Sunday, September 20, 2026

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

Saturday, September 19, 2026

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

Friday, September 18, 2026

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

Thursday, September 17, 2026

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


Wednesday, September 16, 2026

not much

 Today was one of those days, again


    Misty, humid, and I had no motivation to work in the yard.

    What did I do?

    Read on the porch and even worked in a short nap when I fell asleep in my porch chair.

    And I did watch most of the Cub game, holding my breath while the ninth inning unfolded.  Damn relievers.

    HVAC technician was here to get the furnace ready for winter.  

    Whew.  I love it when we sing Go Cubs Go.    A big thank you to  Steve Goodman for writing it.  Another talent gone too soon.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

Tuesday, September 15, 2026

ick

 Note to self:  check bread


    I made BLTs for supper. tonight.

    I actually bought lettuce, washed it, burned some bacon, and cut up the 2 tomatoes from our garden.

    I made Jackie's sandwich and gave it to her.  Then I got distracted.  About 15 minutes later I made my sandwich.  Toasted the bread, put it on thy plate,  slapped some mayo on it, put on the bacon, tomato, lettuce......and noticed this black spot on the bread.  I checked the other pice. It too had a black spot.

    By then Jackie had finished her sandwich.  She said it was good, but no I wonder if she had moldy bread too.

    I guess I need to be more observant.

    One the plus side, she may have had an antibiotic.

    I  made my almost daily trip to Walmart today.

    I figured into the store, pick up about 10 items, then out to. the car.  Quick.  Easy.

    But I met someone  I have not seen in years.  We talked for a while.

    Then on the way out I met another friend, and we talked for a while.

   Amazingly, I knew both names!!

    After my next 2 errands, I got home about 90 minutes after I left.  So much for a quick trip.

    I started the day in shorts, went to long pants, came home from the store and switched to shorts.  I am ready to put long pants on again, but it is almost bedtime for Bonzo.

    I sat on the front porch reading today.  It felt good to just read for about an hour.

    Yes, I had things to do.  No. they did not get done.

    If it is worth putting off yesterday, it is worth putting off today.

    That's my motto

    And I am sticking with it.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace






Monday, September 14, 2026

nosey me

 I love checking Zillow for available properties


    We are not looking, but I enjoy seeing what other houses are going for.

    There is one in our subdivision listed for just a shade under 500,000$.  And there is one on Knoll Road    listed for just a tad under 900,000$.  Both are nice houses.  

    I would need 4 jobs to make payments, and they had better be high paying jobs!

    Took Beth for a short walk today.  Her do do looks normal, which is a great sign!

    I noticed a crispness to the air.  A harbinger of fall perhaps.   The breeze certainly was cool and I was even chilled in my sweatshirt.

    But tomorrow it should be 80 again.  And humid.  I want fall.

    I do have to get going on my outside chores.  I still have 3 to do from last week.  I just don't seem to be motivated.

    I bought some trees from a nursery last year.  Nice trees.  Good size.

    But one of the trees has a dead leader.  My plan was to take a branch and bend it up, then use tree wrap ti hold it in position. That way the new branch will be come the leader.  In theory.

    So I went to the hardware store and found some tree wrap.

    Went to the check out counter and it was $10!  I foolishly bought it.  I noticed it was made in China, which means there is a tariff on it.  I swear I have bought this stuff in the past and it ws no where near that price.

    When I got home, I thought about it and decided to take it back.  I will do that tomorrow.

    In its place I will use a panty hose.  They expand and I can't remember the last time Jackie wore some.

    Besides, they have to be cheaper than the wrap.  Right?

    Just hope it works.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace