first love?

I had a memory come back today


     I'm just not sure how accurate it is.

     This is from one of my mom's photo albums.  All it says is "boyfreind   Terry".
     I assume I am the one dressed like a cowboy and not the one wearing a dress.
To be honest, when I first looked at this picture I thought it was me and a cousin.  But all my girl cousins are about my age, so this girl could not be a cousin otherwise we would be about the same size,
     Then I remembered.  Millie Cornelley.  I don't know how it is spelled.  But her mom and my mom were friends and I spent a lot of time playing with Millie.  They lived in a basement apartment at Berteau and Ashland, so this picture was in my parents' front room.
     I vaguely remember how much she loved playing with me, and me her.  But then they moved and we lost touch.  Five year olds don't write a lot of letters.     But the look on her face tells me she adored me. 
     On an up to date note. 
     Went to the car wash today.  Looked out and saw a red Camaro pulled up in the lane net to me.  Opened the door and saw it was Bethie.  So I got out of the car, spred my arms wide and ran toward her.  She did the same.  We hugged, laughed, talked and got back in our cars.
     The attendant said to me, "I thought I would have to call 9 1 1.  You looked like you were going to tackle her...thought it was road rage.  I thought maybe you were going to kick her butt."  I assured him it would be the other way around.
     I think we all had a good laugh....and clean cars.
    Finished off the day with pizza and wine with Sheri, who is dog sitting for Emily and John.
     Pizza, wine, and friends....never a bad day.
Peace and Love and Happy trails to you

brr........

I'm a soft touch for a cool girl

     Actually, they were very cold Girl Scouts selling cookies out in front of Wallyworld today.  I bought a box of thin mints because those kids had to be freezing and I admire that type of gumption.
     Bare in mind, I have 30 plus bags of cookies in the freezer in the basement.  We don't go through them as fast as I thought and this week I have cut down on my DCC considerably.  BTW, DCC is Daily Cookie Consumption.
     It's not because of Lent, which is a time of self sacrifice, reflection and introspection.  But the cut back in cookies is more a result of the 11 pounds I seemed to have gained since Halloween.
     Of course, exercising is top priority.  I went to walk several timesthis month.  Well, a few times.  OK, four times.  I walked four times in February.  It's a short month.
     If intentions could get it done, I'd be skinny.
     I am also cutting back on spider solitaire.  I am limiting myself to 5 games a day.  Actually, that is  still too many.  Starting tomorrow, 4 a day.
     Also tomorrow, I will be going through papers on the desk.  Time has come to battle the monster of chaos in my life.
Peace and Love

eh....thats good, sort of

I had a busy day today

     Jackie is doing much better.  The antibiotics have helped her a lot.  Thank you for your concerns.
     I had a urologist appointment today.  When men reach a certain age, there is a little thingy in their body that goes haywire.  I used to call it a prostrate, but I now call it correctly, damn prostate.
     Anyway, there is a PSA (don't know what it means) test to indicate your prostate health.  Four years ago mine was 3.9, now it is 5.4.  It's not a drastic rise, but it is a rise; hence the urologist.
     I asked him if that was good or bad and he said "Eh."  I asked for clarification.  He said it was good that it was steady, but not good it was over 5; hence, "Eh."
     I won't tell you what happened next........just that it was not the most fun time of the day for me, or him.
     What was fun was stopping at Ollie's for custard.  Yes, it was cold, but not too cold for a black forest sundae.  And unlike last year, when I got in trouble for going there alone, I brought home some butter pecan for Jackie, so she was ok with my indulgence.
     Visited a friend in the hospital, then went to Target and got pissed in the parking lot.
     You know how people leave their carts just willy nilly?  I always park away from any loose carts.  Today was no exception.  I bought some toilet paper (I now have over 300 rolls again, but it was a good sale) and some other stuff.
     As I was unloading my cart and stuffing paper towels in the back seat the wind kicked up and blew the cart into the passenger side front door, leaving a small ding.
     It just ticked me off that I rail at people leaving carts in the lot and it is my cart that dings me.
     Karma is a bitch.
Peace and Love

Too cold to smile, not too cold for custard

sigh....that's it

This has not been a good day

     Went to bed early and fell asleep relatively early only to wake up at 4 and not get back to sleep again.  My legs and hips hurt.  Getting old.
     Had to take Jackie to the doctor because she is ailing.  Left her there for 30 minutes while I did my mentoring time with my little buddy.
     Tried to renew my membership at the Egyptian Theater in DeKalb only to be told my e mail is invalid, I don't have a password,. and I can't use that e mail because it is already in use.  After I spent 10 minutes figuring that out, had to start over because I had two memberships in my shopping basket.
     Could not get WGN on the Apple TV, which frustrates Jackie.  Finally it came on, but it jumps a lot.
     Throw in the gloomy day, occasional snowflakes, cold wind and it was a pretty crappy day.
     Being Ash Wednesday, we had shrip dinners from a local place and they were very good.
     I missed church becaause I was not comfortable leaving her alone.
    And now, to cap off the day, methinks I am making a hot toddy.  A strong one.
Peace and Love

going batty

I actually woke myself up with a yell last night

     I went to bed early, about 10.  That is early.  But going to bed is not the same as going to sleep.
     I know the cuckoo clock chimed 12 and I was still awake.  I drifted off after that.
     Then I woke myself up with a yell.
     Jackie did not hear it, which surprised me.  I thought I was very loud, at least in my dream.
     What set me off?
     We built a house.  It was long and narrow.  There was a concrete ramp that led to the basement. 
     We went downstairs to the basement and the electrician pointed out the problem:  Bats.
     Not just ordinary bats, but bats that eat through wood and concrete!  The wood in one part of our basement was almost gone and there were round holes in the concrete walls and ceiling.
     I think somebody said we had built our house on a nesting ground for a weird type of ground dwelling bat.  Our house was rigbt in their grounds, so they were making themselves at home.
     I shined a flashlight up into a hole and one came flying down at me and that is when I yelled and woke up.
     Now I'll never know if we coexisted with the bats or they took over the house and we moved.
     Could there be a sequel tonight?  I really hope not.  I need the sleep.
Peace and Love

to snow, or not to snow

That is the question 

     It appears we will miss the bulk of the snow this time.  Unless some old guy farts in Springfield, which could cause a ripple of a breeze that grows exponentially and pushes the storm northward.
     But I am not hopeful.
     I did go buy milk, mainly because our milk was almost gone.
     I know people do dare  devil deeds (notice the clever use of illieteration.  You are welcome.) 
     I am a daredevil in my own way.
     Our milk went out of date two days ago.  And I still drank some.  Call me crazy, but I love living on the edge once in a while.  Past dated milk, yogurt that is a little runny, apples that have a perfectly good half opposite the brown musy one.....those are all my calls to action.
     Proof?  I found a frozen frosted Christmas cookie laying in the bottom of the freezer today.  It could have been from this year.  It could thave been from last year.  I accepted the challenge.  I took a bite and almost immediatley spit it out because it had terrible freezer burn taste.
     Forget sky diving, or montain  climbing, or swimming with the sharks.  I look those dates square in the eye, give the stuff an sniff, then risk spending the afternoon tethered to the toilet.
     So far, so good.
Peace and Love

shorts and snowshoes

Our weather is about to get wild 

     It was in the 50s today and it felt really good.  But Tuesday, well, there is a winter storm watch and we are expected to get 6 inches or more!  That's what she said!  The weather lady on the Rockford tv station, you perverts.
     I am looking forward to a good snow.  Heavens knows, snow days are of no importance to us anymore.
     But I could go snowshoeing if there is enough snow.
     Repeating my snowshoe story: (that is something us older folks do quite frequently)  Several years ago,,, maybe 15..... I went to Cranfest in Warrens WI.  It's a huge flea market/craft show with great cranberry cream puffs.  I saw a pair of snowshoes for maybe $15, and I bought them.  These are the old style ones and I actually could use them for tennis if I had to.
     I enjoy tromping around in the snow, but I have to admit it is hard work.  One time I took a thermos full of hot chocolate, went out to Nachusa Grasslands, and snowshoed my way out to a hill.  Might have been coyote knob, I don't remember.  I sat down on a rock and had a couple of cups of hot chocolate.  It was amazing.
     I can't do that now, because the bison roam that area.
     I have gone into Skare Park several times on my snowshoes but three years ago I broke a strap.
     A local guy restrapped them for about $50, which was a lot of money but worth it for the experience.  I have gone 3 times since then!  It seems to snow, then get bitterly cold, and freeze, making it hard to snowshoe.  And there may have been a snow or two where I was sick.
     But now...feeling good!  Snowshoes ready!
     Wednesday may be the day I finally hit the woods on my tennis rackets!
Peace and Love

numbers

I just looked at my blog numbers

     I once read that there are better sites to post a blog, sites that get better traffic.
I don't know anything about those.
     I started this blog a long time ago.  The idea was to tell short, humorous details about my boring life.
     I have published 2,192 blog posts over the years of doing this.  That's a lot.
     There have been 175,333 visits to my posts over the years.  I think that is a lot too.
     My most read post was April 10, 2015....the day after a tornado changed all our lives....Emily's and John's especially.
     Sometimes I vent here, but mostly I go over the mundane and humourous parts of my life.  Often they all intermingle.  To be honest, I have another place I also vent.  I call it Letters to God and there are some days my letters are a little, shall we say, dark and filled with anger.  So far, He has not written back.  (Brings to mind my dad story...but that's for another day.)
     But I digress.
     I do want to thank you all for reading these posts.  Whether you have been a long time reader, an occasional reader, or a just new reader..thank you for letting me into your life.
     And after years of complaining about the spell checker feature....the one that if I typed aslo would give me 6 variations of the word also, but never also... I do miss that.  To be honest, my vision is not as good as it used to be.  Or my hearing.  Or my knees.  Or my hips.  My appetite seems good though.
Peace and Love

ha ha ha

I had a good laugh today

     I weas driving to the zoo and passed a locksmith's truck on I-88.  Name of he business?  Goldy Locks.  I thought it was funny.
     Then I wondered how many other businesses had funny names  that I have just ignored. So I am going to pay closer attention to the traffic on the road.
     I finally watched Yesterday, the movie about life without the Beatles.  In one scene the main character visits Liverpool and walks down Penny Lane, stops at Strawberry Fields, visits Eleanor Rigby's grave.....I can't wait.
     That's a funny expression...can't wait.  What choice do I have? 
     Oh well.....hope you had a good day and will have a great weekend.
Peace and Love

picky picky

Sometimes people are just too picky

     Jackie, for instance.  Yesterday she asked me to get some blueberries.  I got blueberries.  She did not want to eat them.
     Sure, I dropped the container getting out of the car and blueberries were rolling everywhere over the garage floor.  I offered to wash them off, but she was hesitant.
     So I bought more blueberries.
     I have dropped them twice in the store.  Both times at the register and people were lined up behind me as blueberries scattered across the floor.
     I guess I am not a hands guy.
     It's just something about blueberries, I think.  I never drop them at home, just in the store or garage.
     And in case you wonder, I am a caring person.  I swept them up and then asked if she wanted to still eat them.  I could have just put them back in the container, or most of them, and washed them and she would have been none the wiser.
     And except for the bits of rock, they were probably ok for someone other than me to eat.
Peace and Love

one down

I got my TSA precheck done today

     Nothing is easy for me.  I made the appointment, wrote down 2 p.m. on my calendar.  Yestereay I put my passport and their paperwork together for the 2 p.m. appointment.
     Told Jackie I was leaving at 12:45 so I would be sure to be on time.  At 12:40 I pick up my passport and the paper confirming my appointment.....at 1:20.
     I admit, I may have gone faster than the allowed speed limit.  When I got to the place in downtown Rockford, I did not see a parking space, so I pulled into the garage and drove up.  And up.  And up.
     All the spaces on the first 4 floors were reserved.  Unreserved is on the roof.
But I still had 5 minutes.
     Parked, got in the elevator.  The very slow elevator.  Extremely slow elevator.
And hit the ground running.
     I walked into the office at 1:19...1 minute early!
     A lady sitting in the waiting room said, "Are you Terry?"
     Flattered that my fame as a writer/comedian/actor brought instant facial recognition, I admitted I was.
     "You're late.  They came and called dfor you but since you were not here, they went with another person."
     So I sat and waited, my ego grossly deflated.
     It was a short wait.  I struck up a conversation with the woman from Clinton WI who had been waitng for a while for a spot to open.  She told me about the food court, restaurant with cheap but delicious tacos, and the bakery in the building.
    After less than 15 minutes, it was my turn to be fingerprinted, photographed (no glasses and a neutral face, no smiles or frowns), answer a few questions, and pay my $85.  I was done in about 10 minutes.
    Bakeries always intersest me, and I ended up buying $11 worth of cheesecake to take home.
     When I was leaving, I notieced several open spaces on the side street, which would have saved me a $6 parking fee....but I was in a hurry.
     Went back to the parking garage, put my cheesecake down on a ledge while I paid, went up the slow elevator, got in the car and realized my cheesecake was still sitting at the pay station.
     I drove down, parked in a handicapped spot, ran in, grabbed my cheesecake and headed home.
     Jackie and I enjoyed it for dessert tonight.  It was delicious.
     Next week we are going to tackle real ID...........and contemplate the question:  How many government id cards does a person need?
Peace and Love

dracula

I had a blood draw today

     Routine lab, but I sure was nervous.
     Frist off, everyone in the clinic was coughing or sneezing.  People were wearing masks.  One man was on the verge of going ballistic when he weas told it would be afew minutes for his x ray registration to go through.  He mumbled, quite loudly, "I have already been in this f------ place for two hours."  Two kids were crying, a baby was screaming and I had to go the the bathroom but I was damn certain I did not want to go into a germ infested clinic bathroom during a full blown flu outbreak.
     Or maybe they just had colds.
     Anyway, my turn came for blood work.
     Those of you who know me know:  I fear needles.  I faint at the sight of blood.  I pass out during blood draws, sometimes.  I fear needles.  I repeated that for emphasis.
     As she was prepping my arm, I asked her if she was pretty good at this.
    "Good?  Heck no, I am terrible!  The worst one here.  The only reason they keep me around is so they all look good.  I'll be lucky if I can find a vein.  This may take a few stabs.  I don't think I could find another job that would let me be this bad."
     And she was done.
     All in all, it was a good experience.
     When I got hone I bathed in sanitizer and used the bathroom.
Peace and Love

tired and sore

My whole body aches tonight

     It seems to be worse lately.....knees, hips, shoulder, fingers.  I feel fine, I just hurt.
     I have been going to a fitness center and walking.  I go Monday, Wednesday and one other day.  Or at least I am trying to go.
     Today I walked at a normal pace for five minutes, then I walked at a really fast pace (for me) for three minutes.  I repeated that loop three times and I was a bit tuckered when I hit the 1.5 mile mark.
     I finally loaded a book onto my reader.  That only took three days.  I am not computer literate.  Next time I walk, I can read.
     The day was pretty boring....wet, cloudy, chilly.  I don't like days like this.
     That's it.  Pretty blah, huh?  Just like the weather.
Peace and Love

I hate anchovies

I had a weird dream the other night

     A bunch of us went out for pizza.  There were 15 people in the group, so we could not all sit at the same table.
     I sat with a bunch of friends.
     Eddy, a loner, sat by himself.  Julie and Jim are newlyweds, so they sat at a table by themselves.  Bonnie and Tim were on a first date, so they opted for a table by themselves also.
     We all had some wine and some mozzarella sticks, then it was time to order.
My table wanted just a  cheese and sausage pizza.  All 10 of us agreed.
     That's when the problem started.
     Eddy likes anchovies.  So he ordered a small pizza for himself with that salty fish as a topping.  Bonnie and Tim thought that was interesting, so they also opted for the fishy pizza.  Julie and Jim don't eat meat, so their option was also anchovies.
     The orders went in and we had a great tine until the pizza arrived.
     All the pizzas  had anchovies!
     I called the owner over.  "Pete," I said.  "We don't want anchovies.  We got anchovies.  We don't want anchovies."
     He sighed and said, "That's the way it works.  We take the number of tables ordering a pizza and that's what everyone gets."
     So, we were stuck with anchovies.  Which we don't like.
     I hope I don't go back to Collegio Electtorale Pizza again....but I
 fear my nightmare will reoccur.
Peace and Love and Anchovies

blink...it's gone

I don't know what happened today

     I weoke up and suddenly it's time for bed.
     I did do stuff.  Laundry.  Dishes.  Attene a celebration of life.  Go out for dinner.
     A few months ago we bought some dryer balls.  These take the place of dryer sheets and are more environmentally friendly.
     But it's strange.  The other day I dried my new oversized red pajamas and one of my balls was way down in the leg!  Sometimes my balls fall on the floor when I take out the load and sometimes I end up with a ball at the end of a sleeve!     How it gets there, I will never know!
     We have new neighbors.  I am not a nosy person, but when I take Corki out at night I notice by 10 the house is dark, so they must be in bed.
     It's 10:30 now and I just put another load in the washer.  I hope to stay awake until it is done, then put it in the dryer along with my balls. 
     Hopefully the load wont sit overnight and get all wrinkled.
Peace and Love

pennies from heaven

I took in my loose change today

     It started out with a hot chocolate mix can.  I filled it with loose change.    When that came full, I moved to a loose leaf tea can.  It just kind of grew from there.
     When we had the closet floor installed, all that stuff had to come out.  I realized it had been a while since I took in change.
     I put all my containers in two strong bags.  I took one bag in Wednesday and ran it through the change counter.  $257.  Plus some change.  I took the second bag in today:  $225.  Plus some change.
     It's a bonus and will help pay for my ticket this summer.
     Aside from taking in change, I went to a fitness center and walked 1.5 miles on the treadmill, went to Creston with Sheri, Dan and Linda for wine night, and went to the store.
     Actually, I bought flowers for Jackie.  I had to laugh, there were at least 10 guys in Cypress House buying flowers.  Who says we wait until the last minute?
     All in all, a cold, but good, day.
Peace and Love and loose change

damn, it's cold

I am getting pretty chilly

     And I am in a house,  With heat and walls and windows and doors and blankets.
     I just can't imagine what people who are homeless do on nights like this.  Even sleeping in a car would not provide the warmth one needs to survive.
     I can't help but think we are the greatest country in the world, have been for many years.  Why can't we figure out how to get homeless off the streets and into safe places in weather like this.
     If we took one billion from this senseless wall project and built affordable housing, maybe we could do something about the problem.
     Anyway...I am warm, comparatively speaking.  Most of you are also warm.  I just hope those in tents find some shelter tonight.
     Kind of a strange musing from me, huh?
Peace and Love

silent shroud of snow

It is beautiful outside tonight

     I know it is snowing.  I know it is cold.
     But it is beautiful.
     I let Corki out about 10:30 for the second time in the last two hours. 
     I put on my heavy coat and just stand outside with her in case Wiley Coyote and friends come around.  When I did that earlier, I sat on  the bench outside and darn near fell asleep!   I was as warm as a joey in a pouch and Corki was just standing out there looking around, barking at the neighbors who were outside. 
     It was so calm and peaceful.
     Not to sound morbid, but that is the way I want to go.  Just lay me out in the snow on a cold winter's night, with the owls hooting and the flakes drifting down on me, feeling like angel kisses.  So quiet, so peaceful.
     But I have miles to go before I sleep.
Peace and Love

moon river

I saw the moon tonight

     That may not seem super great, but it has been so cloudy the past two nights I could not see the Snow Moon.  Tonight it is shining brightly.
     Last night it was still bright enough to see two deer in the back yard browsing next to the bird feeder.  We always see deer tracks in the yard, but seldom see deer.
     Went to see Star Wars today......  At my age long periods of time between shows is not a good idea.  I had forgotten who most of the people were, but it soon came back to me.  It was Carrie Fisher's last role and it was eerie seeing her on screen.  I believe the actor who played Chewey, Peter Mayhew?, also died before the film was released.
     I should have seen it in I Max and 3-D....that would have been pretty neat.
     Uncle Leo said, "There's another man who's a genius.  Took a bunch of goofy space createures and turned them into a billion dollar industry."
     If only the rest of us had such talent and creativity.
     Problem:  I can't get the music out of my head.
    Da da da da da da daaaaaa dum
Peace and Love

some things

I don't know where my time goes

     Yes, I do spend time on social media and playing solitaire, but my days just seem to zoom past.
     Today, for example.  I have not yet read the Tribune for the day. And I have only played a couple of games of solitaire.  And yes, John and Emily came with Loba for a visit ,which was great.  And I did watch 3 episodes of Schitt$ Creek....well maybe that is why my time seems so short.
     I have a lot of little projects to finish and I just seem to delay them.  Such as copying some pictures and sending them to relatives, calling an insurance agent that has called me several times, calling a banker about my IRA and setting up a time to meet with him. 
     I just put those things off.
     First thing tomorrow.....that is what I said most of last week.
     We'll see.
     Until them, I have a Trib to read.
Peace and Love

missed it again

I don't think Mother Nature likes me

     Tonight there was supposed to be a super moon; the Snow Moon was supposed to be huge when it rose in the sky.
     Except there were clouds and I could not see it.  That seems to happen whenever there is a neat event going on in the skies, like meteor showers, comets, or giant alien space ships hovering just barely above the skyline. 
     It is either rainy, or foggy, or cloudy...like tonight.
     Change of topic.  I am looking to buy a condo in Floirida.  The units in the building I want just went on presale.  The Trib had a big advertisement for the condos, which start at $6.1 million and run up to $14.2 million.  Unless you want a penthouse, which runs fron $25 mil to $32 mil.
     I figure with my lottery winnings last week, I might be able to afford a place.
     Oh wait......it's that damn money envy rearing it's ugly head again.
     Off to bed...it's late and I am not.
Peace and Love

blah

Today was just a blah kind of day

     I went to a visitation for one of the first people I met coming to Rochelle.  She was a sweet lady who has been sick the past few years.  I never went to visit because....well, I guess I was just afraid of seeing her.
     That's the problem with living in a small town for a long while...too many people you knew are listed in the obits.  Very depressing.
     I also went to the new VCCT theater and helped clean up.  Since I don't do heavy lifting, I am completely qualified to sweep.  I did for two hours, then came home and took a shower because I was a little dusty.
     Like I said....kind of a blah day.  But I am tired, so I am headed to bed early.       Just hope I can sleep.
Peace and Love

cripes

Why do companies have to make things hard

     Looking to book airline tickets for this summer, but I can't get a handle on the prices. 
     For example, a site may list a fare as round trip for $1,100.  When you click through, the return trip comes up at another $700 plus baggage fees.  And what is the difference between economy, economy flexible, and economy plus?  A lot of money, for one. 
     The same route by two different airlines leaves at the same time... but one lists dinner and  the other says no meals.  Do overseas flights not provide meals for the 8 hour flight?  Same plane, but one fare is considerably cheaper because you pay extra for luggage and don't get food.  Plus you sit in cramped seats. 
     I am a simple person.  I prefer simple answers.  If I ask how much a loaf of bread is, I expect someone to tell me how much the loaf of bread is.  And when I go to pay for said bread, I know how much dough to lay out.  (I thought it was punny.)
     Why do companies have to make it so hard?  (Cue the music written for whiners.)
     It's enough to make me want to walk.
     Speaking of whiners, I have been doing this little blog for 4 years and every t ime I type there is a spell check icon at the top.  Granted, it was terrible at correcting.  If I mistyped also as alo I would get alps, ask, awl, and several other options but never also.
     Anyway...that option has disappeared.  I am on my own for spelling.  How hrad can thet be?
Peace and Love

winner, winner...chicken dinner

I won the Lotto

     I found out I did not have to go to Springfield or Chicago to claim my winnings.  It seems I can do that locally.
     Every time a lottery jackpot goes above $200 million, I buy a couple of tickets.  It was over that for quite a while, and one of the 20 tickets I played was a winner!
     I could not believe it!  I had to look twice to be sure.
     After years of trying this game, I finally matched a number.  I got the Powerball in one game and was thrilled to collect my earnings.
     I even took a photo of me, the lucky winner.

     Yes, I am holding all my winnings...both of them.  But I am wearing a stylish hat, right?

     Another tech question.  Today all the icons on my desktop are mini sized....can barely read them.  Don't know why, don't know how......but I would like them restored to the larger size.  How do I do that?   

     Never mind...I figured it out myself.  so there.  Just don't know how I did that in the first place.

     I have to make a list of what to spend my winnings on....so it's an early night.

Peace and Love

questions

I have some science and technology questions

     Let's deal with science first.  (And for those of you concerned my fine Chicago Public Schools education did not stress sciences, I assure you I took science classes.  We had an open house when I was in a biology class.  The teacher had a movie she wanted to show.  The shades in the room were not working.  She wondered how parents would be able to see the movie during the open house because the sun would be shining in the west windows.  I pointed out the sun would be set by the time the open house was, so that was not a concern.)
     I bought some ice melter for the sidewalks. Pet friendly, says the label.  I have it out in the garage except for a one pound can I have inside the front door so I don't have to tramp through the house to get salt.
     Today I noticed the stuff had congealed in the container inside the house.  It is now one block.
     Why?  Humidity in the house?  Heat in the house?  A combination?
     Technology question.  I checked my e mail about 5 tonight.  One message.  I checked again just after 9 and I had 14 messages, some from this morning that I did not see until tonight.
     Where is the e mail hiding?  Is it floating around in cyber space looking for a landing?
     That's it.  My questions.  All reasonable answers will be read.
Peace and Love

so close

I need to get into a training regimen

     I found out today how far out of shape I am.  Part of that is because of the pause button on the tv.
     In the old days, we had to wait for a pause in the action to use the bathroom.     Then someone developed a remote with a pause option, and my training fell to the wayside.
     I went to see 1917 tonight.  I have  an AMC Stubb's membership, which is $15 a year.  Every Tuesday is $6 movie and $5 popcorn and pop night.  I got there just as the movie was about to start because somehow between the hearing aid place and the cinema, I lost my card.  I looked everywhere, but could not find it.  I asked and found out they can look up a membership using an e-mail.  Amazing.
     Making a long story short..it is a 2 hour movie.  I made it about 1 hour 54 minutes before my bladder actually started yelling at me through my intestines.
I think that's because I am so used to hitting the pause, I have not maintained my ability to drink a lot of liquid and hold it, resulting in my being forced  to jump out of a car and urinate on a UNESCO world heritage site at least once.  I digress.
     Luckily, I did last until the message was delivered and disaster averted, both on screen and off.
     I need to start watching movies nonstop at home to train myself.  Either that or give up the popcorn and pop special on Tuesday.
Peace and Love

feeling feet good

We got pedicures today and it feels great

     You reach a certain age and trimming nails becomes a chore.  I can't trim my nails, let alone Jackie's.  So for the past year or two we have been getting our nails done in a place in Sycamore.
     It's a process.
     It took four of us to get her up the small step and into the chair.  But getting her down is easy, because she gets up and I put the wheelchair right behind her.        Then I roll it backward very gently until we bump down to the main floor.  It scares the bejeebes out of her every time.
     I also dropped my broken hearing aid off at the hearing center.  Please feel free to repeat or speak loudly for the next few days.
     Next I said I wanted to stop at a framing shop.  I had seen on in downtown DeKalb, so we went and drove very slowly....like old people are supposed to do on clear, dry days.
     I was looking for a place called the Framing Spot.  I swear I had seen it a few months ago.  But when we drove past where I thought it was, the sign said The Gaming Spot.  So, I might have been a bit off.
     When I googled it at home, I discovered until last November there was a framing place in downtown DeKalb.........so I am a bit late.
     Not to worry, there is a shop in Sycamore that does good work.
     Jackie's grandfather, (along with my dad...think of that) were stationed at Camp Grant in Rockford during The Great War.  I never think war is so great, but it turned out not to be the war to end all wars so we renamed it WW I.
     Sorry, I digress.
     Jackie had a picture of her grand pappy's company.  It is about 30 inches long and 10 inches high and rapidly disintegrating.  About 5 years ago, maybe longer, we went to Danny Williams and he made a digital copy of the picture, filling in the torn and missing spots.  It looks pretty good for 102.
     I was supposed to get  the remastered one framed.  Me, being a procrastinator, put it on the top shelf in the closet.  I found it when we emptied out the closet for the flooring.
     I vow, within the next two weeks, to take it in for framing. 
     I'll bet a chicken dinner I get it done, too.  At least it will be taken in, the framing may take longer than two weeks.
     It's not easy being me.
Peace and Love

Super Bowl Sunday

I had mixed emotions about the game today

     I am in a football pool, and way back in September I picked Kansas City to win the Super Bowl.  Now normally, I would be counting some green right now....but, not going to happen.
     The pool has three levels.  I played level one and picked the Patriots.  In level 2 I picked Kansas City and  ...... the Bears.  You earn points for every win.  A couple of other people picked KC, but they picked the Packers and the Patriots and other teams that had better records than the Bears, so they earned more points.
     So, I was rooting for the 49ers because of the Chicago connection.  Robbie Gould, the best kicker in Bears history plays on SF.  Jimmy Ward, a defensive back, played at NIU.  An offensive lineman #75, Robinson but I can't remember his first name, moved from Haiti to Chicago and grew  up in Rogers Park.  He went to Lane Tech High School and eventually Duke.  He overcame poverty, language barriers, an unstable home life, a difficult commute to school but played well and got a scholarship.  He intends to become a doctor.  And of course the running back Mostert was actually on the Bears for a couple of games back in 18 but was cut.
     I am glad KC won though, they are a darn exciting team.
     During the game, we went through a box from our closet.

     Check these out.

Proof that Jackie graduated from elementary school!

We have been saving this since ,  well, forever.  Any idea what it is for?

After 20 plus years I guess I can toss this

     Hope you had a great Super Bowl Sunday!
Peace and Love

you bought what?

We went to a benefit tonight

     Jackie, Emily, John and friend Nadine along with three friends of Emily and John had a table at From the Heart.
     This is a yearly benefit.  Tickets are not cheap, and there is a silent auction, raffles, a live auction and  games that raise money for local charities.
     Jackie was interested in a picture, and said I could bid $175 on it.  So I did.  But it was a silent auction, and someone outbid me.  I also bid $125 on a pack of Packer stuff, but someone overbid me on that too.  I was not upset about that one.
     Came time for the live auction, and they sold bags of wine in groups of 10.       So I ended up buying $165 worth of wine, which seemed to get someone a bit out of shape.  Granted, I have 30 bottles of wine in the basement.  Another 10 will just give me some extra to fall back on during wine drinking season.  Seems the thinking is I could have bought the picture and still made a contribution.
     But the neat thing was I sold tickets at a raffle booth.  My friend Curt bought some from me and he won a 72  inch big ass tv!  A young lady bought some from me and won a necklace that she really wanted.  It was valued at about $1,200!
     I should have sold myself some tickets....because I did not win on the games I played.
     But it all goes to charity.  So I am willing to put out a little cash for a good cause.
     It does make for a long night. 
     Sweet dreams and happy awakenings.
Peace and Love