surprise!

 I failed to mention a couple of BIG things

    No, I did not win money in a lottery.

    No, I am not in the Epstein files.

    And no, I have not been recruited by the CIA.

    Big thing one:  After everyone left Saturday, I was getting Jackie to bed.

    Our normal routine is having her sit in the walker, facing the bed.  I then push her forward until her knees rest on the bed rail.  Then she drops forward while I swing her legs up.

    I know!  But I don't know any other way.

    Well, her leg gave out and she slid to the floor at about 10:30.  I can not get her up by myself, so I called Emily.

    Yes, she was asleep.  Yes, she was tired.  Yes, she came over.

    We spun Jack around so her feet were against the wall.  Then Emily grabbed one arm, I grabbed the other and we lifted her.  At that point she fell backward onto me and the bed.

    It was quite the deal. 

    No blood, no foul.

    But the BIG news!!

    The girls and I are going to the Christmas Market Dec. 10.

    I only go to get a mulled wine, the cup, and a Weiner schnitzel.

    But Saturday Julia told me she made reservations for lunch at a real restaurant.

    I am finally. after 78 years, going to eat in The Walnut Room!!!!

    That is one of the items on my Bucket List...now I will be able to cross that one off.

    Ever since I heard of the Walnut Room I wanted to eat there.  My parents could not afford it.  Every time I went to Fields and stared at the huge tree, I wished I was there, eating a chicken pot pie and having coffee.

    This year I get my chance.

    Jackie is going too.

    I just hope there is not a blizzard that day.

    And I don't mean from Dairy Queen.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

yucky

I am never happy with my lawn 

    Every time I mow I see the dead and thin spots and the endless mower tracks.  It never looks neat and trim, but always looks messy.

    I don't know what I am doing wrong.  Mowing too long? Too short?  Not often enough? Blades dull?              Blades out of balance?

    Maybe it is just me.

    But it frustrates me.

    Lawns in general frustrate me.  If I could, I would plant half my back yard in native plants and just let nature do her thing.

    It would save gas, time, and provide habitat for all sorts of creatures.

    But I think too many people would not like it.

    Speaking of not liking it, I watched the Bears today and was surprised to see commercials for Ken Paxton, the lowlife AG of Texas who is running for Senate.

    It was Bears vs. NY Jets.  Not exactly a Texas  audience.  I figure the billionaires supporting tRump candidates are spending lots of money to defeat James Tallarico.

    I know, his name is not spelled correctly.

    The most annoying ad  was the woman who said people have to vote for Paxton to save the Republican Party.  Save the team, or some other stuff like that.

    I was so impressed with the ads that I contributed to Tallarico's campaign.  

    So we watched the Bears dominate the Jets.   They should have had one more touchdown, and maybe a second when a pass was intercepted in the end zone.

    They played very well today.   Hope. they do that next week.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

yawn

 I am about to break one of my own rules

    I am going to mow.  Tomorrow.  Sunday.

    I try to avoid mowing on Sundays because it should be a day of rest and peace. 

    But sometimes good things happen.

    Friend Lauri popped in for a visit and we had a nice time talking about Rochelle, theater, people we all know.  

    I had just gotten back from buying pumpkins.  I went to a location on Bethel Road east of 251 and bought some good sized pumpkins for a great price.

    As I was pulling out of the yard, I saw a couple working in their flower garden and I stoped to tell them how great the pumpkins were.

    Turns out we all knew each other.  Don and I have known each other for years and his wife Belinda student taught at Tilton School many years ago.

    Anyway, after Laurie left Julia, Emily and Camryn came over for supper.  Julia picked up Chinese food from a place in Oregon, Emily made pumpkin bars, and we had a nice time visiting.

    One of the jobs for today was to roll up the living room rug, reposition the padding, then roll the rug back.

    It is a little off line and my OCD kicks in whenever I enter the room or sit on the couch.

    It has bothered me for months.  But I knew I could not do it alone.

    Emily looked at it and said, "Have you tried pulling it?"  Then she gave a couple of pulls and the rug and pad slid into place. 

    Sometimes I make solutions more complicated than they are.

    At least a Chicago baseball team won today.  I truly believe the Sox will go far.

    Time will tell.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

Fun Friday

 Today was a really nice day

    Sunny, sweatshirt weather.

    I had some errands to run and asked friend Jen if she felt like going along.  She did.

    My last stop was Cypress House, where I treated her to a coffee and I had my first pumpkin spice latte of the season.

    To be honest, I am not a PSL fan.  I have one each year just to say I did.

    We sat outside, enjoying the crisp air and lively conversation.

    It was nice just to sit and chat.  I felt very relaxed.

    I did not realize how much time had passed!

    I picked her up at 1:30 and it was past 3:30, so I dropped her off at her house and  went home.

    As I pulled into the garage, I realized my phone was sitting on the table outside  Cypress House!

    They close at 4.   It was just a couple minutes to 4.

    I went into the house, asked Jackie to call them and tell them I was on my way.

    They found my phone and Cypress House Emily knew it was mine.  She also knew MK was a friend, so she called MK and told her they had my phone.  Meanwhile, Jackie called Cypress House and talked to Emily.

    I pulled up about 12 after and Emily was watching for me.  I got my phone back, said thank you several times and headed home.

    Then my relaxing day turned into a cleaning day .

    Our cleaner was sick and did not come yesterday, so I cleaned.

    Yesterday I did the West Wing.  Today I cleaned the great room.  Tonight I plan to clean the nook, which should take 10 minutes.

    You see the problem right?

    It takes me 3 to 4 days to clean the house!

    I get bored, tired, distracted.......you name it.

    Tonight I did bring up Halloween decorations and Jackie directed their placement.  They are mostly done.

    You are wondering, why did I buy Jen a coffee?

    Well, she is a friend.  But she also bought tickets from me for  the museum's 50/50 drawing.  If people buy $20 worth of tickets from me, I will treat them to a coffee.

    And yes......I do owe people several coffees.  (Actually, I still owe Jen one because she bought tickets last year and we just never got together.)

    But they are all friends, so that is good.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

50/50 drawings help keep the lights on!

chocolate banana frappe was good!

Day 1 PC

 I am suffering withdrawal

     This is Day1 Post Cubs.  

    I don't know what to do with myself.

    No checking box scores.  No watching highlights.  No reading about theNorthsiders.

    Nothing to take away from the Sox, but I have always been a Cubs fan.  From the day Aunt Betty took ne to a Milwaukee Braves/Cubs game when I was 10 until tomorrow, I have rooted for the guys.  They have become like family.

    And the other sad good bye is Pat Hughes.  He retired, so his last game was the Cubs last game.  I wanted to hear him say "The Cubs have won the World Series" 1 more time, but it is not to be.

    Sigh.

    I read a story today about Wheatleigh cottage in the Massachusetts Berkshires.

    It was built in 1893 as a summer home, but later was converted into a boutique hotel. 

    The pictures I saw wanted me to go there immediately, but it is closed and for sale.

    $14.5 million seems a fair price for a 19 bedroom 25 bath cottage  Yes, there is acreage and a pool, but it is the Victorian era furnishings and trims that really set it off for me.

    Although it is set up for a hotel, it may be hard to get the required permits to do the upgrades that should be done.  So they are marketing it as a single family residence.

    For some reason, we don't seem to value old buildings in this country.  Go to Europe and you can stand in houses older than our country.  They are preserved and used, not torn down and replaced with parking lots or modern buildings.

    After WW II, the Marshall Plan helped countries rebuild, and the rebuilt many towns and cities with buildings mimicking the ones destroyed.  I always am amazed when I look at before and after the war pictures and the towns now.  Some are hard to believe were once just ruins. St Lo is a prime example.

    And that's the way it is.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

glub glub glub

 I am treading water today

    Most of it is my own fault.  As always.

    I had PT today and then I went to DeKalb for more dog food.  Beth is on a prescription blend, and I just opened the last can.  I mix a little of the canned food in with her kibble.  She seems to like it.

    I did not want to run out, so I drove to Dekalb.

    Also stopped at the grocery over there for a couple of items.

    Last night's Cub game wore me out.  I think it was around midnight when I got to bed.  

    I did go out and spread grass seed and some dirt over bare spots in the yard.  Yeah, it was a little wet, but I wore my rain jacket.  Too bad I did not remember it when I went to PT. And DeKalb.

    PT today was tiring.  I. think the lack of sleep has affected my body today.

    And it doesn't get any better.

    All day I kept saying to Jackie, "I have to feed the dogs and let them out about 6:30"

    Well, I was in the middle of cooking dinner when I remembered.  

    I turned off. the burners and headed to Emily's .  I should have turned off the timer, because 30 minutes later it was still beeping and driving Jackie and Beth nuts.

    It's now almost first pitch time.  I have to clean up the kitchen, fold 2 loads of laundry, and pick up all the stuff I left sitting around the house.

    But I plan to watch the Cubs.  Again.

    They will win tonight.  I can feel it in my bones.

    Or maybe it's the PT aftermath.

Whatever.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

sleepless in Rochelle

 Holy crap, what a night I had!

    After the exciting Bears win,  I did my normal pre bed ritual.

    Took my pills, took the dog out, played solitaire, checked Facebook.

    It was 12:30 before I realized it.

    But when I got to bed, it was a different story.

    My feet itched. I was hot. I was thirsty.  My throat was dry. I tossed.  I turned.

    The cuckoo hit 1, then 1:30, then 2 and I fell asleep.  Finally.

    Beth woke me at 2:30 because she had to go out.

    When I went back to bed, I finally fell asleep.

    I thought maybe today would be a good day for a short nap, but that did not work out.

    And tonight the Cubs are in San Diego, the game just started and they are trailing 1-0 already.

    I think the Cubs will be in trouble this game.  They flew to Boston, then Tampa, then SanDiego.

    Oops.  2-0. Damn homers.

    I would think. they would be tired mentally and physically with all. that traveling and uncertainty.  Plus their arms will be tired from all that flying.  Hope they went in a V formation.

    But it is a 3 game series, and I believe they will come back.

    I did get 3 more trees cleaned up.  I also picked up all the debris, so it looks fairly nice around the trees.  My circles are a little off though. 

    But really, who cares?

    Now for the rain.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace