THE FOUR WOMEN BOSSES

I find it hard to believe that I get bossed around so much by 4 distinctly different women!

There’s TLW (The Little Woman), boss of bosses, gentle leader of my life, Mother of my children. There is Nana, my Mom, loving but strict, who owns a wooden spoon. There is Ellen my daughter, always tries to be happy, but won’t tolerate anyone’s nonsense, and finally, Happy, my Cocker Spaniel who is guardian of the Realm and moocher.

They all hold sway over me. Sometimes it is hard to satisfy one mistress, let alone four!

TLW I never look at first thing in the morning for fear she will find something for me to do. She has a way of knowing what it is all about, but won’t say anything until its time. Her strategy for getting things done is to start it, and make me feel guilty (silently) if I don’t finish it off. What takes me a while to figure out, she will do in no time. This is particularly true of household chores. She’s smart, beautiful, kind and I love every bit of it.

Mom calls when she needs a ride, a form or something fixed. It usually starts with a phone call and an announcement that it is she. “Hello, Joe? This is your Mother.” Oh, she is not pompous; in fact, she is anything but. Mom has a great sense of humor, and loves to laugh out loud. She was a great cook at one time, but now that she is 90, she has passed that talent on to her wonderful daughters, and my beautiful sisters.

My Daughter Ellen will expect me to get up from my easy chair so she can sit there. She will push me out of her house to take her to my house for dinner, escaping her group home for a few hours. She is not very patient, so you better be on your toes and above all, follow her orders. Coaxing a kiss out of her can be tough at times. She does not give them away freely, and it better last.

Then there is Happy. Happy has a fascinating hobby, sitting and watching me eat. Patrolling the ground around me, when I eat or cook, hoping to find a spilled morsel or something pitched from me. At 4:30 pm every day, she barks at me to remind me to get her some lettuce! TLW admonishes me for feeding her, which I do. It is difficult not to feed her, since she is happiest when she is with me, in the same room, no matter where in the house. Asleep, she snores, farts and sometimes moans. If I sneak a bite of food by her while she is asleep, her head jerks up and she starts to sniff the air.

I guess I’m lucky in a lot of ways, after all, they do pay attention to me. Not that they would do as I ask, just listen then do what they want.