day.....auld lang syne......289

 Happy New Year

    This is short because we have a crowd coming tonight.

    George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Barack and Michelle....it is going to  be a riot of a night!

    I honestly don't remember the last time we were home for New Year's.  We usually go to a friends and play games, but that is not happening this year.

    So.....read a little, spider solitaire, maybe some on line games.  Sky is the limit.

    Just seems so strange, doesn't it.

    I wish you all a Happy New Year, a healthy and safe 2021, and blessings for the next year.

    We'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne

Peace and Love

day....olio....288

Nothing stands out about the day 

    We did not lose power.  I had a fairly good night's sleep.

    I had a physical therapy appointment in Sycamore at 11 a.m.  The roads were good except for the road by my house.  Honestly, I thought about going home because the road was slippery and ice packed....felt like I was driving over rumble strips.  But the road was clear when I hit town.

    After therapy I dawdled a little.  

    Went to the store for toilet paper because I was down to 184 rolls, ordered on line from Starbucks, and stopped for some pictures.

    So I didn't get home till almost 3.  Luckily, Julia had everything under control.

    Tomorrow Julia and I, mainly Julia, will attack the snow covered walk and ice covered driveway.  I just have to be careful and no do anything stupid.

    Last night during the freezing rain and sleet and howling wind t I realized I had not gotten the mail.  I gingerly made my way across the frozen tundra and retrieved my mail......two advertisements.

    What a waste.

    Tonight I realized I had not gotten the mail again, so I shuffled down the driveway and pulled out 3 advertisements.  

    I am begining to sense a pattern.

    Also, I did not win the big lottery, so none of you are getting $20,000 checks.  Sorry.

    Stay safe.  Wear a mask.  Be careful out there.

Peace and Love

And pictures

Emily and John  brought their new dog, Marietta over the other day and Corki decided to lay on the tree skirt to avoid her!  In the five years we have had her, she has never done this.  It did make for a cute picture.  Notice the cookie ornament on the right...that is Julia in third grade, maybe second.   Memories.

day....snow!!!!.....287

 We are having a major snow event

    Several inches have fallen, but at about 8 it turned to freezing rain/ice.  Our windows are frozen over, giving an outside view a distorted appearance.  Corki does not like it.

    I am anticipating loss of power at some point, so I have filled a 5 gallon bucket with water for flushing and three one gallon jugs for drinking.  Never hurts to be prepared. And because I am prepared, the power will thankfully stay on all through the night.

    Day 2 of wearing pants all day went well.  

    Julia had company....a friend from Switzerland who is now living in Chicago.  She and her husband came out and we had a nice lunch, a couple of glasses of wine, and some fun watching their two girls.  Everybody  in the family had Covid tests recently and were negative, so we felt pretty safe.

    Friend Bethie stopped by for a calendar and dropped off a gift.  I miss her, Carrie, TC and our Exit 99 gatherings.  I wonder if we could do a Zoom get together and open it up for people to watch.....that would be funny.

    I think we all could do with a little funny in our lives.  

    I also went to the store for Jackie.  She wanted a Head and Shoulders shampoo and conditioner, and Garnier Fructus green bottle and red bottle conditioners.

    Here is my frustration.  They only had the H/S shampoo in the flavor she wanted.  They had a lot of shampoo.  So why do they have a lot of shampoo and no conditioner?  Don't people usually buy them together?  It was the same with the Garnier products....lots of shampoo, no conditioner.  For some reason that really baffles me.

    Then again, a lot of things baffle me.  Why are they called polar bears when they are only found in the Arctic region?  Why not call them Arctic bears?  Polar implies they live at the poles, which they do not.

    When Ford named it's ill fated car  Pinto, were they naming it after a horse or a bean?

    Lima beans grown in Peru...are they called Lima limas?  And if llamas like them, is is right to say llamas like licking Lima limas?

    Why was it always called Ma Bell when Alexander was a man?

    What do you do with a comquat?  Even more, how do you spell it correctly?

    Why is 3 a magic number in sports?  3 outs to an inning, 3 strikes to an out, 3 points for a field goal, 3 fingers on Mordecai Brown, 3 strikes in bowling is a turkey, not an out.

    Inquiring minds want to know.

    And now the wind is howling again.  Gonna be a long night in Northern Illinois.

    Stay home.  Stay safe.

Peace and Love

day.....strange.....286

Sometimes I don't understand my body 

    I have not worn pants for six weeks, except for an hour here or there.  I have been wearing lounge pants.  Now, most people call them pajama bottoms, but they are listed as lounge ware in the finer clothing catalogs.

    Why do I wear these?  After the surgery, it was tough to wear a belt and a fixed waistline.  The lounge pants were expandable, flexible, roomy, comfortable.

    I had three pair.  I was going through those pertty quickly.  I ordered a couple of pair that were on sale and noticed a huge difference right off the bat.  The new ones were heavier, fit looser, and were more comfortable.

    One pair has Bigfoot going through a forest in an unending pattern.  I wore them to physical therapy and my therapist went wild!  She loved them and wished she could get some for her husband.  The next time I went, I did not wear them and she was disappointed.  

    All of that has nothing to do with understanding my body.

    I wore pants all day today.  I pulled the belt tight, but not too tight.  All day I was fine.  I went out.  Walked around.  No problem.

    At 8:45 tonight I was doing dishes and my pants just fell to the floor!  I hiked them up, walked into the living room and they fell again!  So I pulled the belt one notch tighter and that helped.

    This is not the first time I have experienced this.  After 8 p.m. my belly seems to shirnk. (Beth, stop laughing.  I am serious.)  The belt length that held my pants up all day is too loose at about 8 p.m.  Weird.

    Also about that time, I itch like crazy on my chest and belly.  Every night.  Some nights I take a Benadryl to stop the itching, some night I just scratch.

    In bed, my feet suddenly start burning and itching and I spray with Lotrimin, or something along that line.

    Any logical answers would be appreciated.

    I think I am built wrong....because my nose runs and my feet smell.  Should be the other way around.

    Watch out for snow and ice tomorrow...could be a major problem in our area.

    Stay safe.  Stay home.  Stay in a mask.

Peace and Love

PS.....if you did not see anything weird about the kitchen towel in yesterday's blog, check out the animals at the end of line two and the start of line three.  

day......short nevers.......285

 I swore I would never watch the Bears again

    They lost to the Lions on a bone headed play with less than 2 minutes to go 3 weeks ago.

    But I have watched them reel off 3 wins in a row.  They actually looked like a football team.  Of course Jacksonville has lost 14 in a row.  Still.....

    That is the only thing I did today!  Well, I did my pelvic floor exercises, but not all of them.  I have to get into the routine on doing all of them every day.

    We did have to call John to help pick Jackie up.  She missed her chair and landed on the floor.  Julia and I were not in a position to catch her and since I can't lift, it was John to the rescue.

    No blood.  No damage.  No harm.  Once again, we lucked out.

    Jackie loves tea towels.  She has them for every holiday.  A new tea towel appeared on the freezer part of the refrigerator and I thought it was an attractive towel.   It hung there for several days before I was asked if I had looked at it closely.  Emily, Julia and John just kept laughing.

    Finally I looked at it closely.  You can too.

    What is funny about it to you?

    4 more days of 20....we can do it.

    Stay safe. Stay healthy.  Wear a mask.

Peace and Love

Our new tea towel......see anything funny or strange in it?

I llve the Skare Park oaks!

day....it's dark.....284

 This was a dark day for us

    Well, technically it was a dark evening.  Literally.

    Our power blinked off then on at 5:45 p.m.  At 6 I went into town to pick up some take out.  I passed an accident on Flagg Road where a car hit a utility pole.  That pole then fell on another set of wires, causing some smoke and sparks.  I assume that's why the power blinked.

    Then it got worse.

    I stopped at the restaurant.  I was the third car in line.  I took out my wallet and put it on the seat next to me.   I was the second car in line.  I put on my mask.  I was the first car.

    Young female came to the car and told me the amount.....I reached for my wallet.....You guessed it: Gone!!

    I turned on the car interior lights and looked.  It may have fallen between the seats, or on the floor, or is under the seat.

    I told the girl could not find my wallet and had to get out to look for it.  There were now cars behind me, so I pulled up and tried to take off my seat belt.

    The belt somehow wrapped around the strap for my facemask, ripping my face mask off and tossing my hearing aids all over the place.  

    Now I don't have my wallet and I have to look for my hearing aids.

I open the door and notice one hearing aid on the floor.  I pick it up and put it in my pocket.  I then look in the center console and find my wallet.  The second hearing aid is on the seat, where the wallet was.

    Spirits?  Goblins?  Invisible hands moving my stuff around?

    Anyway, I paid, got the food, went home the long way because the four firetrucks, ambulance and police were still on the road....I could see flashing red lights.

    I got home and while I was talking to my sister in law on the phone, the power went out.  It does not come back on.  I light candles, get my flashlights, Julia uses her phone to come up the stairs from the basement.

    I called SIL on my cell phone (or mobile, as Julia knows it as) to explain I did not hang up on her, but the power was gone and so was my land line.

    We thenhad  a nice candlelight supper.

    For you city folk, no power in the country means you don't have water because we have a well to pump water into the house.  No water means no flushing..  And yes, it is an inconvenience because once the lights go everyone has to use the toilet.

    I don't know how long the power was out...maybe an hour.  I am just glad it was not really cold and windy, because our house stayed fairly warm.

    All is well that ends well.  Supper was good, the quiet was nice, phone visits were good and now it's almost time for bed.

    Hope you had an uneventful day.

    Stay safe.  Stay healthy.  Wear a mask.

Peace and Love

day....sigh.....283

 I had a wonderful Christmas...hope you did too

    It was a small gathering...Emily, John, Camryn, Jackie, Julia and me.  We have been together a lot and none of us have been out much, so we feel pretty safe as a group.

    But we did miss the people we normally have as dinner tuests.  It was hard not to see their faces or eat the foods they brought, but we, make that me, was/am not comfortable around people who may have been exposed.

    Even among ourselves, outside of dinner, we tend to stay distanced.  It's not the best of times, but not the worst either.

    I did get to wrap presents and sip egg nog while watching "It's a Wonderful Life" Christmas Eve.

    Most of you know I am kind of an emotional person.  I tend to tear up at the end of that movie and during "Silent Night,"  which always reminds me of my mother.

    That's one of the beauties of Christmas...the memories.  It seems like the ghost of Christmas Past and the Ghost of Christmas Present are always strong in my mind .

    I hope you had a happy Christmas with your family and loved ones.  May your days be jolly and bright, and may all your Christmases be filled with laughter and Joy.  Sorry Bing, I had to adapt.

Peace and Love

day.......almost here.....282

 I wish you a Merry Christmas

    All my shopping is done, some wrapping to do. Zoomed church, had a great pizza supper......thank you Kathy and John.....and wonderful wine.  

    The stockings are hung by the chimney with care...and that is about it for me.

    Just want you to have a Metry Christmas.....enjoy the day with your family or friends if you can.  I know this is not the normal Christmas....people we would have over are not coming this year because we are old and scared.

    At least old.

    ".....we will be together, if he fates allow....until then we'll have to muddle through some how........"

    Merry Christmas.  Peace to you all.

day.....Eve. eve....281

 I admit, sometimes I don't enjoy Christmas

    There is always so much to do, and this year it is even worse.

    We cut back on presents.  Mainly it was a lack of opportunity to go out and shop, so there is a cutback.

    But it is the pressure I put on myself because, well, just because.

    For example.......Had a gift on the kitchen ledge.  Went to pick it up tonight and it is gone.

    Jackie said she saw it, but wasn't sure where.

    Julia said she saw it, and I picked it up to put it in a safe spot.

    During the course of looking for it, I cleaned out my sock drawer and discovered 5 old pairs of eyeglasses, two lenses, one plastic lense for when Jackie had cataract surgery, 3 eyeglass cases, 2 2-dollar bills, a wallet from the 1920s, two bandanas,  an envelope with money for Julia that I got from selling some of her stuff in Creston 2 or three years ago,  and a partridge in a pear tree.

    Ok, no partridge.  Just a lot of stuff.  But not what I was looking for.

    I checked Jackie's drawers, (the ones in her dresser) looked in the den, checked my shoes, (Carrie and Beth...had it covered), everywhere.  No such luck.

    We all saw it.  We all saw it in different places.

    Eventually I ended up in the dining room and there it was, on the dining room table.  No one remembers putting it there.  

    All the while I was getting more and more upset at my inability to A:  put things away; B:  remember where I put them when I do put them away.

    And I am missing one present...can't seem to find it.  I don't even know if it came, although I t hought it did and I put it......well, somewhere.

    It will turn up...maybe in my underwear drawer, who knows?

    Stay safe.  Stay healthy.  Wear a mask.  Wrap those presents.

Peace and Love

day.....like a Mongol horde.....280

 Sometimes I am a bottomless pit

    We actually had a home cooked meal tonight......breaded schnitzel and broiled potatoes with some carrots and Jen's bread from Cypress House.  I also made a salad.

    Not to brag, but no one got sick.

    Unfortunately, I am still hungry.  I am snacking on anything I can get my little fingers around....an orange, chocolate, trail mix, Kind mini bars, pretzels.

    When I was younger I had a date with a girl.  We went to see a movie in downtown Chicago. It was Tarus Bulba and I don't remember much except my mother went with.

    Yes....me, my date and my mother.  

    I must have been 15 or 16.  Her name (my date) was Camille and she lived on the west side of Chicago. 

    We met at a football game.  She was rooting for the Catholic League champ, we were rooting for the Public League champ.  At some point in the game I think the Catholic team (Leo or Fenwick sticks in my mind) went over the century mark against the Public League team (CVS or Schurz sticks in my mind.  Not only is my memory unclear, I know I did not spell the schools correctly. )

    Anyway, we had been jawing back and forth with the girls.  Nothing ugly, just trash talk.

    The Catholic League team scored and the girls all got excited and started jumping up and down.  Camille lost her balance and fell into my lap.  The guys ended up escorting the girls home after the game and I asked her for her phone number and made a date.

    She lived in a terrible neighborhood.....gang infested, graffiti everywhere, and this was back in the 60s.  

    So when I went to pick her up, Mom came with.  We rode the L out to her stop, Camille got on, we went downtown, saw the movie, and I brought her home.

    My mother was with us the whole time....not next to us, but in the same car, getting off at the same stop, it was weird by nice at the same time.

    Years later friend John was at a party and ran into a girl named Camille and wouldn't you know it, same girl.  I don't remember if she remembered me or not, but I find it hard to think a girl would forget a guy who brought his mother on a date.

    I honestly don't know why I thought of that tonight.  I guess my hunger made me think of Genghis Kahn and his marauding Cossacks, which led me to Taurus Bulba, which led me to my date with Camille.

    And that, folks, is how my mind works.

    Stay healthy.  Stay safe.  Wear a mask.  Hang on to your hats cause it is gonna be windy out there!

Peace and Love

day....zooks!!!.....279

I think I better start  Christmas shopping

    I only have a few things to buy.....it's just a matter of finding them.

    This is for all the men.  Ladies, if your man does not read this blog, show him this effort.

    Guys, I have learned from many years of experience things NOT to buy your wife for Christmas.

    A new vacuum.  Seriously.  Do not buy one for you wife.  She will think it demeaning and impersonal.  She may even say your gift sucks, which while true, is not what she means.

    Long underwear.  It may be ok if you live in Vermont or in the far north, but long underwear may not be the type of romantic gift a woman longs for at Christmas.  And please, don't buy wollen long underwear, that is even worse.  Not only will they be irritated, they will be itching. 

    A set of golf clubs.  OK, it may be alright if your wife golfs, but don't buy them and fake surprise when she tells you she hates golf and don't compound it by saying they actually fit you fine.

    Tickets to Monster Truck rallies.  Ever.

    Any type of food that she has already demonstrated an allergy to, because she will know you just want to eat it because she won't.

    Kitchen towels.  Even the cute ones.  Don't fall for it!

    Anything Spandex.

    Sexy underwear, unless it happens to be similar to what she found under the back seat in your car last summer.

    Any type of unsolicited exercise gear or weight loss gadgets.

    A weekend getaway package for two.....her and your mother.

    A rutabaga.  Don't ask.

    Feel free to add your own not wanted items.  I'll be happy  to  read them.

    So, there you have some suggestions on what not to get your wife.  And wives, I may have some last minute gift ideas for you tomorrow.  If I remember.

    Stay healthy.  Stay safe.  Wear a mask......7.5 percent in Illinois today!!!  That's better!!

Peace and Love

day.......whew.....278

 I took trhe day off today

    Hardly did anything except sit around.  

    Sure I did my pelvic exercises, but that was it.  Watched the Bears, Zoomed church, watched  Sound of Music, ate lots of food......it was a nice day.

    Emily is doing well...sore and tired but ok.

    I have some Christmas shopping to do tomorrow, hopefully I get it done in one fell swoop.

    That's it.  Sometimes boring days are good.

    Watching Sound of Music reminded me of a couple of bucket list items.  I have never seen Rocky Horror at the theater!  I always thought it would be a kick to go see that with a lot of people.  The Music Box theater in Chicago used to do a Sound of Music sing along/participation show.  Something to look forward to in normal times.

     Stay healthy.  Stay safe.  Wear a mask.

Peace and Love

day...patience....277

 Sometimes I am not patient enough

    Take today for instance.  For the past several weeks I have not made a bed, changed sheets, or done much of laundry.  Lanet took care of all of that for us.

    I did today.  I had Julia bring the baskets to the washer, and I put them in, then moved clothes to the dryer.  Then I folded sheets.  And towels.  And my dark clothes. And Jackie's dark clothes.

    I did some dishes.

    I bent over a few times to pick up stuff I dropped.

    Now it's almost 10 and my belly is a little sore.  Too much too soon?  Me thinks yes.

    Part of my activity was to keep my mind busy.  Emily had some elective surgery today and any kind of surgery makes me nervous, so I figured the busier I stayed, the less I would worry.

    She is home and doing fine....tired and sore, but ok.  That's a relief.

    Jackie and I enjoyed a Zoom radio play by American Blues Theater in Chicago.  They did It's a Wonderful Life and it was darn good.  There were few times when the screen was blank while an actor talked, but the facial expressions, voices, and little traits they infused made George Bailey and Clarence come alive.  I actually liked Clarence/Potter the best.  He was an older actor, and  he really made the characters stand out with his vocal inflections and facial expressions.  

    The play featured 7 actors in 6 locations.  (Two ators were married, so they shared a location.)  Each actor had a set built by Grant Sabin, a former fifth grade student of mine.  That was the main reason I wanted to see the show, and I am happy I did.

    Tomorrow will be a day of rest....hopefully.  

    Stay safe.  Stay healthy.  Stay masked.

Peace and Love

day.....review......276

 It's been a pretty good two days

    Yesterday I had a great session with my physical therapist, who increased my spirits and brightened my outlook at just the right time.

    Then Renee and Wendy came over for a visit and we had a great time just chatting about life in Covid time.  

    As part of my recuperation from surgery, I am getting shots every night and tonight was the last one!  28 shots, 28 days.  Emily did 26 of then and friend Kevin finished with the last two.

     When the doc talked to us about them, he said I had several options.  Jackie could give me the shot, or I could give it to myself, or Emily could give it.  Since Emily gives me my flu shots, I picked her.

    Can you imagine me giving myself a shot?  I am scared to death of needles, don't even like looking at one, let alone sticking one in my belly.  My hands would be shaking so badly I would probably inject my leg and then faint.  When Jackie did injections for MS, I could not even be in the same room.  

    I also had a chance to visit with friends the old fashioned way....by telephone.

    And making today even better was us getting a box of oranges from my brother in Florida.  They are sweet and juicy.  The oranges, not my brother.

    For the first time in several weeks I am fairly optimistic....the sun even ame out today...and thinkng there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  I just hope it is not a freight train.

    Stay healthy.  Stay happy.  Wear a mask.

Peace and Love

day.....whaaat???........275

 What happened to eggnog shakes?

    I can't seem to find them anywhere this year.  I am not so crazy about them, which means I only have about 15 or 20 during the holiday season, but Jackie likes them.

    I know there is a custard place in town that may have them, but Jackie does not tolerate their custard, for some reason.  Other custard places are fine, but the local place just leaves her with a queasy stomach.

    It just doesn't seem like Christmas without an eggnog shake.

    And snow.

    We have friends and family out East.  Some of the friends reported over 2 feet of snow.  That's a lot of snow.

    I always have to laugh at pictures of people digging out their cars after a heavy snow like that.  Where are they going to go?  It's almost impossible to drive in those conditions, yet there they are, digging away.

    I was a freshman at NIU home on break when the big snow hit Chicago in 67.  I ended up working at the local National Tea store, bagging groceries an restocking shelves with whatever we had.  It was a madhouse.

    Coke had an ad campaign going for Fresca..something like open a blizzrd of taste.  As the snow was piling up, the groceries were flying out the door, my hands were sore from bagging, a high school friend came into the store and saw me.  She pointed at he Fresca display with its slogan and said "Terry, don't open any more of these."

    I thought it was funny.  

    I had never seen Chicago as quiet as it was for the next several days.  And beautiful too.

    But a lot of people tried digging out their cars to drive who knows where.

    My peeps out east....be safe.

    Stay healthy.  Wear a mask.  

Peace and Love

day.....memories.....274

I am feeling a little cabin feverish today 

    Like most of the world, I miss the pre Covid life.  Especially now.

    I loved going to the Christmas Market in downtown Chicago.  Browsing the stalls, eating German food, drinking spiced wine, laughing with friends.

    Three years ago I saw a really neat glass Santa from Germany.  I fell in love with it, and since Jackie collects Santas, I figured she would like it.  So I bought her one for Christmas, along with a table runner.

    She did like both presents.

    Two years ago I saw a really neat glass Santa from Germany.  I fell in love with it, and since Jackie collects Santas, I figured she would like it.  So I bought her one for Christmas.

    If that sounds familiar, you can imagine my surprise when I got home and looked and discovered I bought the same Santa as the year prior!  Now we have two that are the same.

    And the table runner?  Bought her one of those too, from the same linen dealer, and also got an Easter one.  

    But this year, only memories.  Memories of good times with good friends and family.

    Damn that Covid.

    Here's hoping next year we can all get back to the market.

    Stay healthy.  Stay safe.  Stay happy.  Wear a mask.

Peace and Love

And memories ......... 

Now that's a schnitzel!

 Ok, not the downtown market, but I miss the zoo too!

Diffeerent mug, different year.....I have a small collection of them.

    This is the anti Santa....if you have been bad, he will come and take your toys.  Notice he is a little different from the other picture.  Maybe Megan will tell us more!

day......huh.....273

 My baby girl dissed me today, big time

    We were all set to go on a walk.  I had on my winter parka, ski hat, gloves and was quite toasty.

    The plan was to walk with Corki through the empty field, down across the retention pond, then back up the road to our house.

    But as we were leaving, John brought Jackie back from an errand and Corki wanted nothing to do with a walk.  She stopped, stared at the car, and refused to move.  When I pulled her, she dug in.  So I let her go back in the house.

    I went on a walk by myself.  It was cold.  I walked to the end of the block and back, but I have not done that in a few weeks...actually  over a month.  I had to stop three times on the way back to rest for a few seconds.  Funny how out of condition a person can get after a month of low activity.

    I had a repeat of yesterday....showered, shaved, went to my chair to read and fell asleep until about 10.  Actually slept pretty well last night, at least I don't remember a lot of tossing and turning.

    It was a day of frustration on many parts, and a day of happiness as John, Emily, Julia, Jakie an I enjoyed supper together.  It is great having everyone visiting, talking, laughing.....I do miss that.

    I did have to laugh at a Facebook ad featuring a Christmas tree that said the new version had total electrocution.  In other words, a gift to give to people you hate.

    Stay safe.  Wear a mask.  Stay healthy.

Peace and Love

day.....zzzzzzz......272

 I may have mentioned I have trouble sleeping

    OK, I get it.  You are tired of hearing about my night time woes.

    But....here I go again.

    I go to bed about 11 or 11:30.  I do my exercises to stop the flow, read, and then about 1 or 2, wake up with a pain in my left shoulder blade.  I then get up, go to my recliner, sleep until 6, then go back to bed.

    I have been doing some form of this since my surgery.

    Last night I went to the chair at 1 and slept until 6.  Then I went back to bed and got up at 7:15.  

    I took my normal morning hot shower, shaved, got dressed and at 8 went to sit in my recliner and read.

    Julia woke me at 11:30!

    I was like a rock!  I know I heard the phone ring a couple of times, heard voices, people talked to me....but nothing was actually  loud enough to wake me.

    By the time I got out of the chair, it was almost noon.....so I had lunch.

    I had dreams of people I have never had dreams about before.  And they were pleasant dreams, friendly dreams.

    I hope tonight I sleep in bed for a while.  I really don't want to sleep in my chair, but in bed my shoulder hurts too much...even with a heating pad.

    I did get Christmas cards mailed and had a nice walk with Corki and a visit with San and Jen, who saw me out with the dog.  It has been a while since I talked to real people in person and it was nice.  And by real people, I mean those who are not family members or health care workers....they are my lifeline  to sanity right now.

    Maybe tonight I'll have more pleasant dreams.....and 8 hours of sleep.

    Stay healthy.  Stay safe.  Wear a mask.

Peace and Love

day...celebration time.....271

 I had lots to celebrate today

    Last year at about this time Jackie and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary...so today marks year 51. 

    Last year we had a reception at the church where we got married.  Lots of food and cake and people who came to celebrate with us.

    This year we had pizza with Julia, Emily and John.  What a difference a year makes, huh?

    It was a small group, and we socially distanced.  Jackie and I got some speakers that we can play music on or talk through, which should be a help when I am in one part of the house and Jacke wants to tell me something.

    Another reason to celebrate is Julia being home.  I know, travel is risky.  But our help has a new job starting this week and I am not yet up to doing the lifting that needs to be done, so Julia will be helping out with mommy care.  That is a really big deal to us.

    Another reason to elebrate is the Bears won.  I watched, even though I vowed after last week's meltdown to never watch them again.  Today they looked good.  Of course they were playijng a 4-8 team, so it wasn't a major upset.  Any win is a good win.

    A good day all around, for the most part.

    Heard about a friend who was tested positive for Covid.  Sending prayers their way for a quick recovery.

    Stay safe.  Stay healthy.  Wear a mask.

Peace and Love

day...happy!!!....270

I have many reasons to be happy 

    Julia has landed safely.  Emily and John are picking her up at the airport...which is almost empty.  Coming through the passport area and getting luggage were pretty easy without crowds.

    That makes me happy.

    We had Country School chicken tonight.  That makes me happy.

    The snow did not stick around for long.  That makes me happy.

    I got paper for my letter.  That makes me happy.

    I almost have my train tree up.  That makes me happy.

    So many things make me happy.  They outweigh the not so happy ones today, and for that I am......happy!!

    Stay healthy.  Stay safe.  Wear a mask.  Stay happy.

Peace and Love

day.......oh my......269

 My first day sans caffeine was ok

    Not great, but ok.  I am tired, but that means I should sleep better, right?

    I can't sleep on my side yet...still hurts to roll over.  So I sleep on my back.  But about 2 a.m. my back hurts in my left shoulder area, so I move to my recliner.  Then I sleep until about 6 and move back to bed.

    Until today.

    I decided to set the alarm for 7.  I fell asleep in my chair about 2 and when the alarm went off, it was very loud!  I was still in my chair and it was loud!   I had to go from one side of the house to the other to turn if off, and by then Jackie was wide awake and the dog was a little panicked.

    I printed our dreaded Christmas letter, sort of.  I went to Office Max yesterday for a couple of things and did not even think about Christmas themed paper, because I had a pack of 60 sheets at home.

    Last night I checked the printer, made sure the letter was printing the direction I wanted it to print, and printed off the dreaded Christmas letter.  Unfortunately, the paper was packaged so that halfway through, the sheets were reversed, so half the letters are printed in the wrong way.  

    I don't think there is a place in town to buy paper.  So....I will have to finish cards next Thursday after I make a trip back to Office Max.  Of course, I could go to Office Max tomorrow.......which is an option.  Decisions, decisions.

    I am rewatching Band of Brothers and had forgotten how brutal the war was.  I don't think I would have been brave enough to have done what those boys and men did.  They truly are The Greatest Generation.

    Julia comes home tomorrow for four weeks.  I am excited, yet a little nervous.  I am never relaxed until I see her face.  

    Stay healthy.  Stay safe.  Wear a mask.  Have sweet dreams.

Peace and Love

day.....how do I do that?.....268

 I had a full afternoon today

    Not to share TMI, but my aim isn't very good ever since the surgery.  Ever see a firehose when a fireman drops it?  I am in that category.

    I had a quick appointment with the doctor, and he assured me everything was fine...progressing as it should.  The "stream" should improve, give it time.

    In the meanwhile, don't stand near me in a men's room.

    He mentioned that my NBA level dribbling could be influened by caffeine.  He suggested switching to decaf products for a while.

    I had a physical therapy appointment and we always open the session with a frank discussion of my waste elimination, planned and unplanned.

    The PT is a young woman, great personality, and demanding.  As we were  talking about the caffeine, she asked me how much I drink during the day.  I mentioned I have a cup of tea in the morning, sometimes pop at lunch, and usually a cup of tea or coffee in the afternoon.

    She suggested cutting back......but the way she did it put the onus on me.

    "I am not going to tell you what to do.  That is your choice.  But you know caffeine makes you go to the bathroom, you are going a lot, you don't want to continue doing that.  But you are an adult, and you need to make adult decisions.  Just don't keep doing the same thing you are doing and complain to me that you have a problem."

    I thought about that at Starbucks after my PT session.  Making adult decisions has never been my strong point.  

    But today I ordered a decaf coffee.  And tomorrow I will drink decaf tea. At some point I need to get my body to work with me, not against me....and if I have to give up caffeine for a while, then I will make the adult decision and do it.

    Thank heavens wine neveer entered the conversation.  I do have my limits on being an adult.

    Stay safe.   Stay healthy.  Wear a mask.

Peace and Love

day......sigh.........267

 I am really upset at my friend Paul

    Paul is a bank robber.  He has robbed several banks.  Yet he has never been charged!

    Granted, no one has actually seen him rob a single bank, but that doesn't mean he hasn't robbed dozens of banks!

    He normally lives a quiet life but he drives a nice car, and that means he robs banks because how can he afford a nice car and food?  And yet he has never been arrested!

    What's even odder, there are no pictures of him robbing banks!  How can that be!  There must be a conspiracy to hide the evidence of him robbing banks.  I admit, it is unlikely that he robbed banks in four different states on the same day, but show me the evidence that says he didn't do it!  Aha!! You have no evidence that proves his innocence, so he must be guilty!  

    I am sorry if I am sounding like a crazed, delusional, unbalanced person, but I am concerned for banks all over the country and we need to keep Paul from not robbing those banks too.

    After all, it's in my best interests to do that.

    Stay healthy, mentally and physically.  Stay safe.  Wear a mask, unless you are    robbing a bank.

Peace and Love and  hope for sanity

day.......uhhhhh.....266

 It was kind of a gray day today

    I don't think the sun ever came out and my disposition mirrored that.

    I get frustrated easily and I am frustrated today.  

    I went for a walk, taking Corki, but I had to cut the walk short.  I made the mistake of underdressing for the weather.  I wore my lounge pants, and they were not warm enough in the cutting wind.  

    I say lounge pants, but they really are pajama bottoms....who am I kidding.  I have 5 pairs, probably should have more at this point.  I just bought two from Eddie Bauer and when I wore one of them outside yesterday, I was warm.  I wore an older pair out today and I was freezing....might as well have been in shorts.

    So we came in a little sooner than I expected.

    Jackie and Lanet made cookies today, our first batch.  I went into the basement and watched Band of Brothers again, just to keep out of the way and avoid bending and lifting.  I am trying to take it easy, but I feel like a slacker.

    Just a blah day...matching the weather.

    Maybe there will be sun tomorrow.

    Stay safe.  Wear a mask.  Stay healthy

Peace and Love.....RIP John Lennon.....40 years ago today.

day....what??.....265

 I lost a day

    I swear, I got up and now it's time for bed...almost.  The day went too fast.

    I did take Corki to the vet.  She has a skin tag on her left back and last week she chewed on it, causing it to bleed.  She has been chewing at it ever since.

    They shaved the area around it and instructed me to put an ointment on it, which should solve the problem.

    Then I stopped at Starbucks and got a coffee.  I ordered a "burnt vanilla thing" which confused the guy becaused it is a toasted white chocolate mocha.  He translated it correctly.  

    I swear...I have performance anxiety when I order there.  I can know exactly what I want, and it comes out Martian or something.

    They gave Corki a Puppachino, which is essentially whipped cream.  Corki loved it, but she has some unheavenly gas tonight.  I already warned Jackie.

    

    Talked with my brother, and my brother and sister in law, made supper and here I am.  

    Oh, I did take a walk.  Corki saw me walking and stood at the door and just barked at me.  I guess she was mad I did not take her.

    Maybe tomorrow.

    That's it.....nothing new, faucet is still running.......patience....patience.

Stay safe.  Stay healthy.  Wear a mask.

Peace and Love

day....village people....264

Sometimes it does take a village 

    Yesterday the tree got decorated, I had a quick ER visit, and today Jackie's village was set up and I did not go to the ER.

    It does take a village for us.

    John broght up the village boxes, Sheri and Camryn unpacked and set up the houses and lights, Jackie directed and I sat on the couch (for the most part) and partly watched the Bears blow another one.

    I know it took way over an hour to get it all done, and we do appreciate it.

    John took the boxes back downstairs and brought up the last one with Christmas stuff.  Not sure how that one will work, because it is all on the floor stuff...the manger scene mainly.

    We still have a few odds and ends, but it will get done eventually.  I am taking care not to repeat yesterday's mistake of  bending over a lot.  

    In the beginning

    Making progress

    Finished village....

    Stay safe.  Stay healthy.  Wear a mask.

Peace and Love

day....911!!!....263

 I swear, some days are roller coasters

    Our tree got decorated today.  Camryn and Emily came over,  they rotated the tree to get a better side facing  front.  Emily left and Camryn and Jackie and I began tree decorating.

    How this works is Jackie unwraps lights, I test them, Camryn gets on the step ladder to wind them around the tree.  I go behind the tree and just grab one end and hand it to Camryn on the other side.

    Nothing strenuous

    Emily leaves, we start to hang ornaments and as I pick up a box that weights less than a pound, I get a shooting pain through my leg.  Down my back, through the groin, down the leg.

    I lay down on the bed.  My leg feels numb.  The pain is tremendous.  Jackie calls Emily back.  Emily takes me to emergency room.  I get CAT scan.  Talk to doctor.  He talks to urologist.  I go home.

    Pain free.  Actually, my pain stopped on my way into the hospital.

    The CAT scan showed a mass inside my left stomach wall.  The ER doctor called the urologist who took out my prostate because he was concerned.  The urologist said that little mass was pretty typical of this type of surgery and should go away with no problems.

    I was thinking stroke, blood clot, hernia rupture...and a jillion other problems because you know how optimistic I am.

    Turns out....nothing to worry about.  Where did the pain come from?  Maybe the mass pressing on a nerve, maybe a pulled muscle, maybe a pinched nerve...but hothing showed up and there has been no pain since.

    After about 2 hours Emily took me home.

    The tree is lit and decorated and looks beautiful, all thanks to Camryn and John.

    A pizza was waiting for me courtesy of Dan and Linda.  It was just the right food at the right time tonight.

    So it was a great day, except for the couple of hours I thought I was dying.

    I have to learn to chill out a little.

    Stay healthy.  Stay masked.  Stay safe.

Peace and Love

day.....misery......262

 I am having a terrible time

    I am itching like crazy.....the bottoms of my feet, my legs up to my knees.  They itch a lot.

    I have taken a Benadryl....hopefully that will stop it.

    I had leftovers from last night, and the food last night did not bother me.  Except I also had some tortilla chips with cheese......but it is nothing I have not had before.

    Driving me crazy.

    Corki went fo ra grroom today.  Trimmed up, washed, nails cut.

Doesn't she look beautiful?  She has to go to the vet next week because she has a skin tag that she has been trying to chew.

    Wait, scratching  the bottom of my feet.  Ahhhhh....temprary relief.  I have sprayed them with an anti itch spray....no relief yet.

    Went for a 23 minute walk today after I brought her home.  There was another guy out walking and as we passed, I said hello, he said hello, I said nice day.....and then I farted rather loudly.

    That seems to be another leftover benefit of the surgery....sudden and often loud farts.  Somehow I don't think this guy will look me up for any social engagements.

    I found out today where the Garrett's popcorn came from....thank you Kim and Neal.   That was a nice surprise.

    Recovery update...feeling stronger, belly itches, sometimes it is sore, plumbing still out of whack, some trouble sleeping......but it has just been a little over 2 weeks.  Give it time, they say.  

    I wish I was back to normal.  Hell, I wish life was back to normal.  But wishing doesn't make it so.

    Stay safe.  Stay masked.  Stay healthy.

Peace and Love

PS.....any spelling mistakes blame on the itching, please

 

day......surprise.....261

We got a nice surpise today 

    Somebody sent us a tin of Garrett's popcorn.  I say somebody, because there was no card with the tin, so I have no idea who sent it.  Thank you very much, whomever you are.

    I can't wait until the Medicare open enrollment period ends.  There are more commercials for that than for political candidates.  Of course, the channels we watch (showing older show reruns) are flooded with them because they know what their audience watches....tv shows that remind them of the younger years.

    I had a great session with my physical therapist today.  I explained some of the plumbing issues I am having and she said, "It's been 2 weeks....give it time.  Be patient.  Do your exercises."

    That seems to have a lot more impact than Jackie or Emily saying the exact same thing.  Give it time.  Be patient.

    I did get a tip on sleeping tonight.  I can't roll over, Nicole said I will heal sooner if I sleep on my back.  She suggested some adjustments in my body position, which should help me sleep.  My main problem is my back hurts at about 2 a.m.  I get up, go to the recliner, and sleep there.  She said it was  better for my  body to be straight and not bent at the waist during the healing time.

    We'll see how this works.

    For the second day in a row I used my Starbucks app to place a mobile order.  I an getting tech savvy.  Saavy?  Savy?  Huh....seems I am losing my ability to spell words.

    I was sorry to hear that two of my favorite Cubs, Almora and Schwarber, were not tendered contracts and are now free agents.  I just liked the pair and I hope they do well....maybe they'll even return to the Cubs on reduced contracts.

    Stay safe.  Stay healthy.  Stay masked.

Peace and Love

day....odds & ends.....260

 I have lots of odd thoughts going thru my head

    Including why thru and through are the same thing, spelled differently.

    I was in a store yesterday and saw JC and I even recognized her.  It has been months since I have seen her and ther husband, TC, and I really miss them.  Heck, I miss all my Exit 99 peeps.  We always had a good time "rehearsing" for upcoming shows.

    A police story out of Peru IL involved a chase with the perp captured/rescued by a fisherman as it attempted to swim the Illinois River.  Police and the public had a hard time catching the kangaroo.  Now, what a Kangaroo was doing in Peru is a question that begs an answer.  You would think in a small town like that someone would say, "Oh, a kangaroo?  That has to be Fred's. I'll call him."  Having akangaroo as a pet should be an odd enough situation that people would know who the owner was.

    I can only sleep on my back.  But I seem to get a backache about 2 a.m., and end up sleeping in my chair until 6 or so when I crawl back to bed.  I can't roll on my side because it hurts.  I have to keep reminding myself it has only been 2 weeks since I had major surgery.

    2020 is a year that seems it will never end yet it has gone by so quickly.  Just yesterday we were starting to lock down and now, here we are, 9 months later and still dealing with Covid.  Time flies, until it doesn't.

    George Harrison's advice:   If you don't want to die then don't be born.

    We got a packet from a Native American school out west.  There was a pad of paper, pair of socks, small dream catcher, (the catcher was small, dreams are big) small ornament for a tree, address labels, package labels and an appeal for money.   It just did not feel right, so I did not send them anything.  Thoughts?  Besides it being odd they sent us socks.

    The big hawk was back today, sitting in  bur oak in the back of the yard.  

    I took Corki for a walk tonight.  I wanted to walk through the field to the retention pond, but she did not want to go.  However, she gladly went down the road.  So, does grass bother her feet?  I take her for a grooming Friday.

    Visited my brother today.  I took him the picture I thought was of my great grandfather, but Carl thinks the picture is actually our dad.  Why does he have that thought?  Because he has a book that looks exactly like the one the boy in the photo is holding.  Carl thinks Ernst Dickow is written on the back because that is the person who ordered the picture.  By the way, the book has a date of 1916, and our dad would have been about 15....which the boy in the photo appears to be.  Drove my brother nuts when he sould say,"Our father" and I chimed in,"who art in heaven."

    Tat's it.  Odds and ends.

    Stay safe, stay healthy, wear a mask.

Peace and Love

My brother and my father...the book says Karl Dickow, 1916.  Dad was born in 1901.

She is looking for carrots!  So,  maybe it wasn't deer, but dear.

Such a pretty girl......in her snowman outfit!

day.....OMG..aaaahhhh....259

I don't  know what happened to me 

    Two weeks ago I was concerned about my personal appearance.

    I would  see people shopping while wearing  pajama bottoms  and think "There but for the grace  of Eddie Bauer  go I."

    Then I had surgery.  Loose fitting clothing was suggested because of he six holes in my belly.

    Now I wear pajamas constantly in the house.  From the moment I shower in the morning to the minute I climb into bed in clean pajamas, I am lounging around the house.  And I love it.

    No waist tightness, the elastic waistband prevents the pants from falling to my knees when I walk, roomy in the butt and legs....what else could a person want?

    I apologize to all those people I made fun of for wearing pajamas in public.  I am not brave enough to do that yet, but I am rapidly approaching the point of no return.

    Who knows, I might even try wearing them half way up my butt like the young kids do because that might even be more comfortable!

    What worries me is .... what's next?  Sandals and black socks?  Flip flops and no socks in the middle of winter?  Midriff exposing t shirts?

    I think in addition to my prostate, the good doctor removed my sense of taste in clothing.

    That may be good.  Or not.

    See you around...don't be afraid to compliment my jammies.

Stay healthy.  Stay careful.  Stay masked.

Love and Peace

day.....AAAARGH.........258

 Technology  frustrated me today

    We have a subscription to Britbox.  So I went to the site and picked the show I wanted and I got the message, "watch for free for one week then become a subscriber."

    I am a subscriber.  If I watch for free, I have to enter all my info, which they already have.  There was no I am a subscriber button, as far as I could see, which is not very far.

    I tried for 10 minutes then threw the damn remote onto the couch.  That will show them.

    I called my brother today.  After I hung up, I put the phone away in my pocket and I heard someone talking.  Seems I redialed his number putting the phone away.

    And tonight I went to check an e mail and I turned on the flashlight.  I didn't know how I did it, so I didn't know how to turn it off.  John and Emily have shown me that several times, but I just don't remember.  I'll need another lesson.

    I ended up turning my phone off completely, then could not remember how to turn it on.

    Sometimes I miss the days when we had 5 tv channels and I was the remote.

    Also....I asked Emily to buy me some briefs, since I am not supposed to go into Walmart.  I told her I wanted Tidy Whities. She looked at me and said, "You know, dad, they are called Tighty Whities because they fit tight."

    My entire life....Tidy Whities..........so maybe it's not the technology after all.

    Stay safe.  Stay healthy.  Wear a mask.

Peace and Love

day....eh.....257

 I really don't have much to say tonight

    I know!   That IS unusual.

    I did manage to make our on line church service today.  It's not the same as in real life, but it is better than nothing. I do miss the people at church.

    Started reading a book today, The Fifth Elephant, and it has brought on a chuckle or two.  Two nights ago I finished A Tale of Two Cities.  Not a laugher, but a good read.  

    We are moving the Christmas tree....seems it is pretty round and hard to get around.  So we (Emily and John) will be sliding it into the corner some time to provide a little more walking room.  That is a big change for us.  We have certain things in certain places.  Let me clarify that.  Someone has certain places for certain objects.  Me?  I just like to put stuff out and am not particulary concerned about what goes where.  I think that will be good this Christmas.

    Capped off the day with a lasagna dinner, and some Spanish wine.  Lasagna was great, but the wine did not seem so hot.  Could be I am used to pinot noir, so tomorrow may be a different taste story.

    Then we sat down to watch the Bears.  Opening drive left me optimistic but I had to stop watching at the half.  Just can't take the ineptness.  

    See?  An Eh  day.  One of many.

    Stay safe.  Stay healthy.  Wear a mask.

Peace and Love

day....Y.IPEE!!!!!!.....256

 You all have pushed me over the 200,000 mark

    The official stats say 200,098 page views when I checked tonight.  Again, thank you so much for reading this blog over the years.  I feel I have shared some funny stuff, some personal stuff, too much information at times and enough interesting posts to keep you coming back.  I am  truly humbled.

    I thought of a Rolling Stones song today.  "This Could be the Last Time." 

    We were standing in the cut your own field at Sinnissippi Tree Farm and I realized that at my age, cutting a tree is a lot of work for everyone around me.

    We have cut a tree almost every year since the mid 70s.  There is always something about going out in the brisk air, wandering until you find the perfect tree, then continuing to look, hoping for a better one, only to forget where the perfect one was.

    I have cut crooked trees, short trees,  tall trees, diseased trees, bug infested trees, and beautiful trees.  Every time has been a great experience and I wish it would never end.

    But today was different.  I could not cut, I could not carry, I could not load or unload...and I wondered if it was worth it, or if I could live with an artificial tree that could easily be put away at the end of the season.

    Then we, I mean John and Emily, put the tree up in the house and the smell of the tree just overwhelmed me.  I would miss that a lot, and no, a candle or incense would not take its place.

    The tree is bare.....will be for a week.  Camryn will come next weekend and help decorate it and I will be happy.

    It's a pretty tree.  Nice and round, like me.  

    This could be the last time, may be the last time......I really don't know.

    Stay healthy.  Stay safe.  Wear a mask.  

Peace and Love

    The perfect tree.....John is starting to harvest it.

    Job done..

    It took several of the high schoolers to get the tree into the wrapping machine.

    Working on the tree

    It looks great....and will look even better lit and decorated.  I just wish the smell would last forever.  And  the memories too.

day....104!!!!!.....256

 104 views until I hit 200,000

    Excuse me for being excited.  I never expected to be doing this at this point in my life.

    Of course, I never expected to be in a pandemic, have prostate canceer, or not see another Cubs World Series at this point in life.

    I guess you just have to expect the unexpected in life.

    Like zombie minks.

    As I undeerstand it, minks were thought to be involved in the transmission of Covid 19, so mink farmers killed thousands of the animals in Denmark.

    They were buried in trenches 8 feet deep, coveerd with chalk, sand, chalk, sand. A  veritable chalk sand sandwich, which is weird to say.

    The problem is hundreds of the minks have come up out of the ground and are now rotting  on the surface!  Since the sand is so light, the minks' decaying bodies filled wiht gas and pushed their way to the surface.

    I know!  How could the fake news media not report on this?  There has been no coverage of this in the United States except in today's Tribune, which is where I saw the story.  But no one is talking about this!

    Wth hard hitting stories like this, I am expecting to go over the 300,000 mark within days!

    Sigh.....if only it was that easy.

    Feeling better every day...walked a little, did some small chores, went to the store.  The Cypress House girls were happy to see me, and I them.  

    Stay safe.  Stay healthy.  Eat leftovers. Wear a mask.  Tie your shoes.

Peace and Love

day.....thanks......255

 This was a really nice day

    It was Emily, John, Jackie and me.  That was nice, because I am not up to a lot of people around me yet.

    The kids did the cooking, the old folks did the eating.  Sure, we had some friends missing, and Julia is in Switzerland, and SIL Judy wasn't here, but I think that was the wise choice, especially for me.

    I am not a patient peerson.  I want my minute rice done in 30 seconds.  I don't buy green bananas.  Wait, I do buy green bananas!  They don't count.

    I don't like sitting through commercials or movie previews. The wait time before I go on in a play is interminable.  

    Sort of like Nike, I want to do it...now.

    So part of my healing process is taking longer than I want. 

    I won't be specific, but think of a baby eating applesauce,  or an old man without teeth drinking soup, or a leaky pipe, or an NBA point guard.  (They all dribble....just so you know.)

    I want that part to be over ASAP.  But as a couple of people pointed out, it was only 8 days ago I had major surgery, and 2 days ago that my catheter was removed.  Give it time.

    I want it now.

    On a statistical note......185.  That is the number of views my blog needs to reach the 200,000 view mark!  Thank you all for taking time from your lives to read my drivel.

    You are all greatly appreciated.

    Stay safe.  Stay healthy.  Wear a mask.

Peace and Love

day.....thanks......254

 I have a lot for which to be thankful

    Notice how I tried not to end a sentence with a preposition?  Although, it isn't a sentence, actually.  I guess I did not need to do that.

    Obviously, I am so thankful for my family.  Emily and John have been great.  I now know how to run the tv that puzzled me and the other electronics that always seem to confuse me.  Emily shops, comes at night to give me shots, and tucks Jackie in bed.  Julia has sent messages and called, boosting my spirits.  Jackie has been understanding and not demanded much of me.  My brother and inlaws have called.  

    I am thankful for my friends.  Cards, calls, meals, little signs they are thinking of me and Jackie during this challenging stretch for us.  It is very comforting and makes me realize how much more I could be doing for people around me.

    I am thankful for nurses and doctors who gave me excellent advice and care.  I got a get well card today from the nurses assigned to me.....my walking buddy even said it was "a pleasure to meet you."  A pleasure.  I wonder if she says that to all the guys who have their junk out for public viewing.  

    I'm thankful for Lanet and the care she is giving us during the day.  She won't let me bend over when I drop something and has our health first.

    So much to be thankful for.

    So tomorrow, when our very small foursome is sitting around munching turkey, I wll be giving silent prayers of thanks for everything I have been blessed with in this world.

    Happy Thanksgiving.

    Be safe.  Be healthy.  Stay home.  Enjoy life.

Peace and Love

day......free.......253

I had a doctor's visit today 

    Good news.....18 lymph nodes taken out, 0 with cancer.  The prostate cancer was beginning to spread but was still contained entirely in the prostate.  My chances of cancer recurring over the next 15 years is about 1 percent.

    I will take that.

    As you know, I get worked up about all sorts of things....my mind plays games, and causes me to freak out.

    For instance.  I had a catheter.  The catheter came out today.  The PA taking it out said I needed to breath deeply when she removed it   I almost hyperventilated on the table I was breathing so deeply.  She finally told me to calm down and gave a gentle yank on Little Willie and it was out.  No pain.  Some gain.

    Of course, it will take a while to retrain my body....but the exercises I have been doing should help.  In the meantime, let's just say I am doing a lot of laundry.

    This has been a humbling experience.  I no longer am embarassed about dropping my pants, although no one in Starbucks actually asked me to do that.  Lesson learned.

    I still find myself clicking my teeth.  Prior to surgery I was grinding them, now I am just clicking them.  Still, it's irritating.

    And sleep is difficult.  Maybe tonight will be different, or not.  I would make a hot toddy before bed but somebody finished my bottle of whiskey.  

    We got some snow today....interesting, eh?  Now it is cold and raining.  Somehow, I am not mentally ready for winter and being stuck in the house with no place to go for weeks at a time.  But tomorrow I will start walking farther than the mailbox.  About time.

    Stay healthy.  Stay safe.  Wear a mask.

Peace and Love