tis the season

 Spring is not my favorite season

    I know, winter is basically over, flowers are starting to appear, you can go outside with a sweatshirt on and still feel warm.  

    That is, if you are wearing pants or sweats.  But just a sweatshirt alone might cause neighbors to label you as a pervert or exhibitionist.

    People generally feel better in spring.  Optimistic.  Young again.  Energetic.

    I don't like spring because it is muddy.  The yard squishes when you walk on it.  

    I don't like spring because one day it could be 60, and the next day 35 with  possible snow.

    But I especially don't like spring became of nights like this.

    Our weather radio has gone off multiple times.

    Luckily, only 1 warning affected our area.  That was a severe thunderstorm with quarter sized hail, strong winds and heavy rain.

    Further adding to our luck, nothing major happened.   I don't think we even got rain.  There was a lot of lightening.  In fact, it seemed to be one continuous flash for several seconds instead of just a brief flash.

    Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings.

    Every time the weather alert sounds,  Terry gets his exercise.

    I know, I need it.

    So far we have had at least 4 alerts for the area around Lena, 1 for us, 1 for the lakeshore area, 1 southern DeKalb County, 1 for Aurora and Juliet, and others I may have forgotten.

    Thunder is rumbling, a lot.

    I pulled the blinds on our windows in case it hails.  I honestly don't know if that is a protection or not, but they are all closed.

    In case of high winds, my patio and porch furniture is safe in the garage.  Of course it has been there for 5 months, but someday I will take it out.

    My stomach is not as nervous as it usually gets.  Maybe I am just getting used to storms  Or maybe I am coping by eating.

    Whatever.  Evenings like this are not good for a guy who has trouble sleeping at night.

    I took a short nap again this morning, but when I sat down at 4 to read a little bit, I fell asleep again!  This time Jackie did not wake me because she also fell asleep.  

    My fingers are crossed that we have a quiet night.

    I hope you do too.

Peace and Love

        especially Peace

national nap day

I celebrated National nap day today

    I know!  I had never heard of it either, but today is the day.

    After a looong night, a night in which going to bed at 11 was like going to bed at 10, Jackie feeling sick, Beth wanting to go out 3 times in the middle of the night, I was dang tired!

    We had help today, and I sat in my chair at 9:30, was up at 10, went back to my chair and slept until 12:30.

    To try to make me tired, Beth and I walked down to the cul de sac and back this afternoon.  That is about 1 mile.  I think we will both be pretty tired tonight.  Hope that lets me sleep.

    I went to the store at about 5 today and the parking lot at Skare Park was pretty full.  There was a line of people waiting to play disc golf!

    I actually played it by myself when the course opened several years ago.  I thought it was fun, although I admit I did not keep track of my tosses.

    I ran into a friend and mentioned the golf course and he showed me his bag of discs.  He had a driver, a putter, a wedge....and about 20 discs in total.

    I bought one disc. 

    I think if I ever go with a group of people I will be a little embarrassed at my lonely disc while they have carts to carry their bags.

    I am not a golfer, disc or otherwise.

    Although I did play an 18 hole course once and shot an 89, but they made me stop after 9 holes because I was taking too long.

    I just don't have the eye-hand coordination needed for that.  Hell, at this point in life sometimes I have trouble feeding myself!

    Speaking of which, I was looking through the pantry and found a package of noodles stuffed with cheese and a truffle sauce.  It looked really good, but the expiration date was May 2024. 

    Julia must have left it.  

    Despite my willingness to eat anything, I tossed it.

    Better safe than sorry.

Peace and Love

Oh yes I did

 I am a food pig

    I have a tendency to eat stuff.

    Crumbs left over from cookies.  Little bits of meat left on a plate.  Stuff that should really just be tossed.

    I am not hungry.  I just eat shit.

    Julia brought us some amazing cupcakes.  Tonight Jackie had half of one and I put the other away for tomorrow.  I, of course, ate my whole cupcake in one sitting.  Hell, in one mouthful, almost.

    Julia also bought some doggie cupcakes for Beth.  These are little itty bitty cupcakes with a bone on the top.

    As I was clearing dishes, little piggy noticed some cupcake on Jackie's fork.  So little biggie put it in his mouth and licked the fork clean.

    Then little biggie asked Jackie, "Did you use your fork to cut Beth's cupcake?"

    Of course the answer was yes.

    It had a nice peanut butter flavor, but seemed a little grainy.  Immediately after swallowing it I started to howl and scratch my butt across the floor.

    And I am not adjusting to the time change.

    Not this one, the one last fall.

    We woke up at 8, I went around and reset the clocks to 9, then it was shower time and breakfast/brunch time.  

    I whipped up some crepes and bacon, and we ate about 11:45.  

    After I let Emily's dogs out, I came home and intended to take a 35 minute nap.  When the alarm on my phone went off, I reset it for 20 minutes more. When that alarm went off I set it for 20 minutes more.  Jackie finally woke me.

    Last night when I was out front with Beth about 10, I heard a distinct gun shot.

    Beth immediately ran toward the door.  I don't know about her previous life, but those noises really scare her.

    I was a bit concerned, so I called the sheriff's office on their non emergency number.

    I gave my name, my concern, the dispatcher  asked my address and then asked if I lived in Hickory Ridge.  I said yes, and he said there was a deputy in that area dispatching an injured deer.

    That was actually a relief, though I did feel sorry for the deer .  My guess is a car hit it, but I don't know.

    That's why I always tell people when they leave, "Watch for deer."

Peace and Love

            especially Peace

uh oh

 I got yelled at today

    Jackie was printing something on the computer.  I had gone to Emily's to let out the dogs, so Jack was by herself.

    The printer ran out of paper.  

    Since the printer is right next to where she was sitting, she reached onto the shelf with all the paper on it.

    That's when the trouble started.

    She pulled out a bunch, and it had all be used on one side.

    She pulled out another bunch, and it had all be used on one side.

    A lot of other paper spilled onto the ground.  All of it had been used.

    When I came home there was paper all over the place except in the printer.  

    "Where is the paper!" And I think she was a little exasperated (or mad....) at this point.

    I calmly told her the paper was in the closet. and I got her some and loaded the printer so she could finish the print job.

    She then asked the 6 million dollar question:  Why was I saving that paper?

    I  explained to her that I cut it in half and use it for notes.  I mean, it makes sense to me.  The paper is used, but still can have a purpose.  I am reusing it  before recycling it.

    Although in hindsight, I may have too much.  Way too much.  It is almost 4 inches high.  That's a lot of notes!

    When I am done with this little episode, I will get rid of most of it.

    Besides, I have another stack in the bottom shelf already cut.

Peace and Love

        especially Peace

too much for note paper???   maybe

These folks light up a lot of holidays!  Always makes me smile!!!

vampire time

 Today was blood test  day in the household

    Jackie and I  got our tests for upcoming doctor appointments.

    I still get weird when it 's time.

    I talk a lot.  I look away.  I joke.

    By the time I finally shut up the draw is done and I am sent off with a tiny bandage on my arm.

    Yet I still get a little uptight about the entire procedure.  Jackie is ok with it, it's just me.

    Once I fainted when I had a blood draw.  After that I was told to lay on a bed while they did it.  But now I can sit up, talk, and get through it.

    I follow a post called Lenten Madness.  It's based on March Madness, but it features contests between saints.

    Saints.  Well, they did have a will be someday a saint person this week, but 99 percent of the contestants are saints.

    I read about two of them, then vote.  The winner of the vote advances to the next round.  Just like the basketball games, but with saints.

    Today's contest was Joan of Arc and Marina the Monk.

    Briefly, Marina lived  in the fifth or sixth century.  Her mother died and her father intended to marry her off.  Then he was going to become a monk.

    Marina  wanted no part of that.  She shaved her head, dressed like a man, and convinced her father to let her join him in the monastery.

    Time passed, after a decade her father died, and a  controversy arose, and Marina, now going by the name of Marinos, was accused of fathering a child with a poor woman.

    Instead of admitting her sex, Marinos admitted the sin and took the child in, raising it in the monastery.

    It wasn't until Marinos died that the monks discovered his secret.

    Aside from being an interesting story, I was reminded that gender identity is not a new issue.  

    Marina lived among monks as a man, no one was troubled by it, and she became a saint.

    By the way, Joan won, but it was a close vote.

    And I voted for Marina.

Peace and Love

Ripped it, again

 Once I sleep, I sleep

    We had help this morning.

    Good thing, too.

    Jackie had to use the bathroom at about 7:30.  Our help gets here at 8.

    I got her onto pot, and then decided to take a short nap.

    During my nap, Jackie called on the phone, Lisa came in, the dog barked and I slept like a log.

    Lisa eventually woke me up, and I tell you it was a great nap!

    If only I could fall asleep sooner.  

    I went to the store today, my semi-daily social outing.

    I was crossing the parking lot when a lady asked, "What are you doing?" just as I passed her on my way into the store. 

    I quickly said, "I'going shopping."

    She looked at me like I was an idiot.  She was actually on her phone, a phone I did not see.  And no, she was not talking to me.

    We've been in this house a while.

    Re-hashing our patio story, hired a guy to do the patio, paid him in full before he started because he needed an advance to buy materials, He had put the base in in the fall, paid him in the spring, and never showed up or contacted us after hat.

    I called a firm in Marengo and they came out and finished the job.  But the head guy said they could not guarantee the work because they don't know if the base was done correctly.

    The laid the pavers and it looked great.

    But a couple of years later I had a low spot.

    They came back and pulled up the pavers and leveled  it.  It looked great.

    Last year I had 2 areas that were low. Water gathered in them and I really hated to sit out there.

    This year another low spot has developed.

    So I called the Marengo people.  They came out today, looked at it, and gave me two options.  They can relevel the low areas.  OR, they can pull all the pavers, compact what is there, bring in more base material, compact that, then relay the bricks.

    Cheap ass me said, "Pull the pavers, recompact, add base, and then relay the whole thing."

    I will get an estimate next week.

    I told him I called early (actually the start of February) hoping to beat the seasonal rush.  He laughed and said they were already booked until the end of September!

    But my project is a small one.....he figures a day or day and a half..... and he will work it in between 2 of the bigger projects.

    Hopefully by the time he gets the patio done, I will have the furniture cleaned and oiled so all will look nice and I can enjoy the patio this summer.

    I probably could have enjoyed it today.  When the sun came out it was a darn nice day!

Peace and Love

                but especially Peace

Otis time

I have been monitoring my BP lately 

    BP as in blood pressure, not the gasoline.  Although I have been watching that the last few days too...... going up.

    I bought a digital BP reader a few years ago.  

    I had a heart doc appointment today, and 2 weeks ago I started recording my readings.

    They were all over the place!

    Highs in the 170s, lows in the 100 area.

    So I took my digital PB monitor  with me.

    After  the nurse took my pressure, I used mine to double check.

    My reader was 20 points higher than the one in the office!

    Nice nurse suggested getting a new reader.  She said that they don't last a long time and I have had this one maybe 3 years.

    So there.

    Stopped for chicken in Sycamore.  Got chips instead of fries.

    I should have asked them to put the chips separate from the chicken, because by the time we ate the chips were all soggy.

    So I put hem in the air fryer, set it on maximum crisp, and within 5 minutes had actually turned the chips dark, dark, dark brown.  A sensible person would have tossed them....but I am not a sensible person. 

    We got new sheets.  Came in a nice package, compact, neat.

    Then I washed them.

    I wish the local community college offered a class in fitted sheet folding.

    Damn, that is a pain.

Peace and Love

How we received them

After washing, how did they fit in that package?

If you know, you know