Blonde Mule

My nickname is Mule. It's actually a compliment. Greg has been calling me Mule almost as long as we've been married.

I earned that nickname because I'll work all day without stopping and I hardly ever complain. Well...I probably complain a little bit more now. 

This week Greg finally came home and promptly put me to work. The first job on the docket was sealing the concrete floor of his shop. I didn't think it would be such a big project, but it took two days. He poured the sealer and I did the painting. 

Somehow I think I got the raw end of this deal.

To be honest, I took the job because it hurts his back too much to do that much bending. Even though I used a long-handled roller, there was still a lot of bending and twisting. I ended up using a lot of forgotten muscles.

Evidently, I'm not as hearty a mule as I used to be. LOL!

But my sore muscles haven't been my worst discovery this week.

I think I'm going blonde!

I've always had red undertones in my hair, but as I've gotten older, the red is getting lighter and lighter. It's nearly strawberry blonde now, especially at the top where the sun hits it.

It looks silly on my complexion. Greg tells me not to worry about it. But really, whoever heard of a blonde mule?

So who else has nicknames? And how did you get your nickname? 


Tomorrow: Stop by tomorrow because Tia Nevitt is going to visit and talk about s-e-x in The Sevenfold Spell.

Comments

Mike Keyton said…
A blonde mule, it would make a lovely children's Toy. I can see it now, the Zannini range available only in superior stores. Zannin deluxe comes with sound effects.

My nickname was 'Buster' for obvious reasons
Maria Zannini said…
Mike/Buster:

Buster! Now that has all sorts of implications.

By the way, if I ever get famous, I will definitely have to add the blonde mule to my merchandising.

I'll be sure to send you your cut...Buster. :)
Joanne said…
Your hair colors sound striking, like natural highlights ... Welcome to the blonde club :)

The only nickname here is that a few people always call me Jo. It's funny how that shortened name sticks with them.
Andrea Coulter said…
My sister called me Gimpy for a couple years because we went to Europe for a few weeks together and I was an idiot and didn't break in my new hiking boots before we went >.<
Maria Zannini said…
Joanne: I had a friend named Joan who insisted I call her Jo. She hated her full name so much that I've always been a little skittish about Joan/Joanne in general.

I'm sure you'd tell me if you prefer Jo. :grin:
Maria Zannini said…
Lynn: Oh, yeah. That goes without saying. I get the Gimp moniker if I hobble more than usual.

I'll bet you never go anywhere without breaking in your shoes now, huh?

I did it myself once and I learned that lesson.
Dru said…
I was called the Quiet One or the Listener. Half the time, no one knew I was in the room.

I hope you're feeling better.
Linda Leszczuk said…
My hair turned blond a few years back. A very light blond. Almost white. Sort of...oh hell, who am I kidding? It's gray.

Bet your strawberry blond is lovely.

Actually I always wanted a nickname. "Linda" was way too common in my generation and I wanted something different. Never quite happened. A few people shorten it to "Lin" but it's not the same.

(If I'd been nicknamed Mule, it probably would have been more to do with stubborn than hardworking.)
Anonymous said…
One word: Massage. You're welcome. :-)
Krista D. Ball said…
Maria - my dad once said I was built for manual labour.
Maria Zannini said…
Dru: The quiet ones...those are the ones I watch out for. LOL.

They usually have all the dirt.
Maria Zannini said…
Linda:

Ref:...oh hell, who am I kidding? It's gray.

LOL! I kept thinking the blonde was gray, but it really is just a blondish red. Very weird.

Ref: Mule
Not to worry. He means that too. :)
Sherri said…
No cool nicknames for me...my sister on the other hand had a ton :shrug:

Now my hair is doing the opposite of yours, getting darker to the point it is almost black. I used to have a really awesome blend of red, blonde, and brown that I called chestnut.

Ref: sealing concrete

Yuck, been there, done that :grin:
Maria Zannini said…
Liz: Believe it or not I plan to schedule one in a couple of weeks, but not for my sore muscles. My chiro thinks deep tissue massage might loosen a tightened muscle deep in my back that's giving me problems.

The chiro already tried working it out and I nearly jumped off the table. This is not going to be a pleasant massage.
Maria Zannini said…
Krista: That's cuz you're made of that hearty Newfoundland stock.

I got a shovel with your name on it if you ever come visit me in Texas. LOL!
Jayne said…
Nicknames, I've had a few... :)

One of my friends calls me 'Pepper' as when we were flying to Canada for a snowboarding holiday, tired old me on the plane carefully salted and peppered my tea before realising neither sachet was sugar. Doh!

Your hair sounds a lovely colour!
Sarah Ahiers said…
i'm the opposite. I used to be blonde but it's changed over the years to more of a brown
Maria Zannini said…
Sherri! You're an expert at sealing concrete? Darn! If only they'd perfect that instant teleportation thingy.

Sometimes it's good friends don't live nearby. :)
Maria Zannini said…
Jayne: I'd hate to think of your reaction when you took your first sip.

But Pepper. Yes. I can see how that name would stick. It's a cute name too. At least people won't look at you funny like they do when they hear Greg call me Mule. LOL.
Maria Zannini said…
Sarah:

My sister who is much lighter than I am is the same as you. Her hair is as dark as mine was when I was younger.

I think the human body looks for strange and wondrous ways to drive us batty.
Stacy said…
No nicknames (that I can repeat). I used to tell people my name and have them say "Daisy?" which was mortifying, so now I say "Stacy" so clearly that NO ONE could mistake it.

So with the upcoming deep tissue massage, tell me again why it was you that did the leaning job?!
Maria Zannini said…
Stacy:

Ref: (that I can repeat)
That got my interest. LOL. I wonder how they get Daisy out of Stacy.

Ref: bad muscle
It's called the piriformis muscle and its become so tight it's pressing against my sciatic nerve. It doesn't affect me bending or twisting, but it does play havoc if I have to sit for any length of time.

I actually feel better when I'm doing anything but relaxing.
Kim said…
I'm another blonde who's not-so-slowly becoming a brunette (more accurately, it's turning white - EEK!) As soon as I decide on a color, though...

My husband calls me Schmoo (which is short for Schmoopie.) It goes back to an old episode of Seinfeld where Jerry and his girlfriend try to out-PDA George and Susan. For some weird reason, it's become an inside kind of joke for us. :D
Maria Zannini said…
Kim: That is so cute! Sounds like something Dr. Seuss would say.

Greg is not that sentimental, although he did once call me a Schmo. --But I don't think it had the same connotation. LOL
Dru said…
ref: They usually have all the dirt.

yes we do.
Maria Zannini said…
Dru: I'm keepin' you on the payroll. :)
Growing up as Wendy doesn't lend itself to a natural nickname. But in college, I dormed with my dear friend Jennifer, who others called Jenny but who I had always called Jen. It was during that freshman year that Jen started calling me Wen so that we were Jen & Wen, the dormmates. It stuck and has carried throughout my life. I like it b/c I always wanted a nickname but could never find a way to make it stick. Thanks, Jen!
Maria Zannini said…
Wendy: I love that story. That's so sweet.

With my friends, it's usually a snap of the fingers followed by, 'Hey, dummy.' LOL.
Hmmm- My hubby is convince i have a big head. Whatever. What's wrong with knowing and recognizing your strengths when you do the same for your weaknesses. So yes he calls me big head from time to time. Not too often- he's knows better then that.

There are other nicknames but that remains in the bedroom- mwahahahaha. I'm just kidding, sort of.


I love your nickname and I think a mule could totally rock strawberry blonde hair! :D!
Maria Zannini said…
Chas: I understand. There are a few names I can't repeat here. LOL.

It's for the best.