heartpounding excitement - April 22nd

quiet house.  so nice, the quiet.  this morning wasn't so quiet.

someone was banging hard on my front door.  hard banging......rattled the quiet.

i peered throught the blinds......a man in a neon green t shirt/tan cargo shorts, red tennies & a backpack was banging HARD on my  front door..... semi swaying......no vehicle.  what the hell.....heart racing.

i called out and he said he lived behind me, could he cut through my yard.  whaaaat?  alarm still set and there is no way i will open that door with him there.

i tell him to go around........he finally walks away. crosses to the neighbor's yard.  bangs on their door.....no one is home.  he wanders into their backyard......not swaying as much as before, but definitely high on something......stops every few seconds to stare up at the sun......he seems confused, boxed in, unable to make decisions.  stuck.

i browned some end piece bacon bits.....now i'm sauteing the final left over pork chop in the bacon fat......smells really good.  i'm going to warm two flour tortillas, add cool sour cream ranch dip, romaine lettuce for crispness and finally the pork.  hope it tastes as good as it sounds.  i'm hungry.

neon t-shirt guy walked over to the side of the neighbor's house easiest for me to see......lifted up his arms and hugged the side of the house.  i've heard of tree huggers, but... well, this is new.

dinner was good, you have to eat fast though cause tortillas cool quickly.  dishes done, now i can continue this odd tale of today.

i was on the phone with the police, a female officer arrived and spoke to neon green t-shirt guy for a while.  a good while, then she got in her car, drove away.  he started walking down the road in front of my house, stopping every few seconds to take in the sky.  then stop, stand in place.....he seemed to be unplugged, incapable of figuring out well.......anything.

i called them back, this time i said i wanted to speak to an officer at my home.  spoke to sam while i waited.....so glad he could talk with me, it really helped.  this time two police cars showed, the female officer in one car, and two officers in the 2nd car.  neighbors are coming out to see what is what.  guess they feel more comfortable around crazy than i do.  but then i can't run.....so there is that.

they talk so long that i feel my temper gathering strength.  are they exchanging recipes?  planning a bar mitzvah? ----wrong thinking? maybe, but i want action, not a little buddy group meeting of officer's r us.  yup, like i said i do have a temper at times.....and there is that thing where the adrenalin is still pumping, the aftermath of a good scare....running through my veins.

from where i stand i can't see the guy anymore.....i wait another ten minutes, which seems interminable.....while they continue to share tips of car repairs or the scores of the last ball game. ok, i'll tone down my sarcasm......but if this guy isn't in one of their cars where is he?  did they send him down the road in his altered state to continue freaking neighbors out? 

i go outside finally, decide it's been long enough.  they see me and disperse, the female officer walks down the road in front and calls out that she is on her way.......duh, i can see that you are finally coming.......so come on then.

she tells me that this guy lives in our neighborhood, he told them he took ambien this morning.  .....that they called his wife and she had just picked him up a few minutes ago.  he is back home now.  i related what he told me and find out that this guy lives in the blue house behind my home.  .............directly behind me..................letting that settle into my conscious is unsettling. 

his name is Arthur Guard, he is well known to the police department.....for subtance abuse isssues and sticky freaking fingers.  as in yes, he likes to steal from others.  well, well, well.

i start choking......the pollen is thick this time of year, and i've choked on georgia air before.  the tickle in my throat gets worse and the officer suggests that we get some water, so into the house we go.  she talks while i cough.......spring is beautiful here, but can be difficult. 

i recover, sip water and she shares that the woman who answers the phone for the police lives in this neighborhood.  i should call her, get the info on our neighborhood's FB page.  it is private....and for those who live here that care about our homes & neighbors. sounds good, not a big FB kind of girl, but for this i'll make an exception.  sounds too smart not too.

this lady gives me the name of the lady who started the FB page for us.....i am to message her, request admission to the page.  the lady i am talking to says she will also let this lady know that we talked......so i type up a message and send it off. that's done.

the officer told me if i see the guy again today they will lock him up.  she further states that they will up their patrol for the neighborhood.  it never occurred to me that this guy would literally be right in my backyard........i assumed he was lost here, not living here.  a big ticket item under "things that suck."

the excitement wore me out.  i laid down for a nap and slept for two hours, woke briefly and conked back out for a few more hours.  adrenalin is not my good friend, it certainly has it's uses, but within a body with our illnesses it is rough business. 

......sara & i had a nice lunch on friday & then went thrifting for a bit.  we went to Gyro City Grill, a two month old Greek restaurant that shows a lot of heart and serves more food than anyone could ever hope to eat.  sara was a few minutes late and i was early so the waitress brought me a complimentary cup of lemon chicken soup so i wouldn't go hungry during the wait.  ohhh, how sweet is that?

unneccesary, but it felt like they immediately treat you like family.  sara arrived and another complimentary cup of this delicious soup arrived.  it's a light lemony color, i couldn't taste lemon.....it was savory, with bits of chicken and orzo. light and very nice.  yummm.

sara ordered a greek salad ....had them leave off the majority of stuff and got a chicken souvlaki.  i ordered spanokopita and a chicken souvlaki.  the waitress returned with a platter of three salads, macaroni salad, marinaded beets and marinaded chick peas.  is this traditional in Greek Restaurants?  I haven't eaten at very many, maybe only one?

We pick at them but since Sara barely touches carbs and I already know what I've ordered will fill me up we don't make much of an inroad.  Our food arrives.....souvlaki is grilled meat on a stick.  they offer pork, lamb, beef or chicken.  it is delicious.  they provide warm pita and a creamy cool sauce named something with a "z" in it that starts with a "t". it is cool, creamy, tastes of dill.  it works very well with the chicken.  i took one bite later of the spanokopita (spinach pie w/cheese in light layerd phylo dough).  it was ok, not my favorite.  i've had it elsewhere & it was better.  this had less phylo layering, more like a triangular shaped phylo pastry stuffed with spinach and not much cheese.  .....but everything else was delicious.  the wait staff is very nice.......the whole ceiling was decorated with spring images.....for easter, for a new season.......lots of balloons too.  very festive, an ongoing party from the minute you arrive.  i hope they do well here.......pray for their continued success!

after we went to the goodwill store, sara found items for her e-bay store.  italian shoes, expensive designer clothing......a few other collectibles she thought would do well.  i got a small tablecloth in the original packaging for $2......it will cover the teak outdoor table when we eat out there.  two plate stands...one large and one small.  and little salt and pepper shakers.....in the shape of tiny lovebirds.  completely adorable in their original box.  i spent $5.08. 

after that we hugged and parted company.  i went to wal mart to do my regular shopping and she went to where ever she went.....it was a good day. 

i thank God that today wasn't worse.  that i have a safe home, an alarm system, a police department who did a good job, that God forgives me my impatience and temper.....(is it better to be angry when you're scared than frozen in place?)....hands that pray to help Arthur Guard with his negative tendencies.......for the lovely quiet happening right now in my very own home sweet home. 

Much to be thankful for!  Amen and Amen.