For The Love Of Pete (as my father used to say)

The back dining room A/C is on the fritz at work. Guess where my section of tables has been all weekend?

Doesn't help I happen to live and work in Florida and been in the eighties most of the winter.

Double whammy, I still suffer from hot flashes.

Triple whammy, been busier than a bee hive at work this weekend.

The restaurant has a front section of tables with a huge screened in area, always cool and breezy. It also has an open patio section outside. It also has a solarium section with glass walls which open up all the way or can be open with full screening from top to bottom.

Then there's the back dining room section where I've been working.

I've started calling that section, "The Sauna".

I was taking an order tonight at a table and could feel the sweat trickling down the back of my neck. I kid you not, the little rat tail on the back of my short hair cut was sopping wet. My forehead was greasy enough to fry french fries with and could feel sweat rolling down between my size A cups. Then a hot flash would hit and felt like I was melting. I was at the drink station getting a soda for one of my tables, complaining about the heat in the back of the restaurant when one of my favorite servers cleverly quipped "Do you want me to throw another log on the fire?"

Sunshine heat doesn't bother me in the least. I can cut grass or pull weeds all day in the glorious outdoors. Make me hot indoors and I want to kill somebody.

I'm supposing (hoping) 'this too shall pass' must (gotta) be right around the corner pretty soon or I'm gonna flip!

Here's another fun fact which needs to be investigated.

I'll fall into bed at night (usually early morning) and feel all comfy under my sheets and comforter. I'll wake up at some point, yawn and stretch when the cramp in the back of my calf wakes me up even more. (sucks being an old server)

After I stretch and yawn...I know it's coming. Then it does.

Not thirty seconds later, am soaking wet. I throw off the comforter then ten seconds later the sheet.

Then literally one minute later am freezing, so pull all the covers back on top of me.

Two hours later is 'rinse and repeat'.

What kind of cruel joke is this?

I'm only guessing, but has to be because God is male and putting me in my place. My hot bed of paying for every thing I've ever done wrong in my over half a century on this planet.

I guess Richard Simmons was right.

On the up side, it's also called a flash for a reason. Almost as soon as it brutally hits...is gone.

I'm calling the glass of my life half full.

 I'm too skinny but at least I'm not too fat. I'm old with plenty of wrinkles but work with young kids who I work circles around...and they know it. I have a young daughter who keeps me almost hip, (kinda) up to date and doesn't throw shade (another term she taught me) for me being almost geriatric.

We survived almost ten years of  financial doom, moved to another state and started all over again.

I withered and wilted at first; almost caving in after my job transfer went more south than I had moved and took a couple of weeks off to feel sorry for myself.

Those were two horrible weeks but luckily survived.

My sister, brother and my daughter saw and helped me through it. My husband, who I call "The silent partner" simply let me work through it myself , putting up with my silence and occasional verbal attacks.

It's been hard. But has been (will be) worth it.

I'm getting older and Florida is where old peeps move to to die.

You can count me in for about a couple of decades more if I'm lucky.

Time to go sweat to sleep.

Bitch, please...

COTTON