I eat when I get bored or frustrated
Halloween this year is not good.
I bought Julia a huge bag of Nestle candy....Baby Ruth, Crunch, Butterfingers.....you get the idea.
I thought I packed it when we went to visit her, but I didn't. (It turns out my accusation that the candy had been stolen by security people was uncalled for.)
So we used it for Halloween.
This is a two pound bag. We had six (6) kids. Six!!
Here's were my math skills suck. Last year we had none, but this year we had six. So that is an increase of what percentage? I thought "just use the fact that we had six this year and that becomes a 600 percent increase." (I thought the quotation marks would give clearer meaning to my thinking this.)
But how can it? What is a 100 percent increase over 0? Don't you multiply to get the answer? And if you have 0, then whatever you multiply will be 0 because of the zero power of multiplication.
(I lost a bet with Mr. Torres, my eighth grade teacher. He was a White Sox fan. I am a Cub fan. He bet me that if you took the number of runs the Sox scored game by game and added them, it would be more than the number of runs the Cubs scored game by game if multiplied. I was so eager to beat the Sox at something, I said it was a bet. He asked me if the Cubs had been shut out yet, and I realized my mistake. Lesson learned.)
The 6 may be inflated....two were special visitors and they got special candy. Plus some from the bowl.
Anyway, I have candy left. And I am bored. When I get bored, I nibble. When I nibble, I get upset with myself for my lack of self control. When I get upset, I nibble.
It is a viscous circle. By the time Sunday night rolls around, I will have gained six pounds and the bowl will be empty.
And I am also a little frustrated....but I'll save that story. Let's just say Jackie and I may control the future of television as you know it.
Friday, October 31, 2014
Thursday, October 30, 2014
I heard the news today, oh boy
I think the news is driving me batty
I should rephrase that. Too much news is driving me batty.
It's not that I am anti news, but sometimes I get confused.
A Yahoo news headline recently said: New York City Police shoot dead man.
I wondered, why would you shoot a dead man? It reminded me a National Inquirer article about a man was shot six times and lived, as the paper reported. Then it said the seventh shot killed him.
I miss the days when we got important news. Vital news.
Now so much of it is just, well, titillating. (I have never used that word in a sentence!)
Everyday there is a story of a high school teacher accused of having sex with a high school, or junior high, student. Last week a substitute was charged after she had sex with a 17 year old boy during the pep assembly! First day on the job, and she blew it! (No pun intended.)
Today there was the story of a bus driver in New York who was on his way to a parochial school to drop off his last student when he stopped the bus and masturbated! The student could see the guy in the bus's rear view mirror and reported the incident to staff at his school.
And then there is the case of the missing Colorado man, who disappeared during half time of a recent Broncos game.
His stepson went to the bathroom, and when he came back, the guy had vanished.
Turns out, he decided he had enough of football and walked home. Police found him 110 miles away, heading in the wrong direction. He doesn't appear to be ill or unbalanced, but he walked 110 miles in four days! That is not normal behavior! (He may have gotten some rides...he also said he hitch hiked.)
So is news so dominant in our lives that we crave more and more, even thought the stories get weirder and weirder? (And I say our, because if people were not reading them, Yahoo would not be running them.)
Or are we just getting weirder and weirder?
I mean, I may get up and go into the next room if I don't want to watch a TV show. But that's not the same as wandering 110 miles and not telling anybody where you are, or where you are going.
Maybe it's just me. Maybe I spend too much time reading the news.
I do skip anything that deals with a Kardashian, and usually most articles dealing with movie stars.
But I am fascinated by the lava in Hawaii, the ongoing water shortage in California, and weather. I do follow what's happening in Syria, although I don't like to because it truthfully scares the beejeebees out of me.
Lately I have stopped reading anything about elections......I have reached my fill of garbage.
Gotta cut this off now...there is a family in Rockford Michigan with 12 children....and they are expecting.
Now, that's news.
I should rephrase that. Too much news is driving me batty.
It's not that I am anti news, but sometimes I get confused.
A Yahoo news headline recently said: New York City Police shoot dead man.
I wondered, why would you shoot a dead man? It reminded me a National Inquirer article about a man was shot six times and lived, as the paper reported. Then it said the seventh shot killed him.
I miss the days when we got important news. Vital news.
Now so much of it is just, well, titillating. (I have never used that word in a sentence!)
Everyday there is a story of a high school teacher accused of having sex with a high school, or junior high, student. Last week a substitute was charged after she had sex with a 17 year old boy during the pep assembly! First day on the job, and she blew it! (No pun intended.)
Today there was the story of a bus driver in New York who was on his way to a parochial school to drop off his last student when he stopped the bus and masturbated! The student could see the guy in the bus's rear view mirror and reported the incident to staff at his school.
And then there is the case of the missing Colorado man, who disappeared during half time of a recent Broncos game.
His stepson went to the bathroom, and when he came back, the guy had vanished.
Turns out, he decided he had enough of football and walked home. Police found him 110 miles away, heading in the wrong direction. He doesn't appear to be ill or unbalanced, but he walked 110 miles in four days! That is not normal behavior! (He may have gotten some rides...he also said he hitch hiked.)
So is news so dominant in our lives that we crave more and more, even thought the stories get weirder and weirder? (And I say our, because if people were not reading them, Yahoo would not be running them.)
Or are we just getting weirder and weirder?
I mean, I may get up and go into the next room if I don't want to watch a TV show. But that's not the same as wandering 110 miles and not telling anybody where you are, or where you are going.
Maybe it's just me. Maybe I spend too much time reading the news.
I do skip anything that deals with a Kardashian, and usually most articles dealing with movie stars.
But I am fascinated by the lava in Hawaii, the ongoing water shortage in California, and weather. I do follow what's happening in Syria, although I don't like to because it truthfully scares the beejeebees out of me.
Lately I have stopped reading anything about elections......I have reached my fill of garbage.
Gotta cut this off now...there is a family in Rockford Michigan with 12 children....and they are expecting.
Now, that's news.
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
something tells me it's all happenin' at the zoo
I went to Lincoln Park Zoo today
Lincoln Park is free. No admission. Parking is expensive, but you can find free spaces on the street.
Which is what we did.
Chicago John went with. The two of us went to the zoo because I wanted to see the new macaque monkey exhibit space .... but I'll get back to that.
I used to go to LPZ (I get tired of typing Lincoln Park Zoo) when I was a kid. I have fond memories of the place.
There used to be a miniature train that ran around the zoo and into the park. Brookfield also had one, and both are gone. (The BZ one is at a place in LaPorte, Indiana, which is on my list of places to go next year.)
I was talking to a volunteer at LPZ. She was telling us about the cats, their breeds and numbers, that are in the zoo. I asked her if the lost children's area was still in the lion house.... but she said no, and looked at me like I was nuts.
When I was a kid, there was a huge sign in front of the lion house that said "lost children here." I do believe my father, or brothers, told me if I got lost at the zoo to go there and if I wasn't claimed by 4 p.m. they would feed me to the lions.
I believed them.
It has been 30 years since we took niece Tracy and my girls there. Things have changed.
Lots of trees and native plantings.
There is a new big ape house, which opened in 1992. There is also a new small ape house. The old one, which was new last time I went, seems to be offices now.
No elephants. If you want to see elephants, go to Milwaukee, Indianapolis, St. Louis, or Coal City.... because the local zoos don't have any. My understanding is, the group that evaluates zoos and sets standards has increased the space requirements for elephants. Neither local zoo has the right amount of space, but BZ plans to bring them back someday.
Didn't see polar bears or giraffes....I think their areas were closed for some expansion of displays.
The macaque monkey area is new. It is a $13 million plus exhibit that tries to mimic the monkeys' natural environment. These are the snow monkeys, famous in Japan and were frequently shown during the last Olympics there.
So I took the train, got to the zoo and headed for the display that is set to open in October.
It's not done.
They are still working on it.
I know I had read a story about the display opening Oct. 4..... but evidently I did not read about the monkeys, but about the Lionel train that meanders through parts of the zoo.
Unlike the one of my childhood, this runs on natural gas and does not have tracks. Hard for me to even call it a train.
And the zoo is a lot smaller than I remember. Funny how time does that to a person.
I will go back when the exhibit opens, and maybe hang around the Chicago History Museum for a couple of hours.
After all, life isn't getting longer and there are a lot of things I want to do and see!!
Lincoln Park is free. No admission. Parking is expensive, but you can find free spaces on the street.
Which is what we did.
Chicago John went with. The two of us went to the zoo because I wanted to see the new macaque monkey exhibit space .... but I'll get back to that.
I used to go to LPZ (I get tired of typing Lincoln Park Zoo) when I was a kid. I have fond memories of the place.
There used to be a miniature train that ran around the zoo and into the park. Brookfield also had one, and both are gone. (The BZ one is at a place in LaPorte, Indiana, which is on my list of places to go next year.)
I was talking to a volunteer at LPZ. She was telling us about the cats, their breeds and numbers, that are in the zoo. I asked her if the lost children's area was still in the lion house.... but she said no, and looked at me like I was nuts.
When I was a kid, there was a huge sign in front of the lion house that said "lost children here." I do believe my father, or brothers, told me if I got lost at the zoo to go there and if I wasn't claimed by 4 p.m. they would feed me to the lions.
I believed them.
It has been 30 years since we took niece Tracy and my girls there. Things have changed.
Lots of trees and native plantings.
There is a new big ape house, which opened in 1992. There is also a new small ape house. The old one, which was new last time I went, seems to be offices now.
No elephants. If you want to see elephants, go to Milwaukee, Indianapolis, St. Louis, or Coal City.... because the local zoos don't have any. My understanding is, the group that evaluates zoos and sets standards has increased the space requirements for elephants. Neither local zoo has the right amount of space, but BZ plans to bring them back someday.
Didn't see polar bears or giraffes....I think their areas were closed for some expansion of displays.
The macaque monkey area is new. It is a $13 million plus exhibit that tries to mimic the monkeys' natural environment. These are the snow monkeys, famous in Japan and were frequently shown during the last Olympics there.
So I took the train, got to the zoo and headed for the display that is set to open in October.
It's not done.
They are still working on it.
I know I had read a story about the display opening Oct. 4..... but evidently I did not read about the monkeys, but about the Lionel train that meanders through parts of the zoo.
Unlike the one of my childhood, this runs on natural gas and does not have tracks. Hard for me to even call it a train.
And the zoo is a lot smaller than I remember. Funny how time does that to a person.
I will go back when the exhibit opens, and maybe hang around the Chicago History Museum for a couple of hours.
After all, life isn't getting longer and there are a lot of things I want to do and see!!
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
wrong weekend, again
I am going camping with my buds
A bunch of guys I grew up with, plus a couple of people I recently met....like within the past 5 years..head out into the woods for a weekend of fellowship and fun.
We like going in early November. The bugs are gone. The people are gone. The nights are crisp and great for sleeping.
In all the years we have gone, I only remember one that got rained out. I may have been at fault. When Dave and the kids showed up at my house, I said, optimistically, "The rain will pass by the time we reach Savannah." After we sat in the car watching pouring rain in Savannah with two kids and three slightly grouchy adults for what seemed hours, we gave in and went home.
One time we were at the Mississippi Palisades and it was pretty cold. I remember waking up and thinking leaves were hitting the tent top. It was snow. While we were OK, all our water was frozen.
We stopped going to the Palisades when we goofed and picked a bow hunting weekend. We were warned not to stray too far from the campsite and to wear orange.
In subsequent years, we ended up at Apple River Canyon. It's a beautiful park with several nice hiking trails. We seemed to find large groups of Boy Scouts camping next to us on our last two trips.
So we moved to Lake Le Aqua Na.
In November some of the camping grounds are closed....go figure.
We always look for one site that is a little secluded, not near other campers. I snore.
We bring our own wood, pay our fees, clean up the camping site when we leave in the morning.
We do have some nature based products that we bring along to ward off the cold. Some of these products are made from grapes, some from rye grasses. We listen to Simon and Garfunkel, or Coyote Oldham, watch the stars and tell stories.
Some of the stories are true. Many of them have been told before, but have grown in scope with each passing year.
We remember those high school days, when we had no worries.
We remember the difficult times in life, when life itself was a challenge.
We talk about the Cubs. The Bears. Sometimes the other sports, but mainly football and baseball.
It's going to be cold as hell this weekend. 27 for a low Saturday night.
There is a time change. So when we go to bed at midnight, half frozen and maybe slurring words due to the cold, we will really be going to bed at 11.
To me, it means an extra hour of freezing my butt off in a tent.
The really hard part is getting out of the bag in the morning. I have to get dressed, take down the tent, throw (literally, it's usually damp from the dew) the tent, rain fly, tarp, sleeping bag, extra clothes, empty bottles, and everything else I can find into the car, which is running with the heat on high, within 5 minutes or literally freeze solid. OK, not literally.
At breakfast at the restaurant in Lena, we will all complain about how cold it was, talk about going earlier next year, talk about not going at all next year because at age 66 it's hard to sleep on the ground, pay our bill and part.
And secretly, we will all be looking forward to next year.
A bunch of guys I grew up with, plus a couple of people I recently met....like within the past 5 years..head out into the woods for a weekend of fellowship and fun.
We like going in early November. The bugs are gone. The people are gone. The nights are crisp and great for sleeping.
In all the years we have gone, I only remember one that got rained out. I may have been at fault. When Dave and the kids showed up at my house, I said, optimistically, "The rain will pass by the time we reach Savannah." After we sat in the car watching pouring rain in Savannah with two kids and three slightly grouchy adults for what seemed hours, we gave in and went home.
One time we were at the Mississippi Palisades and it was pretty cold. I remember waking up and thinking leaves were hitting the tent top. It was snow. While we were OK, all our water was frozen.
We stopped going to the Palisades when we goofed and picked a bow hunting weekend. We were warned not to stray too far from the campsite and to wear orange.
In subsequent years, we ended up at Apple River Canyon. It's a beautiful park with several nice hiking trails. We seemed to find large groups of Boy Scouts camping next to us on our last two trips.
So we moved to Lake Le Aqua Na.
In November some of the camping grounds are closed....go figure.
We always look for one site that is a little secluded, not near other campers. I snore.
We bring our own wood, pay our fees, clean up the camping site when we leave in the morning.
We do have some nature based products that we bring along to ward off the cold. Some of these products are made from grapes, some from rye grasses. We listen to Simon and Garfunkel, or Coyote Oldham, watch the stars and tell stories.
Some of the stories are true. Many of them have been told before, but have grown in scope with each passing year.
We remember those high school days, when we had no worries.
We remember the difficult times in life, when life itself was a challenge.
We talk about the Cubs. The Bears. Sometimes the other sports, but mainly football and baseball.
It's going to be cold as hell this weekend. 27 for a low Saturday night.
There is a time change. So when we go to bed at midnight, half frozen and maybe slurring words due to the cold, we will really be going to bed at 11.
To me, it means an extra hour of freezing my butt off in a tent.
The really hard part is getting out of the bag in the morning. I have to get dressed, take down the tent, throw (literally, it's usually damp from the dew) the tent, rain fly, tarp, sleeping bag, extra clothes, empty bottles, and everything else I can find into the car, which is running with the heat on high, within 5 minutes or literally freeze solid. OK, not literally.
At breakfast at the restaurant in Lena, we will all complain about how cold it was, talk about going earlier next year, talk about not going at all next year because at age 66 it's hard to sleep on the ground, pay our bill and part.
And secretly, we will all be looking forward to next year.
Monday, October 27, 2014
this is a first
I can't think of anything to tell tonight
I may have hit the wall, in the vernacular of marathon runners.
I have posted nearly every single day. I have been funny, insightful, sad, thoughtful, boring...... but tonight I am empty.
I have told you just about everything about me, from shaking hands with a real president to my first ever stage appearance.
But tonight, I guess I am too tired and headachy to think.
That's it.
I may have hit the wall, in the vernacular of marathon runners.
I have posted nearly every single day. I have been funny, insightful, sad, thoughtful, boring...... but tonight I am empty.
I have told you just about everything about me, from shaking hands with a real president to my first ever stage appearance.
But tonight, I guess I am too tired and headachy to think.
That's it.
Sunday, October 26, 2014
why didn't I think of that?
Sometimes I don't plan ahead
I ordered the tin ceiling. Now all I have to do is put it up.
This is not as easy as it seems.
First off, I have to decide on plywood or firring strips. Firring strips are cheaper and easier. Plywood would make it easier to install the panels, which are 2 x 2.
First decision, plywood.
Now, I have to fasten the tin panels to the ceiling. If I use round headed screws, will they show and be a distraction to the pattern? Will flat headed screws work better for the overall look? Should I just get black screws so they stand out and become obvious to their presence? Will trim screws work, with their tiny heads and custom colors?
I don't want to nail the panels because the soffit covers water and gas pipes. I thought, in my little mind, that if someone ever needed to get to those pipes, unscrewing stuff would be easier than unnailing. If you can unnail.
Emily, who has done more reading on this than I have, said wood trim is not recommended, because the wood will not set evenly on the tin tiles. I hadn't thought of that. Not sure what I will do in that case.
Bob, Jackie's brother, asked what I was doing on the facing part of the soffit. Hadn't thought too much of that either. Originally thought I would get a 1 x 12 piece of pine and paint it red. No reason why, except to add some color. Maybe I could stain it to match the oak trim. Maybe I can just paint what is there and not spend money on it.
And all of those questions are part of my problem: I get an idea and proceed, not thinking it through to the end. Maybe it's ADD, maybe it's just optimism that all will work out.
I can get the big picture. I just can't get the focus to get there. I don't want to be negative, but that's how my personality developed. (If you are counting, that is four photo references in two sentences.)
The tin tiles should arrive this week....which means I am going to work on this eventually.
I wonder: How many people does it take to put up my ceiling? Time will tell.
Meanwhile, feel free to volunteer. You could hold tiles, cut plywood, or make cream puffs. In any case, help would be appreciated.
I ordered the tin ceiling. Now all I have to do is put it up.
This is not as easy as it seems.
First off, I have to decide on plywood or firring strips. Firring strips are cheaper and easier. Plywood would make it easier to install the panels, which are 2 x 2.
First decision, plywood.
Now, I have to fasten the tin panels to the ceiling. If I use round headed screws, will they show and be a distraction to the pattern? Will flat headed screws work better for the overall look? Should I just get black screws so they stand out and become obvious to their presence? Will trim screws work, with their tiny heads and custom colors?
I don't want to nail the panels because the soffit covers water and gas pipes. I thought, in my little mind, that if someone ever needed to get to those pipes, unscrewing stuff would be easier than unnailing. If you can unnail.
Emily, who has done more reading on this than I have, said wood trim is not recommended, because the wood will not set evenly on the tin tiles. I hadn't thought of that. Not sure what I will do in that case.
Bob, Jackie's brother, asked what I was doing on the facing part of the soffit. Hadn't thought too much of that either. Originally thought I would get a 1 x 12 piece of pine and paint it red. No reason why, except to add some color. Maybe I could stain it to match the oak trim. Maybe I can just paint what is there and not spend money on it.
And all of those questions are part of my problem: I get an idea and proceed, not thinking it through to the end. Maybe it's ADD, maybe it's just optimism that all will work out.
I can get the big picture. I just can't get the focus to get there. I don't want to be negative, but that's how my personality developed. (If you are counting, that is four photo references in two sentences.)
The tin tiles should arrive this week....which means I am going to work on this eventually.
I wonder: How many people does it take to put up my ceiling? Time will tell.
Meanwhile, feel free to volunteer. You could hold tiles, cut plywood, or make cream puffs. In any case, help would be appreciated.
Saturday, October 25, 2014
I have a social calendar
I swear, sometimes I get too busy
We have only been back from our trip for 9 days....but I feel it has been longer.
It's been a busy few days.
I had a zoo day Friday, and Friday night I spent 3 hours at the museum playing a former mayor's ghost. It was a pretty fun time. This ghost walk attracted about 34 people....last year only 20 came, so that is a pretty good increase. Next year I hope we hit the 45 mark! We do three tours, and I think 15 people would be a maximum.
I even heard one little voice say, "Is that Mr. Dickow?" But I never saw who the youngin' was, or their parents.
Saturday I got up early to sell Rotary calendars. And we went to a birthday party for a pretty cool 2 year old. Tomorrow we have a pumpkin decorating thing at church and dinner in De Kalb Sunday night.
I am starting the week tired already!
Tuesday I have four events, Wednesday I am going to Chicago, and sometime Thursday and Friday I have to clean house and do the kitchen cabinets.
I have to figure out how to move all the dirt to my newly built raised garden without using my right arm, 'cause every time I do anything with it I hurt like hell for two or three days. And I need to do that before the freeze comes, because I don't want to have to play with frozen dirt.
Usually I am complaining about having nothing to do.....but that doesn't seem to be the case for the next two weeks.
Jackie and I start volunteering with the Hub project Tuesday afternoon. And we still have some physical therapy appointments.
Even the county wants me.....got a notice for jury duty Nov. 3.
The upside is, I have less time to play on the computer. After going three weeks without playing spider solitaire, I have fallen back into its trap.
Less free time will help me cut back.
I just hope I can keep awake.
We have only been back from our trip for 9 days....but I feel it has been longer.
It's been a busy few days.
I had a zoo day Friday, and Friday night I spent 3 hours at the museum playing a former mayor's ghost. It was a pretty fun time. This ghost walk attracted about 34 people....last year only 20 came, so that is a pretty good increase. Next year I hope we hit the 45 mark! We do three tours, and I think 15 people would be a maximum.
I even heard one little voice say, "Is that Mr. Dickow?" But I never saw who the youngin' was, or their parents.
Saturday I got up early to sell Rotary calendars. And we went to a birthday party for a pretty cool 2 year old. Tomorrow we have a pumpkin decorating thing at church and dinner in De Kalb Sunday night.
I am starting the week tired already!
Tuesday I have four events, Wednesday I am going to Chicago, and sometime Thursday and Friday I have to clean house and do the kitchen cabinets.
I have to figure out how to move all the dirt to my newly built raised garden without using my right arm, 'cause every time I do anything with it I hurt like hell for two or three days. And I need to do that before the freeze comes, because I don't want to have to play with frozen dirt.
Usually I am complaining about having nothing to do.....but that doesn't seem to be the case for the next two weeks.
Jackie and I start volunteering with the Hub project Tuesday afternoon. And we still have some physical therapy appointments.
Even the county wants me.....got a notice for jury duty Nov. 3.
The upside is, I have less time to play on the computer. After going three weeks without playing spider solitaire, I have fallen back into its trap.
Less free time will help me cut back.
I just hope I can keep awake.
Friday, October 24, 2014
And now a little poem
I am a closet poet
I've played the numbers
I thought would win
I played them over
and over again
I picked birthdays and primes
But none were a winner
now that money's gone
and my wallet's thinner
This time I felt lucky,
my number was up, my fortune due
But the odds are against me
and now I'm sorta blue
I enjoy the dreams
a dollar will buy,
and if it rolls over
again I will try
I have better odds
being struck by ligntning
or getting flesh eating bacteria,
and that's really frightening!
But the lottery beckons,
so many dreams to fulfill
Somebody somewhere's a winner,
Someday I'll win, I will
I've played the numbers
I thought would win
I played them over
and over again
I picked birthdays and primes
But none were a winner
now that money's gone
and my wallet's thinner
This time I felt lucky,
my number was up, my fortune due
But the odds are against me
and now I'm sorta blue
I enjoy the dreams
a dollar will buy,
and if it rolls over
again I will try
I have better odds
being struck by ligntning
or getting flesh eating bacteria,
and that's really frightening!
But the lottery beckons,
so many dreams to fulfill
Somebody somewhere's a winner,
Someday I'll win, I will
Thursday, October 23, 2014
deja vu....all over again
I am close to being a millionaire!
All I need to do is pick the right numbers! Tomorrow night's Powerball, or Mega Millions, I am never sure, is over 220 million smackeroos! The other game is over 100 million! My odds of winning one are 50-50, right?
I (we, if Jackie finds out) will be rolling in dough. Literally. I will sprinkle my bed with $100 bills and lay on top of them like they do in the movies.
New car. New wardrobe. New house. (It will have to have a security system and razor wire topped chain link fencing to keep out the bad guys,) New golf clubs.....and I don't even golf!
But I won't forget my friends. After I collect my millions, I will treat everyone to a hamburger at White Castle. My close, personal friends will even get fries and a drink.
I know I won't get $200 million....taxes will take half, or more. That will still leave me with $100 million.
Enough to fund the Dickow Recreation Center, Dickow Soccer Complex, Dickow Center for the Performing Arts.....but it's not all about me. It's about improving life. For my family. And me.
So Julia gets a chunk to buy a house on the lake in Switzerland. Believe me, it will take a chunk. Emily gets an equal chunk to buy a small farm with a large fenced in area for her dogs, cat, guinea pigs, rabbits, horses, and even and emu or two, if she wants.
How to choose the numbers? I always use a combination of birthdays, anniversaries, ages, my IQ, and get a series of numbers that have never won a single penny. But if I stop playing them, they will win. Eventually. It may be 100 years, but like the Cubs, it has to happen eventually.
And I will buy a quick pick. Maybe two. The answer is yes to the question, "Well punk, are ya feelin' lucky?"
I am feeling lucky.
Or maybe it's just indigestion from all the Halloween candy I put in a bowl and shouldn't have because I eat a piece whenever I walk past.
Tonight I may have a dream about numbers! Maybe the gods of lottery fortune have chosen me this time!
You can tell I am excited.
Just think, this time next week.....I'll be hard to find!
All I need to do is pick the right numbers! Tomorrow night's Powerball, or Mega Millions, I am never sure, is over 220 million smackeroos! The other game is over 100 million! My odds of winning one are 50-50, right?
I (we, if Jackie finds out) will be rolling in dough. Literally. I will sprinkle my bed with $100 bills and lay on top of them like they do in the movies.
New car. New wardrobe. New house. (It will have to have a security system and razor wire topped chain link fencing to keep out the bad guys,) New golf clubs.....and I don't even golf!
But I won't forget my friends. After I collect my millions, I will treat everyone to a hamburger at White Castle. My close, personal friends will even get fries and a drink.
I know I won't get $200 million....taxes will take half, or more. That will still leave me with $100 million.
Enough to fund the Dickow Recreation Center, Dickow Soccer Complex, Dickow Center for the Performing Arts.....but it's not all about me. It's about improving life. For my family. And me.
So Julia gets a chunk to buy a house on the lake in Switzerland. Believe me, it will take a chunk. Emily gets an equal chunk to buy a small farm with a large fenced in area for her dogs, cat, guinea pigs, rabbits, horses, and even and emu or two, if she wants.
How to choose the numbers? I always use a combination of birthdays, anniversaries, ages, my IQ, and get a series of numbers that have never won a single penny. But if I stop playing them, they will win. Eventually. It may be 100 years, but like the Cubs, it has to happen eventually.
And I will buy a quick pick. Maybe two. The answer is yes to the question, "Well punk, are ya feelin' lucky?"
I am feeling lucky.
Or maybe it's just indigestion from all the Halloween candy I put in a bowl and shouldn't have because I eat a piece whenever I walk past.
Tonight I may have a dream about numbers! Maybe the gods of lottery fortune have chosen me this time!
You can tell I am excited.
Just think, this time next week.....I'll be hard to find!
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
school days, school daze
I might have tanked a few classes
The University of North Carolina may have an academic problem. It seems several hundred students benefited by taking classes they didn't have to attend, take notes, pay attention, or read materials.
And while the bulk of the students taking these classes were athletes, it seems non athletes also were given the opportunity to take a class where they had no lectures, readings, or attendance. And since the classes were available to both non athletes and athletes, no NCAA rules may have been broken.
Well, sad to admit, I also enrolled in classes where I didn't attend, take notes or read the materials. And I paid for it.
I enrolled in one class, criminology, which was rumored to be the largest lecture class in the US.
There were several hundred students enrolled in the class. There was no way to take attendance. There was two announced quizzes, a mid term and a final. That is all.
The final was done like a group project. That was not how it was designed. But with so many kids in a lecture hall, there was no way to monitor the group. People were yelling out answers to the multiple choice test: 21 is C; 14 is A; and on and on.
I moved to the end of a row and took the test by myself, blocking out the distractions.
I got an 86. Not too bad, right? The average for the test.....average....was 94! And since he graded on a curve, my 86 was good for a D. 88 fwas a C. 88.
I think I had the only D in a class of 400 people.
I took an art history class. That one I did attend. It was preJackie and there were a couple of attractive girls in the class. However, since I was in the midst of a severe acne breakout from the ages of 13 to 27, they were not too interested in me, no matter how many times I asked if Picasso's nose grew when he told a lie.
But there were no books, no notes. We looked at thousands of pictures. The midterm and final consisted of watching a slide presentation and giving the correct artist for each painting.
I got a D in that.
In case you don't get the drift here: Rather unspectacular high school career. ( I graduated in the upper half....by two people. But it was the upper half.) Less than stellar college career. (I hold the record for final academic probation at NIU.....3 semesters.)
In general, I was a lazy student. I don't know if I was a dumb student, but I never did apply myself.
It wasn't until I started taking courses I actually liked that I did well. Or at least better.
And at age 66, that is one of the lessons I have learned in life. We do things well that we enjoy doing. We suck at things we don't enjoy doing.
I pour a great glass of wine. I cut an excellent slice of cheese. I sit on the porch very well.
I have found my time in life to be like a class from UNC. I don't have to do anything and I still pass.
The University of North Carolina may have an academic problem. It seems several hundred students benefited by taking classes they didn't have to attend, take notes, pay attention, or read materials.
And while the bulk of the students taking these classes were athletes, it seems non athletes also were given the opportunity to take a class where they had no lectures, readings, or attendance. And since the classes were available to both non athletes and athletes, no NCAA rules may have been broken.
Well, sad to admit, I also enrolled in classes where I didn't attend, take notes or read the materials. And I paid for it.
I enrolled in one class, criminology, which was rumored to be the largest lecture class in the US.
There were several hundred students enrolled in the class. There was no way to take attendance. There was two announced quizzes, a mid term and a final. That is all.
The final was done like a group project. That was not how it was designed. But with so many kids in a lecture hall, there was no way to monitor the group. People were yelling out answers to the multiple choice test: 21 is C; 14 is A; and on and on.
I moved to the end of a row and took the test by myself, blocking out the distractions.
I got an 86. Not too bad, right? The average for the test.....average....was 94! And since he graded on a curve, my 86 was good for a D. 88 fwas a C. 88.
I think I had the only D in a class of 400 people.
I took an art history class. That one I did attend. It was preJackie and there were a couple of attractive girls in the class. However, since I was in the midst of a severe acne breakout from the ages of 13 to 27, they were not too interested in me, no matter how many times I asked if Picasso's nose grew when he told a lie.
But there were no books, no notes. We looked at thousands of pictures. The midterm and final consisted of watching a slide presentation and giving the correct artist for each painting.
I got a D in that.
In case you don't get the drift here: Rather unspectacular high school career. ( I graduated in the upper half....by two people. But it was the upper half.) Less than stellar college career. (I hold the record for final academic probation at NIU.....3 semesters.)
In general, I was a lazy student. I don't know if I was a dumb student, but I never did apply myself.
It wasn't until I started taking courses I actually liked that I did well. Or at least better.
And at age 66, that is one of the lessons I have learned in life. We do things well that we enjoy doing. We suck at things we don't enjoy doing.
I pour a great glass of wine. I cut an excellent slice of cheese. I sit on the porch very well.
I have found my time in life to be like a class from UNC. I don't have to do anything and I still pass.
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
put your left foot in, ya put your right foot....
I am about to step in something.....
I want to have my basement ceiling finished by the time Julia gets home. It makes the room quieter, and better looking in case friends from St. Louis come for a couple of days.
I have a soffit that is 6 ft. by 29 ft. I would like to put a tin type ceiling in the space. And I want to screw it in place, not nail it, in case I have to remove it to get to the pipes in that area.
That's my plan.
I have no freakin' idea how to accomplish it.
Just thinking out loud here:
If I buy firring strips, I can screw them into the existing soffit cross beams. I can't use the cross beams to attach the tin panels, because they are not evenly spaced.
Once I get the firring strips screwed up, in more ways than one, I will put some insulation in to deaden the sound.
Then I will start screwing up, in more ways than one, the panels.
No ladder work, everything is reachable because it is a soffit and is only about 7 feet off the ground.
The tin type ceiling panels come in 2 x 4 sections.
I will need screws that match the panels......if that is possible. What if I spray paint them a close color?
Will it look stupid with screws showing? Or would they be looked at as part of the design?
Why have I decided on a tin type ceiling? Would an acoustical tile ceiling be better?
Why do I not make a decision and start the stupid project?
aaagh!!!
All this thinking has given me a headache.
And I have to do a blood test tomorrow, so I have not had anything to eat or drink in the last two hours and it is driving me insane.
Anyway, if anyone has any tips, experience, advice.....let me know.
I might even listen.
I want to have my basement ceiling finished by the time Julia gets home. It makes the room quieter, and better looking in case friends from St. Louis come for a couple of days.
I have a soffit that is 6 ft. by 29 ft. I would like to put a tin type ceiling in the space. And I want to screw it in place, not nail it, in case I have to remove it to get to the pipes in that area.
That's my plan.
I have no freakin' idea how to accomplish it.
Just thinking out loud here:
If I buy firring strips, I can screw them into the existing soffit cross beams. I can't use the cross beams to attach the tin panels, because they are not evenly spaced.
Once I get the firring strips screwed up, in more ways than one, I will put some insulation in to deaden the sound.
Then I will start screwing up, in more ways than one, the panels.
No ladder work, everything is reachable because it is a soffit and is only about 7 feet off the ground.
The tin type ceiling panels come in 2 x 4 sections.
I will need screws that match the panels......if that is possible. What if I spray paint them a close color?
Will it look stupid with screws showing? Or would they be looked at as part of the design?
Why have I decided on a tin type ceiling? Would an acoustical tile ceiling be better?
Why do I not make a decision and start the stupid project?
aaagh!!!
All this thinking has given me a headache.
And I have to do a blood test tomorrow, so I have not had anything to eat or drink in the last two hours and it is driving me insane.
Anyway, if anyone has any tips, experience, advice.....let me know.
I might even listen.
Monday, October 20, 2014
and now the days have passed, I'm in the autumn of my years
I love fall
I just enjoy fall more than any other season.
Maybe it's the bite that comes in the air, sometimes unexpectedly. There is a crispness to the air that you don't get in summer or spring. The air seem fresher, cleaner, better for you.
I like that first heavy frost, the one that kills mosquitoes and flies....or at least slows them down so you can swat them.
I love campfires on chilly nights, when you turn away from the fire and let your eyes get accustomed to the dark, and you look in the sky and see the stars and try to imagine the constellations like Cassiopeia and Orion but you can never really find them because there are so many stars, and planes, and satellites zooming across the heavens and your attention gets drawn to them instead.
I love walking through leaves, with the crunching noise they make under your feet. No matter how hard you try to be quiet, the crushing leaves give you away.
I love the colors. The trees and bushes that go from green to red, yellow, brown, orange, purple. I went for a walk in Skare Park today and was awed by the colors and the smells. The pines along Fowler Road were so fragrant, it was like living in a potpourri bowl. The yellow of the maples, the oranges and reds of the oaks, the purplish red of the sumac.
I love the smell of burning leaves. I know, people have asthma and allergies and all, but it is a good smell in small doses.
Sometimes I can smell the fires people have in their houses. The scent of applewood being burned hangs in the air and pleases my senses.
I like putting on sweatshirts and sitting on the porch sipping a hot beverage. Or a glass of wine.
I love caramel apples and apple cinnamon doughnuts, fresh from the oven and still warm.
I love the crispness of a fresh apple. It has a different bite than one that has been stored in a warehouse for a few months.
My lawn always looks best in the fall. Weeds have died, the grass grows a little slower, and it just looks greener.
There always seems to be a hint of urgency in the fall. Outside projects need to be completed, crops harvested, Packer fans to tease, because we all know there is a time when none of that will be possible.
I know fall is thought of as the end of a cycle. The fall of life, the autumn of my years, the nearing of an end.
But I still love it. I don't think it is ever long enough, but I don't have control over that.
All I know is I want to really get out and experience fall, before it is too late.
I just enjoy fall more than any other season.
Maybe it's the bite that comes in the air, sometimes unexpectedly. There is a crispness to the air that you don't get in summer or spring. The air seem fresher, cleaner, better for you.
I like that first heavy frost, the one that kills mosquitoes and flies....or at least slows them down so you can swat them.
I love campfires on chilly nights, when you turn away from the fire and let your eyes get accustomed to the dark, and you look in the sky and see the stars and try to imagine the constellations like Cassiopeia and Orion but you can never really find them because there are so many stars, and planes, and satellites zooming across the heavens and your attention gets drawn to them instead.
I love walking through leaves, with the crunching noise they make under your feet. No matter how hard you try to be quiet, the crushing leaves give you away.
I love the colors. The trees and bushes that go from green to red, yellow, brown, orange, purple. I went for a walk in Skare Park today and was awed by the colors and the smells. The pines along Fowler Road were so fragrant, it was like living in a potpourri bowl. The yellow of the maples, the oranges and reds of the oaks, the purplish red of the sumac.
I love the smell of burning leaves. I know, people have asthma and allergies and all, but it is a good smell in small doses.
Sometimes I can smell the fires people have in their houses. The scent of applewood being burned hangs in the air and pleases my senses.
I like putting on sweatshirts and sitting on the porch sipping a hot beverage. Or a glass of wine.
I love caramel apples and apple cinnamon doughnuts, fresh from the oven and still warm.
I love the crispness of a fresh apple. It has a different bite than one that has been stored in a warehouse for a few months.
My lawn always looks best in the fall. Weeds have died, the grass grows a little slower, and it just looks greener.
There always seems to be a hint of urgency in the fall. Outside projects need to be completed, crops harvested, Packer fans to tease, because we all know there is a time when none of that will be possible.
I know fall is thought of as the end of a cycle. The fall of life, the autumn of my years, the nearing of an end.
But I still love it. I don't think it is ever long enough, but I don't have control over that.
All I know is I want to really get out and experience fall, before it is too late.
Sunday, October 19, 2014
come fly with me, let's fly away
I almost got my pilot's license
Yes, you read that right. Me, the guy afraid of heights and flying, once took flying lessons.
I had just started at the Rochelle News Leader and Milli Stansbury was the editor. She came up with the idea of me taking flying lessons at Rochelle airport. The paper would work out a deal....I got the lessons, did a story, the instructor got all the publicity and hopefully more students.
I admit, it was kind of fun.
The first time I took off and landed the plane was a thrill. Of course, there was an instructor sitting next to me. I don't remember his name, but it could have been Red. Or Wiley. I think Wiley. Or Red.
I once took off and as we zoomed over Ill. 251 my door opened. I looked out at the ground below with the damn door not where it should be. The instructor laughed and said not to pay any attention to that because I had bigger issues to deal with.
I pictured myself as a pilot. I thought it would be a piece of cake to fly my family to a vacation spot, maybe an island in one of the big lakes, or to a Cub game, or Florida.
The only problem I had was....I couldn't handle the thought of going solo. I was ready. The instructor said I was ready. Three times I said I needed to work on take offs, or landings, or navigation, or, you get the picture.
We would get in the plane and I would do everything while he watched. Take off. Land. Take off. Land. Easy as pie.
I tend to panic under pressure.
We had practiced going into a stall and coming out of it. I will never forget the sound of the stall alarm going off, and the plane beginning to spiral downward.
I thought I was gonna loose my lunch, the instructor just laughed like crazy. After what seemed an hour of watching the ground do a 360 in front of me, he told me how to correct it. I never could.
He would intentionally put me in a stall, and I would always start screaming. After hours of that, he would pull us out and tell me how easy that was to fix.
Meanwhile, I sat there in a puddle, sweat pouring out of every pore in my body.
But when we were up in the air, just cruising around the area, it was beautiful. The farms, the houses, the fields.....all look quite different from 2,000 feet.
I think I had almost 20 lessons.....the last three were supposed to be solos.
I didn't feel confident enough to do it. I knew a stall would kill me.
I often wonder how my life would have changed once I got a pilot's license.
Providing I survived the solo, that is.
Yes, you read that right. Me, the guy afraid of heights and flying, once took flying lessons.
I had just started at the Rochelle News Leader and Milli Stansbury was the editor. She came up with the idea of me taking flying lessons at Rochelle airport. The paper would work out a deal....I got the lessons, did a story, the instructor got all the publicity and hopefully more students.
I admit, it was kind of fun.
The first time I took off and landed the plane was a thrill. Of course, there was an instructor sitting next to me. I don't remember his name, but it could have been Red. Or Wiley. I think Wiley. Or Red.
I once took off and as we zoomed over Ill. 251 my door opened. I looked out at the ground below with the damn door not where it should be. The instructor laughed and said not to pay any attention to that because I had bigger issues to deal with.
I pictured myself as a pilot. I thought it would be a piece of cake to fly my family to a vacation spot, maybe an island in one of the big lakes, or to a Cub game, or Florida.
The only problem I had was....I couldn't handle the thought of going solo. I was ready. The instructor said I was ready. Three times I said I needed to work on take offs, or landings, or navigation, or, you get the picture.
We would get in the plane and I would do everything while he watched. Take off. Land. Take off. Land. Easy as pie.
I tend to panic under pressure.
We had practiced going into a stall and coming out of it. I will never forget the sound of the stall alarm going off, and the plane beginning to spiral downward.
I thought I was gonna loose my lunch, the instructor just laughed like crazy. After what seemed an hour of watching the ground do a 360 in front of me, he told me how to correct it. I never could.
He would intentionally put me in a stall, and I would always start screaming. After hours of that, he would pull us out and tell me how easy that was to fix.
Meanwhile, I sat there in a puddle, sweat pouring out of every pore in my body.
But when we were up in the air, just cruising around the area, it was beautiful. The farms, the houses, the fields.....all look quite different from 2,000 feet.
I think I had almost 20 lessons.....the last three were supposed to be solos.
I didn't feel confident enough to do it. I knew a stall would kill me.
I often wonder how my life would have changed once I got a pilot's license.
Providing I survived the solo, that is.
Saturday, October 18, 2014
not everything is golden
I don't like some things about Switzerland
Huh....never thought I would say that.
There are some parts of living in Switzerland I would not like.
Car gas prices. When we were there, gas was about 1.70 a liter. Considering there are 4.4 liters to a gallon, that is almost $8 a gallon for gas! People there tend to walk or bike more and drive smaller cars. But they still have to eventually put gas in a vehicle.
Recycling. Now I am a big believer in recycling. I do it at home. But the Swiss are taking it to a new level. Regular pickups of newspaper and composting material are made at the residences. But plastic, glass, aluminum all have to go to a recycling center. The one nearest Julia is a good one-quarter mile away. Composting materials are collected weekly....but they won't take the plastic bags you put it in, so you have to pick those up and reuse them or toss them. Milk cartons are now supposed to be recycled, but the recycling centers for those are at the grocery stores. Steel cans can be recycled at the recycling dump, which is open most days and one evening. Waste has to be disposed of in official garbage bags, which cost about $4 each. You buy those at the post office. This went into effect this year in an effort to increase recycled materials. It would work better if they made it easier to recycle.
Julia's tiny shower. Can't move my arms in it. Her shower is about 3 foot square, and it is tough to move around. The sink just outside the shower has a towel rod, and if you bend over the wrong way, you get a rather unpleasant surprise.
Walking uphill. Not as easy as you'd think.
When I'm there, I don't get to see my other daughter. She may consider that a good thing, but I don't.
Manual shift cars. I freak out whenever I think of driving a stick shift and getting stuck on the top of a hill and the car starts to slide and I kill the engine and I can't restart it and people start honking and I keep going backward and I start sweating and.....I don't like driving stick on mountains!
Time shifts. I find myself tired early and awake early....not used to that.
A short list? I agree.
I know there are other aspects I don't like, but that's all I have right now.
Huh....never thought I would say that.
There are some parts of living in Switzerland I would not like.
Car gas prices. When we were there, gas was about 1.70 a liter. Considering there are 4.4 liters to a gallon, that is almost $8 a gallon for gas! People there tend to walk or bike more and drive smaller cars. But they still have to eventually put gas in a vehicle.
Recycling. Now I am a big believer in recycling. I do it at home. But the Swiss are taking it to a new level. Regular pickups of newspaper and composting material are made at the residences. But plastic, glass, aluminum all have to go to a recycling center. The one nearest Julia is a good one-quarter mile away. Composting materials are collected weekly....but they won't take the plastic bags you put it in, so you have to pick those up and reuse them or toss them. Milk cartons are now supposed to be recycled, but the recycling centers for those are at the grocery stores. Steel cans can be recycled at the recycling dump, which is open most days and one evening. Waste has to be disposed of in official garbage bags, which cost about $4 each. You buy those at the post office. This went into effect this year in an effort to increase recycled materials. It would work better if they made it easier to recycle.
Julia's tiny shower. Can't move my arms in it. Her shower is about 3 foot square, and it is tough to move around. The sink just outside the shower has a towel rod, and if you bend over the wrong way, you get a rather unpleasant surprise.
Walking uphill. Not as easy as you'd think.
When I'm there, I don't get to see my other daughter. She may consider that a good thing, but I don't.
Manual shift cars. I freak out whenever I think of driving a stick shift and getting stuck on the top of a hill and the car starts to slide and I kill the engine and I can't restart it and people start honking and I keep going backward and I start sweating and.....I don't like driving stick on mountains!
Time shifts. I find myself tired early and awake early....not used to that.
A short list? I agree.
I know there are other aspects I don't like, but that's all I have right now.
Friday, October 17, 2014
raindrops on roses and crisp apple strudel
There are many things I miss about Switzerland
First and foremost is daughter Julia. To refresh your memory, she pulled a Gilligan. She went to Switzerland on a 3 year tour in 2002.....and is still there. She does speak French well enough to get along with people, shop keepers, border guards, and a host of other lines of work, and has a wide circle of friends from very different cultural backgrounds.
(By the way, Gilligan was the main character in a TV sitcom called Gilligan's Island, which was incredibly stupid and highly entertaining at the same time. Mainly because of the females in the cast, especially Marianne. If you are under age 40 you may not know that.)
Second would be Julia's circle of friends. We went out for drinks one night and there was a representative from England, Portugal, Germany, and Trinidad. We went for fondue and around the table were a Brit, a woman from Ukraine, Irish, Brit, German, Spain, and the United States. George and Monica came for dinner one night. She is Swiss, he is from California. We had dessert with Craig and Yvonne. She is German, he is from England. Kevin (USA) and Christina (Spain) took me hiking and were so patient with me......these two are crazy long and fast hikers, and here they were plugging up the hill, making sure I knew when a slippery place came. Craig and Yvonne and George and Monica have children. The youngest, not even four, and the older ones speak English, German, and French. They are cute as buttons and a heap of fun.
Fresh croissants, and bread, and sweet treats probably would be third. I loved going up to the patisserie in the morning for a croissant and a baguette. A couple of times I bought lovely sweets for dessert or an afternoon snack. No bread in the states compares with the baguette...especially when it is still warm.
Fourth...the view.
Fifth....the town of Chardonne. I just love walking the streets and listening to the people. The houses are pretty cool too.
Sixth....the view. I know, I am repeating myself but it is a great view.
Another thing I miss is British TV. They had a series called Nazi Megastructures which was on Channel 4, not BBC. I watched the first two dealing with Hitler's bunkers and the sub complex in Lorient, France, and would love to see the next four. But according toe the website, Channel 4 is only broadcast in the UK and on authorized satellite providers. There was a show called 4 in a Bed. No, I did not watch it because I thought it was porn, I watched because Jackie was watching it. They get 4 bed and breakfast operators and everyone visits the others' operations and rates them. At the end of the show they explain their ratings and determine the winner. A food show was based on five strangers being put into a group and each night for a week a different person cooks a meal and plans entertainment in their home for the other four. Creativity counts. Restoration shows. Home buying shows. Good TV and not available here.
Nestle ice tea with peach. I have tried the Lipton one, but it is too sweet.
The Swiss recycle almost everything. Seriously, milk cartons? They take it seriously but they don't make it easy on people.
Trying to speak French. My French is lousy. No doubt about it. But it is really neat to be in a place where everything is different and you really have to concentrate on what people say. I know a lot of people think that is annoying and everything should be like it is in the states......but what would be the fun in that?
The lake lights. When a storm or strong wind is coming, yellow beacons start flashing on the docks of the piers in the various towns. I can't explain it, but when I see the lights come on, I look forward to seeing what the storm is going to do. I guess I am a light watcher.
Public transportation. Buses and trains go almost everywhere.,
And tomorrow you may learn about what I don't miss. It's not all roses in the land of chocolate.
First and foremost is daughter Julia. To refresh your memory, she pulled a Gilligan. She went to Switzerland on a 3 year tour in 2002.....and is still there. She does speak French well enough to get along with people, shop keepers, border guards, and a host of other lines of work, and has a wide circle of friends from very different cultural backgrounds.
(By the way, Gilligan was the main character in a TV sitcom called Gilligan's Island, which was incredibly stupid and highly entertaining at the same time. Mainly because of the females in the cast, especially Marianne. If you are under age 40 you may not know that.)
Second would be Julia's circle of friends. We went out for drinks one night and there was a representative from England, Portugal, Germany, and Trinidad. We went for fondue and around the table were a Brit, a woman from Ukraine, Irish, Brit, German, Spain, and the United States. George and Monica came for dinner one night. She is Swiss, he is from California. We had dessert with Craig and Yvonne. She is German, he is from England. Kevin (USA) and Christina (Spain) took me hiking and were so patient with me......these two are crazy long and fast hikers, and here they were plugging up the hill, making sure I knew when a slippery place came. Craig and Yvonne and George and Monica have children. The youngest, not even four, and the older ones speak English, German, and French. They are cute as buttons and a heap of fun.
Fresh croissants, and bread, and sweet treats probably would be third. I loved going up to the patisserie in the morning for a croissant and a baguette. A couple of times I bought lovely sweets for dessert or an afternoon snack. No bread in the states compares with the baguette...especially when it is still warm.
Fourth...the view.
Fifth....the town of Chardonne. I just love walking the streets and listening to the people. The houses are pretty cool too.
Sixth....the view. I know, I am repeating myself but it is a great view.
Another thing I miss is British TV. They had a series called Nazi Megastructures which was on Channel 4, not BBC. I watched the first two dealing with Hitler's bunkers and the sub complex in Lorient, France, and would love to see the next four. But according toe the website, Channel 4 is only broadcast in the UK and on authorized satellite providers. There was a show called 4 in a Bed. No, I did not watch it because I thought it was porn, I watched because Jackie was watching it. They get 4 bed and breakfast operators and everyone visits the others' operations and rates them. At the end of the show they explain their ratings and determine the winner. A food show was based on five strangers being put into a group and each night for a week a different person cooks a meal and plans entertainment in their home for the other four. Creativity counts. Restoration shows. Home buying shows. Good TV and not available here.
Nestle ice tea with peach. I have tried the Lipton one, but it is too sweet.
The Swiss recycle almost everything. Seriously, milk cartons? They take it seriously but they don't make it easy on people.
Trying to speak French. My French is lousy. No doubt about it. But it is really neat to be in a place where everything is different and you really have to concentrate on what people say. I know a lot of people think that is annoying and everything should be like it is in the states......but what would be the fun in that?
The lake lights. When a storm or strong wind is coming, yellow beacons start flashing on the docks of the piers in the various towns. I can't explain it, but when I see the lights come on, I look forward to seeing what the storm is going to do. I guess I am a light watcher.
Public transportation. Buses and trains go almost everywhere.,
And tomorrow you may learn about what I don't miss. It's not all roses in the land of chocolate.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Home again, home again, jiggity jig
I buy a lot of weird stuff...and just stuff
Allors, we have unpacked the suitcases and even I am a little surprised.
Understand, we buy and bring back only essentials:
Oh woe is me....someone must be getting some Swiss slippers as souvenirs!!
And Emily had a special order in for chocolate bars and Julia bought some Kit Kat bars for her sister....they don't have this kind in the states.
And I know a certain daughter who loves pan chocolate....so there are three of them in a bag. Now they were fresh at 6:30 a.m. Thursday in Switzerland.....and they were not crushed. Pan chocolate are a pastry filled with chocolate .... very good!! There are also some slightly mangled bread sticks, which are my favorites. A table runner for Julia, and a wooden cow round out the souvenirs.
And of course, a trip back always means wine. This is from the vineyard down the street from Julia's house. Pinot noir, which is a great wine. I also bought two yard tools in France. I had one I bought three years ago, it was great until I ran over it with the mower.
If you have a cold, the menthol laced tissues are great. Sold in France, they are a special request from a couple of people back here....right Sheri?
What? Lindt bars? Guess they were on sale and I could not resist. Plus the flavors of creme brule. intense mint and Irish Whiskey seemed especially tasty.
Seriously... shit for our lips. Julia bought these in Vevey....they are made in the USA!!
Close up of my new tools.
Stocking up for a long fall and winter!
The flight back was good....but that damn walker disappeared again. It was with us on the plane in Geneva and they promised it would be in Chicago with the rest of our luggage.
Hopefully, it will be delivered tomorrow.
It is now 2:30 in the morning in Switzerland....which means we have been up 20 hours.
I don't feel real tired, but I bet tomorrow is a sleep in day!
Allors, we have unpacked the suitcases and even I am a little surprised.
Understand, we buy and bring back only essentials:
Oh woe is me....someone must be getting some Swiss slippers as souvenirs!!
And Emily had a special order in for chocolate bars and Julia bought some Kit Kat bars for her sister....they don't have this kind in the states.
And I know a certain daughter who loves pan chocolate....so there are three of them in a bag. Now they were fresh at 6:30 a.m. Thursday in Switzerland.....and they were not crushed. Pan chocolate are a pastry filled with chocolate .... very good!! There are also some slightly mangled bread sticks, which are my favorites. A table runner for Julia, and a wooden cow round out the souvenirs.
And of course, a trip back always means wine. This is from the vineyard down the street from Julia's house. Pinot noir, which is a great wine. I also bought two yard tools in France. I had one I bought three years ago, it was great until I ran over it with the mower.
If you have a cold, the menthol laced tissues are great. Sold in France, they are a special request from a couple of people back here....right Sheri?
What? Lindt bars? Guess they were on sale and I could not resist. Plus the flavors of creme brule. intense mint and Irish Whiskey seemed especially tasty.
Stocking up for a long fall and winter!
The flight back was good....but that damn walker disappeared again. It was with us on the plane in Geneva and they promised it would be in Chicago with the rest of our luggage.
Hopefully, it will be delivered tomorrow.
It is now 2:30 in the morning in Switzerland....which means we have been up 20 hours.
I don't feel real tired, but I bet tomorrow is a sleep in day!
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
off we go, into the wild blue yonder
I won't sleep much tonight
I have not had a lot of caffeine. And I did have some wine. But we get on a plane tomorrow and I always have a little anxiety.
Hell, it's more than a little.
I don't like to fly. Well, actually, I don't like to land and take off. But cruising is pretty good. Mostly, unless we hit turbulence.
Where is the hurricane now? Will we have turbulence flying over it? Is it raining in Chicago? What's the forecast?
Ah, jeez.
We went out for dinner tonight at a little bar on the marche in Vevey. This is a large area where they have the markets and this weekend, a circus. Usually it is a car park.
Tonight we at at Gilbert's bar. He used to be manager of Kings, a bar that was notorious for several reasons. Now he manages this bar, which has a name I don't remember.
We had a paper thin crust pizza....which was super good.
The weekend I went hiking, the girls came here and a former Swiss football team member hit on Jackie...... I saw him tonight and trust me, I am the prize here!
Anyway, I took a stroll today after getting the suitcases packed. Stopped at the patisserie for a Chardonne, which is the heavily sugared pastry I had before. It is very good.
Now all I have to do is go to bed, go to sleep, and wake up. Sounds simple, no?
Thanks to all of you who have read these posts about our trip to Switzerland. I checked stats tonight and his blog has over 12,000 views since I started last Jan. 1. Many from this month.
I hope it has brought you some laughs, some thoughts, and some fun.
I hope to do one tomorrow, but it's a long flight........
I will be posting some pictures to Facebook later.
The barrels are dividers....small seating area outside.....two tables and a bench!
I have not had a lot of caffeine. And I did have some wine. But we get on a plane tomorrow and I always have a little anxiety.
Hell, it's more than a little.
I don't like to fly. Well, actually, I don't like to land and take off. But cruising is pretty good. Mostly, unless we hit turbulence.
Where is the hurricane now? Will we have turbulence flying over it? Is it raining in Chicago? What's the forecast?
Ah, jeez.
We went out for dinner tonight at a little bar on the marche in Vevey. This is a large area where they have the markets and this weekend, a circus. Usually it is a car park.
Tonight we at at Gilbert's bar. He used to be manager of Kings, a bar that was notorious for several reasons. Now he manages this bar, which has a name I don't remember.
We had a paper thin crust pizza....which was super good.
The weekend I went hiking, the girls came here and a former Swiss football team member hit on Jackie...... I saw him tonight and trust me, I am the prize here!
Anyway, I took a stroll today after getting the suitcases packed. Stopped at the patisserie for a Chardonne, which is the heavily sugared pastry I had before. It is very good.
Now all I have to do is go to bed, go to sleep, and wake up. Sounds simple, no?
Thanks to all of you who have read these posts about our trip to Switzerland. I checked stats tonight and his blog has over 12,000 views since I started last Jan. 1. Many from this month.
I hope it has brought you some laughs, some thoughts, and some fun.
I hope to do one tomorrow, but it's a long flight........
I will be posting some pictures to Facebook later.
The barrels are dividers....small seating area outside.....two tables and a bench!
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
And a duck duck here, and a duck duck there
Sometimes I have strange hallucinations
Like seeing a giant duck. At least I think it was a duck. It quacked like a duck. But it didn't look like a duck.
Well.....you be the judge:
Like seeing a giant duck. At least I think it was a duck. It quacked like a duck. But it didn't look like a duck.
Well.....you be the judge:
Yes, I know what you are thinking: What the heck???
I watched this man set up a stool, unpack his blanket and mask, put it on, and just sit there, quacking at people who went by in downtown Vevey.
He never said a word, he just quacked.
And if you put money in his basket, he quacked a lot and nodded thanks to you.
It was actually quite entertaining. Some kids stopped and touched his beak, while others just waltzed by like he didn't exist.
Julia and I went to lunch at a restaurant called Charlie's down on the lake shore. It is the only restaurant directly on the shore....been there for years.
I had my favorite meal here: butter fried perch and fries, with a salad.
Jackie and I used to go to Yvoirre in France for lunch and I would order that at La Pirate, and was never disappointed. Today's was good, but I miss the Yvoirre trips.
And Emily and John, notice the weather is very sunny. Following Monday's dreary day, the sun felt very nice today.
So, Julia and I spent the day wandering the streets of old Vevey. Jackie did not feel up to making the trip to town, so I spent money like a mad man without her.
Lunch. Coffee. Chocolate......the francs were flying!
I also went to the market and wandered around there for a while. But I am posting those pictures to Facebook as an album.
Just seems easier.
And tomorrow I have to pack and weigh suitcases. This could be close. If I have time, I may take one final walk for this year.
Monday, October 13, 2014
raindrops keep falling on my head
Rainy days bum me out
Funny, in a way. It's raining in Rochelle, and it's raining here.
It is a cold rain. At least there is no wind. Tomorrow it is supposed to be sunny again and around 70.
When I look out Julia's apartment, I can see five towns around the eastern end of the lake. When a storm is coming, yellow flashing lights are turned on along the lakeside to warn boaters. So if it starts to rain, I always check for the yellow lights. Tonight....no lights, so that means just a regular rain.
We went to France today.
It's not as big a deal as it sounds. France is across the lake. There are a couple of large grocery stores there and Julia sometimes drives there for staples.
We have to go through a border crossing and the Swiss guards ask if you have wine or meat. You can bring back 15 bottles of wine, but only 2 kilos of meat per person. Julia took us because we are three, and she got about 6 pounds of meat for her tiny freezer.
I love to go to a wine cave just houses from Julia. They are open for sales from 10 to 12 on Saturday. I forgot to go Saturday. We leave Thursday.
As I was on my damp morning walk, I passed by and saw the lady who, along with her husband, owns the winery. I said to her in my best possible French, Good morning. I would like to buy some bottles of wine. She said to follow her.
So we went into the cave and I put my order in and told her I did not speak French. She said in French, that I had done very well so far.
She also told me she spoke English....which I knew, because I have talked to her before. But she preferred I speak French to practice.
I ordered 5 bottles of wine, and she gave me a sixth bottle. Her husband, who speaks only French, came in, we said hello, and he gave me some Chablis grapes to munch on while his wife answered the phone.
All in all, it was a pretty cool experience.
Anyway...time for some pictures.
Actually, time is running short for us this trip. Already sense the sadness.
Funny, in a way. It's raining in Rochelle, and it's raining here.
It is a cold rain. At least there is no wind. Tomorrow it is supposed to be sunny again and around 70.
When I look out Julia's apartment, I can see five towns around the eastern end of the lake. When a storm is coming, yellow flashing lights are turned on along the lakeside to warn boaters. So if it starts to rain, I always check for the yellow lights. Tonight....no lights, so that means just a regular rain.
We went to France today.
It's not as big a deal as it sounds. France is across the lake. There are a couple of large grocery stores there and Julia sometimes drives there for staples.
We have to go through a border crossing and the Swiss guards ask if you have wine or meat. You can bring back 15 bottles of wine, but only 2 kilos of meat per person. Julia took us because we are three, and she got about 6 pounds of meat for her tiny freezer.
I love to go to a wine cave just houses from Julia. They are open for sales from 10 to 12 on Saturday. I forgot to go Saturday. We leave Thursday.
As I was on my damp morning walk, I passed by and saw the lady who, along with her husband, owns the winery. I said to her in my best possible French, Good morning. I would like to buy some bottles of wine. She said to follow her.
So we went into the cave and I put my order in and told her I did not speak French. She said in French, that I had done very well so far.
She also told me she spoke English....which I knew, because I have talked to her before. But she preferred I speak French to practice.
I ordered 5 bottles of wine, and she gave me a sixth bottle. Her husband, who speaks only French, came in, we said hello, and he gave me some Chablis grapes to munch on while his wife answered the phone.
All in all, it was a pretty cool experience.
Anyway...time for some pictures.
Actually, time is running short for us this trip. Already sense the sadness.
 |
| The last time I saw little Stanzi, she was one! Dan and I met her in 2011! |
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| George is from California, Monica is from Switzerland.....both great people and Stanzi's parents! |
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| Nothing like a little Big Boy. or as the French say, Big Boy |
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| Towns are really old here. I imagine there was a lane down this town 200 years ago. As cars became more popular, roads were needed. But the old villages often don't have a lot of room. So there are small sidewalks and narrow passages everywhere in Europe. |
Sunday, October 12, 2014
OOps, I did it again
I am not Mr Fix-it
I try to fix things. If it is really difficult, I call a professional.
But something simple? I should be able to handle that.
Like sweeping out a garage and getting the spiders off the ceiling. First thing I do, first thing, is break Julia's broom. Shattered in pieces, all that is left is the pole.
Prior to that, she had a kitchen sprayer/hose faucet that had limed up. I removed it, soaked it in vinegar overnight, then replaced it.
Now there is only one way to put it on......and I could not get it. It's a push and twist thing. Notches in the faucet line up with tabs in the plastic head. Get them in line and twist, and it is back on.
Oh no, Moen breath! I tried and tried and tried until my trier was sore, and it would not go back on correctly. In fact, it fell off a couple of times.
The last time I lined up the tabs and notches, twisted and ..... miracle, it stayed on. But there is no spray feature anymore! And I can't get it off!!
Today Monica and George, friends of Julia's, came for dinner. So I vacuumed the floors. Julia had a candle on the dining room table.... on the table..... and I knocked it off.
Wax all over the place.
Jackie suggested using a hair drier and paper towels, and that worked. It took quite a while, but it worked.
Unfortunately, the floor is a little slick. I guess it has been waxed.
And now for an unusual coincidence.
Monica and George had gone to California to visit friends and relatives. George is from California. They took their daughter to Disneyland.
They then flew from LA to Montreal, where they had a connecting flight from Montreal to Geneva.
This was the early part of July.
Emily and John went to visit Julia in early July. They had a connecting flight from Montreal to Geneva. But Emily and John's flight got cancelled because a bird got caught in the plane's engine.
Monica said their flight from Montreal was cancelled because a bird got caught in the plane's engine!
Monica said there were no planes available, and they had to stay overnight...same as John and Emily!!
Either a bird in the engine is pretty common, or Emily, John, Monica, George were all on the same flight.....they just didn't know each other at the time.
Weird, isn't it??
I try to fix things. If it is really difficult, I call a professional.
But something simple? I should be able to handle that.
Like sweeping out a garage and getting the spiders off the ceiling. First thing I do, first thing, is break Julia's broom. Shattered in pieces, all that is left is the pole.
Prior to that, she had a kitchen sprayer/hose faucet that had limed up. I removed it, soaked it in vinegar overnight, then replaced it.
Now there is only one way to put it on......and I could not get it. It's a push and twist thing. Notches in the faucet line up with tabs in the plastic head. Get them in line and twist, and it is back on.
Oh no, Moen breath! I tried and tried and tried until my trier was sore, and it would not go back on correctly. In fact, it fell off a couple of times.
The last time I lined up the tabs and notches, twisted and ..... miracle, it stayed on. But there is no spray feature anymore! And I can't get it off!!
Today Monica and George, friends of Julia's, came for dinner. So I vacuumed the floors. Julia had a candle on the dining room table.... on the table..... and I knocked it off.
Wax all over the place.
Jackie suggested using a hair drier and paper towels, and that worked. It took quite a while, but it worked.
Unfortunately, the floor is a little slick. I guess it has been waxed.
And now for an unusual coincidence.
Monica and George had gone to California to visit friends and relatives. George is from California. They took their daughter to Disneyland.
They then flew from LA to Montreal, where they had a connecting flight from Montreal to Geneva.
This was the early part of July.
Emily and John went to visit Julia in early July. They had a connecting flight from Montreal to Geneva. But Emily and John's flight got cancelled because a bird got caught in the plane's engine.
Monica said their flight from Montreal was cancelled because a bird got caught in the plane's engine!
Monica said there were no planes available, and they had to stay overnight...same as John and Emily!!
Either a bird in the engine is pretty common, or Emily, John, Monica, George were all on the same flight.....they just didn't know each other at the time.
Weird, isn't it??
Saturday, October 11, 2014
day after day, alone on the hill
I had another high point in Switzerland today
Today, Kevin and Christina, two of Julia's friends, invited me on a walk. We went to Montreux, and went to the gorge that is just above Montreux.
It's a rain forest! Any second, I expected to see a t rex bound out of the woods and gobble us up!
Ferns and moss dominated the landscape. Of course, waterfalls abounded.
The gorge is created by melting snow in the mountains. It cascades down the side of the mountains, eventually ending up in Lake Geneva. (Which isn't Lake Geneva. To the French it's Lac Le Man and to the Swiss it is Lake Geneve. Can be damn confusing.)
We hiked up to almost where I went hiking Wednesday, then we took a stairway down. It was a looooong stairway. But Kevin felt it might be safer/easier for me because it wasn't as slippery or muddy as the path up.
Tonight we went to The Musee, a restaurant in Montreux. We had cheese fondue and chadaronne, or something like that. Thin slices of beef that you cook on a hot grill placed in the center of the table.
The highlight of the food was the cheesy potatoes, which are served like bread sticks at Olive Garden...unending and in abundance. They were super.
These were the nationalities of the people eating at our table...because they were all Nestle connected in some way: France, Ukraine, England, Spain, United States, Germany.....and I think amongst all the wine I may have missed a country or two.
Anyway, it was a great time. Fun people, good food, great wine.
I am a little tired now, so I will end this with some photos.
Peace and love to all.
Today, Kevin and Christina, two of Julia's friends, invited me on a walk. We went to Montreux, and went to the gorge that is just above Montreux.
It's a rain forest! Any second, I expected to see a t rex bound out of the woods and gobble us up!
Ferns and moss dominated the landscape. Of course, waterfalls abounded.
The gorge is created by melting snow in the mountains. It cascades down the side of the mountains, eventually ending up in Lake Geneva. (Which isn't Lake Geneva. To the French it's Lac Le Man and to the Swiss it is Lake Geneve. Can be damn confusing.)
We hiked up to almost where I went hiking Wednesday, then we took a stairway down. It was a looooong stairway. But Kevin felt it might be safer/easier for me because it wasn't as slippery or muddy as the path up.
Tonight we went to The Musee, a restaurant in Montreux. We had cheese fondue and chadaronne, or something like that. Thin slices of beef that you cook on a hot grill placed in the center of the table.
The highlight of the food was the cheesy potatoes, which are served like bread sticks at Olive Garden...unending and in abundance. They were super.
These were the nationalities of the people eating at our table...because they were all Nestle connected in some way: France, Ukraine, England, Spain, United States, Germany.....and I think amongst all the wine I may have missed a country or two.
Anyway, it was a great time. Fun people, good food, great wine.
I am a little tired now, so I will end this with some photos.
Peace and love to all.
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| This is Julia's old apartment building....the one in the middle with huge gabels |
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| Lake boat coming into Chillon |
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| Cooking our meat at the table |
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| Meat plus fondue....great combination. |
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| Did I have any wine??? |
Sunset.....
Friday, October 10, 2014
it was a turn down day....nothing on my mind
I didn't do much, but I had fun today
I did sweep out Julia's garage.
Now, that may seem pretty mundane, but the garage has lots of little spiders. On the ceiling, on the walls, in the door. So I swept the ceiling, and the walls, and the floor.
I also brought up some wood. Julia has a wood burning fireplace and last year I got to stack her year's supply of wood. But because it was such a mild winter, she hardly used any. So I brought some up to stack on her balcony.
We also went shopping at the Manor. The Manor is a huge store, and has everything: toys, cameras, clothing, gifts, souvenirs, cosmetics, watch repair .....and a large food store.
We wandered the aisles looking for lasagna stuff for dinner Sunday.
Now folks, we are not sure about some things. Jackie uses a large cottage cheese size helping of ricotta for lasagna....but is that 12 ounces or a pound? And how does that translate to kilos? We ended up with a demi kilo, which is a about a pound. And the only lasagna noodles were the precooked one. How do you precook lasagna noodles?
There were fruits there that I had never seen, along with several types of eggplant and some weird looking tomatoes.
There is a fresh meat section, a seafood section, cheese section..... everything you want food wise.
We also went for cake at Craig and Yvonne's. They have two of the most amazing little girls... Penny Jane and Lilly.
I learned Penny Jane has a loose tooth, Lilly has lost 5 teeth, all about school and that my French is pretty funny.
That is another aspect of life over here that may be hard to grasp.
Yvonne is from Germany, Craig from England via Australia. Their girls can speak English, German, and French...trilingual by the age of 6! I can't even say, "My name is Terry" and these two little ones are flowing from one language to another without thinking about it.
Again, amazing.
Anyway, time for some pictures.
I did sweep out Julia's garage.
Now, that may seem pretty mundane, but the garage has lots of little spiders. On the ceiling, on the walls, in the door. So I swept the ceiling, and the walls, and the floor.
I also brought up some wood. Julia has a wood burning fireplace and last year I got to stack her year's supply of wood. But because it was such a mild winter, she hardly used any. So I brought some up to stack on her balcony.
We also went shopping at the Manor. The Manor is a huge store, and has everything: toys, cameras, clothing, gifts, souvenirs, cosmetics, watch repair .....and a large food store.
We wandered the aisles looking for lasagna stuff for dinner Sunday.
Now folks, we are not sure about some things. Jackie uses a large cottage cheese size helping of ricotta for lasagna....but is that 12 ounces or a pound? And how does that translate to kilos? We ended up with a demi kilo, which is a about a pound. And the only lasagna noodles were the precooked one. How do you precook lasagna noodles?
There were fruits there that I had never seen, along with several types of eggplant and some weird looking tomatoes.
There is a fresh meat section, a seafood section, cheese section..... everything you want food wise.
We also went for cake at Craig and Yvonne's. They have two of the most amazing little girls... Penny Jane and Lilly.
I learned Penny Jane has a loose tooth, Lilly has lost 5 teeth, all about school and that my French is pretty funny.
That is another aspect of life over here that may be hard to grasp.
Yvonne is from Germany, Craig from England via Australia. Their girls can speak English, German, and French...trilingual by the age of 6! I can't even say, "My name is Terry" and these two little ones are flowing from one language to another without thinking about it.
Again, amazing.
Anyway, time for some pictures.
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| Sea food counter at the Manor |
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| Octopus, anyone? |
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| A lot of wine is made here....and sold here, not exported |
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| A visit with Craig and Yvonne |
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| the youngest |
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| Julia is a bad influence |
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| Guess who had Let it Go on their phone, and guess who loves Frozen? |
Thursday, October 9, 2014
she said, "Take a Hike"
I went on a short hike today
There is a village near here called Les Avants. In May there is a narcissus walk through fields filled with narcissus. (Narcissi??)
That's May.
It was a good two to three hour hike, although the signpost said 1 hr. 25 min. I have learned to not pay attention to the estimated times.
Funicular up, hike through trees and fields, then hike down to the town. Quite a pleasant hike. I did it today (Thursday) because tomorrow it's going to rain buckets. And maybe even raindrops.
I had to take a train to get there. So I went to the funi station in Chardonne, punched in my starting point and end point, and bought a ticket. It was 8.80 franc for a full day pass.
I thought that was strange in its cheapness.
I stopped at the train station in Vevey, showed my ticket to the agent, asked if it was good for Les Avants and he said yes.
At Montreux, I got on the train, and my seat mate started a conversation with me. She was English and we had a very nice chat. I said to her, "I am worried I don't have the right ticket. But I asked two people and they said OK."
We chatted and the conductor made his appearance.
I gave him my ticket and he asked me, "Where is the rest?" I asked him what he meant, and he said my ticket was not valid on this line.
In Switzerland if you are caught with an invalid or no ticket, there is a rather hefty fine. Sometimes police are involved. I started to sweat.
I explained I bought it at the funi, punching in Les Avants as the destination. I also told him I stopped at the Vevey station and the agent verified it was good for Les Avants.
Making a long story short, he said not to worry and sold me the proper ticket so I could also get back. And my seat mate, Helen, works for Nestle....she asked my name and said she was going to e-mail my daughter. I am not sure why, probably to tell her what a handsome young man I am!
When I hit the Vevey funi, I again punched in the same info I did when I bought the ticket in the morning and this time it came up 21.40, which was about the same price I paid in total for the two tickets.
Now I know not to trust those machines!
It was a good day. Nice hike, with lots of scenic views. I have included some pictures here, but will do more on Facebook later.
There was another couple hiking the same route. I took a lot of pictures but always kept them in sight. At one point, after the path turned, I thought I was off trail. I may have panicked a little, because I lost sight of them.
Al ls well that ends well, as I finally caught up to them.
Funny, I know I could not get lost because all I had to do was keep walking down. But it was still a little disconcerting to this flat lander.
There is a village near here called Les Avants. In May there is a narcissus walk through fields filled with narcissus. (Narcissi??)
That's May.
It was a good two to three hour hike, although the signpost said 1 hr. 25 min. I have learned to not pay attention to the estimated times.
Funicular up, hike through trees and fields, then hike down to the town. Quite a pleasant hike. I did it today (Thursday) because tomorrow it's going to rain buckets. And maybe even raindrops.
I had to take a train to get there. So I went to the funi station in Chardonne, punched in my starting point and end point, and bought a ticket. It was 8.80 franc for a full day pass.
I thought that was strange in its cheapness.
I stopped at the train station in Vevey, showed my ticket to the agent, asked if it was good for Les Avants and he said yes.
At Montreux, I got on the train, and my seat mate started a conversation with me. She was English and we had a very nice chat. I said to her, "I am worried I don't have the right ticket. But I asked two people and they said OK."
We chatted and the conductor made his appearance.
I gave him my ticket and he asked me, "Where is the rest?" I asked him what he meant, and he said my ticket was not valid on this line.
In Switzerland if you are caught with an invalid or no ticket, there is a rather hefty fine. Sometimes police are involved. I started to sweat.
I explained I bought it at the funi, punching in Les Avants as the destination. I also told him I stopped at the Vevey station and the agent verified it was good for Les Avants.
Making a long story short, he said not to worry and sold me the proper ticket so I could also get back. And my seat mate, Helen, works for Nestle....she asked my name and said she was going to e-mail my daughter. I am not sure why, probably to tell her what a handsome young man I am!
When I hit the Vevey funi, I again punched in the same info I did when I bought the ticket in the morning and this time it came up 21.40, which was about the same price I paid in total for the two tickets.
Now I know not to trust those machines!
It was a good day. Nice hike, with lots of scenic views. I have included some pictures here, but will do more on Facebook later.
There was another couple hiking the same route. I took a lot of pictures but always kept them in sight. At one point, after the path turned, I thought I was off trail. I may have panicked a little, because I lost sight of them.
Al ls well that ends well, as I finally caught up to them.
Funny, I know I could not get lost because all I had to do was keep walking down. But it was still a little disconcerting to this flat lander.
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| This is the machinery that pulls the funi up in Les Avants |
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| One lane up, one lane down and in the middle they split so the cars can pass. |
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| I liked the moss. |
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| These are creatures coming out of the mountain! |
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| I swear, they were like this! |
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| The path down had steep stairs....a lot of them! |
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
money, money, must be sunny, in a rich man's land
It's not always roses in Switzerland
First off, things are expensive.
Gas is 1.80 a liter. There are about four liters to a gallon....so that is about 7.20 a gallon. Which explains why people drive smaller cars and use more public transportation.
I just bought some bread, freshly baked baguette from the patisserie up the hill.....3.90. OK, I have to admit, it was worth it.
But housing is the killer.
Julia lives in an apartment, pays rent, like hundreds of other Swiss people do. She would like a house, not an apartment, but a single stand by itself house.
She will need a minimum 200,000 franc for a down payment, because you have to put down 20 percent. Roughly speaking, a basic house is about 1,000,000 franc. Houses that meet all my criteria are about 1.8 million...to start.
My criteria: a house with entry from the garage to a living space, something like a studio apartment. Then with stairs up to a second floor with additional living space, kitchen, 2 bedrooms, living room. dining area. And a view.
That way when we come visit, we have a little place to stay and it might be easier for Jackie to get around. Plus it is space for other people to stay when they visit.
Which means, I have to win the freakin lottery when I get back to the states!!
Anyway, I have a few pictures and comments from the last couple of days.....
The red dots indicate wave caves....places were wine is made and sold. There are quite a few to choose. By the way, Julia lives close to the 10.
Found this interesting. It is posted on city hall and shows the police and fire activity for July. Ambulance calls are broken down into the type...heart attacks were third highest. Accidents were top.
Oh, while I was at the patisserie, I opted for a little afternoon delight...double creme!
First off, things are expensive.
Gas is 1.80 a liter. There are about four liters to a gallon....so that is about 7.20 a gallon. Which explains why people drive smaller cars and use more public transportation.
I just bought some bread, freshly baked baguette from the patisserie up the hill.....3.90. OK, I have to admit, it was worth it.
But housing is the killer.
Julia lives in an apartment, pays rent, like hundreds of other Swiss people do. She would like a house, not an apartment, but a single stand by itself house.
She will need a minimum 200,000 franc for a down payment, because you have to put down 20 percent. Roughly speaking, a basic house is about 1,000,000 franc. Houses that meet all my criteria are about 1.8 million...to start.
My criteria: a house with entry from the garage to a living space, something like a studio apartment. Then with stairs up to a second floor with additional living space, kitchen, 2 bedrooms, living room. dining area. And a view.
That way when we come visit, we have a little place to stay and it might be easier for Jackie to get around. Plus it is space for other people to stay when they visit.
Which means, I have to win the freakin lottery when I get back to the states!!
Anyway, I have a few pictures and comments from the last couple of days.....
Looks like garbage left on the street, but au contraire! Recycling is huge in Switzerland. This is compost waste. Commune employees pick up newspapers once every two weeks, compost material, I think also every two weeks. All sorts of buckets and containers, with apples, banana peels, spoiled vegetables, are put out on the street for pickup
This is the fallout shelter door in Julia's basement. All the older Swiss buildings have these shelters and they are mandated in newer dwellings as well.
A Swiss clothes drier. This is a gas unit. Set the temp, turn on the timer, close the doors and your clothes eventually dry.
And no Beth, that is not my underwear. I only wear thongs now. Very European.
Oh, while I was at the patisserie, I opted for a little afternoon delight...double creme!
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