Funday

 Today was a pretty nice day

    Friend Dan celebrated birthday number 80 and Jackie and I were on hand to wish him well on his next decade.

    It was nice to see so many of his friends and family too.  I sometimes feel like I know them really well, even if I only see them once or twice a decade.

    I managed to almost call everybody by their right name, although Don came out Dan twice. 

    I told Jackie I wanted to stop at Woodman's on the way home to pick up a couple of things we can't get in Rochelle.

    I was in the store about 5 minutes when she called and said, "Get out here quick!  Hurry!!"

    I knew the van windows were open, and my first thought was someone was trying to get in the car.

    But as soon as I hit the door I saw the problem:  It was poring!  I raced to the car (well, I think I raced is a relative term these days.) and rolled up the windows, then went back to shopping.

    I was only in the store about 10 minutes, and by then the rain and eased up and she was getting warm in the car.

    We had passed a Buena beef place on Riverside, and I said sometime I would like to try that.  Jackie suggested I get 2 sandwiches for supper, so I did.

    However, it is almost 9 and we are not hungry.  Go figure.  Me, not hungry?  

    Maybe it was the 2 scoop cone I had at Rainbow while waiting for the beef.

    Anyway, we have supper of tomorrow.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

WTH?

 First it w was the screaming, then the tire squeals

    I was out cooking steaks when I heard them.

    But I looked around and saw nothing.

    A minute later and screaming and tire squeals.

    Again, no one around.

    I don't know at what point I realized it was my nose!!!

    Not every time, but sometimes when I breathed in it sounded like screaming and/or tires squealing.

    Strange.

    Speaking of strange, this was a weird Fourth of July for us.

    I cooked out, but it was just Jackie and me.    We figured Emily would not want to leave the dogs if fireworks were going off  and I don't remember why we didn't ask Julia.  Oh well.

    I don't know if it is the political climate, the hot weather, or what, but it was just "eh" for us today.

    I remember lots of activities and festivals for the Bicentennial.  Maybe I am out of touch, but I just did not feel the excitement this year.

    There was a neighborhood parade this morning, but I seemed to have missed that.  And the city parade was supposed to start at 3, but. rain delayed that so I did not go.

    Lord knows I won't be here for the Tricentennial, 

    I have a t shirt from Switzerland that says "Switzerland  1291."

    I just hope we can make it to 300!

    Hope you had a great Fourth!

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

rain, rain

 We certainly got rain today

    Some major storms rolled through the area.

    A tragedy occurred on Lake Geneva in Wisconsin when a boat was flipped during the storm.  3 young people were killed in that incident.

    There were power lines down, trees down, houses damaged all considerably north of us.

    I was out cleaning off the mower when I heard warning sirens.  I texted Julia and she said the storm sirens were blaring.  Jackie called her a little later and Julia did not answer, and Jackie got a little nervous.  But Julia was just not near her phone and all was well.

    I have a morning routine.  Get Jackie up, get her breakfast, help her get dressed, make tea, read the Trib, play Wordle.

    This morning neighbor Jim was out mowing.  I thought that was a good idea.  So I checked the radar and there was no rain in the area.  In fact, the weather site predicted showers at about 4.

    So I lallygagged for a while then decided to mow.

    I got half the front yard done when it poured.  I got wet, the grass got wet, and I put the mower away.

    I hated to leave the yard partially mowed.  After all, tomorrow is a holiday and I expect there will be several gatherings in the neighborhood.

    I went back out about 2 and finished mowing our yard, and then I mowed the field.  So it all looks mowed, but my yard looks like crap.

    The grass was long.  So now I have windrows of cut grass in the front and back.  My grass sweeper does not work.  What to do?  Yard is too big to rake, so......

    I put the weather radio by Jackie when I went to get supper.  I did not feel like cooking.  I was tired from mowing, plus it was now past 7.

    The sky was really black when I got home.

    We ate, I watched Twilight Zone, and commented it was strange the weather radio wasn't giving any warnings.

    That's when I discovered the batteries were dead.

    Yes, we were under a severe thunderstorm warning. No we did not know.  Yes I replaced the batteries.

    I just hope for a quiet night. ( FYI...Quiet Knight was a club in Chicago that featured lots of folk acts.)

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

in the zone

 I was really freaked out tonight

    I watched an episode of The Twilight Zone tonight and it kind of freaked me out a bit.

    Dennis Weaver was the main character.  If you are of the Gunsmoke age, you may remember his character Chester.  

    But I digress.

    In this episode he portrays a man convicted of murder.  He is sentenced to death.

    But he tells the judge, jury, reporters, DA, that if he is put to death, then everyone disappears because the world he lives in is only in his mind.  Once he dies, everyone dies.  And then he relives the nightmare.

    It freaked me out because there are days I wonder if the world is real, or is it something I have created in my mind.  Memories did not happen, they were created.  Nothing existed before this moment. 

    I guess I shared his world.

    But what about photos?  Those too are a figment of imagination.  

    Nothing existed before this moment.  

    It's just a strange feeling I get sometimes.

    And Dennis Weaver....he was in a made for TV movie titled Duel.  

    He was in his car and a semi truck was trying to ram his vehicle, for some reason.

    It was really a tense and scary movie.

    Julia must have been about 4 or 5 when it aired.  She watched it with us.  Remember, we only had a few stations to pick from in those pre cable days....so don't judge our parenting skills.

    Whenever we got in the car  after seeing it she would panic if a truck came up on us.  She may have even cried or made one of us sit in the back seat while she sat in front.  It took a while for her to get over that movie.

    I understand.  I guess watching Psycho is the reason I did not take showers for a while.

    I still check.  

    You can never be too safe.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

not missed

 I am surprised no one called me from Walmart

    I am in almost every day.  I go to the same register.  The same person checks me out. I chat about the prices  going up.  I complain that there are no raspberries.

    You would think after not being there for 3 days someone would call to check up on us.  I mean, they keep saying check on the elderly.  We're elderly!

    I usually swing past the  pharmacy to wave to Emily.  But today she looked real busy and I was in a hurry, so I did a general wave and moved on.

    When I told this to Jackie she asked me who the check out person was.  I told her I usually use the self check lanes.  I guess that would explain the lack of a call.

    When I go to the deli there I probably have the strangest order.  I get 3 slices of honey roasted ham, sliced on #2.  Then I get 8 slices of Genoa salami, and 8 slices of deli Swiss, both sliced on #2.

    Jackie likes a sandwich at lunch.  Well, half a sandwich.  So I cut the slices of ham in half and that is enough for 6 sandwiches.  The extra cheese and salami is for me.

    Basically that is all I did today.

    I was reading the Trib at about 10 when my eyes got heavy.  I sat in my chair and Jackie yelled for me at 11:45.  It was a good nap.

    I left for the store at 10-2 in favor of the Cubs.  When I got home it was 23-3.  I just hope the offense keeps it up.

    My bird feeder poles came today. 

    Young guy got out of his truck with the box marked" heavy" and we set it by the garage.

    I asked him if he was ok with water and if he needed ice or anything.  He seemed surprised t hat I asked, but thanked me for the offer.

    When I was a kid in Chicago, in hot weather we always put a glass with ice and lemonade or ice tea on the porch for the mailman on those hot summer days.

    I guess I still carry that habit.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

Questions

 SometimesI wonder about things

    Why don't my strawberries produce?  They get flowers, but no berries.  I suspect birds are getting to them, but I have no proof. I am getting a little frustrated.

    Found out today that I did not have the correct name for someone.  Have been calling her the wrong name for almost a year.  Actually, it's her last name, and I never really  call her anything except her first name.  Still.....

    I have not done a thing for 2 days.  The heat is dragging me down, even though we have the AC on.  I think it is a mental issue.  Just can't get going.  I had 5 projects to do indoors this week....not a 1 done.  How come?

    Do the sports betting ads bug you?  They drive me nuts.   I especially don't like the guy who says his app has high limits and high stakes.  Is that what we really need?

    Why do car commercials always show a vehicle driving too fast? Does that subliminally encourage people to exceed the speed limit?  

    I got behind a car today that was doing 45 on Flagg Road.

    Now, I don't mind someone going slow, but that was tooooo slow.  When they got toward Flagg Center, where the speed limit is posted at 30, they kept doing 45!  Why?? 

    Why do some houses burn up while others burn down?

    There is a commercial for a product for us older folks.  I think it improves the mind.

    In the commercial 2 older people are walking on a narrow path with steep slopes on both sides.  I keep thinking, if they were real smart they would not be on that path.

    But what do I know?

    Not much.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

hot hot hot

Our forecast is for hot 

    Depending on who you listen to, it will be in the 90s thru Thursday or next Monday.  

    In any case, it will be hot.  Uncomfortable.  Dangerous.

    Today the guys were working on a new house across the street.  I think they were there in the afternoon, but I am not sure.  I did feel sorry for them.  And for all the people who have to be working outside today.  But I am also thankful for them.

    I tried frying an egg on the sidewalk today, but as soon as I put it down it hatched and a huge turkey came out and flew away.

    Now turkeys can fly, just not far.  Or for long.  Despite Mr. Carlson telling the WKRP staff he thought they could, they can't fly from a helicopter.

    As I have said before, I am reading Tales from the South Pacific by Michner.

    I sat out on the porch today and read for about 30 minutes.  

    With the heat and humidity, I almost felt like one of the characters in the book.  He was hot, I was hot. He was sweating, well, I wasn't.  He was making love to a beautiful Polynesian girl, I was reading a book.

    But the heat and humidity made for good ambiance.  Some Polynesian beauties would have been nice.

    Speaking of baseball, the bullpens at Wrigley are climate controlled.

    I would think that would be a disadvantage to come in from a cool spot to pitch in a hot spot.  That would take adjusting to, I think.

    And staying on the baseball theme, on this date in 1916 The Cubs played Cincinnati and they used 1 baseball the entire game.  1.  One. 

    Typically. today it's 90 to 120.

    Finally.....gave up on the idea of digging a hole for a wooden pole to mount my smart bird feeder.

    I worried that I would put it in the wrong spot and not be happy.

    So I ordered a metal pole designed to hold smart bird feeders.

    If I change my mind about placement, all I have to do is pull the steel pole out of the ground and move it.

    We'll see, eh?

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace