emotionally draining week! I was literally feeling the terror along with you as I was reading, it sounded like the start of a CSI episode, LOL. How scary. I would have found it unsettling if someone turned up at my door at that time of night, it definitely seems suspicious. Sounds like you did exactly the right thing even if it turned out to be legit!
Thanks Becky, it just didn’t feel right, so I played it safe :).
What a week you have had. I hope things will calm down for you. I am not sure what the subject of your photograph is, but I like it as a photograph. Nice colours and great textures and structures.
Thanks Otto :). It is actually the tassel that was attached to the key for our hotel in Paris (Villa Pantheon). I have so many wonderful photos to share from our trip, but I have told myself I have to finish editing the photos from my niece’s wedding before I allow myself to start posting trip pictures.