RSVP

Our last minute New Year's Eve party is a bust 

    None of the people we invited could attend.

    Michelle and  Barak had plans, Sir Elton and Sir Paul were performing, Sir Richard was munching on drumsticks, Jennifer was with her friends......all of them either ignored or declined our requests.

    So Jackie and I are spending a quiet night with Julia...well, Julia is downstairs watching a movie while I am in the den and Jackie is on the Hallmark channel because Christmas seems to have an endless supply of movies.  So I guess we are spending a quiet evening together in separate rooms.

    But, the quiet is fine with me.  Usually we spend it with friends, playing games, laughing, having some alcohol, eating food..... but for the second year in a row we have elected to not do that because of the fear we will get sick.  Thank you, Covid, for ruining another year.

    We did watch an episode of Ted Lasso and I have to say, it was one of the best episodes I have seen!  It was Christmas in season 2 and just featured a neat plot line.  We were a little late catching on to Ted, but it's a good show.  It is interesting to see how the characters grow and change from episode one.....all because of Ted, I believe.  And good writers.

    Anyhow, I hope you all have a Happy New Year and that 2022 is better for all of us.  I hope for a healthier, happier, kinder year for all of us...one without insurresctions and pandemics.

Peace and Love

next year....

I don't think I will be making any resolutions 

    I never keep them.  So, why bother to make them?

    Instead, I am going to set some goals.

            Finish the three books I am working on, and sending one of them off to a publisher.

            Memorize my part for Tuna Las Vegas, coming to you in August.

            Get rid of stuff I don't need or want anymore.

            Get four trees planted.

            Finish my wildflower garden in the back of the yard.

    Those sound suspicously like resolutions. 

    Notice, losing weight, exercising,  saving money, keeping my car clean, are not resolutions because I have said that every year and my car is a mess, I am fat, out of shape and certainly not in the Elon Musk class of people.

    So, goals.

    Now they are set.  I have pulled out the concrete slabs and chiseled them in.  Now all I have to do is wait 'till next year.  As a Cubs fan, that is something I am very used to doing.

    Have a Happy New Year.......I understand in France you can not say that to people until Jan. 1.  But, I am not in France!

Peace and Love

end of an era

 I made a life changing decision today

    Now I am depressed.  And relieved.  

    I bought an artificial Christmas tree.

    I swore I would never have one.  Never.  

        The tree this year has lost a lot of needles from the bottom.  I did not close the heating vent which is behind it, which may have caused the problem.  I will be taking the tree down Friday.  We always leave the tree up until Jan. 6.

    I had decided against an artificial tree just a few days ago.  But watching the needles drop, thinking of the clean up and disposal, worrying about a risk of fire, all led me to change my mind.

    Now I won't have to rely on anyone to go with me to cut a tree.  We have been lucky the past few years.  Emily, John, and sometimes Camryn, have humored me by going but the weather has been mild.  I can't imagine going out to look on a weekend when there is 6 inches of snow on the ground, the temperature is low and the wind is howling.

    With the artificial tree, I can put it up when I want and take it down when I want.  I won't have needles to pick out of the carpet for a month.

    Yet no matter how much I keep telling myself it is for the best, I have a hole in my heart. 

    Next year, if you remember, when you go to a cut your own lot, let me know if I can tag along.  

  Peace and Love

Goodyear

That's my new nickname after the holidays 

    I may have gained 150 pounds in the past week.  I have so much gas, you could launch me and use me for aerial coverage of football games.

    I have devoured cookies, candy, hot chocolate, cookies, more candy, turkey, ham, beef, more cookies.....OMG, I can't stop!

    If I see it, I eat it.  I guess that is literally a see food diet.  Throw in some egg nog and you can guess why I have had stomach issues the past couple of days.  

    I am out of control.

    We had my nephew Mike, wife Megan and their boys Ben and Michael here for a visit today.  They live in Switzerland and I did not get a chance to see them when I was there.

    We had some beef from Portillo's and ...... chocolate cake!  Of course, I ate some.  Then some more.  But it tasted so good.

    It was great catching up with them.  The boys have gotten tall!  They went over for 3 years alnost 10 years ago....could have been 2011 or 2014, I can't remember.  It seems 3 years in Switzerland does not translate to 3 years.  Julia went for 3 and stayed for nearly 20.

    Now I need to start cleaning up.  I have boxes all over the place.  I will be cutting them up to put down in my expanded wildflower garden in May.  Plus I have to look through all the tossed Christmas wrapping paper for my Starbucks gift card.  I know I will find it. 

    And I think the tree will  be going down soon also.  It is dropping a lot of needles.  Normally I hate taking trees down, but this one just isn't lasting.  I did forget to close the heating vent behind it, which may be part of he problem.

    3 more days to 2021.  It seems like it just started.  The past 2 years have been a real challenge, I  hope better days are ahead.

Peace and Love

busy, busy day

 This was a pretty active day

    Julia's household goods arrived.  The company called at about 8:15 and they were down at the storage unit.  She went to let them in, watch 4 of them unload the container and load the wine into another truck.

    That truck came to the house and the two men carried the wine to the basement.

    She had about 66 boxes of wine.  Most boxes had 6 bottles, a couple had 112.

    What was neat was they carried the boxes on their backs!  They hunched forward and had the boxes balanced on their backs!  I don't how they got them off carefully, but there were no broken bottles, at least from what we saw.

    As they were making trips through the garage and into the basement, the fireplace guy showed up.  Lately when we run the gas fireplace, it shuts off for a few seconds then comes back on.  That did not see safe, so we had it checked.  It seems we need a new ignition control panel, or something like that.

    After everybody was gone, I had to help her sort the wine.  We have stacks of champagne, white, pink, and red.  When she builds, they will have to be moved again but I don't think it will be by me!

    I spent about an hour looking for a Starbucks gift card John and Emily gave me.  I have the card holder, but no card.  These are the shape of a coffee cup and smaller than the regular card.  So far, I have not found it.  

    I also went to DeKalb to pick up some beef for tomorrow and ended up buying 12 packages of Christmas cookies at Aldi's.  I love these cookies!  I freeze them, and then starting in June or July I take out a package every couple of weeks for my afternoon tea.  

    I don't think our Christmas tree is going to be up much longer.  The needles are dropping like crazy.  We like to keep it up until Jan. 6, but I don't think that will be possible this year.

    And my trial for the day came in Aldi's when my mask got tangled in my eyeglasses and the glasses fell off, and the left elns popped out.  I put it back in, but I don't think it is right.  Guess I call the eye doc tomorrow.

    Finally, we finished season one of Ted Lasso.  It took a while for us to get into the show, and truthfully I have a hard time understanding some of the cast even with my hearing aids.  But we do like it and can't wait until we start season 2.

Peace and Love

post blues

Today was a strange post Christmas day 

    Usually I rush off to Aldi's to pick up Christmas cookies, hopefully at half price.  But today, I just was tired and kind of funky feeling.  I prety much sat around most of the day, but about 2 I get energetic and did some chores.

    Supper was leftovers, which I am happy to eat.  But eventually turkey gets tiring and we will need a change of taste.

    Speaking of taste, (great transition, eh?) not everyone appreciates my art.

    I don't like wrapping paper.  I think it is pretty wasteful.  So several years ago I bought an end roll of plain newsprint and I wrap my presents in those.  Years ago, when I could get the Trib delivered to the house, I would start saving the Sunday funnies in about July and by Christmas I had enough wrap presents.

    But now I use the plain, white print.

    To make it more festive, I draw Christmas scenes...sort of.  Sometimes they are amazing....but you may not agree.

    Here are some from this year.

This started out as a rabbit, but it later became a guinea pig or a boxing mouse

Hard to clor white on white...so I outlined his beard

Julia recognized the Matterhorn right away

Jackie also got artistic with the cheese and sausage

    I am just surprised they don't save my art and hang it on the fridge.

Peace and Love

tired, but happy

 This was a nice Christmas

    Julia, Emily and john did the bulk of hte cooking, the dishwasher did the bulk of the clean up, and it was  a great day.

    We got to talk to relatives via Facetime and Skype, had friends over for dinner, opened lots of neat presents, and I only got upset once.  Technology frustrates me, and during one of our computer times I  got very upset at my lack of knowledge of how things work.  Other people figured out the problem, and they will work with me to prevent that problem from happening again.  I think it is called learning.

    But the day was great.  

    Now I am hungry, tired, and happy.  It was even less stressful than normal because Julia is not leaving in a week.  And that is a great gift.

    Hope you had a Merry Christmas.......now, let's get a New Year going that is healthy and happy!

Peace and Love

'twas the night before Christmas

 And I am getting ready

    I have my egg nog with a little rum, I know where "It's a Wonderful Life" is, the basement is free for me to wrap presents, and most of the cooking for tomorrow is done.

    Jackie and I went to church tonight, for the first time since Covid raised it's ugly head.  It was great to see the people in person.  Many have gotten taller, all are a little older, some a little chunkier (me!) but all were welcome faces.

    I have once again struggled with gifts, never knowing which is too much and which is too little and which is just too weird.  I know it is not the giving, or the receiving, but the reason for the season that is the most important.

    At the same time I also get sad.  We have ample, but many people are struggling now.  Families are homeless, people are hungry, and we are all a little bit anxious as to what the new year will bring.

    Truthfully, I miss the family that can't be here...my mom, dad, brother Dennis, and all the aunts and uncles and grandparents that created the Christmas memories I cherish.

    And I rejoice in the family that is here, some near, some far, but always in my heart and thoughts.

    I hope you all have a Merry Christmas, and a healthy holiday.  Peace be with you this holiday and each day in the upcoming years.

    And I heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight, "Happy Christmas to all.  And to all a good night."

Peace and Love

dang it

 Sometimes timing is everything

    I have a degree in journalism.  I write for a newspaper.  I can take pictures.  Newspapers love a good photo.

    Today I was taking Jackie to a hair appointment.  We were on Flagg Road by the Lutheran Church and there was an accident. 

    It looked like one truck  crossed a center line and hit another truck in the left front.  The truck then left the roadway, knocked down a utility pole, and went into the field.

    It had just happened.  Two cars had stopped to help, but police had not arrived yet.  They were just turning onto Flagg Road as we passed the accident.

    I said maybe I should take a picture for the paper.  But I did not have my phone.  So I asked Jackie for her phone and remembered I had put it in her purse but left her purse in the garage.

    By the time I dropped Jackie off, circled home, picked up phones and my camera, then  drove back toward the accident everything was cleared up except the broken pole.

    What are the odds I would forget my phone and her purse?

    Actually, pretty good I would guess.

    I just hope no one was seriously injured in the accident.  

    This afternoon Julia and I cleaned out a corner of our basement for a temporary wine cellar.  

    When she shipped her goods Nov. 17, we expected it to be February or March before the container arrived.  But the container is coming Monday.

    Most of the cartons go into the storage unit, but the wine comes to the house so it can be in a relatively controlled temperature setting.

    I just hope the moving guys take it down the stairs.  If not, I will be asking for help.  

Peace and Love

say what?

 Sometimes people say strange things

    It's not only me either.

    Today I had a heart doctor check up.  The nurse was taking my history and asked if I had any surgeries since the last visit.

    I told her I had my prostate removed.

    She looked at ther computer and asked if I had the left side, right side or complete removal.  I told her it was complete.

    She paused for a minute and asked, (Seriously, this is not made up!) "Can people live without a prostate?"

    I did not know what to say, so I said, "Hello!!  I am here and I don't have a prostate!"

    Yesterday I ordered 8 pieces of chicken and a pound of cole slaw at a local fast food place.  The young man asked, "Is this for here or to go?"  I was the only one in the place!  Did he seriously expect me to eat all that by myself?

    I ordered a coffee on line at Starbucks in Rockford.  I went in and it wasn't ready.  I looked at my phone and could not tell if I ordered or  not.  So I asked the girl behind the counter.  She told me I had  not completed the order.  So I hit complete, complete again , and it was ordered,

    I told her thank you and said sometimes the techology is harder for us older folks.

    "Don't worry.  My dad is a lot younger than you and he won't even try to order on line," she replied.

    A lot?  What the hell, does the think I am 70 or something?  Oh, wait.

    I also took some used printer cartridges in to one of the big box stores for recycling.  I had 4 of them in my arms and asked the clerk if they recycled these.  She said yes.

    After a pause, she said, "Do you want to recycle those?"

    I wanted to say, no, I am just carrying them around and surveying stores.  I will just take them back out to the car and drive around with them.

    But I said yes, and she took them.

    In a way it is comforting that people say goofy things, because I am always saying goofy things.  In a sense it makes me feel better.

    And the heart doc said I was fine and he would not be seeing me anymore since he is retiring, sort of.  We always talk about biking when I visit.  I told him I was not good this summer at riding, he said he wasn't either....too hot, too busy, Covid.

    I told him I just had over 70 miles and was really bummed.  He said he was too, he only had 3,000 miles this year.  Most of his fellow riders had 5,000.

    At least if I double my amount next year I will have much satisfaction......while it will be hard for him to double his!

    Peace and Love

panic time

 Christmas is coming

    I always feel like I have not gotten anyone gifts.  There may be some in the closet, or downstairs, or in my drawer, but I always feel like I have not found the right gift.

    This is something that I have felt since childhood.  I remember going to a local Wieboldt's store and buying my mother a hairdryer.  This was in the late 50s or early 60s.  It was on a stick and she could take it off the stick and dry her hair.

    She was thrilled, but I always suspect is was an over reaction to an underwhelming gift.  She never said she did not like it, but I have always wondered.

    My dad was easy to buy for.  Cigarettes, Brazil nuts and walnuts.  Give him those and he was a happy man.

    We thought.

    I have mentioned my dad several times, but here is a refresher.  He may have been a little "off."  My Aunt Jean died when I was about 8.  I did not go to the funeral or visitation because I was too young.

    But my dad did.  Later he told me Jean sat up in the coffin and said to him, "Carl, Dorothy is a witch.  Be careful."  Dorothy was my mom's and Jean's sister.

    Let me tell you, THAT leaves an impression!

    But I digress.

    So...nuts and cigarettes for pops.  That was a holiday tradition. When he worked, often he would get a tie or shirt, but nuts and smokes were the main gifts.

    When he died, Jackie and I were helping my mom clean out some things.  She told me to empty the cupboard on the back porch.

    I opened the doors and a ton of nuts fell out!  The cupboard was loaded with them.

    At least he smoked hte cigarettes.  

    And I didn't find the hairdryer when we were cleaning out stuff, so after 20 years of so she must have used it or tossed it.  I'll never know.

Peace and Love

life's irritations

 It's the little things that irritate me

    Like Corki going after Jackie's cookies as the phone is ringing and things are flying and Corki is snuffling and Jackie is yelling and the phone is ringing and the Bears are on and the cookies are on the floor and Corki is going after the cookies and I am trying to hold Corki and pick up the cookies and turn down the tv while Jackie answers the phone.

    Just another day.

    I did do a little straightening up in the basement today.  Julia came in to see if she could help and just started laughing at the paper towels and toilet paper stacked up.  The 5 giant Tides escaped her notice, I think.  

    Another Corki trick....she lays on the couch with her butt facing me and emits the most foul farts you can imagine.  Only when her butt is facing me.  Sign of love?

    But the basement does look a little better in two areas.  I will be down there tomorrow again for a little while trying to get some order in the chaos.

    Seriously, sometimes I just sit there and cry because of the disorganization in my life.  I can't find things and spend hours looking for items not put away.  Lord knows where my purple scissors that actually cuts went.  I have 5 hammers....so tell me why I could not find any the other day!  None! After I gave up looking I did find one, but where the others are is anybody's guess.

    And the things I save that I will never, ever use.  Yet I can't get rid of them.  It really is frustrating.

    I have decided that next spring I am going to sell all yard tools and other tools I don't use, including boxes of nails and screws, and anything else that I can find that does not fit in my life.

    Chances are, next year at this time I will be saying the same  thing.

    Back to the Bears.....only 10-3 at the half, which surprises me!

Peace and Love

boom da da ch ch

 Jackie and I did some rapping today

    Sorry, make that wrapping.  As in Christmas presents.

    First off, I really thought those were ornaments on the paper.  Turns out they were birthday ballons.

    Cpuld not find labels.  Looked through several boxes before I found them.  The name tags were so small we could only use initials.  So we have   To E   From  M & D

    Translated, that is to Emily from Mom and Dad.

    Now, John and Julia pose a problem which may only be solved at gift opening time.

    As you all know, I save stuff.  Too much stuff.  Some people may call it crap, but I call it .... stuff.  That causes me some frustration, as today I knocked over two plastic tubs of ribbon and boxes.  I did not pick them up.  I am starting to tell people my basement is not a mess, I am just constructing an indoor maze.

    I save boxes.  Really good boxes get used over.  And over.  And over.

    Like these:

    Sure they look a little tacky.  I am not sure what stained the white box, maybe tea, coffee, wax, chocolate....who really knows.  And there are lots of tape spots.  Lots.

    Macy's bought Field's in 2006, so these boxes are older than today's eighth graders.  They are great boxes.  Someday, they may even be worth money!   I have several more, including a long narrow one for ties, socks or gloves.  I guess I should gather them all together for a photo shoot.

    But I think I'll have to do that after Christmas.....after J opens one of them.

Peace and Love

fun days

 Today was a pretty fun day

    Camryn came over and working with Julia, frosted the sugar cookies Jackie and I made yesterday

    And Julia cooked supper.....a pretty good lasagna with Texas toast garlic bread.  I opened a bottle of chianti and Emily and John brought little bundt cakes for dessert.

    I ate too much.  I may have had too much wine, I can't tell yet because the words all look right and I seem to be making sense.

    Tomorrow Jackie and I start wrapping presents.  That is always a challenging day because I really don't like wrapping presents.  I find it tedious and a waste of paper.

    A few years ago I bought an end roll of newsprint from the paper and all of my presents get wrapped in that, usually on Christmas Eve with a couple of glasses of egg nog, some cookies, and "It's a Wonderful Life" on  the TV.

    After I wrap them, I draw on them.  All sorts of things like trees, houses, mountains, stars....whatever seems to fit the package.  That I like doing because it is only a few presents and I am eating cookies.

    Anyway, I hope you had a pretty good day too!

Peace and Love

still going

 I am approaching an anniversary of sorts

    My first post was Jan. 1, 2014.

    I started because I never finish projects.  Books undone, models never built.  I have done better with puzzles, I have 7 completed ones in the basement.  I glue them togeether when done, but I think in the future I will just disassemble them and pass them on.  Unless I rteally like the picture.

    Anyway, my first posts were funnier.  I told all the funny stories about me that I could during that first year.  I decided to go another year.  Then another.  And another.  And here I am.

    Currently about 60 people a day read my little boring stories.  So far, 228,000 visits have been made to my site since I started.

    While the US is the main country, Switzerland is second and Sweden third.  France, Portugal, Spain, Serbia and Costa Rica (Lauren??) have also had readers visit.  Early on the Ukraine had several visitors, but that has not been true for a while.  I don't believe I have ever had a reader from China, Japan, or the Koreas.  In fact, I don't think I have had any visitors from Asia.

    I would not be telling the truth if I said I always had great ideas, or inspiration.  At times my sentence structure and spelling are a little on a WTH side of proper grammar.

    That may be because I have had wine, or a hot buttered rum, or  long day, or a tough day for vision.  Those seem to be getting more frequent....wine, rum, bad vision.

    I do value you all as  readers.  I appreciate you taking time from your day to read about my life. I know I have said  that before, but you don't know howimportant your readership is to my ego!    

    That's it for me.

    Peace and Love

mumbo jumbo

I am sharing a voice mail I got today 

_______ _____ _____ I will take what I was doing I have don't see it._____  _______  OK, I don't see him....Just give me a little help to bring a list.  Hello Siri.....a....I don't really see you love you love you love you some things are ______ _____ said you can deliver and a Sanders this is Leslie first ____ the ___ ___ of that wireless asking them a little OK You're trying to get to the phone I got it was a little ringing.  Ok, who are you check you got the number that you want to dial so uncle......

    And then it stopped.

    The caller's number was not familiar to me.  I think someone butt dialed my number, and the message they left might have been a conversation with someone on another phone.

    Anyway......I have had about 6 voice messages from Comcast regarding my service appointment tomorrow. 

    And I learned something today.

    Long strory.  We have a tv downstairs.  I nornmally watch it during the winter, but when summer comes, I usually am outside or watching the Cubs with Jackie.

    When Julia came home, she went downstairs to watch tv and .... nothing.  Just an error message that the signal is not being received.

    Contacted Comcast, or XFinity...whatever.  Explained the problem.  The call got cut off.  Recontacted Comcast.  Talked to a really nice lady who re-sent the signal.  During our wait, she asked me about my holiday and what I was doing for Christmas.  I told her, and asked her what she was doing.

    She has only been at this call center 3 months and will be working Christmas Day.  She said she was not too upset, because she is a single mother and is working to make life better for her son.

    She told me sometimes callers ask for another agent because her English is not so good.  I told her I understood her, but she should keep in mind that older folks like me have a tough time understanding accents because of hearing losses.  Then she told me she learned English by watching Netflix.

    Anyway, signal re-sent....nothing.  So she told me she would re-send a different signal that may take several hours.  Fast forward 4 hours.  Nothing.

    Contacted Comcast again.  Explained problem.  He said he would re-send the signal and I said that had been done 3 times.  So he scheduled a technician to come out and check out the problem.

    Tomorrow the tech comes, but I think I know the problem.

    When a tech called me today, I explained the problem again and he asked me a question.  Since I don't watch the tv during the summer, do I unplug it?  I said yes and he said the cable box gets reset often at night, and if there is no power, it can't be reset.  So my box probably has to be reset, which only a techie can do.

    So the moral of the story is:  don't be a cheap ass and unplug your tv because it may not work 6 months later.

Peace and Love

just a few words

 We went to the Christmas market in Chicago today

    Julia, Emily, Dan, Linda and I went downtown to the market.  We braved the cold winter temps and the deep snow to wander around the outdoor market.  I even had a hot wine to warm my frozen body.

    Actually, it was 60+ degrees.  There would have been more of us going, but some people have to work to keep the hospitals and schools running!

    So....not so many words today.  Just pictures.

I hope I was a good boy this year!!

Me thinks this bike is toast....and it is a Trek!

State Street, that Great Street

Photo shoot on State

Looking up at the magnificent ceiling at Field's....I mean, Macy's

Does anybody really know what time it is?  Does anybody really care?

She had a great voice

With my schnitzel and souvenier mug, I am a happy man

Someday I will have the chicken pot pie here

Mural in the basement at Field's, I mean Macy's.

Peace and Love

Ouch

 I got some negative response to a column I wrote

    Each Sunday I do a little opinion piece in the local paper.

    My opinion on vaccinations and encouraging businesses to post signs if their staff have been vaccinated did not sit well with one reader.

    They were pretty outraged and said some bizarre things.  It's the first time I have received mail like that.

    I read a Tribune columnist and he gets lots of "hate" mail, telling him he is worthless, stupid; you know the ilk.  This person wasn't that bad, but they were pretty negative.

    I once wrote the columnist and asked him how he dealt with it....his answer was to develop a thick skin.

    I have not done that.

    So, to counteract all the bad vibes, here are some good ones.

    To Emily, who keeps us in line with perscription questions and buys stuff from us at Costco, and who comforted me when I was told I had cancer,

    To son in law John, who keeps our computers working and is always there to pick up Jackie, or move furniture.  You are invaluable to us!

    To Julia, who keeps us in chocolate and Swiss wine and who had to get awakened from a deep sleep to help get her mom into bed.  From the floor.  Mom, not Julia.   Don't ask.

    To Jackie, who puts up with my endless sarcasm and dumb remarks.  Well, almost puts up with them.

    To Camryn, who reminds me what it is to be young and full of optimism and plans for the future.

    To friends I have known since high school who are content to talk to me about pretty much nothing and anything and everything at the same time.  I treasure those conversations.

    To my brother and brother in law in Florida, and their wives,  who keep us up to date on high temps, bugs, gaters, lizards and whatever weirdness is in the Florida news.

    To my other family members..in laws, cousins, nephews, neices, grand neices, grand nephews, second cousins....   We may nto talk very often, but know I miss you and really wish we had more time together.  

    To my Rochelle and area friends, who have always treated me better than I have deserved.  You are all good people and I value your friendship and kindness you all show toward me.

    To my theater friends, who put up with my missed lines, wrong entrances, wrong exits and my tendency to say lines backwards.

    To my Exit 99ers, who make me laugh and boost my spirits whenever I am with them...or even thinking of them.

    To all my teacher friends, I  envy the job you are doing through these troubled times.  I could never do what you are doing.  And you keep doing it!  

    To my retired teacher friends, who have discovered new interests and have travelled to distant places.  Good for you!  Keep on moving!

     To all of you who read this drivel about my life.  I know your time is valuable and I appreciate that you spend some of it with me, whether daily, or weekly, or just once in a while.  

    Finally, to the person who wrote me.  I know you will never read this, but I do hope you stay well and healthy, and your family too.

Peace and Love

dippy do

 I had a man come out to look at my yard

    When I mow, it is like a roller coaster.  There are more ups and downs in my yard then there are in a Bears' game.

    My septic lines has settled a little.  Not a lot, but enough to give me a headache when I mow....which is often.

    Hence, the man with the clipboard in my yard today.

    The first thing he said was he was surprised the landscaper didn't put a mound of dirt over the septic lines and let it settle.  I said he did.  But it  settled more.

    I have thought about getting some dirt and doing it myself, but I have thought about it for at least 6 years.  I am not going to ever do that.  And who knows, if the price is wrong I won't do it at all.

    We had a quiet anniversary day.....PT visit, couple of loads of laundry, sanding my table for another coat, walking around in a light coat on a very nice day.  Lots of normal stuff.

    At some point we will get winter.  I am just not sure when.  I don't think anyone is.

    I still have to hang pictures in the den, I know which ones I am putting back, just not sure where they are going.  Julia and Emily may give me some advice because I have a tendency to just hang them anywhere.  I need some structure.

    Anyway, that's my life today.

    Hope you had a great Dec. 13....Friday came on a Monday this month!

Peace and Love

ahhh.....

 Today was a pretty good day

    Emily and John came over, I cooked some steaks on the grill, and Jackie, Julia and I ate supper at the big table!

    John and I had some Advent calendar wine, and it was pretty darn good.  The steaks were not burnt, in fact, Emily's was too rare for her.  But other than that, it was a good meal.

    We opened presents....Julia's birthday, Jackie and my anniversary, watched the Bears play a competitive half of football, and generally enjoyed the day.

    Emily and John did bring Cooper and Obi over to visit earlier in the day.  Obi is huge!  I think Julia was duly impressed. Corki did a lot of barking, but was not too afraid of the big dogs, unless they looked at her.

    Tomorrow I really need to start putting the den back together....still don't have pictures hanging on the walls.  Then I can start organizing the basement.  I have boxes everywhere.

    Or, maybe I'll just not do anything,  which is getting pretty common in my life.

    Looking forward to the 50 degree weather!  That was a short winter!!

Peace and Love

Good gosh

 I was amazed at the storms yesterday

    My heart goes out to the people who were affected by the tornado, or rather tornados. 

    I know first hand the physical and emotional devastation such destruction can bring to a family and a community.

    It's a sobering message that there are no guarantees in life.  Noting is certain except death.  

    So, again.  Count your blessings.  Hug your family.  Call your friends.

    I have to find a good charity to donate to, but I know anything I give will be a drop in the ocean of need those affected will have.

    Peace and Love

rainy days

 We finally got the rain that was promised

    It's actually a pretty crappy day.

    Cold, dark, dreary....and at one point I could not tell if it was raining or snowing.

    That inability to tell the difference reminded me of two old frineds who went to Russia on vacation.

    They had been married 45 years but lately it was hard to find anything to agree about, including the weather.

    They had hired a local Russian man in Moscow to guide them around the city.

    Rudy was a  big, burly, boisterous, but a really nice, intelligent man.  He was also a big believer in the Communist system and pointed out its advantages whenever he could.

    He led Paula and Mike through the city, explaining about the onion domes, the political upheavals, the revolution.  He was the consumate guide.

    On the next to last day they were in Moscow, they had planned to visit some historic sites just outside the city limits.  As they were getting dressed, Mike told Paula that is was starting to snow.  She told him it was raining, so he should wear a raincoat.

    "Nope, it's snow.  Look!" Mike said.

    Paula looked and said, "No you old fool, it's rain.  Grab your raincoat."

    The argued bck and forth for 10 or 15 minutes until Paula finally said, "Rudy is waiting downstairs.  Let's go ask him."

    So they went down and asked Rudy, who had just come in from the weather.

    "Rain or snow?" asked Paula.

    Without hesitation, Rudy answered "Rain."

    Mike sputtered and stammared then asked, "Are you positive?"

    Paula spun around and said, "Rudolph the Red Knows Rain, dear!"

    That ended the argument and led to a famous song....but you know the rest of the story.

Peace and Love

PS....sorry for the groans

I admit it

 Am I supposed to understand today's world?

Seriously.

What the hell is a metaverse?

What is bitcoin and all the other cyber currencies I keep hearing about?

    Have people gone mad?

    I read a story about a person who paid 2.6 million for a section of virtual real estate in Decentraland!  The space was perfect for a virtual store! 

    What the hell does that mean?

    I don't know if the person paid in real dollars or the virtual reality.  And how do you get a bitcoin to start with?

    I understand the person buying the 14,000 square foot home on Lake Geneva WI for $39.5 million.....they must have a large family because the house has 12 bedrooms.  At least they were dealing with an actual piece of property you could sleep in after making a payment in real dollars, which I understand. 

    But virtual real estate?  Decentraland?  Metaverse?

    Might as well be speaking a foreign language.

    I am looking at a notebook where I make notes.  If anyone knows why I wrote down "Third Saturday in May"  please tell me because I have no idea.  So much for making notes.

    I found the perfect gift for someone, but it was sold out.  Figures.

    And I learned a new word:  Axolotl.  

    Now...your turn.

    Does it mean:

            1.      A new type of crypto currency.

            2        A Bulgarian swear word

            3        A word that might not be spelled right but due to the hot buttered rum I am drinking is as close as it is going to get

            4        A salamander.

    And the answer is....drum roll.......a salamander.  But not  a normal one, but one that regenerate parts of its body, including limbs, gills, parts of their eyes, and parts of their brains.

    Scientists are very interested in it for its regenerative qualities.  

    Seems to me we could use th regeneration of the brain technology right about now in our society.

    Cheers!

Peace and Love

Hoime again, home gain

Julia came home today 

    After nearly 20 years in Switzerland, she came home.

    Not just for Christmas, but home.

    John, Emily and I went to the airport to meet her.

    Each Christmas she/we would scramble to meet with friends and family who wanted to visit her.  This year will be a little more relaxed, because she wont be leaving in 3 weeks.

    Julia brought 4 suitcases and 2 carry ons with her, and thankfully the porter at O'Hare helped John load the suitcases.  They were heavy.  (The suiitcases, not John and the porter.)  A friend took her to the airport in Geneva, and we will always appreciate Matt for his kindness.  

    We had a nice family dinner, and I got to open my first window on the Advent wine calendar.....a white from Italy that was pretty nice!

    A new era begins for her...and for us.  She will be bunking with us for a while, wehich means she has to get used to 2 old people who can't remember shit.

    Digressing, the other day I was in a coffee shop in Rockford and they had a message board.  I was uplifted by some of the postings.

    Maybe you will see something here that lifts your spirits or brings a chuckle.

Peace and Love

well....not bad

 I am enjoying a hot buttered rum

    The recipe I used called for 1 tsp ground cloves, but I think the next time I will reduce that to half.  It just seems clovy.  If that is a word.

    But it is not bad.  2 oz run and 6 oz hot water added to the mix that I made and stored in the fridge.  I think there is enough for several more hot buttered rums.

    Julia comes home tomorrow.  

    In the newspaper field, that would be the lead on this blog, not the hot buttered rum.

    We are thrilled to have her home, although it will be strange when she does not go back to Switzerland.

    She has been there almost 20 years.  Jackie and I have gone multiple times to visit and really like the people she has befriended over the years.

    But all good things come to an end.

    Now it's find a job, get a house, adjust to life in the US...which I think will be the hardest thing for her.

    But both our girls will be in Illinois!  Emily won't be the only daughter who gets strange text messages from a doddering parent!

    It's funny how fast time goes.  I was 53 (almost, anyway) when she left here.  The past 20 years have been a blur, a mix of tears, laughter, concern, fear, thankfullness.

    Enjoy the time you have.  Relish it.  Don't blink or it will pass.

    Say, This hot botteredd rumn is tasting ightym goods!

Peace and Love

avast, matey

I am longing for a hot buttered rum 

    Mind you, I have never had one.  Never sipped, tasted, smelled or otherwise imbibed  a hot buttered rum.

    But the name has always piqued my interest, especially in winter.

    So I went on line to find a recipe.

    I found one entitled The Original Hot Buttered Rum.  (Surprise!  A recipe on line!!)  The first item it calls for four ounces of butter.

    That is one whole stick! I am NOT going to drink a stick of butter!

    But then I read he rest of the story.  (Homage to Paul Harvey).  The recipe is for a mix.  You use two tablespoons of the mix, add 2 ounces of rum, and 6 ounces of hot water.  You can save the mix for later use.

    That seemed a lot more reasonable.

    Today I was going to mix the concoction but Christmas cookies got in the way.  Jackie and I made two kinds, raspberry thumbprints and shortbread.

    The shortbread is from a recipe for a former student.  She made it for me when she was ij fifth grade and it was delicious

    When I was growing up, an elderly woman named Minkie lived with my Uncle Jim and Aunt Kay. 

    I may be wrong, but Minkie was Jim's mom.  I may be right.  (It just may be a lunatic I'm looking for?)

    In any case she was the sweetest, gentlest soul I have ever met.  She taught me how to drink pink tea from a saucer! (Pink tea is regular tea with cream and sugar.)  She had a thick Scottish accent and although she must have been in her 80s, her mind was as sharp as a tack.

    Each year she would make a shortbread for the families.  It was golden, crisp, and melted in your mouth. I usually ate more than my share.  I am not saying I hid it one year and ate the entire shortbread, but that is a possibility.

    I have tried for years to replicate that taste but it just never is the same.  

    Mae's recipe comes close.  It is the best one I have found and I have tried several.

    So now I make the shortbread, but I don't give it away.  It never lasts very long either.

    I may have over baked it this year because it is a little dry and crumbly.  That is ok, because the first try is a test to see how well the next batch comes out.

    Who knows.....tomorrow night I may be munching shortbread and sipping a hot buttered rum when I tell you about my boring life.

Peace and Love

odds and ends

 That pretty much sums up my day

    I finished a lot of little things.  Not all of them, just several.

    Jackie and I worked on Christmas cards today.  I lost my contact list on the computer and thought we could just hand address cards.

    But our handwriting is so terrible, that it seemed a better choice for me to recreate the list.

    Of the first 10 entries, I had 1 correct one.  Misspelled names, missed capitals, I abbreviated Illinois IUAL several times.  I think my fingers are just too fat for the keys, but that does not impact the A key unless I was shifting......

    I am glad it was a dreary day!  Finished a bathroom cleaning and a closet arrangement.  Tomorrow I hope to tackle another closet and find out what is hidden in the back.  

    I say that because I found several containers of disinfectant wipes.....7 to be exact... which means I really don't have to keep buying them.

    I also have collected 6 64 oz containers of Tide.  Target had a deal where if you buy 3 at $11.99 each you get a $10 gift card, which actually lowers the price to  around $8.99 each, which is a good deal.  And Tide does not go bad, right?

    I won't mention the paper towel and toilet paper situation.  It is getting out of hand again.  I have to resist the urge to buy.

    We also got in a brief chat with Julia, who is coming home Wednesday.  She sold her car today, which is great news!  Now she just has to get a Covid test to fly.

    We will be glad to have her home.

Peace and Love

 

double darn

 Sometimes I just get so flustered

    Today, for instance.  

    Went to print  my annual dreaded Christmas letter and  could not figure out how to get it printed correctly.

    After several trials, I finally printed it correctly.  It wasn't easy.  First one side printed upside down.  Then the black cartridge ran out of ink.  Then the yellow did.  Magenta was next and at that point I just went ahead and replaced the blue.  

    Then I went to do address labels.  I normally go to contacts, then print, then select the number of the label and they get printed.  Normally, that is.  Today I went to contacts and..... I have no contacts.  None.  Zero.  Zilch.  Nil.  How did that happen?

    I had four or five different lists in my contacts.....now I have none.  Huh.

    Went to see the VCCT radio play A Christmas Carol tonight and it was well done.  Of course, I always imagine me as one of the performers,  but I opted to sit this one out.  I love the story.  In fact, I am doing my annual reading right now and just ready to start the Spiirt of Christmas Present.  That's my favorite spirit.

    When I pulled into the driveway my headlights caught a deer in the field east of us.  I put on the brights and there were 8 or 9 of the critters, some just laying in the grass.  Jackie and I watched them for a few minutes and they did not seem frightened.

    I guess that explains Corki every night.  She stands out on the sidewalk and stares at the field every night.  I guess the little deers are there a lot!

    All in all, today was a pretty good day.  Now I just hope to finish up all the little projects tomorrow.  Being a little ADD means I have four things nearly done, but I have lost interest in them.

    Such is life.

Peace and Love

Meet me in St. Louis

 We are starting to watch holiday movies

    Some of the classics.....and maybe not so classic.  Who is to judge?

    I love Meet Me in St. Louis.  I don't think it is a Christmas movie as such, but Christmas is a big part of the movie.  The climax, so to speak.

    Judy Garland sings, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and I always seem to get a little teary eyed.

    The movie was released during WW II, and the song was included to tell people that the war was not forgotten.  Since then, it has been recorded by dozens of artists and is one of the most popular Christmas songs.

    I'm sure you have heard it.

    But what version?

    Here are the original lyrics as sung by Garland:

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

Let your heart be light

Next year all our troubles will be out of sight

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

Make the yuletide gay

Next year all our troubles will be miles away

Once again as in olden days

Happy golden days of yore

Faithful friends who are dear to us

Will be near to us once more

Someday soon we all will be together

If the fates allow

Until then we'll have to muddle through somehow

So have yourself a merry little Christmas now

    So here it is.  1944.  Next year all our troubles will be out of sight......someday soon we all will be together, if the fates allow......muddle throiugh somehow.....

    Pretty sad stuff for a Christmas song!

    But  hundreds of thousands of young Americans were fighting the Nazis in Europe, and the Japanese in the Pacific.  And thousands were dieing.  If the fates allow, we all will be together someday.

    There is sadness and optimism....next year all our troubles will be miles away.

    The song makes me sense the feeling of being a family during WW II, with a son, father, brother, friend, husband serving on the front lines while people back home are struggling to keep Christmas.

    They muddled through, that Great Generation.  

    I just hope we do to.

Peace and Love

lost is found

 I found my missing jacket

    I thought I should coat my outdoor furniture now, that way I don't have to worry about it next spring.  I will be able to just take it out.

    Since it was a little warmer today, I went out to coat the stuff.  I decided to put a blue plastic tarp down so I would not sprinkle the floor with oil and my coat was on top of the tarp.

    Honestly, I thought I threw out the tarp a month ago!

    And my coat is blue, not gray.  Now I have it again and I am happy.

    I had 6 errands to do today:  drop off some things at Hope, stop at the utilities with my last rebate application, drop off Tony's raffle ticket at the museum, get gas in the car, pick up a couple of things at Walmart, get more oil at Ace in case I can do a second coat tomorrow, pick up a couple of lottery tickets and grab a coffee at Cypress House.

    Imagine my surprise when I got out of the car at my first stop and discovered I did not have my wallet.  So I hit all the places that did not require any payment.  When I got home, I decided to just finish the list tomorrow.  

    Tonight I went to Emily and John's to feed and let out the dogs  because E an J  are at a play.  Imagine my surprise when I startled 3 deer grazing in the grass in my front yard!

    The hopped across the street and just watched me as I drove off.  I have not seen many deer lately, and don't think I have ever seen them in the front yard.

    One of these days I am just going to be able to sit and read or watch a movie.  But right now it seems I have a ton of stuff to do. At least I don't get bored, just tired.

Peace and Love

manger goes where?

 We have run out of room for Christmas stuff

    The only item we have not put out yet is the manger.  There is no room for the inn.

    Ironic twist on the time of year, eh?

    Going through the final tub was an experience.  Every time I pulled something out, Jackie said, "Where did that come from?"

    Of course, I am no help since I can't remember crapola.  I wnt into a store to buy two things the other day, came out with over $40 worth of stuff but forgot one of the items I was supposed to buy!  And I still can't find my working sweatshirt.  It has been two weeks now, and I have loooooooked everywhere.  BTW, all the os were intentional.

    Today I went to Rockford to buy the final piece to my bird bath puzzle. I now have all the stones, I just need to arrange them.  Maybe tomorrow, or maybe next spring.  Who knows?

    Any way, I have driven down Bell School Road dozens of times.  Dozens.  I was on my way to Woodman's and lord knows what was going on in my mind.  There is a T intersection by the private school and there is a 3 way stop.  For some reason, I can't figure out what, I blew the stop sign.  At 45 miles an hour.

    I did hit the brakes, but by the time I stopped I was 3/4 through the intersection.  If the person on the side road had California stopped at their sign, I could have hit them.

    I constantly complain about people who run red lights and stop signs.  Yet there I was, a moment's distraction and a blown stop sign.   I am still rattled by it, 7 hours later.

    Correct me if I am wrong, but this is the first Christmas in over 20 years when American servicemen were not stationed in war zones.  Am I right?  I know there are troops in hot spots, but not large contingents and I don't believe as active combatants.

    I am glad families will not have that to worry about this year.

    Peace and Love.  

Good Grief!

 It's 11 p.m. and I just realized something

    I hadve not done my little writing for the day.

    I did get busy.  We put up the rest of the ornaments and finished placing trees and people in the Dicken's Village.  I have a video of he village, but I have to edit it.  That could take me a while because I can never remember how to do that.

    I also took Corki down for a grooming.....she is a different looking dog when she gets her hair cut!  

    The closet guys were here and the plumber put our sink back together since all the parts finally arrived.

    I brought up the last three tubs of Christmas and we only have one tub to put out.  This one has the manger, which could be hard to place this year.

    I put together my German pyramid....that doesn't look right. pryamid?  Nope, not right either.  What the hell.......  but did not light the candles.  Honestly, that is my favorite Christmas decoration.  I love watching all thefigures move around.  It puts me in my happy space.

    Maybe I'll do a video of that also.

    Looking forward to a couple of 50 degree days.  I have one little project to do in the garage and I would like it to be warm enought that I don't freeze.

Peace and Love

It takes a village

We put up Jackie's Dicken's village tonight 

    Friend Sheri came over and did most of the work.  She was able to get on the floor, see the plug hook ups, and not drop a bunch of stuff.

    Jackie suprvised and I did as much as I could.  That included testing lights.  I plugged in one and it gave a lout pop and the bulb turned black.  Thinking the bulb was bad, I tried another one and again got the pop.  So the cord is done.  So is another cord that also popped a bulb.  

    I can't figure out how that happens.  One year they are fine, the next year they are shorting out.  Go figure.

    Anytway, all that is left are the trees.  

    Meanwhile the real house is a mess!  Boxes all over, pine needles all over, Corki's hair on every surface......I really have to think about cleaning this week.

    Corki gets groomed tomorrow, so that should help.

    After working on the village we enjoyed pizza and some very good red wine. 

    One more day of putting out decorations and we should be done.  I am happy Christmas only comes once a year!

Peace and Love

Oh Tannenbaum

We put up the tree this weekend 

    I hung the lights and most of the ornaments today.  The old fir looks pretty good!

    I always get a little sentimental when I do the tree.

    When I was a kid, my parents lived in a third floor apartment in my grandma's building.

    There were 5 of us....mom, dad and the three boys.  It was a one bedroom apartment.

    The boys slept in the bedroom while the folks had a Murphy bed in the front room.  

    For those of you who don't know, a Murphy bed is a fold down bed.  It is built into the wall and in our case there were doors in front of the opening.  Open the doors, pull down the bed, go to sleep.

    The Christmas tree was also in the front room.  the apartment had a rounded part in the front room, which we called the living room, and the tree fit nicely in that space.

    There were a variety of tree lots in the neighborhood, but we always went to one on Ashland Avenue, if my memory is correct.  We'd buy the tree, usually a balsam, carry it home, trim off the base, and put it up.

    One year the tree decided to come down.  In the middle of the night.  On the bed.

    No one was hurt, but it was a mess. And there was a lot of yelling.

    The next day my dad drove some hooks into the walls and wired the tree up.  That became a standard practice.

    When I was talking to friend John today he mentioned his older brother cutting off bottom branches and using a coat hanger to wire them into place in bare spots.  My dad would cut off the bottom branches and drill holes in the trunk, sticking the pruned branches into the holes to fill the tree out better.

    Then there are the ornaments.  We have one or two made by Julia and 5 or 6 made by Emily.  I don't know why we have more of Emily's......I guess after so many years they get damaged and tossed.

    I trreasure the ones with pictures of the girls.  I hope teachers sill have kids make ornaments so that when the parents get old, like me, they have positive memories when putting up a tree.

    Theree are also ornaments from Bob and Anita.  They would get us ornaments with our names and usually the year.  It's funny to see them hanging and watch the progression of names from Julia, Emily, Jackie and Terry to Emily, Jackie and Terry to Jackie and Terry as the kids moved out.

    We have a lot of European ornaments on the tree.  German Cezch, italian, French, Irish, Swiss....it's as if we know someone in Europe.

    Glass ornaments, wax, wooden, plastic, metal......all kinds of materials.

    And all kinds of memories.

Peace and Love and Happy First Sunday in Advent

 

that's different

 I got our tree today

    John took me to a lot owned by a mutual friend's friend and we bought it there.

    Usually we get a tree that scrapes the ceiling and fills up half the room.  This tree does not.

    It is on the smaller side, a little thin, but it has a great smell.  Jackie does not appreciate the simplicity of the tree.  

    I don't think all our ornaments will fit.  We have a lot of ornaments.  We may have to cut down on some favorites this year.

    And John and I had a chance to visit with Odie.  He is always a blast to talk to and hang with.

    The Tribune had a story today on trees and the shortage.  It seems consumer tastes have changed.  Scotch and white pines were once very popular but in the past few years consumer tastes have changed to Douglas, Frasier and other shorter needle tir trees.

    Since it takes 8 years for a seedling to become a cutable tree, there are some supply issues.

    And Northern Illinois had a drought this year.  One tree grower said in a typical year a fir will grow one foot taller, but this year there was only a couple of inches of new growth.

    What I should have done 9 years ago was plant some Fraiser firs in the back yard.  Then I would only have to walk out my door, pick out a tree, and cut it. 

    Since it takes 8 years to cutable height, I guess doing that now is a crapshoot on whether I would ever "harvest" one.

    I always say I am going to buy an artificial tree.  But there is something about going out to the tree farm and cutting one down.  Call it nostalgia, or sentimentality, or tradition.....I just like it.  So many memories come back; "my babies" shivering with cold or excitement as we hunted for that perfect tree.

    We have never found it.

Peace and Love