I’m not sure about some of this, but I don’t think she likes the Yankees; they’re a team up in New York. I really don’t think she likes any of those teams up there, like the Giants and Nets (maybe they’re in New Jersey, but isn’t that the same thing?). I am positive that she does not like the JETS and the Giants. She says she’s loyal to the teams in New England like the Red Sox and Patriots. But she only pays attention to the Bruins when they’re about to win the Stanley Cup. Sometimes she even admits she’s a fair-weather friend of the Pats and Sox. If they’re not winning, we don’t speak about it.

She also gets annoyed about other things like when she goes to Publix and people pushing their grocery carts in the parking lot lanes don’t pay any attention to the cars inching along behind them. She needs to be more patient, I think. It’s not like she is always perfect in that category.

She hates our refrigerator. That’s what she is most emotional about. She wants one with the freezer on the bottom.

Well maybe there’s one other thing that she get a little more emotional about. No, make that A LOT more emotional about:  She hates to buy stuff made in China. She is on a one-woman crusade on that front. She will go to store after store to hunt for merchandise not made in China. She has a real hard time finding clothes and especially shoes that are not made in that country.

She likes to buy stuff online so she can take advantage of her Amazon prime account and get free shipping with everything delivered right to our door. But, boy oh boy, when the stuff gets here and has a made in China label she is not a happy camper.

Some of her friends are worried about her. If she can’t find any clothes that aren’t made in China, what will she do? They think we’ll have to move to the Cove. They’re already trying to find accommodations for us there. That’s another gated place for people who won’t work, and from what I hear you don’t have to wear clothes there. That would be wonderful for me, I don’t wear clothes anyway, I hate them. I even object when she puts that yellow rain slicker on me. I don’t appreciate being made to look like a Gorton’s of Gloucester Fisherman because I don’t like the sea and I won’t even touch fish.

Every time we go past the Cove I ask her to stop so I can go in and see the place and check out the Chihuahua babes there. I know I would like the location. It is right across the street from Lowes. They sell my favorite treats in Lowes, so it would be handy for me, I don’t like to run out of puperoni. But she never stops at the Cove for a visit. I don’t think she knows their secret password.

Anyway, I’m not sure exactly why she hates things made in China.  She certainly enjoys her mahjongg, loves her tai chi and even travels all the way into Kissimmee to get needles stuck at certain points under her skin to help move the chi along her meridians. Then on the way home she’ll stop and pick up vegetable moo shoo, Szechwan chicken, and crab rangoons.

And Hello! There’s something else VERY important here. It’s about my roots. My ancestors got their start in China and I will bet that they are very restless in their graves because of my mommy’s prejudice. Maybe she doesn’t even know about my heritage. PLEASE don’t tell her, O.K.?