Fixed Sunday dinner recently for my folks at their house. I was trying out a new recipe I had come across that was a delicious-sounding, one-dish meal consisting of layers of sliced potatoes, chunked-up cabbage, apple wedges, sliced onions in rings, and link sausage, cooked over a medium-low fire in a large, heavy skillet. (Now, you can cook it, too.)
I had already sliced the potatoes and onions, and was cutting the cabbage into chunks. Mom came in on her walker.
“Are you going to shred that cabbage?”
“No, I’m gong to cut it into chunks.”
“Shredding it is a good way to cook it.”
“Yes, but this recipe calls for chunks to be spread over the sliced potatoes and the onion rings.”
“Why doesn’t it call for shredding?”
“Well, I don’t know. I watched them make this on television and they said to cut it into smallish chunks like this and spread the cabbage over the potatoes and onions.”
“Well, shredding makes more sense.”
“I suspect that doing it this way allows you to enjoy the tastes of each vegetable as you eat it.”
“Hmph.” She leaves the kitchen.
I finish chunking the cabbage and adding the rest of the ingredients: thin apple wedges and sausage cut into coins. Because my mom has a thing about adding no salt, I add absolutely none. Before long, everything is all cooked and I serve it up with some crusty French bread.
Dad tastes it and tells me, “This is really good. I wouldn’t have thought those apples would have gone so well with all of this.”
Mom says, “You added too much salt.”
“I didn’t add any salt at all, Mom,” I answer.
“Well, then, the potato mix you used has too much salt in it.”
“I used fresh potatoes, Mom.”
“Well, then, some kind of mix you used to make this has too much salt.” Starting with the peppery tone, again…
“I used fresh cabbage, apples and onions. Only thing I used that was already made was the sausage.”
“Well, that’s the problem, then,” she says, triumphantly. “You didn’t use the right sausage! You should have used (stated brand name of kielbasa that the family always uses) instead. There’s very little salt in that. You need to start being more careful.”
Cut to view of trash can, where the package that contained the sausage now resides. It is exactly the kind of sausage she mentioned.
“Okay. Next time, I’ll try that,” I say, rolling my eyes.
“And, next time, shred the cabbage.”
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Hanging the Drapes and Taco Soup...
Not too long ago, on a regular Sunday visit to my folks’ house, my daughters and I entered the house and greeted the folks.
“I have something I need your help with,” Mom begins before we are even all in the room.
“Okay. What’s that?” I ask, putting my purse and things down on the table.
“I need curtains put up behind the drapes so we can have a little privacy when we open the drapes during the day. I bought the sheers and the curtain rod, but I can’t get your father to do it.”
Dad is sitting on the couch, reading the paper, and looks up when he hears this. “Do what?” he asks.
“Put up the sheers and the rod,” she answers.
“What rod is that?” he asks.
“The one I bought and asked you to put up last week,” she retorts.
Dad looks surprised and asks, ‘Did you ask me to put up something? Where do you want me to do it?”
“Behind the drapes! Like I said!”
“Oh,” says Dad, looking at the drapes. “That would be nice. We’d have a little bit more privacy when we open the drapes. Do I need to go get a curtain rod?”
Mom sighs exasperatedly and answers, “No. I have the rod. I have the curtains. What I don’t have is someone to put them up for me!”
“Well,” says Dad, pleasantly. “Maybe we can get the girls to help us.”
We affix the hardware to the frame behind the drapes that hang over the patio door. Then, we take the rod and start to put it in the holders. It doesn’t reach.
“Mom, the rod is not long enough.”
“Yes, it is.”
“No, it doesn’t reach from one side to the other.”
“Well, I bought the largest size they had. 84”. That should fit.”
“Tell you what. Let’s measure it,” says Dad.
“We don’t need to measure. You’re just putting it in wrong. They don’t make one any bigger, so it’s got to fit that door!” Mom snaps.
“Well, humor me,” Dad says, and goes after his tape measure.
We measure. 98”. Hmmm… Mom goes to her room in a huff.
“Why don’t I run to the store and get one that will fit?” I say, and off I go.
She was right. The place she went does not carry a larger rod of that type, even though larger rods are manufactured. So, I get two smaller ones with a plan in mind to make them work.
I get back, we all manage to get the two rods up and get the curtains on them. We open and close the drapes to be sure that the curtains behind them are not disturbed as that happens. Everything works just fine. The sheers hang on the rods I bought and don’t even show that we joined the rods together. Mom comes back in from the bedroom and looks at the job we’ve done.
“Well, I see you finally figure out how to get them up there. I told you that rod would work.”
Next day at work, the phone rings, and when I answer it, Mom says, brightly, "Hi, Honey. I just wanted to tell you what great time we had yesterday and how much we appreciate you all coming over."
Sweet as pie.
...Whattheheck..?!!? Am I on Candid Camera?
……………………………………………..
My mom remembers things that either did not actually happen or that happened in very different ways than she tells. Here’s a typical example…
As youngsters, many years ago (waaay many years ago!), my brothers and I had already formed many of our likes and dislikes; especially as relates to food. For instance, my younger brother, Brian, did not like Mexican or Tex-Mex food, and all of us knew that. Also, one of my brothers liked cake and the other liked icing. They gave each other the part they didn’t like. We all knew that, too.
My mom likes trying new recipes. A few years back, she made a recipe for a dish called Taco Soup. Now, by this time, all of us were grown and had left home. In fact, Brian had lived outside of the state for several years. Not too long ago – within the past 3-4 years - Mom told the family that, as a child, Brian loved Taco Soup. Never mind that Brian dislikes Mexican food, and never mind that he had not lived anywhere near us for many years, and never mind that Mom had only been cooking Taco Soup since well after Brian moved away. She still insists that Brian loves Taco Soup.
::sigh!:: Okay. Whatever.
........................................................
Mom has been going through things in her house to add them to the list of who gets what when she and Dad are gone. The other day, she called me at work. I answered the phone.
“Hello?”
“Sharon, are you busy?”
“I am pretty busy at present. I’m trying to finish a report before lunch. Can I call you back?
“Well, this will only take a minute. Do you remember that bar pin?”
“I – what? Bar pin?” (Knowing I will be caught up in the chaos…)
“The blue one.”
“Blue?” Feeling like I’m about to be sorry…
“Yes, Sharon Lee! The blue one.” (oops – the dreaded peppery tone)
“Um, no. I don’t think so.”
“Mama’s blue bar pin, Sharon Lee! The one she and Megan always talked about.” (a bit more peppery)
(Totally lost.) “Oh. Ummm, that one.”
“Yes. Do you think Megan would want it?”
“Did you ask Megan?”
“I’m asking YOU. Do you think she would?” (pepper, pepper)
“Yes? I think that she probably would if she and Grandma talked about it. It’s likely to mean something to her, then.”
“All right. I’ll put that on the list for Megan.”
“Okay. That seems fine.”
“Why don’t you let her know when you see her tonight?”
“Mom, why don’t you tell her? You are the one who is leaving it to her.”
“Because I asked you to do it. You’d better get back to work. Don’t you have a report to do? I’ll talk to you later.” Hangs up.
Later that evening, I speak to my daughter:
“Megan, do you remember talking to Gaga about a blue pin she had?”
“No.”
“Your grandmother asked me about a blue bar pin that she says you and Gaga used to talk about. Does that ring a bell with you?”
“No. I don’t remember talking to her about any jewelry.”
“Well, your grandmother is leaving this pin to you in her will, and she thinks it is something that you will know all about.”
Megan looks at me for a moment.
“Taco Soup, Mom.”
Yep. I guess it is. And, that’s enough for today.
God bless!
“I have something I need your help with,” Mom begins before we are even all in the room.
“Okay. What’s that?” I ask, putting my purse and things down on the table.
“I need curtains put up behind the drapes so we can have a little privacy when we open the drapes during the day. I bought the sheers and the curtain rod, but I can’t get your father to do it.”
Dad is sitting on the couch, reading the paper, and looks up when he hears this. “Do what?” he asks.
“Put up the sheers and the rod,” she answers.
“What rod is that?” he asks.
“The one I bought and asked you to put up last week,” she retorts.
Dad looks surprised and asks, ‘Did you ask me to put up something? Where do you want me to do it?”
“Behind the drapes! Like I said!”
“Oh,” says Dad, looking at the drapes. “That would be nice. We’d have a little bit more privacy when we open the drapes. Do I need to go get a curtain rod?”
Mom sighs exasperatedly and answers, “No. I have the rod. I have the curtains. What I don’t have is someone to put them up for me!”
“Well,” says Dad, pleasantly. “Maybe we can get the girls to help us.”
We affix the hardware to the frame behind the drapes that hang over the patio door. Then, we take the rod and start to put it in the holders. It doesn’t reach.
“Mom, the rod is not long enough.”
“Yes, it is.”
“No, it doesn’t reach from one side to the other.”
“Well, I bought the largest size they had. 84”. That should fit.”
“Tell you what. Let’s measure it,” says Dad.
“We don’t need to measure. You’re just putting it in wrong. They don’t make one any bigger, so it’s got to fit that door!” Mom snaps.
“Well, humor me,” Dad says, and goes after his tape measure.
We measure. 98”. Hmmm… Mom goes to her room in a huff.
“Why don’t I run to the store and get one that will fit?” I say, and off I go.
She was right. The place she went does not carry a larger rod of that type, even though larger rods are manufactured. So, I get two smaller ones with a plan in mind to make them work.
I get back, we all manage to get the two rods up and get the curtains on them. We open and close the drapes to be sure that the curtains behind them are not disturbed as that happens. Everything works just fine. The sheers hang on the rods I bought and don’t even show that we joined the rods together. Mom comes back in from the bedroom and looks at the job we’ve done.
“Well, I see you finally figure out how to get them up there. I told you that rod would work.”
Next day at work, the phone rings, and when I answer it, Mom says, brightly, "Hi, Honey. I just wanted to tell you what great time we had yesterday and how much we appreciate you all coming over."
Sweet as pie.
...Whattheheck..?!!? Am I on Candid Camera?
……………………………………………..
My mom remembers things that either did not actually happen or that happened in very different ways than she tells. Here’s a typical example…
As youngsters, many years ago (waaay many years ago!), my brothers and I had already formed many of our likes and dislikes; especially as relates to food. For instance, my younger brother, Brian, did not like Mexican or Tex-Mex food, and all of us knew that. Also, one of my brothers liked cake and the other liked icing. They gave each other the part they didn’t like. We all knew that, too.
My mom likes trying new recipes. A few years back, she made a recipe for a dish called Taco Soup. Now, by this time, all of us were grown and had left home. In fact, Brian had lived outside of the state for several years. Not too long ago – within the past 3-4 years - Mom told the family that, as a child, Brian loved Taco Soup. Never mind that Brian dislikes Mexican food, and never mind that he had not lived anywhere near us for many years, and never mind that Mom had only been cooking Taco Soup since well after Brian moved away. She still insists that Brian loves Taco Soup.
::sigh!:: Okay. Whatever.
........................................................
Mom has been going through things in her house to add them to the list of who gets what when she and Dad are gone. The other day, she called me at work. I answered the phone.
“Hello?”
“Sharon, are you busy?”
“I am pretty busy at present. I’m trying to finish a report before lunch. Can I call you back?
“Well, this will only take a minute. Do you remember that bar pin?”
“I – what? Bar pin?” (Knowing I will be caught up in the chaos…)
“The blue one.”
“Blue?” Feeling like I’m about to be sorry…
“Yes, Sharon Lee! The blue one.” (oops – the dreaded peppery tone)
“Um, no. I don’t think so.”
“Mama’s blue bar pin, Sharon Lee! The one she and Megan always talked about.” (a bit more peppery)
(Totally lost.) “Oh. Ummm, that one.”
“Yes. Do you think Megan would want it?”
“Did you ask Megan?”
“I’m asking YOU. Do you think she would?” (pepper, pepper)
“Yes? I think that she probably would if she and Grandma talked about it. It’s likely to mean something to her, then.”
“All right. I’ll put that on the list for Megan.”
“Okay. That seems fine.”
“Why don’t you let her know when you see her tonight?”
“Mom, why don’t you tell her? You are the one who is leaving it to her.”
“Because I asked you to do it. You’d better get back to work. Don’t you have a report to do? I’ll talk to you later.” Hangs up.
Later that evening, I speak to my daughter:
“Megan, do you remember talking to Gaga about a blue pin she had?”
“No.”
“Your grandmother asked me about a blue bar pin that she says you and Gaga used to talk about. Does that ring a bell with you?”
“No. I don’t remember talking to her about any jewelry.”
“Well, your grandmother is leaving this pin to you in her will, and she thinks it is something that you will know all about.”
Megan looks at me for a moment.
“Taco Soup, Mom.”
Yep. I guess it is. And, that’s enough for today.
God bless!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Preserving the Figs…
(Tuesday morning. Sharon calls Mom.)
“Hello?”
“Hi, Mom. I’m calling about the figs for this weekend. I’m getting all the stuff together I need to bring to make the fig preserves.”
“Well, good. We’re having lots of figs out there, and they look great.”
“Cool! I’m looking forward to having fig preserves on a warm, buttered biscuit this winter. Sound yummy to me.”
“Well, they’ll all be gone by this winter. Figs don’t grow in the winter.”
“No, I mean, the preserves, Mom. Eating fig preserves in the winter. On a biscuit.”
“Well, they won’t still be warm, then.”
“No, but the biscuit will be warm. With butter.”
“Oh. Well, you can put preserves on it.”
“Yes. That’s what I meant.”
“Well, it’s not what you said.”
“So, are there lots of figs out there? Will we have enough to make a good-sized batch on Saturday?” (obviously changing the subject)
“Well, of course, there are. We’ve been bringing them in for days and putting them in the refrigerator.” (mumbling heard in the background) “Well, your father says all the ones in the refrigerator have been eaten. He heard you because I have you on speaker.”
“Tell Dad that we won’t have any left for preserves if he keeps that up.” (more mumbling)
“Your father told me to tell you he isn’t eating them. I am.”
“Well, then, Mom, don’t eat them all!”
“There will be plenty, Sharon Lee.” (oops – the dreaded peppery tone)
“Well, okay. Would you guys just go out and check by Friday to be sure we have enough to make all this worthwhile on Saturday?”
“I said there would be plenty, but I’ll check.” (peppery, peppery)
“Okay, then. I’ll check back with you on what to bring on Friday”
“I thought you were coming on Saturday.”
“Yes, but I’ll check in on Friday to make sure there’s not something I’ve missed.”
“I see. All right.”
“Well, I’m stacked up here at work, so I’ll talk to you guys later. Love you!”
“Love you, too. Bye-bye.”
(Sharon hangs up. Sighs. Makes mental note to call back on Friday.)
(Friday afternoon. Sharon calls her folks.)
“Hello?”
“Hi, Mom. I’m just calling to check to see if there’s plenty of figs. You said you’d check.”
“I haven’t checked, yet.”
“Well, when you get a chance will you or Dad just go look at them trees to see if there are plenty?”
“All right, Sharon Lee. If it will make you happy, we’ll go look in a while to see and we’ll let you know.” (very exasperated)
“Okay. Thanks, Mom. Talk to you later.” (trying not to sound impatient)
“All right. Good bye.”
“Bye.”
(Sharon hangs up and takes a deep breath. Cut to Saturday morning. Sharon calls Mom.)
“Hello?”
“Hi, Mom. I’m calling to check on the figs.”
“I already told you. You should listen to your messages.”
“Hold on.” (looks at cell to see if there were any missed calls or messages. None. Asks daughters to check home phone. No messages. No calls from the ‘rents.) “Mom? I don’t have any messages on my cell or on the house phone. When did you call?”
“Last night. We called several times, and it was Robyn’s voice that finally answered and took the message.”
(Sharon asks daughters to check their cell phones. No missed calls. No messages.) “Mom, neither of the girls has any missed calls or messages. And, Robyn’s voice is not on my voice mail. It’s a computer-generated voice on there.”
“Well, I think I know Robyn’s voice. It was Robyn!” (becoming upset)
“What number did you call, Mom?” (Mom rattles off a number that Sharon does not know.)
“Well, Mom, I don’t know who that is, but my number is xxx.xxx.xxxx.”
“Well, I’m sure that’s what I called. You need to check again!” (angrily)
“Okay. At any rate, what message did you leave?”
“No figs.”
“What?” (a little surprised)
“No figs. Birds musta got ‘em. Not a one on either tree. Not even blooms.”
(pause)
“Well, I guess we won’t be making preserves today, then. What a shame. I was looking forward to that.”
“Well, too bad. No figs. None. We’ll have to get them at the store.”
“I guess.” (sighs) “I’ll use the time to get laundry done and some other things, then. You and Dad have a good day.”
“You, too. See you later.”
(Sharon hangs up and bangs head against wall. Daughters are laughing. Sharon starts after them with a hanger.)
“Hello?”
“Hi, Mom. I’m calling about the figs for this weekend. I’m getting all the stuff together I need to bring to make the fig preserves.”
“Well, good. We’re having lots of figs out there, and they look great.”
“Cool! I’m looking forward to having fig preserves on a warm, buttered biscuit this winter. Sound yummy to me.”
“Well, they’ll all be gone by this winter. Figs don’t grow in the winter.”
“No, I mean, the preserves, Mom. Eating fig preserves in the winter. On a biscuit.”
“Well, they won’t still be warm, then.”
“No, but the biscuit will be warm. With butter.”
“Oh. Well, you can put preserves on it.”
“Yes. That’s what I meant.”
“Well, it’s not what you said.”
“So, are there lots of figs out there? Will we have enough to make a good-sized batch on Saturday?” (obviously changing the subject)
“Well, of course, there are. We’ve been bringing them in for days and putting them in the refrigerator.” (mumbling heard in the background) “Well, your father says all the ones in the refrigerator have been eaten. He heard you because I have you on speaker.”
“Tell Dad that we won’t have any left for preserves if he keeps that up.” (more mumbling)
“Your father told me to tell you he isn’t eating them. I am.”
“Well, then, Mom, don’t eat them all!”
“There will be plenty, Sharon Lee.” (oops – the dreaded peppery tone)
“Well, okay. Would you guys just go out and check by Friday to be sure we have enough to make all this worthwhile on Saturday?”
“I said there would be plenty, but I’ll check.” (peppery, peppery)
“Okay, then. I’ll check back with you on what to bring on Friday”
“I thought you were coming on Saturday.”
“Yes, but I’ll check in on Friday to make sure there’s not something I’ve missed.”
“I see. All right.”
“Well, I’m stacked up here at work, so I’ll talk to you guys later. Love you!”
“Love you, too. Bye-bye.”
(Sharon hangs up. Sighs. Makes mental note to call back on Friday.)
(Friday afternoon. Sharon calls her folks.)
“Hello?”
“Hi, Mom. I’m just calling to check to see if there’s plenty of figs. You said you’d check.”
“I haven’t checked, yet.”
“Well, when you get a chance will you or Dad just go look at them trees to see if there are plenty?”
“All right, Sharon Lee. If it will make you happy, we’ll go look in a while to see and we’ll let you know.” (very exasperated)
“Okay. Thanks, Mom. Talk to you later.” (trying not to sound impatient)
“All right. Good bye.”
“Bye.”
(Sharon hangs up and takes a deep breath. Cut to Saturday morning. Sharon calls Mom.)
“Hello?”
“Hi, Mom. I’m calling to check on the figs.”
“I already told you. You should listen to your messages.”
“Hold on.” (looks at cell to see if there were any missed calls or messages. None. Asks daughters to check home phone. No messages. No calls from the ‘rents.) “Mom? I don’t have any messages on my cell or on the house phone. When did you call?”
“Last night. We called several times, and it was Robyn’s voice that finally answered and took the message.”
(Sharon asks daughters to check their cell phones. No missed calls. No messages.) “Mom, neither of the girls has any missed calls or messages. And, Robyn’s voice is not on my voice mail. It’s a computer-generated voice on there.”
“Well, I think I know Robyn’s voice. It was Robyn!” (becoming upset)
“What number did you call, Mom?” (Mom rattles off a number that Sharon does not know.)
“Well, Mom, I don’t know who that is, but my number is xxx.xxx.xxxx.”
“Well, I’m sure that’s what I called. You need to check again!” (angrily)
“Okay. At any rate, what message did you leave?”
“No figs.”
“What?” (a little surprised)
“No figs. Birds musta got ‘em. Not a one on either tree. Not even blooms.”
(pause)
“Well, I guess we won’t be making preserves today, then. What a shame. I was looking forward to that.”
“Well, too bad. No figs. None. We’ll have to get them at the store.”
“I guess.” (sighs) “I’ll use the time to get laundry done and some other things, then. You and Dad have a good day.”
“You, too. See you later.”
(Sharon hangs up and bangs head against wall. Daughters are laughing. Sharon starts after them with a hanger.)
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
O. Mi. Gosh.
Newest episode of "Life with the 'Rents" (gotta picture this as if you are watching a sitcom on tv...)
(fade in - phone rings. Sharon answers. It's Mom.)
"Sharon, do you still have T-Mobile?"
"Yes, Mom, and so do you."
"No, we don't There's no light."
"No light?"
"On the phone."
"Whether or not you have a light, Mom, you are still with T-Mobile."
"Well, they won't let us use our phone."
"What's the problem?"
"There's no light. It isn't on."
"Have you charged it?" (mumbling in the background)
"Yes, your father says it's charged, Sharon Lee." (Peppery attitude.)
"Perhaps you should change the battery. There is an extra one in the box the phone came in. Do you have that close by?"
"Yes. We have that." (Peppery-er attitude)
"Oh, hey, Mom, is it on?"
"Why don't you talk to your father. He's telling me what to say. You talk to him." (totally exasperated)
Dad (pleasantly): "I'm actually not exactly sure what's happened with this."
"Mom said the light is not on?"
"No, it's not. There doesn't seem to be power."
"Have you charged it?"
"Well. I had it on the charger just now."
"Is it on?"
"Well, I think so. I'm pretty sure it is."
"Dad, on the phone, there should be a couple of little symbols. One is a phone headpiece that looks like it's off the hook, and one is a phone headpiece that looks like it's about to hang up. Do you see those?"
"Well, let's see. I don't know where to look for them There are lots of little things on the screen, but I can't tell what they are. They're really small."
"Well, you could use your magnifying glass for those, but, what we're looking for is buttons, not screen icons."
"Oh! Oh! Yes, I see. I found them. One on the right looks off the hook and one on the right looks like it's about to hang up."
(very slight pause) "Good. That's exactly what you need, Dad. Press the one on the right and hold it down for a moment."
"Well, okay." (musical sound of phone coming on) "Well, I'll be darned! It was off! Don't know how I did that, but I sure know how to undo it, now!"
"Can you tell if it's charged? Sometimes, it turns off because it loses charge."
"How do I know that?"
"There's an icon that looks like a D or C battery that will have a few bars in it. It needs to be filled up. Some of them have 3 bars and some have 4. Without having your phone in front of me, I can't tell which yours is."
"Well, I'm not sure where that is."
"On the screen."
"Oh, one of those little things?"
"The icons, yes. Dad, I think you should just go plug it in and leave it there to be sure you have plenty of charge."
"Good idea. I'll do that. So, it was as simple as turning this little gadget on, huh?" (chuckles)
"Yup. But, you never can be sure what the problem is 'til you trouble shoot it. I just happened to start with the easiest thing and we bingoed."
"We sure did."
"Well, Dad, I just got out of a meeting and I need to get these notes down. I'll talk to you guys later, okay?"
"Okay, Sweetheart, we'll see you later. I love you."
"I love you guys, too. Bye."
"Bye-bye."
(Shot of Sharon banging head against the desk as we fade out)
(fade in - phone rings. Sharon answers. It's Mom.)
"Sharon, do you still have T-Mobile?"
"Yes, Mom, and so do you."
"No, we don't There's no light."
"No light?"
"On the phone."
"Whether or not you have a light, Mom, you are still with T-Mobile."
"Well, they won't let us use our phone."
"What's the problem?"
"There's no light. It isn't on."
"Have you charged it?" (mumbling in the background)
"Yes, your father says it's charged, Sharon Lee." (Peppery attitude.)
"Perhaps you should change the battery. There is an extra one in the box the phone came in. Do you have that close by?"
"Yes. We have that." (Peppery-er attitude)
"Oh, hey, Mom, is it on?"
"Why don't you talk to your father. He's telling me what to say. You talk to him." (totally exasperated)
Dad (pleasantly): "I'm actually not exactly sure what's happened with this."
"Mom said the light is not on?"
"No, it's not. There doesn't seem to be power."
"Have you charged it?"
"Well. I had it on the charger just now."
"Is it on?"
"Well, I think so. I'm pretty sure it is."
"Dad, on the phone, there should be a couple of little symbols. One is a phone headpiece that looks like it's off the hook, and one is a phone headpiece that looks like it's about to hang up. Do you see those?"
"Well, let's see. I don't know where to look for them There are lots of little things on the screen, but I can't tell what they are. They're really small."
"Well, you could use your magnifying glass for those, but, what we're looking for is buttons, not screen icons."
"Oh! Oh! Yes, I see. I found them. One on the right looks off the hook and one on the right looks like it's about to hang up."
(very slight pause) "Good. That's exactly what you need, Dad. Press the one on the right and hold it down for a moment."
"Well, okay." (musical sound of phone coming on) "Well, I'll be darned! It was off! Don't know how I did that, but I sure know how to undo it, now!"
"Can you tell if it's charged? Sometimes, it turns off because it loses charge."
"How do I know that?"
"There's an icon that looks like a D or C battery that will have a few bars in it. It needs to be filled up. Some of them have 3 bars and some have 4. Without having your phone in front of me, I can't tell which yours is."
"Well, I'm not sure where that is."
"On the screen."
"Oh, one of those little things?"
"The icons, yes. Dad, I think you should just go plug it in and leave it there to be sure you have plenty of charge."
"Good idea. I'll do that. So, it was as simple as turning this little gadget on, huh?" (chuckles)
"Yup. But, you never can be sure what the problem is 'til you trouble shoot it. I just happened to start with the easiest thing and we bingoed."
"We sure did."
"Well, Dad, I just got out of a meeting and I need to get these notes down. I'll talk to you guys later, okay?"
"Okay, Sweetheart, we'll see you later. I love you."
"I love you guys, too. Bye."
"Bye-bye."
(Shot of Sharon banging head against the desk as we fade out)
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