Is the universe playing tricks on me?

I've lost my cell phone.  This is a first for me; in the past, I've stayed with a cheap, basic phone.  But when I saw that Cliff and I could get a pretty good deal as senior citizens ($70 monthly for both of us, unlimited data), I decided to go for something besides a flip-phone and settled on a Samsung model in the $250 range.  After having it over a year, I've finally learned how to answer it without hanging up on folks.  I've also learned to text, although I don't use that feature a lot except to read what others send.  

But sometime between last Friday night and Saturday, it disappeared.  I had it in hand a lot while I sat with Cliff in the emergency room, fielding calls and texting with someone I thought was Jimmy Capps.  My daughter brought me home Friday night and picked me up Saturday morning at home to go back to the hospital; she has checked her car, but the phone wasn't there.  When I got to Cliff's room I looked for my phone in my purse, assuming it was there.  When it wasn't, I figured I'd left it home, which wouldn't be an unusual occurrence,

When Cliff and I came home that afternoon, I told him to call my cell phone, certain we'd hear it ringing and the mystery would be solved.  When that didn't happen, we called the hospital to see if anyone had turned it in.  Nope.  So I guess we'll be going to the T-mobile store and paying for another phone.  In an unrelated occurrence, yesterday evening Cliff's phone quit working.  When he tries to call someone, the phone tells him, "Not registered on network".  If someone tries to call him, the call goes to voice mail.  

So sometime today we'll be heading to Blue Springs T-mobile to get some help with our problems.  My problem, I'm sure, will cost more to fix than his problem.  I will see how much it would be for insurance.  

And then!!!  Of course Cliff is supposed to keep an eye on his blood pressure, so we got out the old blood pressure monitor, which we've been using daily for the last couple of weeks, only to find it's gone wacky.  So there goes another thirty or so bucks.  It isn't that we can't afford it, but why do things seem to happen in clusters?  Cliff's high blood pressure scare, one lost phone, and another that won't work, and a broken blood pressure monitor.  

We'll probably stop by Aldi's, since they have a couple good buys on fruit.  I need to buy a case of green beans there, too.  Since my sister told me a secret about cooking green beans, they don't last long around here.  Last year when we were visiting she was cooking, and the subject of green beans came up:  I mentioned that I always add a little bacon grease and some diced onion, and she said, "I like to put a little sugar in them; any time I take green beans to a carry-in dinner, people say, "Oh, these are the best green beans I've ever tasted!"

"Really?"  I responded.  Seriously, sugar in green beans?  Who wants sweet green beans?  That didn't even sound good, but my sister has been a master cook all her life, so there must be something to this concept.  "How much sugar would you add to one can of green beans?"

"Oh, I don't know," she said.  "I don't measure.  Maybe 1/2 teaspoon."

Well, that wouldn't be enough to sweeten them.  So, ever since this little talk with Maxine, I've added sugar to green beans when I fix them.

The first time the oldest grandson tasted them, I hadn't told him I did anything different.  He took a couple of bites and said, "Man, these green beans are good!"

You're never too old to learn something from your big sister.