I wonder about the term Sunday drivers
I think it refers to people who don't drive very often, but pick Sunday as the day to take a drive in the country with the family. Maybe even the pet dog. Maybe even Grandma. They tend to drive a little slower, gawk a little longer, and really tick the rest of us off.
That's my only explanation for today.
I was doing 50 when the goofy person pulled in front of me. Now it was not an accident situation, but she was not accelerating. I admit I came up on her fast, but I had no choice. She pulled out in front of me.
Incidentally, there was no one, NO ONE, behind me on the road. She did not even come to a complete stop, but she slowed down and rolled through it.
When Flagg Road went to two lanes, she went in the left lane, then right. When she was in the right lane, I passed her.
She could barely see over the wheel! Seriously, she was looking through the wheel to see the road. No wonder she pulled out in front of me...her vision was probably blocked by the dashboard!
And then I get to Caron Road and Illinois 38. We have a red light. The lady in the humongous, gas guzzling, over polluting SUV next to me looked to the left, looked to the right and then drove through the red light to continue on her merry way! At least she looked before violating the law.
Then in DeKalb, after church, I was on Hillcrest (I think. Maybe it's Hillside) by Kishwaukee River. There is a pedestrian crossing there and there was a guy on a bike in the crosswalk. So I stopped. State law says stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk.
The car behind me started to pass on the left, then noticed the biker and stopped.
I waved the biker across. Another car came behind us. I waved to the biker again.
He just stared at me. I waved a third time. He continued to stand there staring at the five cars now lined up.
So I drove on, puzzled by his inaction.
I am chalking it all up to Sunday drivers, either in cars or on bikes.
I know, that doesn't explain those idiots on Monday. And it sure doesn't explain my driving the rest of the week.
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Saturday, May 30, 2015
what the hey
I don't see as well as I once did
Or read as well, either.
While driving to my niece's eight grade graduation party today, we went through Marengo.
there was a huge sign that said: Free Hydrant Fishing Today.
Free hydrant fishing?
I am thinking, how did they get fish in the hydrants? And how do you catch them?
The sign made no sense because I read the words wrong. It said: Fire Hydrant Flushing Today.
Now, there is a big difference between free fishing and hydrant flushing. My eyes saw the right letters, but my mind read the wrong words.
Is this a condition I need to worry about?
I already worry about Alzheimer's, halitosis, tinnitus, loss of my hair, loss of my teeth, loss of my car keys..... I don't really need another thing to worry about.
In fact, the only think I can't seem to lose is weight. Whenever I get on the scale, I seem to have found a little more than the last time.
I also can't find summer. It was here a couple of days ago, but I seem to have misplaced it. After all, a windchill of 39, rain, cold, wind, cold....did I mention rain....seem to have caused summer to disappear again.
At least the Hawks are winning....and the Cubs did not lose today!
44 for an overnight low. Good time to crawl into bed with a good book.
Good night.
Or read as well, either.
While driving to my niece's eight grade graduation party today, we went through Marengo.
there was a huge sign that said: Free Hydrant Fishing Today.
Free hydrant fishing?
I am thinking, how did they get fish in the hydrants? And how do you catch them?
The sign made no sense because I read the words wrong. It said: Fire Hydrant Flushing Today.
Now, there is a big difference between free fishing and hydrant flushing. My eyes saw the right letters, but my mind read the wrong words.
Is this a condition I need to worry about?
I already worry about Alzheimer's, halitosis, tinnitus, loss of my hair, loss of my teeth, loss of my car keys..... I don't really need another thing to worry about.
In fact, the only think I can't seem to lose is weight. Whenever I get on the scale, I seem to have found a little more than the last time.
I also can't find summer. It was here a couple of days ago, but I seem to have misplaced it. After all, a windchill of 39, rain, cold, wind, cold....did I mention rain....seem to have caused summer to disappear again.
At least the Hawks are winning....and the Cubs did not lose today!
44 for an overnight low. Good time to crawl into bed with a good book.
Good night.
Friday, May 29, 2015
Hey Hey, Holy Mackeral
I went to my first Cubs' game of 2015 today
Make no mistake, I love going to Cubs' games. But today they just did not have it.
8-4 Kansas City. The game started with a first pitch home run....and it was downhill most of the way after that.
It was nice to see Jorge Soler hit a homer, but it was not enough.
Dan and I got to the yard about 1 for a 3 p.m. game. John got there closer to 2. Seems early, but when you get there that early you get a 25 percent discount on food. So the question becomes, how much can you eat in an hour?
I had a bison burger and ...... (drum roll, please) a beer!! I never buy $9 beers at the park, but I figure it's 25 percent off, so I should take part in the all American tradition at the ball park at least once.
(And no, I don't mean the tradition of drinking to excess, peeing on somebody's yard, and starting fights......well, ok, peeing sometimes is allowed, even without beer)
But in every good deal, there is the fine print, which is early bird discounts don't apply to alcohol.
The beer vendors have a love hate relationship with the crowd. The people drinking beer love them, while people like me hate them when they stand in front of you selling beer, thus blocking your view of the baseball players. Which is why we go.
(A peanut vendor came past. I said we should ask if his nuts were salty, but John said I better not....admit it, you laughed.)
Beer at the park is $9. I routinely see people giving the vendor a $10 bill and telling him to keep the change.
I can understand. He's lugging at least 15 pounds of beer up and down the stairs; he deserves a tip.
Some of the beers are even more than $9. On the man concourse, they had $12.50 imported beers.
Most of you know I am pretty cheap.
But a lot of people going to the game are not. They are thirsty. You can see people who have four or five plastic cups at the end. My thought was....that's almost $50 on beer! I can buy some 24 packs with that! And still eat meat.
Since I am not a big beer drinker, it doesn't bother me to not have any. But water...well, that is the source of life. A bottle of water at the park is $4.75. But you can buy a bigger bottle for $1.49 at the 7-11 outside the park, and as long as you don't open it, you can bring that into the park.
There were a lot of KC fans at the park, I didn't realize so many people would follow them to Chicago. Everybody seemed to get along quite nicely.
Dan sat next to a family that I think came from Australia, or someplace where they play Australian rules football. They had a lot of questions about the game, the park, the team.
Aside from the outcome, it was a good day.
Peace and love
Make no mistake, I love going to Cubs' games. But today they just did not have it.
8-4 Kansas City. The game started with a first pitch home run....and it was downhill most of the way after that.
It was nice to see Jorge Soler hit a homer, but it was not enough.
Dan and I got to the yard about 1 for a 3 p.m. game. John got there closer to 2. Seems early, but when you get there that early you get a 25 percent discount on food. So the question becomes, how much can you eat in an hour?
I had a bison burger and ...... (drum roll, please) a beer!! I never buy $9 beers at the park, but I figure it's 25 percent off, so I should take part in the all American tradition at the ball park at least once.
(And no, I don't mean the tradition of drinking to excess, peeing on somebody's yard, and starting fights......well, ok, peeing sometimes is allowed, even without beer)
But in every good deal, there is the fine print, which is early bird discounts don't apply to alcohol.
The beer vendors have a love hate relationship with the crowd. The people drinking beer love them, while people like me hate them when they stand in front of you selling beer, thus blocking your view of the baseball players. Which is why we go.
(A peanut vendor came past. I said we should ask if his nuts were salty, but John said I better not....admit it, you laughed.)
Beer at the park is $9. I routinely see people giving the vendor a $10 bill and telling him to keep the change.
I can understand. He's lugging at least 15 pounds of beer up and down the stairs; he deserves a tip.
Some of the beers are even more than $9. On the man concourse, they had $12.50 imported beers.
Most of you know I am pretty cheap.
But a lot of people going to the game are not. They are thirsty. You can see people who have four or five plastic cups at the end. My thought was....that's almost $50 on beer! I can buy some 24 packs with that! And still eat meat.
Since I am not a big beer drinker, it doesn't bother me to not have any. But water...well, that is the source of life. A bottle of water at the park is $4.75. But you can buy a bigger bottle for $1.49 at the 7-11 outside the park, and as long as you don't open it, you can bring that into the park.
There were a lot of KC fans at the park, I didn't realize so many people would follow them to Chicago. Everybody seemed to get along quite nicely.
Dan sat next to a family that I think came from Australia, or someplace where they play Australian rules football. They had a lot of questions about the game, the park, the team.
Aside from the outcome, it was a good day.
Peace and love
Thursday, May 28, 2015
geez......
I got a lot done today
Most importantly, my sixth chair arrived and I now have four chairs to sit in on the patio!
I thought this was chair number seven, but it is only six. I have two to send back....lucky I kept the boxes.
The chair went together in 15 minutes......all the pieces fit, all the parts worked. My faith in the bureaucracy has been restored.
I also got the railing up on the back patio steps. Now Jackie has something to hold onto when descending the two steps. It went remarkably well, considering I am an idiot.
You laugh? I was talking to Jackie on my cell phone when I swore and said I could not find the stinking phone. Seriously. I was talking on it and looking for it.
When in the hardware store, I bought a huge hex wrench. By the time I picked it up to when I went to the checkout, I had set it down somewhere. I also bought five (5) self tapping screws for the railing. The kid put them in a bag, marked them, and I counted four (4) screws. I asked him where the fifth one was. "Um, you are holding it" he said. This was right after losing the hex wrench.
Went to the ATM at the bank, used the wrong pin number. Twice. Actually, it was the right pin but it was the wrong card.
Bought a sprayer to spread deer repellent around the plants. This is the combination of fox and wolf piss plus peppers and other organic stuff. I had to buy a sprayer because the two I was trying to use would not work.
The new sprayer has a clear plastic tube about 2 feet long. It's a one gallon sprayer. I think I am in trouble because the first line of the directions (yes, I read them. I don't follow them, but I read them.) says insert the pink tube...........something's amiss.
Funny thing was, after fooling with it and driving all the way in to Walmart, the first sprayer worked.
It's a miracle, I tell you. Call the pope.
Last night was a long night. I am engrossed in a book called "Dead Wake." It's the story of the sinking of the Lusitania, which brought the US into The Great War. Detailed, human book about the ship and the sub and all the people involved. Well, most of them.
One interesting paragraph was an Austrian sub captain who after sinking a boat, said submarine warfare was how cowards fight. He preferred to be in the trenches, facing his enemy, rather than hidden below the water.
The Austrian commander was a man named VanTrapp.....who at the beginning of WW II fled to Switzerland with his singing family rather than serve in the German Navy.
As Artie Shaw would say, "velllllly interesting. Yah?"
Peace and love to all
Most importantly, my sixth chair arrived and I now have four chairs to sit in on the patio!
I thought this was chair number seven, but it is only six. I have two to send back....lucky I kept the boxes.
The chair went together in 15 minutes......all the pieces fit, all the parts worked. My faith in the bureaucracy has been restored.
I also got the railing up on the back patio steps. Now Jackie has something to hold onto when descending the two steps. It went remarkably well, considering I am an idiot.
You laugh? I was talking to Jackie on my cell phone when I swore and said I could not find the stinking phone. Seriously. I was talking on it and looking for it.
When in the hardware store, I bought a huge hex wrench. By the time I picked it up to when I went to the checkout, I had set it down somewhere. I also bought five (5) self tapping screws for the railing. The kid put them in a bag, marked them, and I counted four (4) screws. I asked him where the fifth one was. "Um, you are holding it" he said. This was right after losing the hex wrench.
Went to the ATM at the bank, used the wrong pin number. Twice. Actually, it was the right pin but it was the wrong card.
Bought a sprayer to spread deer repellent around the plants. This is the combination of fox and wolf piss plus peppers and other organic stuff. I had to buy a sprayer because the two I was trying to use would not work.
The new sprayer has a clear plastic tube about 2 feet long. It's a one gallon sprayer. I think I am in trouble because the first line of the directions (yes, I read them. I don't follow them, but I read them.) says insert the pink tube...........something's amiss.
Funny thing was, after fooling with it and driving all the way in to Walmart, the first sprayer worked.
It's a miracle, I tell you. Call the pope.
Last night was a long night. I am engrossed in a book called "Dead Wake." It's the story of the sinking of the Lusitania, which brought the US into The Great War. Detailed, human book about the ship and the sub and all the people involved. Well, most of them.
One interesting paragraph was an Austrian sub captain who after sinking a boat, said submarine warfare was how cowards fight. He preferred to be in the trenches, facing his enemy, rather than hidden below the water.
The Austrian commander was a man named VanTrapp.....who at the beginning of WW II fled to Switzerland with his singing family rather than serve in the German Navy.
As Artie Shaw would say, "velllllly interesting. Yah?"
Peace and love to all
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
blah time
I am a little down tonight
Not sure why, just a little down.
So....that's it.
Peace and love and better tomorrows.
Not sure why, just a little down.
So....that's it.
Peace and love and better tomorrows.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
pyramid style, please
I used to be a journalist
I took writing, reporting and editing classes at NIU. I graduated with a journalism degree. I worked at a newspaper. I used to be a journalist.
So when I hear bad journalism, I cringe.
I heard some bad journalism today while sealing my three chairs, round table and leaky storage box for the patio.
It was from a radio station in the Quad Cities....for some reason it came in strong on my little work radio and they played oldies, two pluses.
But the news??? Drove me nuts.
The first story was about firemen responding to a report of smoke in a house at some address. By the time the firemen got there, the flames had self extinguished. The person in the house was removed by neighbors. Blah, Blah, Blah.....then the stunner. The person removed from the house was pronounced dead at the scene! Folks, that is the lead!! Man/Woman found dead in house fire.
Then you tell the incidental facts.
They had a second story about state police making a traffic stop...blah blah blah...and then the stunner: The guy was arrested on drug charges cause he had a boat load of drugs! That is the lead!!
It's almost like people working in the news department don't get the concept of a lead and then reporting in pyramid style, important facts at the top: who, what, when, where, why.
And why are people arrested on traffic stops "pursuant to an investigation'? Do the officers really get out there with fingerprint kits and magnifying glasses looking for clues? Or do they just ask the guy for a license and when he doesn't have one, charge him?
Why do reporters always ask, "Were you surprised/"
Some guy in Rockford 20 years ago beat his wife and kids to death with a hammer. The reporter asked his neighbor, "Were you surprised/"
What the hell! He better had been surprised!
I would have said, "Why no, we had him going nuts on Aug. 15, so I won the block pool."
My all time favorite was one in a newspaper that read: "Man shot 7 times in head and lives."
The first line in the story was: "Robert Handsome was found dead with 8 bullet wounds to the head." So it was the last one that did the job.
I guess if they had stopped after 7, old Robert would have been ok.
Peace, love and applesauce.
I took writing, reporting and editing classes at NIU. I graduated with a journalism degree. I worked at a newspaper. I used to be a journalist.
So when I hear bad journalism, I cringe.
I heard some bad journalism today while sealing my three chairs, round table and leaky storage box for the patio.
It was from a radio station in the Quad Cities....for some reason it came in strong on my little work radio and they played oldies, two pluses.
But the news??? Drove me nuts.
The first story was about firemen responding to a report of smoke in a house at some address. By the time the firemen got there, the flames had self extinguished. The person in the house was removed by neighbors. Blah, Blah, Blah.....then the stunner. The person removed from the house was pronounced dead at the scene! Folks, that is the lead!! Man/Woman found dead in house fire.
Then you tell the incidental facts.
They had a second story about state police making a traffic stop...blah blah blah...and then the stunner: The guy was arrested on drug charges cause he had a boat load of drugs! That is the lead!!
It's almost like people working in the news department don't get the concept of a lead and then reporting in pyramid style, important facts at the top: who, what, when, where, why.
And why are people arrested on traffic stops "pursuant to an investigation'? Do the officers really get out there with fingerprint kits and magnifying glasses looking for clues? Or do they just ask the guy for a license and when he doesn't have one, charge him?
Why do reporters always ask, "Were you surprised/"
Some guy in Rockford 20 years ago beat his wife and kids to death with a hammer. The reporter asked his neighbor, "Were you surprised/"
What the hell! He better had been surprised!
I would have said, "Why no, we had him going nuts on Aug. 15, so I won the block pool."
My all time favorite was one in a newspaper that read: "Man shot 7 times in head and lives."
The first line in the story was: "Robert Handsome was found dead with 8 bullet wounds to the head." So it was the last one that did the job.
I guess if they had stopped after 7, old Robert would have been ok.
Peace, love and applesauce.
Monday, May 25, 2015
lucky, lucky, me
I found my first four leaf clover, ever!
I was weeding in the slope and there it was. I was confused because I had never seen one except in pictures.
But it has not been very lucky.
I dumped a cup with paint brushes that had been sitting in a styrofoam cup filled with soap. I refilled the cup and put it in the corner of the sink. Then I opened the cabinet above it and a bottle fell out, spilling the cup again.
So much for luck.
My lottery tickets did not win.
So much for luck.
I listened to the Cubs while sealing my almost done patio furniture. The Cubs lost.
So much for luck.
When cleaning that brush, I accidentally knocked it's container over, spilling all the goop.
So much for luck.
And I knocked the first cup over, the one with the paint brushes, again.
So much for luck.
We played cards with MK and Steve. I lost.
So much for luck.
I had a loaner hand with one card that was suspect. It was a loser.
So much for luck.
The Hawks gave up three first period goals.
So much for luck.
Wait a minute......the Hawks just scored two in the last minute! OT!
Now that is lucky!
Maybe I will buy more lottery tickets tomorrow......after all, Julia needs a house and Emily needs a car.
So much for luck!
I was weeding in the slope and there it was. I was confused because I had never seen one except in pictures.
But it has not been very lucky.
I dumped a cup with paint brushes that had been sitting in a styrofoam cup filled with soap. I refilled the cup and put it in the corner of the sink. Then I opened the cabinet above it and a bottle fell out, spilling the cup again.
So much for luck.
My lottery tickets did not win.
So much for luck.
I listened to the Cubs while sealing my almost done patio furniture. The Cubs lost.
So much for luck.
When cleaning that brush, I accidentally knocked it's container over, spilling all the goop.
So much for luck.
And I knocked the first cup over, the one with the paint brushes, again.
So much for luck.
We played cards with MK and Steve. I lost.
So much for luck.
I had a loaner hand with one card that was suspect. It was a loser.
So much for luck.
The Hawks gave up three first period goals.
So much for luck.
Wait a minute......the Hawks just scored two in the last minute! OT!
Now that is lucky!
Maybe I will buy more lottery tickets tomorrow......after all, Julia needs a house and Emily needs a car.
So much for luck!
Sunday, May 24, 2015
pomp and circumstances
I love graduation parties!
Seriously, I do!
No, it is not the delicious food, which ranged from pulled pork to Mexican.
And no, it is not the cake, although that does seem to be an inducement. To be honest, having cake and cupcakes three times today has put me in a semi sweet coma. I am really tired. I don't think the yummy mints helped either....Kelly, I apologize if there were no left overs of those. I may have had more than a few.
What it is is to think that 7 years after having me as a teacher, a student had finally gotten over the resentment and fear....just kidding! After 7 years students still had such a good impression of their year in fifth grade that they wanted to have me share in their special day. And Jackie, not just me, by the way.
Granted, a couple of parties were people who didn't have kids in my class as such...but they were in my room for social studies. And they are friends, but that doesn't automac\tically get you an invitation.
Sometimes I imagine the conversation:
Susie, who should we invite to your party?
Oh Mom, we have to invite Mr. Dickow.....he was the best, funniest, most understanding teacher I ever had. He inspired me to be an/a ___________________ (here you fill in the blank: accountant, teacher, juggler, speech pathologist, lawyer, writer, doctor, ne'er-do-well)
And voila, I get an invitation.
I always look over the class picture and photos before I go. This year it was impossible, since I had failed to put the book together right after I retired and half of the pictures are gone.
But I went through the high school graduation section, looked at the names, and remembered many of the kids. I also wonder what happened to the others.
I know a couple moved to Oregon, one is in the Caribbean (on an island, not in the water), another moved to DeKalb.....but I do wonder about where the rest of them ended up, and what their plans are.
I also get to see people I enjoy seeing, like Molly, and other people I don't get to see on a regular basis..... and usually very infrequently at that. (I don't know if that makes sense....blame it on the cake And blame any typos on over sweets indulgence as well.)
So to all the parents who have invited us to parties in the past, thank you very much. I did enjoy having your children. OK, I might have made them cry (Still Sorry Sarah) or caused them to dye their hair neon green, but they were all great kids.
I enjoyed being a part of their lives, however brief in the scope of time.
And I enjoyed seeing them move on to the next step.
It was a pleasure.
Seriously, I do!
No, it is not the delicious food, which ranged from pulled pork to Mexican.
And no, it is not the cake, although that does seem to be an inducement. To be honest, having cake and cupcakes three times today has put me in a semi sweet coma. I am really tired. I don't think the yummy mints helped either....Kelly, I apologize if there were no left overs of those. I may have had more than a few.
What it is is to think that 7 years after having me as a teacher, a student had finally gotten over the resentment and fear....just kidding! After 7 years students still had such a good impression of their year in fifth grade that they wanted to have me share in their special day. And Jackie, not just me, by the way.
Granted, a couple of parties were people who didn't have kids in my class as such...but they were in my room for social studies. And they are friends, but that doesn't automac\tically get you an invitation.
Sometimes I imagine the conversation:
Susie, who should we invite to your party?
Oh Mom, we have to invite Mr. Dickow.....he was the best, funniest, most understanding teacher I ever had. He inspired me to be an/a ___________________ (here you fill in the blank: accountant, teacher, juggler, speech pathologist, lawyer, writer, doctor, ne'er-do-well)
And voila, I get an invitation.
I always look over the class picture and photos before I go. This year it was impossible, since I had failed to put the book together right after I retired and half of the pictures are gone.
But I went through the high school graduation section, looked at the names, and remembered many of the kids. I also wonder what happened to the others.
I know a couple moved to Oregon, one is in the Caribbean (on an island, not in the water), another moved to DeKalb.....but I do wonder about where the rest of them ended up, and what their plans are.
I also get to see people I enjoy seeing, like Molly, and other people I don't get to see on a regular basis..... and usually very infrequently at that. (I don't know if that makes sense....blame it on the cake And blame any typos on over sweets indulgence as well.)
So to all the parents who have invited us to parties in the past, thank you very much. I did enjoy having your children. OK, I might have made them cry (Still Sorry Sarah) or caused them to dye their hair neon green, but they were all great kids.
I enjoyed being a part of their lives, however brief in the scope of time.
And I enjoyed seeing them move on to the next step.
It was a pleasure.
Saturday, May 23, 2015
did you look in the .....
I seem to have lost some pictures
When I was teaching , I took a lot of pictures. I put most of them in albums at the end of the school year. Class picture, pictures of activities, a full year in pictorial review.
Most of them.
The last two classes I did not do that. I put the pictures in a tub and last year I put the graduating classes pictures in a photo album just in case I was invited to a graduation party.
I put my last year's class into a box.
I opened the box the other day to put photos in an album and guess what? Half the pictures are missing, along with the year book and class picture.
I have looked everywhere. I even found pictures from our trip to Venice....those were going in an album too. I took lot of pictures in Venice, but they never made it into an album.
But it really bugs me about the school pictures. We have been invited to a couple of parties, and I thought the new graduates would enjoy at themselves at age 10. Mainly I am missing Halloween and Old Stone School pictures. Where they could have gotten to is beyond me.
What I did discover is: I spent a lot of money on pictures! I bet I could buy a ticket to Switzerland with what I spent.
Funny, huh? Especially since I have so many in boxes, not albums.
I have had 8 years to do this!! Why do I still have vacation pictures in boxes?
I also found several albums, bought to hold the pictures. There must be five or six albums, just waiting for pictures.
So this winter I am going to put Jackie to work on sorting and putting the pictures in albums. If she goes along with that, we can get all the pictures out of boxes, into albums, and put them on a shelf where we will never look at them again.
In 2006 I discovered the beauty of photo books. Yes, they are expensive, but I pick the pictures I want and size them to what I want and place them where I want..... all in a nicely bound book.
And I do look at those from time to time. I like to see where I have been, and I imagine the day will come that seeing those pictures will spark my memory when it needs sparking.
I hope this entry on pictures was not too negative. I will bring the album to a couple of parties and see what develops. Hopefully, people will understand, because nothing is always black and white.
OK, enough of the photo references.
How much you want to bet that I find the missing photos within the next three months? It will be when I am not looking for them.
It's frustrating being me!
When I was teaching , I took a lot of pictures. I put most of them in albums at the end of the school year. Class picture, pictures of activities, a full year in pictorial review.
Most of them.
The last two classes I did not do that. I put the pictures in a tub and last year I put the graduating classes pictures in a photo album just in case I was invited to a graduation party.
I put my last year's class into a box.
I opened the box the other day to put photos in an album and guess what? Half the pictures are missing, along with the year book and class picture.
I have looked everywhere. I even found pictures from our trip to Venice....those were going in an album too. I took lot of pictures in Venice, but they never made it into an album.
But it really bugs me about the school pictures. We have been invited to a couple of parties, and I thought the new graduates would enjoy at themselves at age 10. Mainly I am missing Halloween and Old Stone School pictures. Where they could have gotten to is beyond me.
What I did discover is: I spent a lot of money on pictures! I bet I could buy a ticket to Switzerland with what I spent.
Funny, huh? Especially since I have so many in boxes, not albums.
I have had 8 years to do this!! Why do I still have vacation pictures in boxes?
I also found several albums, bought to hold the pictures. There must be five or six albums, just waiting for pictures.
So this winter I am going to put Jackie to work on sorting and putting the pictures in albums. If she goes along with that, we can get all the pictures out of boxes, into albums, and put them on a shelf where we will never look at them again.
In 2006 I discovered the beauty of photo books. Yes, they are expensive, but I pick the pictures I want and size them to what I want and place them where I want..... all in a nicely bound book.
And I do look at those from time to time. I like to see where I have been, and I imagine the day will come that seeing those pictures will spark my memory when it needs sparking.
I hope this entry on pictures was not too negative. I will bring the album to a couple of parties and see what develops. Hopefully, people will understand, because nothing is always black and white.
OK, enough of the photo references.
How much you want to bet that I find the missing photos within the next three months? It will be when I am not looking for them.
It's frustrating being me!
Friday, May 22, 2015
done for another year
We finished our bird houses....sort of
I put all the stuff I needed to attach the bottoms in Jackie's van when we went in together Thursday.
And I proceeded to leave them in the van. When I got to Tilton on Friday, I could not find my staple gun and the tiny screws.
I could have called Jackie and had her bring them.... but I was not positive they were in the van. Could have been in the laundry room. Could have been in the garage. Hard to tell where I leave things.
Now i have to go in Tuesday and take about 10 minutes to attach the rubber tubing and two screws. That is to allow the birdhouses to be opened and cleaned out in the spring.
I sometimes wonder how many birdhouses my mini courses have produced. I generally have 6-8 kids in a group, been doing it for 30 years or longer. I could be the largest builder of bird houses in Rochelle!
I also wonder if kids get birds in them. I like to think they do, but I like to think I am young, slim and good looking too.
I wore my Swiss flag t shirt today. It is red with a white cross. I asked them what the shirt meant, they all said "Red Cross." I pointed out the cross was white, and no, it is not for the white cross, whatever that is.
I explained my daughter lived in Switzerland, that's why I had the shirt.
I also brought them little chocolates. And yes, I did check with the school nurse to be sure no one had a peanut allergy.
It was funny to see all 8 of them bounding up and down as they left the room, on a mini chocolate high.
I am also glad I did it at the end of the session and not the beginning.
Now I have to sort supplies and return some things.
Last year we went through 8 drill bits. This year, I bought four packs of double bits and they did not break a one. So those can go back, along with a bicycle inner tube, and maybe some sand paper.
Then I will stack the tub in the garage until next year.
Such is the life of a bird house builder these days.
I put all the stuff I needed to attach the bottoms in Jackie's van when we went in together Thursday.
And I proceeded to leave them in the van. When I got to Tilton on Friday, I could not find my staple gun and the tiny screws.
I could have called Jackie and had her bring them.... but I was not positive they were in the van. Could have been in the laundry room. Could have been in the garage. Hard to tell where I leave things.
Now i have to go in Tuesday and take about 10 minutes to attach the rubber tubing and two screws. That is to allow the birdhouses to be opened and cleaned out in the spring.
I sometimes wonder how many birdhouses my mini courses have produced. I generally have 6-8 kids in a group, been doing it for 30 years or longer. I could be the largest builder of bird houses in Rochelle!
I also wonder if kids get birds in them. I like to think they do, but I like to think I am young, slim and good looking too.
I wore my Swiss flag t shirt today. It is red with a white cross. I asked them what the shirt meant, they all said "Red Cross." I pointed out the cross was white, and no, it is not for the white cross, whatever that is.
I explained my daughter lived in Switzerland, that's why I had the shirt.
I also brought them little chocolates. And yes, I did check with the school nurse to be sure no one had a peanut allergy.
It was funny to see all 8 of them bounding up and down as they left the room, on a mini chocolate high.
I am also glad I did it at the end of the session and not the beginning.
Now I have to sort supplies and return some things.
Last year we went through 8 drill bits. This year, I bought four packs of double bits and they did not break a one. So those can go back, along with a bicycle inner tube, and maybe some sand paper.
Then I will stack the tub in the garage until next year.
Such is the life of a bird house builder these days.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
huffin and puffin
I rode my bike again today
That is the second time this week!! I had been riding a stationary bike in the basement, but it feels good to ride outside.
I get bothered by a funny thing. I rode the path in town on Monday. Stopped to talk to Bethie at the middle school, and my trip meter read 7.9 miles when I got back to my car.
If I ride from my house over to Childer's Acres, which is just off IL 38 near Center Road, it is only 5.2 miles!! On the map it looks much farther, but it is not.
If I ride my subdivision, it is 2.2 miles. So I ride my subdivision, then out to Childer's Acres and get 7.4 miles. still short of the bike path.
But on the bike path I would not have seen the really neat French street scene painting that one of my neighbors is tossing out.
It's sitting out there in the trash right now (or maybe not, it is late!) looking for a new home. I think it would look nice in the basement.
Unfortunately I think someone would be really mad at me if I picked it up and brought it home....so I guess I won't.
Last January I made it a goal to walk and ride 500 miles this year. I don't think I am anywhere near reaching that goal. But it is a long summer, so there is hope.
Right now I need to find my biking shorts....my butt is pretty sore.
And I'm pretty tired. So I'll go to bed dreaming about French street scenes.
Peace and baguettes!
That is the second time this week!! I had been riding a stationary bike in the basement, but it feels good to ride outside.
I get bothered by a funny thing. I rode the path in town on Monday. Stopped to talk to Bethie at the middle school, and my trip meter read 7.9 miles when I got back to my car.
If I ride from my house over to Childer's Acres, which is just off IL 38 near Center Road, it is only 5.2 miles!! On the map it looks much farther, but it is not.
If I ride my subdivision, it is 2.2 miles. So I ride my subdivision, then out to Childer's Acres and get 7.4 miles. still short of the bike path.
But on the bike path I would not have seen the really neat French street scene painting that one of my neighbors is tossing out.
It's sitting out there in the trash right now (or maybe not, it is late!) looking for a new home. I think it would look nice in the basement.
Unfortunately I think someone would be really mad at me if I picked it up and brought it home....so I guess I won't.
Last January I made it a goal to walk and ride 500 miles this year. I don't think I am anywhere near reaching that goal. But it is a long summer, so there is hope.
Right now I need to find my biking shorts....my butt is pretty sore.
And I'm pretty tired. So I'll go to bed dreaming about French street scenes.
Peace and baguettes!
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
to recycle, or hold?
I almost have my patio furniture together
Yes, this the set from Plow and Hearth that I thought of sending back.
I ordered a table and four chairs and a storage box. To recap: The storage box took over three hours to assemble. There were 7 pieces. Directions stunk.
I now have received 5 chairs, but can only assemble 3. One chair has a bad arm, one chair has a bad seat. Now you would think I could take two chairs and combine them into one, but the grooves, notches and pegs don't match up. I would have to do some major alterations.
So I called customer service.
Talked to a nice guy who said they can send me a seat and solve the whole problem.
To which I said, you can?
"I have a parts diagram in front of me, and it shows a chair seat. So I can have the seat sent to you."
Really. They told me before they could not do that so they had to send the entire chair.
"Oh no, we can send this seat. That should work."
What if the seat slots and knobs don't line up?
"Oh sir, that should not be a problem."
But it is, otherwise I would have combined the two chairs I have into one chair and not be on the phone with you.
"We'll send that part out this afternoon."
I thanked him.
And now I await the seat, which will not be sent because they can't send one piece.
I just hope I get a chair that goes together.
I also have the boxes for the chairs in case I decide to ship something back. Recycling comes tomorrow, and I would like to get rid of the boxes.
I know I am a complainer. I should have sent the furniture back, but I like it.
Plus, I have the two year old cushions that have never been used. That cost a couple of bucks too!
I do know that when called upon to review the product, my comments will not be well received.
They might even be x rated.
By this time next week, I vow to be sitting in my complete patio set, on the deck.
To do that I need to seal the furniture, assemble a fourth chair, and have lots of wine.
But I can do it. If you want to help, bring your own wine.
Yes, this the set from Plow and Hearth that I thought of sending back.
I ordered a table and four chairs and a storage box. To recap: The storage box took over three hours to assemble. There were 7 pieces. Directions stunk.
I now have received 5 chairs, but can only assemble 3. One chair has a bad arm, one chair has a bad seat. Now you would think I could take two chairs and combine them into one, but the grooves, notches and pegs don't match up. I would have to do some major alterations.
So I called customer service.
Talked to a nice guy who said they can send me a seat and solve the whole problem.
To which I said, you can?
"I have a parts diagram in front of me, and it shows a chair seat. So I can have the seat sent to you."
Really. They told me before they could not do that so they had to send the entire chair.
"Oh no, we can send this seat. That should work."
What if the seat slots and knobs don't line up?
"Oh sir, that should not be a problem."
But it is, otherwise I would have combined the two chairs I have into one chair and not be on the phone with you.
"We'll send that part out this afternoon."
I thanked him.
And now I await the seat, which will not be sent because they can't send one piece.
I just hope I get a chair that goes together.
I also have the boxes for the chairs in case I decide to ship something back. Recycling comes tomorrow, and I would like to get rid of the boxes.
I know I am a complainer. I should have sent the furniture back, but I like it.
Plus, I have the two year old cushions that have never been used. That cost a couple of bucks too!
I do know that when called upon to review the product, my comments will not be well received.
They might even be x rated.
By this time next week, I vow to be sitting in my complete patio set, on the deck.
To do that I need to seal the furniture, assemble a fourth chair, and have lots of wine.
But I can do it. If you want to help, bring your own wine.
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
don't call my cell
I don't like getting calls on my cell phone
I remembered that while making a U turn on Flagg Road yesterday.
I had just passed an Anderson Plumbing truck.
And I remembered why I don't like getting cell phone calls.
Last Friday I was driving to the zoo. I got a call from Anderson's. They were coming out Monday at 10 to do maintenance on my on demand water heater.
(And yes, I have a hands free phone system in my Honda.)
I said great because we would be home.
So Monday morning as Jackie is getting ready to go into the shower, I take off for town. It's about 10.
I passed the Anderson truck just coming out of Flagg Center.
"Hmm," I thought to myself. "Anderson. Anderson. Anderson.....oh crap!"
I called Jackie and told her to get dressed and answer the door. Then I did a U turn and hurried home.
I got there just in time to have her get in the shower while they checked the AC and when she was done, they serviced the water heater.
All's well that ends well.
But I can't remember stuff! When I get a call on the cell phone, I may have a conversation with a person, but when I hang up.....pfft, it's gone! No memory whatsoever.
At least at home there is a recording, or a pad to write stuff down. But in the car, I am helpless...at the mercy of my fickle memory.
And folks, it doesn't take long to forget. Jackie can call me on my way into a store and by the time I leave the store, I have forgotten what it was I was supposed to buy.
It's a curse.
But one I have to life with.
I remembered that while making a U turn on Flagg Road yesterday.
I had just passed an Anderson Plumbing truck.
And I remembered why I don't like getting cell phone calls.
Last Friday I was driving to the zoo. I got a call from Anderson's. They were coming out Monday at 10 to do maintenance on my on demand water heater.
(And yes, I have a hands free phone system in my Honda.)
I said great because we would be home.
So Monday morning as Jackie is getting ready to go into the shower, I take off for town. It's about 10.
I passed the Anderson truck just coming out of Flagg Center.
"Hmm," I thought to myself. "Anderson. Anderson. Anderson.....oh crap!"
I called Jackie and told her to get dressed and answer the door. Then I did a U turn and hurried home.
I got there just in time to have her get in the shower while they checked the AC and when she was done, they serviced the water heater.
All's well that ends well.
But I can't remember stuff! When I get a call on the cell phone, I may have a conversation with a person, but when I hang up.....pfft, it's gone! No memory whatsoever.
At least at home there is a recording, or a pad to write stuff down. But in the car, I am helpless...at the mercy of my fickle memory.
And folks, it doesn't take long to forget. Jackie can call me on my way into a store and by the time I leave the store, I have forgotten what it was I was supposed to buy.
It's a curse.
But one I have to life with.
Monday, May 18, 2015
that was hard
I went for my first outside bike ride today
I had ridden in the basement, but decided it was time to take that show on the road.
Then I forgot a cardinal rule....always ride into the wind on the way out, with the wind on the way back.
Not that it would have mattered. There was a fairly stiff breeze today....and it seems like there has been a pretty stiff breeze every day.
Last week I bought a shagbark hickory and a bur oak. I planted them. They were almost leaning onto the ground, the wind was so strong. So I staked the trees to encourage them to grow straight.
Easier said than done. I have a little problem finding straight lines. I have an unbalanced focus issue in my eyes , and things never look straight.
But I went ahead and tried to stake and straighten the trees.
They do look better, but they are not straight. Plus, my staking technique is not very good.
My first attempt was using a package of rubber strips made especially for staking trees. They blew apart Sunday. So I fashioned some out of a cut up hose and some 16 gauge wire. I used tent stakes, then I used 3 foot poles. And then I used more wire. More hose. More....you get the idea. the bur oak leans a little, but I can't do much better.
The shagbark is another story. It is fine about four feet up, then it bends. So I put a 5 foot fence post in and had to bang it down with a sledge hammer. Try that with a sore shoulder!
Then I wired that, using the store bought bands.
Looking at it, it looks fairly straight.
The problem is there are so many wires....It looks like a Ma Bell went crazy! (Ma Bell was the phone company that provided perfectly good service until it was broken up by the government because it was too large and virtually a monopoly. Why mess with a good thing?)
I will have to go out there when it isn't windy and try again.
Because in 150 years, I don't want people complaining that the bur oak leans.
And if anybody has a beter plan, I am open to suggestions.
Now I am tired from the bike ride. Legs are a little sore. Plan to go again tomorrow. But the temps are falling.
I do have to get in shape for the MS Tour de Farms in June. It's not to late to sponsor me and help raise money for MS research. Visit the MS of Illinois page and look up my name on Jackies Jokers team. You'll sleep better once you donate.
Peace and love.
I had ridden in the basement, but decided it was time to take that show on the road.
Then I forgot a cardinal rule....always ride into the wind on the way out, with the wind on the way back.
Not that it would have mattered. There was a fairly stiff breeze today....and it seems like there has been a pretty stiff breeze every day.
Last week I bought a shagbark hickory and a bur oak. I planted them. They were almost leaning onto the ground, the wind was so strong. So I staked the trees to encourage them to grow straight.
Easier said than done. I have a little problem finding straight lines. I have an unbalanced focus issue in my eyes , and things never look straight.
But I went ahead and tried to stake and straighten the trees.
They do look better, but they are not straight. Plus, my staking technique is not very good.
My first attempt was using a package of rubber strips made especially for staking trees. They blew apart Sunday. So I fashioned some out of a cut up hose and some 16 gauge wire. I used tent stakes, then I used 3 foot poles. And then I used more wire. More hose. More....you get the idea. the bur oak leans a little, but I can't do much better.
The shagbark is another story. It is fine about four feet up, then it bends. So I put a 5 foot fence post in and had to bang it down with a sledge hammer. Try that with a sore shoulder!
Then I wired that, using the store bought bands.
Looking at it, it looks fairly straight.
The problem is there are so many wires....It looks like a Ma Bell went crazy! (Ma Bell was the phone company that provided perfectly good service until it was broken up by the government because it was too large and virtually a monopoly. Why mess with a good thing?)
I will have to go out there when it isn't windy and try again.
Because in 150 years, I don't want people complaining that the bur oak leans.
And if anybody has a beter plan, I am open to suggestions.
Now I am tired from the bike ride. Legs are a little sore. Plan to go again tomorrow. But the temps are falling.
I do have to get in shape for the MS Tour de Farms in June. It's not to late to sponsor me and help raise money for MS research. Visit the MS of Illinois page and look up my name on Jackies Jokers team. You'll sleep better once you donate.
Peace and love.
Sunday, May 17, 2015
if I was a carpenter
I am making bird houses this week
Years ago, Tilton School offered mini courses to fourth, fifth and sixth graders. These were one week classes in the last hour of the day and were fun things.
I think Kathy Johnson came up with the idea when she taught sixth grade. It was a break from the rigors of winter.
Through the years, the courses were moved around during the school year. Now they are being taught this week.
I am making birdhouses. Surprise.
While teaching, I tried other courses. One year we did photography, using cameras that used film. One year I did theater, with Megan and Kim staging a rather creative reenactment of Three Little Pigs. One year we made bat houses.....which did not go over well. Who wants to attract flying mice?
But eventually I settled on bird houses.
Green bird houses. Like Henry Ford dictated,, everyone has a choice and that choice is green.
I cut all the pieces, so all the kids have to do is sand the wood and nail the house together.
It takes three days. Sometimes four.
We spend a lot of time pulling out nails.
I have them drill pilot holes, which helps, but kids don't usually have a chance to use tools around the house....especially hammers. Go figure.
So we have a lot of bent nails. Which is fine, because I have a lot of nails this year.
I also have extra drill bits.....sometimes they don't go straight down and the bit breaks. Sometimes? One kid broke three bits last year.
Since I retired, I missed a couple of years. Then I was asked to help student build model cars.
That sounded like fun. It took 20 minutes. We have five days, an hour each day. Models are not the same these days as when I was young. Those took a lot of work and attention to detail, which explains why the 48 kits I had were in various states of completion when pops finally decided to toss them. I was 30 by then.
I have to go look for my pry bar. That is always a big help when we work.
That and ibuprofen for the pounding noises in my head.
But when they are done, the kids get to take them home, hang them in a tree, and maybe provide a home for a few birds.
Who knows, maybe some of them will be inspired to be carpenters, or ornithologists, or medics.
Just sayin.
Years ago, Tilton School offered mini courses to fourth, fifth and sixth graders. These were one week classes in the last hour of the day and were fun things.
I think Kathy Johnson came up with the idea when she taught sixth grade. It was a break from the rigors of winter.
Through the years, the courses were moved around during the school year. Now they are being taught this week.
I am making birdhouses. Surprise.
While teaching, I tried other courses. One year we did photography, using cameras that used film. One year I did theater, with Megan and Kim staging a rather creative reenactment of Three Little Pigs. One year we made bat houses.....which did not go over well. Who wants to attract flying mice?
But eventually I settled on bird houses.
Green bird houses. Like Henry Ford dictated,, everyone has a choice and that choice is green.
I cut all the pieces, so all the kids have to do is sand the wood and nail the house together.
It takes three days. Sometimes four.
We spend a lot of time pulling out nails.
I have them drill pilot holes, which helps, but kids don't usually have a chance to use tools around the house....especially hammers. Go figure.
So we have a lot of bent nails. Which is fine, because I have a lot of nails this year.
I also have extra drill bits.....sometimes they don't go straight down and the bit breaks. Sometimes? One kid broke three bits last year.
Since I retired, I missed a couple of years. Then I was asked to help student build model cars.
That sounded like fun. It took 20 minutes. We have five days, an hour each day. Models are not the same these days as when I was young. Those took a lot of work and attention to detail, which explains why the 48 kits I had were in various states of completion when pops finally decided to toss them. I was 30 by then.
I have to go look for my pry bar. That is always a big help when we work.
That and ibuprofen for the pounding noises in my head.
But when they are done, the kids get to take them home, hang them in a tree, and maybe provide a home for a few birds.
Who knows, maybe some of them will be inspired to be carpenters, or ornithologists, or medics.
Just sayin.
Saturday, May 16, 2015
rub a dub dub....lobsters in the tub
Today I helped distribute over 1,000 lobsters
A long time ago, before color TV, man on the moon, home computers and cell phones, Jackie and I were married in St. Paul's Episcopal Church in DeKalb.
While we were dating, and both still in school, I took pictures at the church's lobster boil. I think it was 1969, but I could be off a little.
Since then, the good people of St. Paul's have sold lobsters every May.....and this year was no exception.
We sold about 1,000 of the lively crustaceans, which is down from the boil's heyday..before grocery stores started selling lobsters in the DeKalb Sycamore area....when they were quite the novelty.
I have not been at all the boils...we were away from that church for several years.
In my younger days, I would unload lobsters and haul them in my pick up truck from the refer semi to the boil area.
As I get older, the heavy lifting tasks get a little harder.
We have had boils in sweltering weather, freezing weather, rainy weather, windy weather...... in just about any kind of weather you can imagine.
Lots of times former parishioners come back to help. Or to visit, as the day is a family friendly event with food, pop, kids...and lobsters.
The lobsters leave Maine on a Thursday, get here late Friday, and are ready to boil on Saturday. They spend their time in a refrigerated truck and today they were a lively bunch!
It's also a day of remembering our friends who have moved away. David and Ellen, and Craig and Jo for me especially, because I liked them and they put up with me.
Jackie does not go to the boil anymore. The smell of lobsters gives her a headache and makes her want to heave. I brought one home to eat and immediately had to spray air freshener.
In the past, Jackie and I hosted lobster parties, with me bringing 20 or so lobsters home and friends gathering in the basement on Skare Court and having a potluck with lobster the main dish. We'd set up a grill for those who preferred land based meat. Those were fun times.
Memories from the past: Picking up the lobsters at O'Hare because we used to have them flown in; Fitz commanding the troops; Craig's whistle; David burning his foot; dancing with a little Suzanne in the rectory's driveway; standing near the tanks to keep warm; the folks from Lee picking up a couple of hundred lobsters for a community boil.
It's a lot of work, and a lot of fun. A portion of the profits go to various groups in DeKalb/Sycamore, groups that work with the needy, abused, homeless.
I keep looking for those pictures. I know I have the negatives somewhere, but I can't find them.
You'd think after three moves I would run across them, but I haven't.
My guess is I'd see some familiar faces in those early days photos.
Now I'm tired, full of lobster and wine, and ready for bed.
Peace and love to all.
A long time ago, before color TV, man on the moon, home computers and cell phones, Jackie and I were married in St. Paul's Episcopal Church in DeKalb.
While we were dating, and both still in school, I took pictures at the church's lobster boil. I think it was 1969, but I could be off a little.
Since then, the good people of St. Paul's have sold lobsters every May.....and this year was no exception.
We sold about 1,000 of the lively crustaceans, which is down from the boil's heyday..before grocery stores started selling lobsters in the DeKalb Sycamore area....when they were quite the novelty.
I have not been at all the boils...we were away from that church for several years.
In my younger days, I would unload lobsters and haul them in my pick up truck from the refer semi to the boil area.
As I get older, the heavy lifting tasks get a little harder.
We have had boils in sweltering weather, freezing weather, rainy weather, windy weather...... in just about any kind of weather you can imagine.
Lots of times former parishioners come back to help. Or to visit, as the day is a family friendly event with food, pop, kids...and lobsters.
The lobsters leave Maine on a Thursday, get here late Friday, and are ready to boil on Saturday. They spend their time in a refrigerated truck and today they were a lively bunch!
It's also a day of remembering our friends who have moved away. David and Ellen, and Craig and Jo for me especially, because I liked them and they put up with me.
Jackie does not go to the boil anymore. The smell of lobsters gives her a headache and makes her want to heave. I brought one home to eat and immediately had to spray air freshener.
In the past, Jackie and I hosted lobster parties, with me bringing 20 or so lobsters home and friends gathering in the basement on Skare Court and having a potluck with lobster the main dish. We'd set up a grill for those who preferred land based meat. Those were fun times.
Memories from the past: Picking up the lobsters at O'Hare because we used to have them flown in; Fitz commanding the troops; Craig's whistle; David burning his foot; dancing with a little Suzanne in the rectory's driveway; standing near the tanks to keep warm; the folks from Lee picking up a couple of hundred lobsters for a community boil.
It's a lot of work, and a lot of fun. A portion of the profits go to various groups in DeKalb/Sycamore, groups that work with the needy, abused, homeless.
I keep looking for those pictures. I know I have the negatives somewhere, but I can't find them.
You'd think after three moves I would run across them, but I haven't.
My guess is I'd see some familiar faces in those early days photos.
Now I'm tired, full of lobster and wine, and ready for bed.
Peace and love to all.
Friday, May 15, 2015
a look into the future?
I make fun of getting old and forgetting stuff
I blame it on lack of concentration, getting old, not caring.
I often say one day I am going to go out for a paper and police will find me wandering the streets of Memphis, broke, alone, disheveled and confused.
Those thoughts ran through my mind today.
I stopped at the cemetery where my mom and dad are buried. Coincidentally, Howlin' Wolf is buried in the same cemetery.
This is on IL 38 near Oakbrook. So, I thought I'd stop off at The Container Store and see what looked interesting to buy.
I drive by land marks. Directions? They are ok, but landmarks are the key.
I knew I was in trouble when nothing looked familiar.
I got off 38 at Butterfield Road, thinking that was a north-south street.
It's an east west, sort of.
After driving for 15 minutes, I realized I was totally and completely lost.
So I pulled into a parking lot, called Jackie and said I was a little delayed. I was parked in front of a neat restaurant named Buda's. It was a pretty cool looking place. Italian.
I haven't figured out Mapquest on my phone, so i got out my trusty state map and tried to find out where I was.
To this day, I still can't refold a map correctly. I just kind of fold em and shove them in the glove box. And about the only thing I don't have in the glove box is gloves, but that's a story for another era.
Pulled back on the road, made a right, made a left, saw a sign that said 88 and got on the tollway.
Tonight I searched for Buda's Restaurant.
The listing I got looked really nice, but it was located in Budapest, Hungary!
How freakin' lost was I?
I looked for restaurants in Oakbrook Terrace, Hillside, anywhere along Rt 56....but did not find a Buda's
I think I may have found a time warp. You know, that bubble that transports you to a different place. I must have gone to Hungary and somehow reentered it and ended up on the tollway.
My quest for a container was unfilled. But I did get home.....it just took a little while longer than usual.
But at least I knew where I was going.
I blame it on lack of concentration, getting old, not caring.
I often say one day I am going to go out for a paper and police will find me wandering the streets of Memphis, broke, alone, disheveled and confused.
Those thoughts ran through my mind today.
I stopped at the cemetery where my mom and dad are buried. Coincidentally, Howlin' Wolf is buried in the same cemetery.
This is on IL 38 near Oakbrook. So, I thought I'd stop off at The Container Store and see what looked interesting to buy.
I drive by land marks. Directions? They are ok, but landmarks are the key.
I knew I was in trouble when nothing looked familiar.
I got off 38 at Butterfield Road, thinking that was a north-south street.
It's an east west, sort of.
After driving for 15 minutes, I realized I was totally and completely lost.
So I pulled into a parking lot, called Jackie and said I was a little delayed. I was parked in front of a neat restaurant named Buda's. It was a pretty cool looking place. Italian.
I haven't figured out Mapquest on my phone, so i got out my trusty state map and tried to find out where I was.
To this day, I still can't refold a map correctly. I just kind of fold em and shove them in the glove box. And about the only thing I don't have in the glove box is gloves, but that's a story for another era.
Pulled back on the road, made a right, made a left, saw a sign that said 88 and got on the tollway.
Tonight I searched for Buda's Restaurant.
The listing I got looked really nice, but it was located in Budapest, Hungary!
How freakin' lost was I?
I looked for restaurants in Oakbrook Terrace, Hillside, anywhere along Rt 56....but did not find a Buda's
I think I may have found a time warp. You know, that bubble that transports you to a different place. I must have gone to Hungary and somehow reentered it and ended up on the tollway.
My quest for a container was unfilled. But I did get home.....it just took a little while longer than usual.
But at least I knew where I was going.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
any bright ideas??
I need to get rid of dirt
I can't believe I am saying that.
After all, I have bought probably 50 bags of top soil, cow manure, organic peat and humus and peat moss to build up my raised gardens. (Which look lovely, all nicely planted, if I don't say so myself.)
Now I have a cart load of dirt, which at this very moment is filling up with rain water to make it a truly squishy situation.
I planted two trees today and have dirt from the holes. And I have dirt from the dirt pile. And I have dirt from the flower transplant.
I guess I could hook up the cart and drag it over to Emily's and find a place over there...after all, there is going to be some excavating going on in a week or so.
But driving at 5 miles an hour on Skare Road is not a very smart thing to do.
I filled some low spots today. It is not very good dirt, lots of clay, but I used it anyway. After all, the grass has grown in it before, so it should grow in in again. If I plant seed, that is. So I figure it was good to use in low spots.
But I still have a lot left!
Maybe I should build a hill in my soon to maybe materialize Illinois native flowers garden, if I ever get that far.
It would be a small hill, but it would offer some relief to a flat yard and maybe I could sell it as a natural glacial deposit.
A pitcher's mound? Maybe not with my rotator cuff issue.
I will use some to fill the hole that has appeared in my yard. It is about 5 inches across. There is no earth ring around it, so I don't think an animal has done it. Maybe it's a sink hole starting to form.
That would be my luck. Evade a tornado, get swallowed up by a sink hole.
Oh well.
If you have any suggestions, please pass them on. After all, I know at heart you are all thinking dirt thoughts at this point.
Peace and love.
I can't believe I am saying that.
After all, I have bought probably 50 bags of top soil, cow manure, organic peat and humus and peat moss to build up my raised gardens. (Which look lovely, all nicely planted, if I don't say so myself.)
Now I have a cart load of dirt, which at this very moment is filling up with rain water to make it a truly squishy situation.
I planted two trees today and have dirt from the holes. And I have dirt from the dirt pile. And I have dirt from the flower transplant.
I guess I could hook up the cart and drag it over to Emily's and find a place over there...after all, there is going to be some excavating going on in a week or so.
But driving at 5 miles an hour on Skare Road is not a very smart thing to do.
I filled some low spots today. It is not very good dirt, lots of clay, but I used it anyway. After all, the grass has grown in it before, so it should grow in in again. If I plant seed, that is. So I figure it was good to use in low spots.
But I still have a lot left!
Maybe I should build a hill in my soon to maybe materialize Illinois native flowers garden, if I ever get that far.
It would be a small hill, but it would offer some relief to a flat yard and maybe I could sell it as a natural glacial deposit.
A pitcher's mound? Maybe not with my rotator cuff issue.
I will use some to fill the hole that has appeared in my yard. It is about 5 inches across. There is no earth ring around it, so I don't think an animal has done it. Maybe it's a sink hole starting to form.
That would be my luck. Evade a tornado, get swallowed up by a sink hole.
Oh well.
If you have any suggestions, please pass them on. After all, I know at heart you are all thinking dirt thoughts at this point.
Peace and love.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
a light at the end of the tunnel
I feel like I am getting things done
Seriously, I have done more in the past two weeks than I have in two years!
I planted my raised garden today. Usually I don't do that until mid July! I put in beans, peas, carrots, green peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers. I think I may have spot for radishes....so I will try them. Maybe a couple of onions.....who knows? I feel wild and crazy!
Friend John came out today and we dug up plants at Emily's. Then we moved them to temporary planting space at my house. It was quite fun. I stole some of her hostas to fill in empty spots in my yard....but I don't think she will notice.
She has a lot of ferns and lily of the valley....but I don't have a good spot for either. I don't know if she will try to salvage them or not.
I put my bur oak and my shagbark hickory in the back yard in the approximate area where they will be planted.
A bur oak is extremely slow growing. It will be 150 years before it is mature. Jackie asked me why I planted such a slow grower because we will never enjoy it. I said, "We don't plant trees for today, we plant trees for the future." In 3015 some little kid will be sitting out under my oak and an acorn will fall off his head and he will say, "Hmm....i wonder who planted this tree?"
I had to have a shagbark hickory....we live on shagbark lane! There isn't a hickory in sight on our side of the subdivision.
We used to live on Mill Pond.....but there was no mill, and no pond. I think it was false advertising. At least on Southview we had a view of the south.
I still have five projects to accomplish by this weekend. Throw in a zoo day Friday, and I will be a pretty busy little beaver for the next couple of days.
Honestly, it feels good. I have spent less time on the computer and more time working.
But I did watch the Cubs. And I am glad of it. A late inning rally and the boys in blue steal one from the Mets.
That felt good too.
Good night and peace to you all.
Seriously, I have done more in the past two weeks than I have in two years!
I planted my raised garden today. Usually I don't do that until mid July! I put in beans, peas, carrots, green peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers. I think I may have spot for radishes....so I will try them. Maybe a couple of onions.....who knows? I feel wild and crazy!
Friend John came out today and we dug up plants at Emily's. Then we moved them to temporary planting space at my house. It was quite fun. I stole some of her hostas to fill in empty spots in my yard....but I don't think she will notice.
She has a lot of ferns and lily of the valley....but I don't have a good spot for either. I don't know if she will try to salvage them or not.
I put my bur oak and my shagbark hickory in the back yard in the approximate area where they will be planted.
A bur oak is extremely slow growing. It will be 150 years before it is mature. Jackie asked me why I planted such a slow grower because we will never enjoy it. I said, "We don't plant trees for today, we plant trees for the future." In 3015 some little kid will be sitting out under my oak and an acorn will fall off his head and he will say, "Hmm....i wonder who planted this tree?"
I had to have a shagbark hickory....we live on shagbark lane! There isn't a hickory in sight on our side of the subdivision.
We used to live on Mill Pond.....but there was no mill, and no pond. I think it was false advertising. At least on Southview we had a view of the south.
I still have five projects to accomplish by this weekend. Throw in a zoo day Friday, and I will be a pretty busy little beaver for the next couple of days.
Honestly, it feels good. I have spent less time on the computer and more time working.
But I did watch the Cubs. And I am glad of it. A late inning rally and the boys in blue steal one from the Mets.
That felt good too.
Good night and peace to you all.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
ding dong, it's really gone!
My door bell does not work.
The mailman came to the door yesterday and knocked because he rang the bell and .....pfft, nothing.
How does a doorbell go bad?
The front and back door are dead. I thought maybe it was the button part, but it is strange both buttons would fail at the same time.
So how does one go about fixing a doorbell?
My first impulse is to buy a new one...but then it has to be mounted.
You may remember: I am a klutz! I am not gifted at home repair. Anything I touch turns to rubble, like a King Midas in reverse.
I could call someone, but that can be expensive and it usually turns out I could have done it if I really tried.
I don't think I have ever replaced a doorbell.
This one had one chime for the back door and two chimes for the front door. Or vice versa. I could never remember. I always went to the front door,and when no one was there, I would go the back door. By then the people had gone around to the front door and were ringing the bell again. It was like who is on first, only in real life. With doorbells.
I have to put it on my list of things to do when I am done playing solitaire and checking Facebook.
I have several tasks on there already.
I will give myself a window of between May 13 and Aug. 5.
I will call myself first to verify a time.
Notice I am using customer service tricks from companies that provide cable service or other types of service in the home.
In the meantime, if you stop by, knock loudly.
And if you hear loud music, just come on in, following the words of that old rock and roll spiritual: "If the house is a rockin', don't bother knockin' just come on in."
The mailman came to the door yesterday and knocked because he rang the bell and .....pfft, nothing.
How does a doorbell go bad?
The front and back door are dead. I thought maybe it was the button part, but it is strange both buttons would fail at the same time.
So how does one go about fixing a doorbell?
My first impulse is to buy a new one...but then it has to be mounted.
You may remember: I am a klutz! I am not gifted at home repair. Anything I touch turns to rubble, like a King Midas in reverse.
I could call someone, but that can be expensive and it usually turns out I could have done it if I really tried.
I don't think I have ever replaced a doorbell.
This one had one chime for the back door and two chimes for the front door. Or vice versa. I could never remember. I always went to the front door,and when no one was there, I would go the back door. By then the people had gone around to the front door and were ringing the bell again. It was like who is on first, only in real life. With doorbells.
I have to put it on my list of things to do when I am done playing solitaire and checking Facebook.
I have several tasks on there already.
I will give myself a window of between May 13 and Aug. 5.
I will call myself first to verify a time.
Notice I am using customer service tricks from companies that provide cable service or other types of service in the home.
In the meantime, if you stop by, knock loudly.
And if you hear loud music, just come on in, following the words of that old rock and roll spiritual: "If the house is a rockin', don't bother knockin' just come on in."
Monday, May 11, 2015
how old am I?
I had a birthday today
I am confused.
I turned 67 today, which means tomorrow I will be on Earth 68 years, right?
After all, we celebrate the end of our year, not the beginning. So my birthday came at the end of my 67th year....so in just a minute I will be in my 68th year of life.
In my world, a child has his first birthday the day he/she was born. But in the real world, that birthday comes at the end of the year.
Humans must be the only animal that celebrates birthdays.
Dogs don't know when they were born. Cats are clueless and could care less. Fish never have a cake with candles to celebrate.
We are the only species to do so.
And when did we start? Hallmark wasn't around, so somebody had to be the push behind birthdays.
I can't imagine Igor and Betty in the cave when one of them turns to the other and says, "Ugh. Birthday. Happy. Bring food."
Maybe they drew pictures on the wall of the cave to highlight when a baby was born, but usually the pictures are of animals, not people.
Or during the Black Plague, did people take time out during all the burials and rat killings to bake a cake? I don't think so.
Presents are another issue.
Who thought of giving presents on birthdays?
Did Lincoln get tickets to a play for his birthday?
Did some poor schmuck get a trip on the Titanic for his?
And why are they called buffalo when they are really bison. Would we honor Bison Bill Cody?
Anyway, I had a pretty good birthday. Talked to Julia; Julia, Emily and John gave me a Rolling Stones concert seat, Starbucks gave me my choice of coffee, Stone Eagle gave me a great sundae while at dinner with great friends, Jackie got me a Miss Kim......and no, that is not some sort of hooker, it's a lilac bush that has fragrant flowers. And the Cubs won.
I guess I will stick around for another year or two.
Aging is an adventure. I hurt in places I never hurt before, I forget things. I get confused. My hair is thinning and my belly is expanding.
But along the way I have had some good times, made some great friends, had lots of laughs, mourned the deaths of family and friends, seen the world, warped some minds, and had a lot of wine.
Thanks to all who said Happy Birthday and to those who have been my friends through all 67 years. Or 68. Whatever.
Peace and love to all.
I am confused.
I turned 67 today, which means tomorrow I will be on Earth 68 years, right?
After all, we celebrate the end of our year, not the beginning. So my birthday came at the end of my 67th year....so in just a minute I will be in my 68th year of life.
In my world, a child has his first birthday the day he/she was born. But in the real world, that birthday comes at the end of the year.
Humans must be the only animal that celebrates birthdays.
Dogs don't know when they were born. Cats are clueless and could care less. Fish never have a cake with candles to celebrate.
We are the only species to do so.
And when did we start? Hallmark wasn't around, so somebody had to be the push behind birthdays.
I can't imagine Igor and Betty in the cave when one of them turns to the other and says, "Ugh. Birthday. Happy. Bring food."
Maybe they drew pictures on the wall of the cave to highlight when a baby was born, but usually the pictures are of animals, not people.
Or during the Black Plague, did people take time out during all the burials and rat killings to bake a cake? I don't think so.
Presents are another issue.
Who thought of giving presents on birthdays?
Did Lincoln get tickets to a play for his birthday?
Did some poor schmuck get a trip on the Titanic for his?
And why are they called buffalo when they are really bison. Would we honor Bison Bill Cody?
Anyway, I had a pretty good birthday. Talked to Julia; Julia, Emily and John gave me a Rolling Stones concert seat, Starbucks gave me my choice of coffee, Stone Eagle gave me a great sundae while at dinner with great friends, Jackie got me a Miss Kim......and no, that is not some sort of hooker, it's a lilac bush that has fragrant flowers. And the Cubs won.
I guess I will stick around for another year or two.
Aging is an adventure. I hurt in places I never hurt before, I forget things. I get confused. My hair is thinning and my belly is expanding.
But along the way I have had some good times, made some great friends, had lots of laughs, mourned the deaths of family and friends, seen the world, warped some minds, and had a lot of wine.
Thanks to all who said Happy Birthday and to those who have been my friends through all 67 years. Or 68. Whatever.
Peace and love to all.
Sunday, May 10, 2015
where to go...what to eat
We usually go out for dinner on my birthday
And that happens to be tomorrow.
In answer to the question, "Where do you want to go?"......... I am stumped.
We had steaks today. (Fresh ones, not ones left in a car for 18 hours. and DJ, I don't know what they do when they age beef. They air dry it, or something. Mine was car dried...except it wasn't dry.)
We had a big dinner partly because it was Mother's Day, but mainly because Bob and Anita are in from California and they came out with Judy. (For those non Dickow knowers, Bob and Judy are Jackie's siblings, Anita is Bob's wife.)
Emily and John also were here, so it was a fun day catching up, seeing pictures of what California living is like, and just visiting.
The down side...we did watch the Cubs and Bulls lose.
We had Mexican Thursday, pizza Saturday night...... I don't have a taste for anything locally.
Heaven on Seven in Naperville would be nice.... barbecue is the theme. But it's a long way to go for supper. Diamond Dave's in Rockford, maybe.
Not a big chain fan, although I do get a senior discount at Denny's..... but it's not a special day type restaurant.
I'm thinking Stone Eagle in Rockford. Variety, nice atmosphere..... good food.
I do get a free piece of chocolate cake at Portillo's.... but again, it's a place we go to a lot.
So, here's my challenge: Make a suggestion. Post it in the comment section. Help me out a little bit here.
I hope all the moms out there had a great day... to be honest, it is days like this I do miss my mom and think of her.
She was a funny lady, I mean she had a good sense of humor. She fought a long battle with breast cancer, but never gave up.
She was lousy with a checkbook. Every couple of years we would just close out the account she was using and move to another bank. It was the only way to balance her checkbook.
She would round entries off. If she wrote a check for $24.50. she would round it to $20. A $26 check would be rounded to $30. It was always amazing when we closed an account that what she thought she had was pretty close to what she actually had.
I suggested Jackie do it that way, but no go.
Anyway, hats off to all moms.
Peace and sweet dreams.
And that happens to be tomorrow.
In answer to the question, "Where do you want to go?"......... I am stumped.
We had steaks today. (Fresh ones, not ones left in a car for 18 hours. and DJ, I don't know what they do when they age beef. They air dry it, or something. Mine was car dried...except it wasn't dry.)
We had a big dinner partly because it was Mother's Day, but mainly because Bob and Anita are in from California and they came out with Judy. (For those non Dickow knowers, Bob and Judy are Jackie's siblings, Anita is Bob's wife.)
Emily and John also were here, so it was a fun day catching up, seeing pictures of what California living is like, and just visiting.
The down side...we did watch the Cubs and Bulls lose.
We had Mexican Thursday, pizza Saturday night...... I don't have a taste for anything locally.
Heaven on Seven in Naperville would be nice.... barbecue is the theme. But it's a long way to go for supper. Diamond Dave's in Rockford, maybe.
Not a big chain fan, although I do get a senior discount at Denny's..... but it's not a special day type restaurant.
I'm thinking Stone Eagle in Rockford. Variety, nice atmosphere..... good food.
I do get a free piece of chocolate cake at Portillo's.... but again, it's a place we go to a lot.
So, here's my challenge: Make a suggestion. Post it in the comment section. Help me out a little bit here.
I hope all the moms out there had a great day... to be honest, it is days like this I do miss my mom and think of her.
She was a funny lady, I mean she had a good sense of humor. She fought a long battle with breast cancer, but never gave up.
She was lousy with a checkbook. Every couple of years we would just close out the account she was using and move to another bank. It was the only way to balance her checkbook.
She would round entries off. If she wrote a check for $24.50. she would round it to $20. A $26 check would be rounded to $30. It was always amazing when we closed an account that what she thought she had was pretty close to what she actually had.
I suggested Jackie do it that way, but no go.
Anyway, hats off to all moms.
Peace and sweet dreams.
Saturday, May 9, 2015
now that was a mistake
Sometimes I am pretty stupid
I said sometimes. Not always. Sometimes.
Yesterday I went plant shopping. Since we ended up at Blumen Gardens in Sycamore, it seemed necessary to stop at Ollie's. It was very good....peanut butter M and M. Dripping good.
On the way home it rained a little, not a lot, but it looked dark.
We hit Headon's for some steaks for Sunday. Jackie's brother is in from California, and we are having a Lombardi clan get together.
I also bought a cherry turnover, because I love cherry turnovers.
So far, so good.
Got home and it was raining a little harder. I got the walker out of the car, Jackie's purse, unlaoded the plants, left the car door open so I could grab the meat, took out the bush, closed the door, went in the house, went out, had some wine.........fun night.
This morning I could not find my turnover.
There are no dogs in the house, so I figured I just put it someplace odd, as I am prone to do at times.
Checked the pantry, checked the dining room table. Then realized I put it in the fridge with the meat.
So I opened the fridge and........no meat.
Then I realized why I had left the car door open....so I could grab the meat.
I called Headon's at 9 and asked them what would happen if I left steaks out in the car for, say....17 hours or so. "Would they be safe to eat?" I asked. He hemmed, hawed, and I asked, "Would you cook them and serve them?"
His answer was quick: No.
I am not going to tell you what 7 New York strips cost. I am trying to forget that.
But rest assured, my guests won't die of food poisoning.
Friday, May 8, 2015
looking for a little pot today
I bought some plants today
I know what you are thinking, you drug crazed sex maniacs!
But they are flowers. Lots of flowers.
And a bush.
We had some winter die off. So I wanted to replace the plants with the same type.
One of them, the coral bells, proved a little harder than I thought.
Plum pudding is not a common coral bell, evidently. I went to four different places before I finally found them. It was like a garden shop tour of northern Illinois.
Coral bells are Heuchera. I can't say the name. I try, but the people at the flower places just look at me and smile and call it something totally different than what I thought it would be. So I call it coral bells.
Sometimes my language skills are like Joey in Friends when he auditions for a French speaking role. I don't have an ear for language.
I have some young people coming over tomorrow and they will be planting my flowers.
Emily won a work day at From the Heart. Emily can't use that right now, for some reason, so Focus House kids will rake and plant for me tomorrow.
Then I have to buy some gas for the grill and finish the vegetable gardens so I can plant those. (No, I don't have to buy gas to finish the vegetable gardens, it's a run on sentence.)
If it rains as much as it is supposed to tonight, the whole plan could be put on hold. Nobody wants to dig in the mud.
If worse comes to worse, I'll have to do the planting myself and say to heck with raking the ditch.
Now that is a devil may care attitude, if I don't say so myself!
I know what you are thinking, you drug crazed sex maniacs!
But they are flowers. Lots of flowers.
And a bush.
We had some winter die off. So I wanted to replace the plants with the same type.
One of them, the coral bells, proved a little harder than I thought.
Plum pudding is not a common coral bell, evidently. I went to four different places before I finally found them. It was like a garden shop tour of northern Illinois.
Coral bells are Heuchera. I can't say the name. I try, but the people at the flower places just look at me and smile and call it something totally different than what I thought it would be. So I call it coral bells.
Sometimes my language skills are like Joey in Friends when he auditions for a French speaking role. I don't have an ear for language.
I have some young people coming over tomorrow and they will be planting my flowers.
Emily won a work day at From the Heart. Emily can't use that right now, for some reason, so Focus House kids will rake and plant for me tomorrow.
Then I have to buy some gas for the grill and finish the vegetable gardens so I can plant those. (No, I don't have to buy gas to finish the vegetable gardens, it's a run on sentence.)
If it rains as much as it is supposed to tonight, the whole plan could be put on hold. Nobody wants to dig in the mud.
If worse comes to worse, I'll have to do the planting myself and say to heck with raking the ditch.
Now that is a devil may care attitude, if I don't say so myself!
Thursday, May 7, 2015
it's how much??
I am eligible for senior discounts
I know many of you are shocked to know I am over 49, but it is true.
I can get a senior discount in a lot of places.
But I have to ask.
I know the discounts are available, but honestly, I felt goofy asking for them.
First off, I am not mentally a senior. Not a senior citizen, not a senior statesman, not even a senior in high school. Don't get me wrong, I have senior moments.
Like today. Was weeding the plants in front. I went out with four tools. By the time I hit the fifth plant, I only had three tools. I lost my pronger donger type tool. I looked, and looked, and looked....but I never found it.
Aside from that senior moment, and trying to heat up my food by putting it in the fridge instead of the microwave, I am of sound mind and semi sound body.
So should I take the discounts? More importantly, should I ask for one?
For example, Big R gives 15 percent off to seniors on the first Tuesday of the month. I want to buy a shepherd's hook to hang a feeder and they are $30 or so. 15 per cent is.....borrow from the ones, trade tens, divide by ten, add the temperature of the human body at rest.....$4.50, which pays for my coffee at Cypress House!
McDonald's has a senior coffee, Kohl's has senior Wednesday. At Kohl's, if you have the right type of coupons you can buy stuff and they actually give you money!!
I always feel guilty about taking the discount, because truthfully the money never seems to amount to much.
Maybe I am looking at it the wrong way. I should view it as a challenge: Can I raise enough money by getting senior discounts to buy a Porsche?
Reaching an age where I get a senior discount. Almost makes the sore knees, failing eyesight, flatulence, faulty hearing and memory loss worth it.
Almost.
I know many of you are shocked to know I am over 49, but it is true.
I can get a senior discount in a lot of places.
But I have to ask.
I know the discounts are available, but honestly, I felt goofy asking for them.
First off, I am not mentally a senior. Not a senior citizen, not a senior statesman, not even a senior in high school. Don't get me wrong, I have senior moments.
Like today. Was weeding the plants in front. I went out with four tools. By the time I hit the fifth plant, I only had three tools. I lost my pronger donger type tool. I looked, and looked, and looked....but I never found it.
Aside from that senior moment, and trying to heat up my food by putting it in the fridge instead of the microwave, I am of sound mind and semi sound body.
So should I take the discounts? More importantly, should I ask for one?
For example, Big R gives 15 percent off to seniors on the first Tuesday of the month. I want to buy a shepherd's hook to hang a feeder and they are $30 or so. 15 per cent is.....borrow from the ones, trade tens, divide by ten, add the temperature of the human body at rest.....$4.50, which pays for my coffee at Cypress House!
McDonald's has a senior coffee, Kohl's has senior Wednesday. At Kohl's, if you have the right type of coupons you can buy stuff and they actually give you money!!
I always feel guilty about taking the discount, because truthfully the money never seems to amount to much.
Maybe I am looking at it the wrong way. I should view it as a challenge: Can I raise enough money by getting senior discounts to buy a Porsche?
Reaching an age where I get a senior discount. Almost makes the sore knees, failing eyesight, flatulence, faulty hearing and memory loss worth it.
Almost.
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
must be the full moon
I am going nuts because of people
Good gracious, what is wrong with people?
The other day I was on my way into town. I was turning left onto Flagg Road at the same time a car was turning onto Flagg Road from Indian Trials subdivision.
Now folks, that road is at least a quarter mile away. I don't drive fast. I accelerate gently to conserve fuel and protect the environment.
I caught up to the guy almost immediately. Yes, guy. Middle aged guy driving a light tan SUV. He was doing 20. 20! Plus he was swerving over the yellow line then going onto the shoulder. I was going to call the police, but a passing zone opened and I passed by him at about the mind numbing speed of 40.
He was texting!! He had his dam phone in his right hand and he had his arm extended about two feet from his body! The reason he was driving erratically was, he was texting!
Unbelievable.
I did not call the police, because I figured by the time I pulled over and called, he would have been done and driving normally....if he lived that long.
I went to Walmart today and some lazy butt had left their cart in a parking spot 10 feet away from a cart corral. Ten feet!! The person was too lazy, or stupid, to walk the 10 feet and put the cart where it would not be blocking a parking space.
Don't get me started on the Cubs! If they had blown tonight's game, I would have blown a gasket! Two games when they were ahead, two games they lose. At least tonight they held on, but they have a way to go to be contenders.
Finally, voles.
At least I think it was a vole.
I was mowing and a fat little mouse like creature with no tail ran through the grass. It kept running back and forth, unable to decide where it wanted to go.
I went into the house for my butterfly net (yes, I have a butterfly net. Laugh if you want. I don't know how good it is for catching voles, but I was determined to try) but when I got back it was gone. That explains the holes in the back yard and the trails through the grass.
OK, the vole isn't people, but it has legs and hair, which means it could be smarter than the guy texting and the shopper to lazy to push the cart to the return.
That's it.
Love and peace to all.
Good gracious, what is wrong with people?
The other day I was on my way into town. I was turning left onto Flagg Road at the same time a car was turning onto Flagg Road from Indian Trials subdivision.
Now folks, that road is at least a quarter mile away. I don't drive fast. I accelerate gently to conserve fuel and protect the environment.
I caught up to the guy almost immediately. Yes, guy. Middle aged guy driving a light tan SUV. He was doing 20. 20! Plus he was swerving over the yellow line then going onto the shoulder. I was going to call the police, but a passing zone opened and I passed by him at about the mind numbing speed of 40.
He was texting!! He had his dam phone in his right hand and he had his arm extended about two feet from his body! The reason he was driving erratically was, he was texting!
Unbelievable.
I did not call the police, because I figured by the time I pulled over and called, he would have been done and driving normally....if he lived that long.
I went to Walmart today and some lazy butt had left their cart in a parking spot 10 feet away from a cart corral. Ten feet!! The person was too lazy, or stupid, to walk the 10 feet and put the cart where it would not be blocking a parking space.
Don't get me started on the Cubs! If they had blown tonight's game, I would have blown a gasket! Two games when they were ahead, two games they lose. At least tonight they held on, but they have a way to go to be contenders.
Finally, voles.
At least I think it was a vole.
I was mowing and a fat little mouse like creature with no tail ran through the grass. It kept running back and forth, unable to decide where it wanted to go.
I went into the house for my butterfly net (yes, I have a butterfly net. Laugh if you want. I don't know how good it is for catching voles, but I was determined to try) but when I got back it was gone. That explains the holes in the back yard and the trails through the grass.
OK, the vole isn't people, but it has legs and hair, which means it could be smarter than the guy texting and the shopper to lazy to push the cart to the return.
That's it.
Love and peace to all.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
what's that noise?
I have ringing in the ears
I know that is not something new to you, I have mentioned this before.
During winter's coldest days, I can hear locust singing in the trees in my mind.
There is a high pitch that is constant...a tinny hum that I hear day or night, awake or asleep.
This has been a problem for years. I read some articles on line and basically there is no cure or medication, but there are some mind control techniques that you can do.
Mind control?
If I had any control, I would not eat like a pig.
Something new has developed in the past few days.
When someone taps on a glass with a spoon, it makes a clinking sound. Try that 24/7!
When I first noticed it on Sunday, I thought there was a smoke detector losing its battery. Then I looked for a dripping faucet. I looked for an appliance that had a dying battery.
Nope. It's all inside my head.
I have a problem with names.....and now I think it's because the constant noise takes up space in the memory card and causing the brain to jettison information considered not vital. Like names. Or bread when I go to the grocery store. Or telling my wife someone called for her and it's important to call them back but that was yesterday so maybe it is no longer important.
In any case, it's we8ird inside with the high pitched noise, the locusts, the beeping and the general crackling all mixed into a strange, chaotic symphony.
It's enough to drive me to drink. Kind of maddening, really.
I also think that's why some nights I don't sleep well, and why I seem to sleep better with music playing outside my head.
Maybe it's time to visit an audiologist......after all, there could be something I can do to ease the situation. Or not.
I gotta go.....seems the phone is ringing.
I know that is not something new to you, I have mentioned this before.
During winter's coldest days, I can hear locust singing in the trees in my mind.
There is a high pitch that is constant...a tinny hum that I hear day or night, awake or asleep.
This has been a problem for years. I read some articles on line and basically there is no cure or medication, but there are some mind control techniques that you can do.
Mind control?
If I had any control, I would not eat like a pig.
Something new has developed in the past few days.
When someone taps on a glass with a spoon, it makes a clinking sound. Try that 24/7!
When I first noticed it on Sunday, I thought there was a smoke detector losing its battery. Then I looked for a dripping faucet. I looked for an appliance that had a dying battery.
Nope. It's all inside my head.
I have a problem with names.....and now I think it's because the constant noise takes up space in the memory card and causing the brain to jettison information considered not vital. Like names. Or bread when I go to the grocery store. Or telling my wife someone called for her and it's important to call them back but that was yesterday so maybe it is no longer important.
In any case, it's we8ird inside with the high pitched noise, the locusts, the beeping and the general crackling all mixed into a strange, chaotic symphony.
It's enough to drive me to drink. Kind of maddening, really.
I also think that's why some nights I don't sleep well, and why I seem to sleep better with music playing outside my head.
Maybe it's time to visit an audiologist......after all, there could be something I can do to ease the situation. Or not.
I gotta go.....seems the phone is ringing.
Monday, May 4, 2015
why? because
We save too much stuff
Going through the garage stuff has proven that point.
Yes, some of it was saved for a reason. We put Julia's dishes, pots and pans, decorations, and knick knacks (that's an old person's word for stuff that collects dust) into tubs and stored them first in our basement, then in Emily's.
An EF 4 tornado kind of forces you to sift through the stuff and discard the broken, the unwanted, the unnecessary.
What have we encountered?
We found Jackie's picture of her grandpa from WW I. We would like to get that restored, so we are going to visit Danny at the studio to get his opinion, and estimate.
Emily was in Camp Fire Girls along about 2nd or third grade. We have her vest. Still. Last week while I was at the museum entertaining myself I looked at the Camp Fire Girls display in the Curiosity Cabinet. They disbanded in Rochelle in 1992. If any one wants the vest, call ASAP.
We have a parent guide for kindergartners for Kimble Hill Elementary in Rolling Meadows.
We found the authentication slip for Julia's Troy Aikman autographed photo, but the framed 11 x 14 picture has flown the coop.
A nice set of hand painted dishes, which may belong to Julia, but she has no recollection of them. Along the dish line, her Fiesta ware took a beating as did Jackie's grandmother's China. Does anyone use China anymore? We used to, at Christmas, but it always has to be hand washed. Jackie's was a beautiful set and I was sad to see it damaged.
My historical guide to Chicago is from about 1960. Judging by my signature, I was just learning cursive. In all honesty, it actually looks better than my current handwriting.
(Digression: One year after report cards came out, a little girl came in and said, "You have a funny first name, Mr. Dickow." I said I didn't think it was funny...actually pretty common. "But your name is Tenny. My folks said that was strange." Well, when it came to signing my name I got a little lazy and my r looked like n...so Terry Dickow became Tenny Dickow. I tried to write more carefully after that.)
Cabbage Patch dolls of Emily's went to a family friend, and her little girl is enjoying the heck out of the dolls. By the way, the little girl's name is Julia!
What was amazing was a tub could be still sealed, and there was insulation inside! In fact, one tub was snapped shut...but a ball of yarn was outside the box, with the other half still inside the snapped tight lid.
While it is good to get rid on unwanted things, I know there is a better way than having your house destroyed.
Going through the garage stuff has proven that point.
Yes, some of it was saved for a reason. We put Julia's dishes, pots and pans, decorations, and knick knacks (that's an old person's word for stuff that collects dust) into tubs and stored them first in our basement, then in Emily's.
An EF 4 tornado kind of forces you to sift through the stuff and discard the broken, the unwanted, the unnecessary.
What have we encountered?
We found Jackie's picture of her grandpa from WW I. We would like to get that restored, so we are going to visit Danny at the studio to get his opinion, and estimate.
Emily was in Camp Fire Girls along about 2nd or third grade. We have her vest. Still. Last week while I was at the museum entertaining myself I looked at the Camp Fire Girls display in the Curiosity Cabinet. They disbanded in Rochelle in 1992. If any one wants the vest, call ASAP.
We have a parent guide for kindergartners for Kimble Hill Elementary in Rolling Meadows.
We found the authentication slip for Julia's Troy Aikman autographed photo, but the framed 11 x 14 picture has flown the coop.
A nice set of hand painted dishes, which may belong to Julia, but she has no recollection of them. Along the dish line, her Fiesta ware took a beating as did Jackie's grandmother's China. Does anyone use China anymore? We used to, at Christmas, but it always has to be hand washed. Jackie's was a beautiful set and I was sad to see it damaged.
My historical guide to Chicago is from about 1960. Judging by my signature, I was just learning cursive. In all honesty, it actually looks better than my current handwriting.
(Digression: One year after report cards came out, a little girl came in and said, "You have a funny first name, Mr. Dickow." I said I didn't think it was funny...actually pretty common. "But your name is Tenny. My folks said that was strange." Well, when it came to signing my name I got a little lazy and my r looked like n...so Terry Dickow became Tenny Dickow. I tried to write more carefully after that.)
Cabbage Patch dolls of Emily's went to a family friend, and her little girl is enjoying the heck out of the dolls. By the way, the little girl's name is Julia!
What was amazing was a tub could be still sealed, and there was insulation inside! In fact, one tub was snapped shut...but a ball of yarn was outside the box, with the other half still inside the snapped tight lid.
While it is good to get rid on unwanted things, I know there is a better way than having your house destroyed.
Sunday, May 3, 2015
What a day....
I am a little tired tonight
I did an MS walk this morning. Emily, John, Sherri and I walked with the Miles for Smiles team in Rockford. This is a team formed by the Hayden/Harper clan and it was great they welcomed us into their family.
Jackie was there, but she did not walk. She did enjoy the beautiful sunny morning.
Several years ago we walked in St Charles. It was a hot day. The walk was along the Fox River, but there had been some flooding so the path was changed. You walked about 2 or 3 miles. turned around, and walked back. It was hot. I hope I don't forget to mention it was hot.
That walk took about 3 hours, if memory serves correctly, which it often doesn't.
Today's walk....about 35 minutes.
It was short. It was not hot.
Length does not matter because it all goes toward raising money to find a cure for MS.
I also signed up for a bike ride in June. If you want to contribute to an MS event, go to this site:
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/ILDBikeEvents?px=14080464&pg=personal&fr_id=25280
That should take you to my personal page and you can donate.
I am riding with the Jackies Jokers team. I had planned a team, but at this point I am a lone ranger! You can also sign up to ride, but you have to raise $300 in pledges. I have a ways to go.
(Truth: I don't remember making a personal page. The good looking person on the bike is not me.)
When we got home , I almost finished the raised beds, planted 9 oak trees in a plastic container that weighs 90 tons, cleaned two bathrooms and a bedroom, did some laundry and emptied the dish washer.
John and Kevin got the grill on the patio, so tomorrow I can test for leaks. And order a replacement side piece because this one is broken.
I am listening to thunder in the distance, and not sure how I will sleep tonight.
Tomorrow my plan is to ride my bike and assemble my new patio furniture.
Add my inability to follow directions with my inability to read small print, and you can just guess what they will look like!
Jackie has dusted a couple of rooms, so I get to run the vacuum. We generally clean every Thursday, but since April 9 we have not done that. It was a little confusing around here.
But the kids have moved into their rental, so we are empty nesters again.
Peace and love, world.
I did an MS walk this morning. Emily, John, Sherri and I walked with the Miles for Smiles team in Rockford. This is a team formed by the Hayden/Harper clan and it was great they welcomed us into their family.
Jackie was there, but she did not walk. She did enjoy the beautiful sunny morning.
Several years ago we walked in St Charles. It was a hot day. The walk was along the Fox River, but there had been some flooding so the path was changed. You walked about 2 or 3 miles. turned around, and walked back. It was hot. I hope I don't forget to mention it was hot.
That walk took about 3 hours, if memory serves correctly, which it often doesn't.
Today's walk....about 35 minutes.
It was short. It was not hot.
Length does not matter because it all goes toward raising money to find a cure for MS.
I also signed up for a bike ride in June. If you want to contribute to an MS event, go to this site:
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/ILDBikeEvents?px=14080464&pg=personal&fr_id=25280
That should take you to my personal page and you can donate.
I am riding with the Jackies Jokers team. I had planned a team, but at this point I am a lone ranger! You can also sign up to ride, but you have to raise $300 in pledges. I have a ways to go.
(Truth: I don't remember making a personal page. The good looking person on the bike is not me.)
When we got home , I almost finished the raised beds, planted 9 oak trees in a plastic container that weighs 90 tons, cleaned two bathrooms and a bedroom, did some laundry and emptied the dish washer.
John and Kevin got the grill on the patio, so tomorrow I can test for leaks. And order a replacement side piece because this one is broken.
I am listening to thunder in the distance, and not sure how I will sleep tonight.
Tomorrow my plan is to ride my bike and assemble my new patio furniture.
Add my inability to follow directions with my inability to read small print, and you can just guess what they will look like!
Jackie has dusted a couple of rooms, so I get to run the vacuum. We generally clean every Thursday, but since April 9 we have not done that. It was a little confusing around here.
But the kids have moved into their rental, so we are empty nesters again.
Peace and love, world.
Saturday, May 2, 2015
dag nabbit!!
I called someone by the wrong name....again!
I knew who he was, but for some reason it came out all wrong! He just looked like someone else and I get terribly confused.
It's not only people. Back in the 60s there was a British spy show called The Avengers. I was in lust with Emma Peel, played by Diana Riggs. I still remember her name! She was quite attractive.
So when The Avengers movie came out, I was pretty stoked. I wondered who would play Emma Peel?
Imagine my chagrin when I discovered....I was from a different decade. Or two. The Avengers is a comic book based movie, and it does not include Emma Peel and John Steed! Who knew? OK, anyone under 55 probably did, but not me.
And I heard Hawkeye was going to be in the area. I thought the character from M.A.S.H. was touring in the form of Alan Alda but nooooooo, old one, Hawkeye is a band. Or a singer. But he is not from Korea in the 50s. Again, who knew?
Earl Flatt and Lester Scruggs were old timey "country" music players. I still hear Luster Scruggs touring, but it does not seem to be the 865 year old banjo player I remember from my youth. Again, who knew????
I really think life is a cycle. What was new back in the 50s is back again, new again, same name but different beat and a different look.
Doesn't make it better, doesn't make it worse....just different.
And for us older guys, it does present problems. We are having enough trouble trying to heat up suppers in the fridge! Confusing us with similar names is just not nice!
After all, I still think the Rumble in the Jungle was the fight of the century....and that wasn't too long ago...was it?
I knew who he was, but for some reason it came out all wrong! He just looked like someone else and I get terribly confused.
It's not only people. Back in the 60s there was a British spy show called The Avengers. I was in lust with Emma Peel, played by Diana Riggs. I still remember her name! She was quite attractive.
So when The Avengers movie came out, I was pretty stoked. I wondered who would play Emma Peel?
Imagine my chagrin when I discovered....I was from a different decade. Or two. The Avengers is a comic book based movie, and it does not include Emma Peel and John Steed! Who knew? OK, anyone under 55 probably did, but not me.
And I heard Hawkeye was going to be in the area. I thought the character from M.A.S.H. was touring in the form of Alan Alda but nooooooo, old one, Hawkeye is a band. Or a singer. But he is not from Korea in the 50s. Again, who knew?
Earl Flatt and Lester Scruggs were old timey "country" music players. I still hear Luster Scruggs touring, but it does not seem to be the 865 year old banjo player I remember from my youth. Again, who knew????
I really think life is a cycle. What was new back in the 50s is back again, new again, same name but different beat and a different look.
Doesn't make it better, doesn't make it worse....just different.
And for us older guys, it does present problems. We are having enough trouble trying to heat up suppers in the fridge! Confusing us with similar names is just not nice!
After all, I still think the Rumble in the Jungle was the fight of the century....and that wasn't too long ago...was it?
Friday, May 1, 2015
oops....
I forgot a date to remember
I had my weekend all planned out: finish the raised gardens, move the dirt, install the railing, reseed and fertilize......
Then I got a phone call reminding me that I volunteered to be at the museum Saturday. All day. 11-4.
I did not remember the date, but I remembered volunteering.
I may only be there 11-2...jury is still out on that.
I know it's only three hours, but it comes in the middle of the day! I could try to get up and do some dirt sifting, but I don't get up early.
OK, dirt sifting. I know you are thinking I had a typo. I don't. I have a pile of dirt on the lot next door. There are rocks and other debris in the dirt. I bought some chicken wire, built a 2 ft by 3 ft. frame, and stretched the wire over the frame. Now I scoop up the dirt, throw it on top of the wire, shake it back and forth and the rocks get sorted out.
My arms are killing. me. (I used to ask fifth graders if their face hurt. If they asked why, I'd laugh and say "Cause it's killing me!" They did not laugh. But they also learned to ignore the question.)
Lifting, sifting, shoveling.....it's a drag on an old body like mine. But I did manage to fill one yard cart and move it to the raised garden. I have another cart started, and hopefully I can get that to the raised garden before it rains.
I have a tow behind spreader. I did not think (surprise) too clearly on how it works with my mower. In theory, you hook it to the tractor, start moving, reach back and open the hopper and spread whatever stuff you want merrily around your yard.
Unfortunately, the reach is about 3 feet. I can't reach it from the mower seat. If I open the hopper and don't move right away, seed or fertilizer just spills out.
So I have a 4 ft. pole (no, I am not making a joke about someone from a European country who is short. It's an actual pole.) and I start the mower, reach back with the pole, open the hopper and go like mad.
I have a zero turn radius mower and if I take my hands off the controls, it goes in weird directions.
If I was able to mark where I was going, it would look like a drunken lunatic was driving. Hopefully the grass will be evenly green and not have huge swatches of dark green, or dead, lawn.
Reseeding and fertilizer....done.
moving dirt pile.....one third done
finishing planters.....one half done
tired and sore....completely done
I had my weekend all planned out: finish the raised gardens, move the dirt, install the railing, reseed and fertilize......
Then I got a phone call reminding me that I volunteered to be at the museum Saturday. All day. 11-4.
I did not remember the date, but I remembered volunteering.
I may only be there 11-2...jury is still out on that.
I know it's only three hours, but it comes in the middle of the day! I could try to get up and do some dirt sifting, but I don't get up early.
OK, dirt sifting. I know you are thinking I had a typo. I don't. I have a pile of dirt on the lot next door. There are rocks and other debris in the dirt. I bought some chicken wire, built a 2 ft by 3 ft. frame, and stretched the wire over the frame. Now I scoop up the dirt, throw it on top of the wire, shake it back and forth and the rocks get sorted out.
My arms are killing. me. (I used to ask fifth graders if their face hurt. If they asked why, I'd laugh and say "Cause it's killing me!" They did not laugh. But they also learned to ignore the question.)
Lifting, sifting, shoveling.....it's a drag on an old body like mine. But I did manage to fill one yard cart and move it to the raised garden. I have another cart started, and hopefully I can get that to the raised garden before it rains.
I have a tow behind spreader. I did not think (surprise) too clearly on how it works with my mower. In theory, you hook it to the tractor, start moving, reach back and open the hopper and spread whatever stuff you want merrily around your yard.
Unfortunately, the reach is about 3 feet. I can't reach it from the mower seat. If I open the hopper and don't move right away, seed or fertilizer just spills out.
So I have a 4 ft. pole (no, I am not making a joke about someone from a European country who is short. It's an actual pole.) and I start the mower, reach back with the pole, open the hopper and go like mad.
I have a zero turn radius mower and if I take my hands off the controls, it goes in weird directions.
If I was able to mark where I was going, it would look like a drunken lunatic was driving. Hopefully the grass will be evenly green and not have huge swatches of dark green, or dead, lawn.
Reseeding and fertilizer....done.
moving dirt pile.....one third done
finishing planters.....one half done
tired and sore....completely done
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