day 5

I wish this cold would go away

    I feel ok until about 3, and then I just get so tired.  And today I had a headache to go  with the tired feeling.

    I did spend about an hour on the phone with X Finity.  We still don't have our home phone back.  If you call that number the message says this Verizon customer has a discontinued phone number.

    Nobody at X Finity seems to be able to explain that message.

    This is what I learned today from Ella, my customer service person:

    Yes, my mobile pone was returned and the service discontinued,

    Yes, my land line was restored.

    Yes, I should be able to use the land line.

    No, I can't use the land line because the cell phone was never taken out of the portal.  If the cell phone is not taken out of the portal, the land line can not be entered into the portal and restored.

    I have no idea what a portal is.  I mean, this isn't Harry Potter or Star Wars.  (To be honest, I have no idea if either of them involve portals.  Maybe Dr. Who?)

    Ella assured me the phone service entry into the portal is being expedited and we should have phone service within 24-48 hours.

    I am not holding my breath.

    Julia came over and tied to hook up my DVR downstairs.  The remote does not work.  I put new batteries in it, but it does not work.  I will try to put new batteries in again tomorrow.

    Julia pointed out most movies can be streamed.  I agree, but I do have discs that are not streamed, like the Dyin for a Drink play we did a couple of years ago.  I would like to watch that.

    If new batteries don't work, I guess I will be buying a DVD player.

    If I felt better today I was going to mow.  But I did not feel like mowing.

    Lucky thing because Emily can't get her mower started.  She replaced the battery but that did not seem to help.  So she came over and got my mower and drove it to her house and then mowed.

    Hopefully she can get a quick fix on hers.

    Maybe tomorrow I will feel better and mow my yard.

    And then again, maybe not.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

almost

 Today was a day of almost

    It's about 8:30 and I almost have the bed made.

    I almost have the knives wrapped up to mail.

    I almost am ready to start emptying the dishwasher and loading it again.

    I am almost ready for bed.

    I am the reason women have babies and not men.

    I constantly complain about a cold.  Imagine if it was something big, like have a 9 pound human coming out of my body!

    Anyway, took a 90 minute nap this morning and felt pretty good.  I went to the store and when I got home I was just tired.  And may nose is plugged.  And my throat is scratch.  And I am whining.  

    We got mail today. 

    Amongst the bills and ads was an envelope addressed  to Terry and Jackie Dickow.  Mailed from Minmesota.  It was empty.  There is not return on it, so we suspect it was an ad of some kind.

    If you know anyone in Minnesota sending  us a card, please let them know we did not get it.

    Gotta do dishes.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

progress pilgrim

 Today I felt a lot better

    Not great.  But better.  

    Folded Saturday's laundry.  Washed one load.  Let out Emily's dogs.  Made supper.

    And the dishes are done.  That is a big deal. 

    I still don't have a lot of energy.  Not that I have a lot of energy normally, but my supply is really low today.

    My nose is stuffy and my throat is scratchy.  I am about to make a hot tea.  I would make a hot toddy, but I am out of whiskey.

    Open house in the subdivision today.  House for sale has a $700,000 asking price.  Yikes!!

    Great to see the Cubs win a close one.  I was glad to see PCA on second to start the tenth.  I figured any kind of hit to the outfield would score him.  Turns out a wild pitch followed by a fly ball  would do the trick too.

    Friend Donna reported snow flakes at their place today.  

    I had the front and back doors open for about 5 minutes to clear the smoke out of the house.  I cooked pork chops.  I just never get tired of chuckling  at the "Fire!  Fire!  Get out now!" message that comes from our talking smoke detector.

    At least we know they work.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

    

please, don't judge

 The last 2 days have been.......interesting

    And please, don't judge me.

    All during our Exit 99 show last night I kept drinking a hot liquid.  A blend of 2 kinds of tea, and some honey, mixed in my Yeti mug about 6 p.m..

    I felt a cold coming on.  During the night it felt more and more like a cold.  About 7:45, almost 2 hours after I made my concoction, I took my first gulp.

    Damn!  It was hot!!  I ended up spitting it back onto the lid of the cup, and the stage floor.  I used my toe to move it back and forth on the stage.  I know!!  Boy, that Yeti keeps things hot!!

    When I got home, I was too tired to take care of the dishes.

    I woke up today, (Saturday) and was miserable.  Plugged nose, stuffy head, cough, itchy scratchy throat and really, really tired.

     Most times in a marriage, when one person gets sick, the other person picks up the slack.

    But when you are the caregiver, there is no one to pick up the slack.

    So....Friday's lunch dishes are on the counter.  Friday's supper dishes are on the counter.  Ditto for Saturday's breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes.  

    Put them in the dishwasher, you say?

    It's full.  I have not emptied it after it ran Thursday.

    And 2 loads of laundry?  Washed, not yet folded.

    Hopefully tomorrow I will feel more alive.  I did sleep through much of the Cubs game today but I am really tired tonight.

    At least the rain has stopped.  

    Stay healthy, my friends.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

Julia brought a Trump pen holder for our unseen items portion of the show.  Unfortunately, the pen stuck in the president's butt left us all speechless.

TC had some wierd stuff from the toolbox

Julia got these in Canada.  They are actually crackers with chocolate flavored  filling.  Not very good, but I am eating them!

Our redbud is blooming

One last hanger on on Jackie's magnolia tree

Now, that's a worm!  I put it back in my garden because the front porch was no place for it.

what a fun night

 I had a great time at the Exit 99 show tonight

    A big thank you to Carrie, Beth, and Terry for putting up with me.

    Sometimes I need to listen to the inner voice that asks:  Is that really funny?

    When I answer no, then I should not try the joke.  Too often I just blurt it out and people  really don't know how to react.

    TC keeps telling me if I have to explain a joke, it isn't funny.

    We performed for about 2 hours and there were a lot of people there.  I am so glad for the support.

    I love my Exit 99 buddies!  I hope we do another show soon.

    I may have some pictures to post tomorrow.... kind of tired now.

    It was a stormy night.  Several times during the show phones started making noise because of the weather.

    The village of Lena was hit by a twister, reports say extensive damage to homes and businesses.  I hope there are no injuries.

    Julia left our house to go home and power lines were down at 64 and Chana Road.  She saiid there were a couple of semi trucks stuck on the road because there was no place to turn around.

    I hope the rest of the night is quiet, but there is still thunder rumbling.

    Hope the storms are gone.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

lost and found

 Everything has its place

    I admit, I don't always know where that place is.

    Sunday it was my van key.

    I looked everywhere for it.

    I went in the closet  to put dirty clothes in the hamper and saw my work in the yard pants.  I picked them up and checked the pockets....bingo!  My van key.

    On Sunday I went out to mow for the first time.  The mower needed gas.  I picked up the 2 gas cans and they were empty.  I went in the house and got my wallet and the van key.  Then I remembered I don't use the red nozzle  gas can, but a yellow nozzle.  I found that and it had gas.

    No need to go to town.  So I filled the mower and started mowing.

    Usually I don't carry a van key when I mow, because I know there is a possibility I will drop it in the grass at some point.  For some reason,  when I put my wallet in the house I left the key in my pocket.

      Jackie was balancing the checkbook while I mowed.  She had paper spread over the dining room table.

    On Monday I stacked all the checkbook stuff in a pile.  We put the Easter stuff away, and I switched the runner on the dining room table.

    Tuesday she goes back to balancing the checkbook and the check register is gone.  Not only that, the license plate sticker renewal form is also missing.

    I went through the stack of papers, she went through the sack of papers.  We checked every place we thought I might have put it.

    I went through our box of  Easter stuff and.....no register or form.

    I recycle.  In the garage I have a barrel for paper and one for all the other stuff.  I know I don't  have to do. that, but it seems to work out for me.

    Anyway, I went through the paper barrel piece by piece.  No luck.

    I went through our shred box.   No luck.

    All Tuesday I was looking for the form and register.

    Wednesday I briefly looked in all the usual spots.  Nothing.

    Wednesday night as I was going to bed, I thought "Check the table runner."

    Took it out of the drawer, shook i,t  and out it all fell.

    I don't understand how I did that.  It was like a magic act.....now you see it, now you don't

    Tonight I am not missing anything....except sleep.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

wild times

This has been a wild day 

    Severe thunderstorm warnings, watches, flood watches, tornado warnings and watches.....my weather radio is getting another workout!

    It seems we are in a pattern of strong storms

    Last night about 10 we had pea sized hail.  But folks around us had quarter sized hail.  (Ok, tell me:  Is it pea size or pea sized?)

    I have to ask a meteorologist why there are so many severe thunderstorms in the Lena, Winslow, Stockton, Freeport area.  It seems every time the toner sounds, it involves those areas. Tonight a tornado warning went up for Ogle County, but it was for a small area of north central part of the county, north of where Julia is.

    Julia was over and started to leave about 4 when Emily called and said there was a tornado warning for the Oregon area. Seems a severe thunderstorm was located between Oregon and Chana, which means Julia would have had to drive through it to get home.

    So we stood out in the driveway and watched the clouds.

    I think that is how you tell a true Midwesterner.  During a tornado warning we go out to look.  Probably not the wisest thing to do.

    And again, nights like this (Severe thunderstorm warning until sometime after 10) I kind of wish I had sprung for the $10,000 steel tornado shelter that can be erected in the garage.  But I didn't.  And won't.  I will just take our chances that storms will pass us.

    Jackie had an MS doc appointment in Rolling Meadows today.

    Usually we would contact sister Judy and meet for lunch, but I did not want to get stuck in traffic after a 2 p.m. appointment and lunch somewhere.

    It's a nice appointment.  She has been going to him almost since being diagnosed with MS.  All he actually does is talk and answer questions, because at Jackie's age there is not really a lot to be done for MS.  But just talking to him is comforting.

    He had a student with him, and he told her that he has seen several MS patients from Rochelle.  I can think of 9 who currently have MS.  No known cure, no known cause, all ideas are being explored.

    Hopefully someday they can find a cure, or. cause.  It won't benefit Jackie, but if people can be spared the heart ache this causes, all the money put toward research will be worth it.

    I hate driving on the expressways in the suburbs.  I was doing 70 in a 60 mph zone and people were passing me like I was standing still!

    If the state wants to solve some budget issues, put up speed cameras on the interstates and tollways.    I bet they could pay a lot of bills just on the traffic in the Naperville area.

    Now, all I have to do is fold laundry and watch the weather.  Sleep will be difficult tonight.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace