baseball

 Baseball been berry, berry good to me

    Ah...the SNL of my youth.  I have not watched it in years.  Different generation.  Different culture.

    Baseball has not been good to me!

    I'm a Cubs fan.  Right now it is berry, berry frustrating.

    They can't  hit with runners in scoring position,  They can't get key outs.  They can't win the close games.

    They may qualify for the playoffs, but I don't. think they will do well.

    I was going out with a girl named Irene.  It must have been 67 or 68, before I met Jackie.

    The Cubs were in first place but the Cardinals were gaining.  Harry Carrey kept singing," The Cardinals are coming, try la la la."   He was broadcasting for the Cards.

    Anyway, I wanted to impress Irene.

    I got box seats for a game with the Cardinals.  I bought her flowers.  I went downtown to meet her and then we would ride the EL up to Wrigley.

    Imagine my surprise when I went to get her and she brought a friend!

    So, me being the nice guy I am, I gave her the tickets and the flowers.  I bought standing room for the game.

    I don't remember who won, but I know I lost.

    Mo other favorite memory from that summer was the two of us going up to the observation floor at the Prudential building.  It was the tallest building in Chicago at the time.

    There was an express elevator up and down.

    We were the only 2 on the one going down, so we started to make out.

    Imagine our surprise when the doors opened and a bunch of people stared at us.

    She was embarrassed and I made some stupid joke like, "And that is how you perform mouth to mouth on a person standing."

    Sigh.....the Cubs just lost another one.

    Wait until next year.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

brrrrrr

 Fall started today

    It was equinox day.  At this point the sun is most directly above the Equator, marking the official start to fall.  The Chicagohenge pictures were pretty cool.

    And it feels like  it!  Currently it is 55 degrees outside, and I don't think it got much warmer than that today.

    Plus there is a pretty stiff breeze.  I got a hot coffee from Cypress House and attempted to sit on the porch and read.  But the pages kept blowing! I tried to hold down both pages, drink my coffee and pet my dog, which proved totally impossible with only 2 hands..

    I read somewhere that an octopus actually has 6 arms and 2 feet.  I don't know if that is true.  I guess I will have to Google it if I am that curious.

    I am 78.  I am also a slow learner.

    I put my yard sweeper together last year.  I used it Friday, and the handle that attaches it to the mower was loose, so the handle shifted far to the left.

    When I tried to tighten it, I discovered one of the 2 bolts that hold it on were missing.

    So I took the completed bolt, spacer, and turning knob to Ace and got a bolt, spacer, and a turning knob.  I will say, it was a valuable lesson to learn:  tighten bolts and nuts and check them before use.

    Beth went to a new groomer today.

    She told Julia Beth would be done bout 10:30.  So I headed over to Ashton about 10;15.  As I approached Ashton, I got a text that it would be 11 before Beth was done..

    Now, it is at least a 15 minute drive.  It made no sense to return home.

    So I drove around Ashton, eventually parking at a playlot.  N kids were there, thank heavens.  I finished my morning tea,  and at s10:50 I headed out.

    I knew exactly where I was going.

    But I passed the place.

    I had GPS on, and I swear it told me to keep going.  When I hit a T intersection, it said I had arrived.  There were no houses!

    Turns out, it was the first house I passed.  The horse on the mailbox should have been a clue.

    As a side note the house near the playground is a mid 50s home, with all the original decorating.  I think it is on Zillow.  but it was neat when I saw pictures.

    And that's a wrap.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

This is how I dress on coolish porch days

I think I found out what was wrong with my cucumber plant.  Can you guess?

get real

 Sometimes I just get a little pissed

    Like just now.  I could not spell little.  I kept putting el at the end.  Then. I put a t in front.  Why?  I wish I knew.

    I have complained before about car and truck commercials where the people drive in crazy ways, spinning around in circles,  driving through streams and doing other senseless deeds to  show there strength of their vehicle.

    Give me a break! 

    The one that absolutely gags me now is the smug looking guy who drives his Range Rover up the stairs of a chateau, and then down again.  Why?  Because he can, I guess.  But it is good to know in case I buy one and am too lazy to climb stairs at somebody's house.

    And is it me, or does he have kind of a demented look on his face?

    It's like that one betting commercial where the guy in the blue shirt keeps betting and nodding yes.  He also has a demented look.  And he is wearing the same shirt in every place he bets!  At least he didn't lose his shirt, at least that one.

    Then there is the Colonel.  (Try explaining to 10 year olds that this is correct spelling.  It's a hard sell.)

    I used to like the Colonel.  He was kind, happy, pleased with the world and his chicken.

    But the new guy?  He is mean!  He throws food, punches people and is generally an angry  old man. Maybe that reflects the mood of the people now, but I don't like it.

    I would really like one of those buckets or baskets with the food overflowing.  Whenever I order one, I get it with a lid.  It's not like they show at all.

    Same with the burgers chains sell.  

    The smashed down versions don't resemble the pictured ones at all.

    We should all sue.

    Thank you.  

    `Now I feel better.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

oh my

 Today was not a good sports day for Chicago

    Caleb Williams left the Bears game in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury.  My guess is he will be out 4-6 weeks, but I am not a doctor, just a pessimist.

    And Alex Bregemann of the Cubs took a foul ball to the face while waiting in the on deck circle.  He really got nailed.  Hopefully the injuries are not serious, but it looked nasty.

    Speaking of nasty, take our kitchen.  Please.

    We made apple pies today.  We don't bake them, we just assemble them and put them in the freezer for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

    I get so frustrated with things.  We have 2 apple corers and peelers.  You put the apple on this prong, crank the handle and it peels the apple.  Then you keep cranking until it hits the corer pat and it's easy peasy.

    Except when it is not.

    The peeler is supposed to suction to the counter top.  It did not. One of the peelers did not take all the peels off, so I went with the older one, which worked fine if I held it down with one hand while cranking with the other.

    I was surprised how long it took to put the pies together.

    I was even more surprised when I looked at all the dishes.

    Beth seemed fine today.  I think she used the pee mat Emily lent us.  There was a circle in the middle. But she did not bark all night and has only been out a few times today.

    She even dragged one of her toys out and was throwing it around.

    I hope those are all good signs.

    I don't know how much rain we got.  I emptied out 2 inches last night, and 1.4 today.  But I had about 1.5 in the gauge yesterday morning and I am not sure if I emptied  it or not.  We might  have had 4.9 inches, or 3.4.  In any case, it's a lot of ran.  I am leaning to the 4.9 figure.

    Jackie  and I were both surprised our  detention pond did not have any water in it.

    More is on the way.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

Hi and Low

I enjoyed today with my brother and sister in law

    But I have to admit, I might have been a terrible person.

    I spent a lot of time on Julia's porch.  I  enjoyed listening to the rain.

    But there was another reason.

    Bob and Anita and sister Judy got to our house about 12:30.

    Beth started  acting goofy.  Every minute or so she wanted to go out front.  In the pouring rain.

It was starting to get on my nerves a bit.

    But when I took her out, she could not make it to the grass and peed on the sidewalk.  It was bloody.

I called Emily and she took Beth to the emergency vet clinic in Rockford, where they spent the next four hours or so waiting to be seen.

    Emily called it when I told her about the bloody pee.  She said it was probably a UTI, and the vet at the clinic said the same thing.

    Beth is now on another medicine.  I can't buy coffee for the next 5 years.

    We went to Julia's for supper.  We had Portillo's beef, taco salad, cheesy potato salad and lots of snacks.

      It was nice to visit.

    Bob and Anita drove up from Florida and will be in Illinois for a few more days, spending time with Anita's sister in Olney IL, the home of the white squirrel.

    When Emily finally joined us, I took Beth out onto the screened in porch where she proceeded to pee about 6 tines.  We stayed out there because I did not trust her in the house.

    We also made a few trips out to the road.

    It was great to see them all again.  I wish I had spent more time with them.

    This morning I went to get Beth's dry dog food.  I use a blue scoop to measure out a half cup.

I picked the scoop, got distracted, and then could not find it.

    We looked everywhere 

     No scoop.

    When Jackie and I got home I looked again, carefully retracing my steps.  Turns out, I put the scoop on the lid of the crock pot in the pantry. It must have slid out of view.

    Coming home from Julia's was a challenge.

    I always turn at  an abandoned house on Skare Road and 64.   But it burned down this year.  (Or it burned up.  You pick.)

    The rain was falling , the windows were fogging up, the defroster was on and even though there is a sign for Skare Road, I drove past it.

    Compounding the errant driving, I went down Queens Road because I know that meets Bethel, which I can take back to Skare.

    Evidently I missed Bethel.  I can't figure out how because there is a stop sign there.  Which I must have missed.  

    Anyway, we got home.  Beth is settled in.  The Cubs won.  And the rain seems to be holding off for a while.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

Fried Day

I am looking forward to tomorrow 

    Jackie's brother Bob and his wife Anita are here for a visit.

    We are all going to Julia's for lunch.

    I am looking forward to it for 2 reasons:  1: it's nice to see them.  2: I won't have a lot of stuff to do!

    Visiting with them is the important one.  

    But after today, I can use some rest.

    Friends Dan and Linda were in town and I met up with them and visited with Dan for about an hour.

    Then I raced home to get Jackie lunch before going to my PT session.

    I went to 2 stores for groceries, got gas in the car, (damn near fainted at the price!), stopped at Cypress House for a coffee, got home and finished a load of laundry, then I went out to mow.

    Knowing it is going to rain fore the next 40 days and nights, I wanted to get the grass cut before it got too high.  I was too late.  I ended up having to use the lawn sweeper, which was fine until it got dark and I messed up the sweeper.

    But my trimmer worked....so I got some trimming done.

    For some reason, I am not tired.  It might be the coffee is circulating through my system.  I feel like I should be doing something physical right now.

    When I go to bed I will be regretting the coffee.

    I will never learn.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

oops, oops, and oops

 Some days I just don't function well

    I thought Julia was going to DeKalb Friday, so I ordered some special dog food from the vet and told them it would be picked up Friday.

    Well, Julia is not going to DeKalb Friday.  She is going to Rockford.

    Oops.

    So I went today.

    I figured as long as I am going to DeKalb, Jackie wanted some towels at Kohl's, since we have a 30 percent off coupon.

    I was almost out of Rochelle when I noticed I brought the Ace coupon, not the Kohl's.

    Oops.

    Jackie had a library board meeting tonight, so I figured to work on my new Great American Novel.  I packed up my laptop, and my notebook.  Got to the library, unpacked and discovered I did not bring the cord.  

    Oops

    I am sure there were more oops.......sometimes I lose count.

    I read that Japan has 107,677 centenarians.  People 100 and over.  88 percent of them are women.

    Maybe I should move to Japan.  And maybe I don't want to live. to be 100, so never mind.

    I texted someone about plowing our  driveway, and then texted him about baseball.  He should not have gotten the baseball text.  He probably thinks I am crazy.

    He may be right.  I may just bet the lunatic you are looking for.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace