pity day

I woke up this morning feeling sorry for myself 

    MS is a bitch.  Telling you that right now.  Again.  I'll say it over and over.

    That's how my day started.

    But it did get better.

    I went to the market at Cypress House, got a coffee and brisket sandwiches, visited with people I had not seen in months, and enjoyed the sunshine and beautiful weather.  Jackie was going to go, but at the last minute decided against it.

    This afternoon I went to the theater and did a little painting.  Again, that felt good.  And normal.

    While I was painting my phone went off.  I fully expected Jackie to be on the line saying "Come home!"  But it was an old friend from high school, Joe.  He and his wife were visiting in the Chicago area and he gave me a call just to say hi.  That was really nice.

    Normally when I am gone I ask Emily or John to be available if needed to let out the dog, or pick up something Jackie dropped, or if she needs something.  But neither of them were feeling well today, and we vowed not to bother them.

    I am very anxious when Jackie is alone.  But today all was fine.

    I did two little projects at home tonight, right after our delicious brisket sandwiches from Hicks' Barbecue! 

     And I even got to watch a Cubs win, something I did not expect to see.  Yes,  my flag is out!

Peace and Love

Same old, same old

 The news out of the Cubs got worse

    I thought trading Rizzo hurt....but Baez and Bryant too?  Probably the three most favorite players among Cubs fans.  Gone, but not forgotten.

    Nice to see Rizzo homer in his Yankee debut.  I hope all three do well.

    I faced a major economc decision today.  After several hous of pondering, I passed on taking any action.

    Postage goes up to 58 cents from 55 cents starting Aug. 1.  I had debated going into town and buying 100 stamps, but the savings would not even cover the cost of gas, so I really would not have saved any money.   I will now rue that decision every time I mail a letter.

    Mowed and trimmed today.  Weather was nice for doing that.  The partly cloudy forecast got a little wet, but nothing major.  I also finished my mulch.  The pile is almost gone, but I do have to clean it up a little.  I should have ordered more mulch,  some areas did not get any.

    We ordered  pizza tonight.  They said it would be an hour because they were really busy.  We called at 6:30.  I figured if I left the house at 7:20 I would be there right on time.

    So I set the kitchen timer for 7:20.

    The thought was to maybe leave a couple of minutes early, because we were not sure of the exact time we ordered.  So I did.

    As I sat waiting at 7:25 Jackie called and said, "There's a timer going off.   What is it for?"  I told her what I had done.

    The pizza was ready at 8:05.  By then, Jackie was almost insane from the constant beep of the timer.  She was really relieved when I shut it off.

    Busy may have been an understatement.  They were also a little disorganized.  You pull up, call them, tell them you are here and they bring the pizza out.  However, when there are 7 or 8 cars in the parking lot, the kids run from car to car asking what your name is.  They brought me 3 different orders, none of which were mine.  But I really was considering just taking one because I was getting hungry.

    I don't know why they don't number the spaces and when you get there you call and say what space you are in so they know where to bring the order.

    But nobody asked for my advice.

Peace and Love

that old gang of mine

 Well, it's hard to be a Cub fan tonight

    I really liked Andrew Chafin.  I really liked Ryan Tepara.  But I loved Anthony Rizzo.

    To me he was the face of the Cubs.  Liked to have fun, play the game, interact with the fans......I hope New York appreciates him, though I doubt they will.

    I suppose Kris Bryant will be the next to go.  It seems like yesterday when Bryant, Rizzo, Contreras. Baez and Schwarber were the young core, the core that the team could build around.

    It's a business.  I understand that.

    But I think fans follow players, not just teams.  It's the players that give the team its character.  (English instructors please note the correct use of its and it's.  Your welcome.)

    And Rizzo had character.  From his remarkable go in the stands catches, to his work with young kids with cancer, to his laughter in the dugout...he showed a lot of character.  I will miss him.

    I am drowning my sorrows with a mojito.  So please excuse any mistakes you may find.

    And....in the (    ) comment earlier, I intentionally used the wrong your.  It should be you're.  It was right their in front of you and you missed it, right?

Peace and Love

Oh snap......

Don't let old people or idiots near computers 

    It all started innocently enough.  I opened e mail.  I saw a message from friend Vickie and I answered it.  

    Next I saw a message from Apple that our Apple TV account was being billed.  We bought something in 2020 and received a 1 year subscription to Apple TV.  We watched a couple of shows, but not many.  Then Apple sent us a notice that the subscription was being extended 6 months  because of the pandemic.  We still didn't watch anything.

    So today, when we received the notice, I decided to go into our Apple account and end the subscription.  I looked at the on-line directions....and everything went to hell.

    In the process I seem to have deleted every e-mail we have ever sent or received.  Every one.  I even deleted the 10 e mails I had not read, and I do not know who they were from.  All gone.

    How the hell did I do that?

    Plus, I still can't figure out how to cancel the subscription.  The directions given don't seem to work for me.  

    I guess they will cancel it at some point because the credit card expired.    I hope.  

    Seriously, I am a bit pissed.  

    If you e mailed me in the past, and we were having a discussion, that is all gone from my computer.  If I don't respond to an e mail from you, you may want to resend it.  

    Now I have a headache.  Time for a mojito to kill the pain.

Peace and Love    

like a kid

 Sometimes I am just a grown up child

    Jackie had a doctor's appointment in Rolling Meadows today.  We were there on time, surprise!  But the good doctor was running a bit late. Jackie was the last patient of th day, and as soon as we went out, so did the lights and most of the staff.

    She has spasms in her legs.  This doctor specializes in Botox shoots, which should relieve the spasms.  This was Jackie's first treatment and we have a follow up visit in 6 weeks to see if the shots help.  In three months, she can get more shots, either the same dosage or higher, depending on what we find in six weeks.

    Jackie's brother Bob and wife Anita are up from Florida and staying about 10 minutes away from where we were.  So we all met up at a nearby Portillo's, which was nice because we don't see them very often and they leave Thursday.  Also, we could avoid some of the rush hour.  Sister Judy joined us, so it was a mini reunion.

    Now, Jackie has a problem with fully loaded hot dogs.  Especially the mustard.  Let's just say she dribbled a few times (more than MJ ever did in a game!) which caused a great deal of hilarity among the non dribblers.

    And for trhe second time, I could not get her in the car!  This happened last time we were at this Portillo's....Jackie just seems to miss the seat.  Luckily I got  her in despite our laugher.

    On the way home someone in the car not driving suggested stopping at Oberweiss in Aurora.  So we did.

    I will no longer make fun of her for dribbling.

    For some reason I forgot to hit post last night, so there are two entries for today.  I am calling it senioritis.

Peace and Love

I had a chocolate malt!!!

    This may have been the same frog that jumped on my head a few weeks ago.  He was under the light, catching bugs.

whine, whine, whine

 Ever get bothered by really little things?

    I'm talking about the lettering on tv ads about banks, credit cards, cars, and drugs, among other advertisers.

    The lettering is so small you need a microscope to read it.  What purpose does it serve? 

    I imagine somebody said, "Hey, we need to tell people that they will pay high interest rates for the next 200 years on their loans, so lets put all that information in print that no one could read."

    I actually took a picture of one of those screens and magnified it.

    This is what it said.

Interest rate is .09 percent for the first 12 months, then climbs to 1.8 percent plus your first born child and half of your household possessions.  Should you fail to pay on time, we will send Frank over to bust your kneecaps and paint your house purple.

    Really!  That's what it said!  I would not lie to you!

    Another little thing that drove me nuts.  I have a few lines in a play and I get confused on two of them.  One of them I forgot to highlight, so I never knew I had to say it.  Now I know, and I can't remember it.

    The line?  See you later, gorgeous.

    Really.....four little words and I can't for the life of me get them out.

    Like I said, it's the little things that bother me.

Peace and Love

Yummy!! And Honored!!!!

We had a great visit today 

    Jackie's brothers came for lunch.  We had Bob  and Anita, Joe and his son Brian, Emily, John, Jackie, me, Oberon.....  Oh, wait.  Oberon is the dog and he left before we ate.

    It turns out two and a half hamburger buns was more than enough.  Way more.  Way, way, more.

    And I forgot to put out the chips and dip.  Even MORE food.  

    Bob and Anita are living in Florida, so we have not seen them in 2 years.  Jackie "talks" to him during Cubs games, and we Facetime, but this is our first in person visit in a while.  Same with Joe.  He lives in the suburbs, but we just never seem to get together.

    My day started with a super nice surprise.  Two of our friends, Lauren and John, are doing the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa, or the Ragbrai.  Lauren dedicated their first day ride to me!  

    I was truly honored.  And to be honest, a bit emotional.  Just a bit.

    I have always wanted to do the ride, but never thought I could.  Now I know I couldn't.  They go something like 460 miles in 7 days.  When we went to the Netherlands to bike we rode about 20 miles a day and I was pretty tired. I was younger then too.  

    Now I can do the ride vicariously through my friends.  

    I can't tell you how much I appreciate being thought of in that way.

Peace and Love

oh my goodness

 Sometimes I just don't think right

    Or, I don't think at all.

    Jackie's brothers are coming tomorrow.  We are going to have burgers and brats.

    Here's the complete menu:  burgers, brats, macaroni salad, chips, sweet corn, potato salad, pistachio pudding, bundt cupcakes, and 3 bean salad.

    I have a dozen brats and buns, 2 10 pack sleeves of hamburgers, and buns for 30 burgers.

    There will be 9 of us.

    Why I didn't just get a dozen hamburger buns is beyond me.  I can see me at the end the day planning this week's menu for Jackie and me;  burgers, brats, burgers, brats, burgers........which is fine with me, but life should have some variety, right?

    And for 4 weeks I have been looking for those blue gloves used by medical people.  They are a little thicker than the clear plastic ones, and they are super good for getting Jackie's support hose on.  I can grip with them!  Using my bare hands, well, I can't get a good grip of the hose.

    I have been to Walmart, Walgreen's, Lehan's, Target.....the only place I did not look was our closet in the bathroom, where there is an unopened box of 200 that Emily got for us at the start of the pandemic.

    Go figure.

    And after one week I have finished trimming the boxwoods!  That is huge for me because the trimmers I have will do 3/4 of a bush before exhausting the battery.  I do have two trimmers, which means every day I can do a bush and a half.  I had 10 to do this week. 

    Now when the heat breaks, I can spread the rest of my mulch.

    Such is my life.

Peace and Love

whew!!

 I am one tired puppy tonight

    Our improv group performed tonight for the first time in almost 2 years!  We had 61 people at the show, which was a fund raiserVCCT and the new theater.

    We had a blast.  

    People seemed to really enjoy the antics of ours, and the humor.  At leaste, no one threw tomatoes at us.

    The only down side was Jackie did not feel up to going.  MS is a strange foe, never know what it is going to do next.

    I think I lied.  Another downside is I was pretty jazzed after the show.  It's now a litte after 12 and I am still wound up.  I think I'll just turn off the alaram and let nature dictate my sleep.

    Peace and Love

oh hell

I had to go to DeKalb today 

    We ordered something at a store over there, and told them we would pick it up Wednesday.  Which made sense.  We went for pedicures in DeKalb.  We stopped at a grocery store in DeKalb.

    We got home and Jackie said, "We forgot to stop at Lehans!"  Followed by, "We should have made a note."

    As I walked to the back door, I saw a note that said  Pedicure  Lehans in large black lettering.  We did make a note and still didn't remember!

    So I went back to DeKalb.

    While there, I stopped at my favorite out of Rochelle coffee shop.  I brought my reusable cup that they sold two summers ago.

    I have been to 3 shops with my cup.  At one, they told me they were not using them yet.  At a second, I put my cup on a tray and they carried the tray, filled the coffee, and served it to me, all while still on the tray.

    Today the person told me to take my cup to the end and wait.

    A barrista made my coffee in the standard to go cup, then poured it into my cup, and tossed out the cup she used.

    Really?  The purpose of the personal cups is to reduce cup usage.  It all just seemed  very strange to me.

    And now my rant for the day.

    I love the Cubs.  I have been a Cub fan for as long as I can remember.  I followed them when they were terrible...and there were many years like that.  We used to go to Wrigley a nd the upper deck would not be open because there were not enough fans at the game to justify opening the upper deck.

    When they won it all in 2016, I was super happy.  And I looked forward to a couple of more World Series appearances because of the youthfulness of the team and the talent they have.

    Now?  I just can't watch this trainwreck.  Guys hitting under 200 dominate the outfield.  I don't think anybody is over 280. with the exception of Nico Horner who has not played very much.

    They might as well back up the truck tonight and try to figure out where to take this club.

    End of Rant.

Peace and Love 

ahhhhhhh

 I got a pedicure today

    I should say, we got  pedicures today.

    As we age, we find it increasingly difficult to trim our own toe nails.  So, when they get to be about 3 inches long, we schedule pedicures.

    Honestly, if you had asked me 5 years ago if I would get a pedicure, I would have laughed at you!  In fact, the first couple of times Jackie went, I just waited for her.  Then one day, I figured, why not?

    Now, I love them.

    Tonight my feet feel so refreshed, my legs feel good too because the girl massaged my legs up to my knee.  It was just so relaxing.

    It is worth the money.  Otherwise I am like a contortionist trying to maneuver the hedge trimmers over my big toes.  

    That was the highlight of the day.  Friends brought their grandchildren over for a visit and it was great to have them running around the house and playing blocks.  Yes, I am a 70 f'in 3 year old with blocks.  That was another highlight of the day.  The visit, not the blocks.

    No ground squirrels today.  I did not even see any, but I think there are still some out there.  I will move the traps around to other trails and see what I catch.  Besides a cold.

    That's about it!

Peace and Love

de ja vu

I may have caught the same ground squirrel twice 

    Not thinking, I let Corki into the back yard this morning.  She approached the first trap, gave it a sniff, looked around and spotted the second trap.

    When I looked next, ol' Corki was banging that trap like a pinata!  At one point, I think she was standing on top of it.

    By the time I got out there, the trap was empty.   It was upside down, which allows the doors to open.  It was also pretty scratched up.  Corki was following a trail, which led behind my day lillies and through the butterfly bush area.  She was hot on the trail, but unsuccessful.

    I reset the trap, and not an hour later, had another ground squirrel.  That makes number 4 since I started trapping the other day.  This one was fairly big, like yesterday's, and was not a talker.  I tried explaining that this was for her own good, she could reunite with her family, but she was fuming at me.

    When I let her out, she went the wrong way.  Everyone else had gone left, she went right.  I figured she was a Republican squirrel.

    I just hope they are happy in their homes.

    I have several holes to fill.  I have to buy some dirt and put it down the holes.  Corki actually stepped in a hole and it could have hurt her.

    On the bush trimming front, I have trimmed 10 of our boxwoods in front of the house.  I have 4 to go.  I have  2 little rechargeable battery trimmers, and I seem to get one boxwood done before the trimmer dies.  So....4 more bushes should take me about 3 days.

    But this all makes it a little clearer on what I will look for:  a battery powered package that has a blower, hedge trimmer, and tire pump working off the same battery.

    You would think that would be easy to find, right?  But I just can't seem to find the right grouping.

    Such is my boring life.

Peace and Love

AARP

 I am blaming it on senior moments

    I received my AARP bulletin and it gave  100 ways to save money.

    I am all for saving money.  But at what cost?

    Turn off my ice maker on the fridge?  They say ice makers use 12 to 20 percent of the power, so it is cheaper to buy trays and fill them.  Really?  I love my icemaker because the trays are never empty when I want ice.

    Take advantage of misspellings.  Fatfingers is a website that allows you to search for e-Bay items which the sellers have misspelled the name or brand.  I guess people won't be looking for a Rallex watch, so you can pick up a bargain.

    There were many good suggestions, but one just popped out at me.

    Instead of throwing out sandpaper, I should get a tennis ball and use the sander over the tennis ball, which will get the gunk out of the grit on the sandpaper and make it usable again.  Seriously!

    One discount they forgot is the one I almost got today at a local chain drugstore.

    I bought my stuff, entered my phone number, redeemed my points, chatted with the clerk, took my bag and went to my car.  As I got to my car, I wanted to check my receipt to see if the prices were right on the items I bought.  No receipt. As I thought about it, I did not remember putting my credit card away.  Or taking it out.

    Turns out, I never paid for the items!

    The clerk was about to head out the door after me when I walked back in and asked her, "Did I pay for this?"  She said no, and she didn't realize it until she tried ringing up the next customer and her computer said the transaction was not complete.

    I was almost a shoplifter. 

    On the ground squirrel front, I caught number 3 today and this was a large one, so it might have been mom or dad for the other two.  I released it in the same spot, and it ran in the same direction, so hopefully they have a family reunion.

    And finally  this from WTH is going on department.

    Went to mow.  Looked for a glass to fill with ice and water.  Took it out to mow.  Came back in.  On the counter was a glass filled with ice and water.  Since Jackie doesn't walk, I assume I filled one glass, found a second and filled that. 

    Luckily, my ice maker kept up with my demands.

Peace and Love

2 down

 I caught another ground squirrel today

    It was a little fella.  I think.  Very pretty.  Also very chatty as I drove him to his new neighborhood.

    He told me he was the youngest of 8, his older brother disappeared yesterday, mom was eaten by a hawk and his other brothers and sisters were really enjoying the bird seed I leave out for them.

    As he ran off into the new neighborhood, I swear he paused and raised a middle finger on his right hind foot.  I hope he finds his brother.  They were both released in the same area.  Hopefully that eases the shock.

    Took Corki for a walk tonight and met a guy sealcoating a driveway.  He said, "Hello Mr. Dickow.  Remember me?"

    He looked familiar, but I could not put a name to the face.

    He gave me a hint.  "I was the biggest pain in the ass you ever had."

    Of course I knew who he was, but the name still escaped me.  I asked if his sister still worked at Walmart and some general questions.

    Finally he told me his name.  I could have fallen over!  He was the biggest pain in the ass I ever had in class, but he was also a kid who went through a terrible childhood.

    So, now he works at a factory full time and on weekends he is sealcoating driveways.  He plans to expand from the one unit he has to two next year.  Looking to the future, he said one of the big driveway sealer guys in the area is nearing retirement and he wants to take on his customers.

    He has been doing this for several months and has not taken any pay for himself for the sealcoating work...everything goes into paying for equipment and supplies and help.  He lives on his factory salary.

    Jackie and I hurt for this kid at Tilton and later when we read about his numerous arrests for marijuana.  

    But he seems to have turned his life around and is trying hard to be successful.  

    I told him I was truly happy to hear how well he was doing, and Jackie would be also.  She was.

    He didn't want to shake my hand because it had sealcoat stuff on it, but I told him I would be proud to shake his hand, no matter how dirty it was.

    Encounters like that always make me happy.

Peace and Love

what have I done

I became a homewrecker today 

    I didn't have much choice.

    Groundsquirrels have taken over my yard.  They are in my raised garden, under the air conditioner.....the trails they are creating are like a super highway for small rodents.

    So I put out my traps and within two hours I caught my first one.

    He was a pretty little fella.  Very active.  Emily startled it and it flew from one side of the trap to the other.

    I took Erwin (he has a name, you know) out to the park and set him free.  He ran quickly out of the trap and them skidded to a stop and looked around.  Nothing was familiar to him.  No bird seed to eat, no hole to escape into, no little ground squirrel buddies to talk to.

    I feel terrilble.  I really do.

    I thought we could peacefully coexist, but there are now several burrows in the yard and multiple trails through the grass.  

    I even found a burrow in my upraised garden.  

    I now think a combination of rabbits, ground squirrels, deer, and poor watering habits lead to my terrible garden.  But I replanted beans and carrots today, hoping they will mature before the first frost.

    Time will tell.

    This was a pretty nice day.  Emily, John and Camryn came for supper, I replanted the garden, watched the sun set with a glass of rose, (no, the sun did not have the rose, I did.  Stop taking me literally!) and managed to catch the ninth inning of what seemed to be a sure Cubs loss, only to hear them win.

    Now....if I can only get Erwin out of my mind.

Peace and Love

out and about

 We went to the store today

    Jackie has not been in a grocery store since the pandemic started.  We went to one in DeKalb today because they had Illinois peaches.

    Every year I crave Illinois peaches.  Sometimes friends Dan and Linda go to a family function and bring me some back.  But the pandemic put a halt to that.

    So I was pleasantly surprised when Jackie saw the add for Eckert's peaches from Belleville.  

    Why Illinois peaches?

    They are juicy.  The flavor is incredible.  They are not harvested 2 months prior and stored someplace, then shipped out, stored again, then  dumped on the shelves.  These are more freshly picked and just taste better.

    Missouri and Michigan peaches are pretty good also, but I just love the Illinois ones.  I have not yet bit into one.....but I will tomorrow and I hope I am not disappointed.

    But I digress.

    We went through the store almost like it was normal.  We did wear masks because we don't totally trust the rest of the population.

    I think she really liked getting back into the world and out of the house.

Peace and Love

Oh, what a night

 Wednesday night was exceedingly tiresome

    It was a dark and stormy night.  I have not been sleeping well, and the thought of storms at night makes me as nervous as a turkey the week before Thanksgiving.

    I magaged to fall asleep and the weather radio sounded an alarm.  I hit the button and went back to bed.  I fell asleep.  And the wether radio sounded an alarm.  I hit the button.

    I no sooner got to bed when it sounded again.  

    Five times.  Thunderstorm warning.  Thunderstorm watch. Counties all around us and including ours.

    At some point after the last alarm, I was almost in sleepland when I felt a movement at my feet.  Corki came up into bed, and came all the way up to our chest areas and then settled in between us.  The thunder or lightning must have scared her, or the weather alarm did. She stayed there for half an hour of so then got up and I put her on the floor.

    I did not get a lot of sleep.

    I have not had afternoon caffeine for three days, so I don't think that is the issue.

    I am going to do some relaxation exercises tonight, and tomorrow I will get some Melatonin and see if that helps.

    I just feel so draggy lately.

    I had rehearsal tonight and Jackie had a library board meeting.  I stayed at rehearsal until her meeting was over, then I picked her up and we went home.  

    We drove through Emily's neighborhood and as we slowly passed her house, I saw a group of people on the driveway across the street.  One guy had a dog. 

    I did not look to closely, and Jackie did not look at all.  I thought maybe it was John and Emily with Oberon, so I turned around and we drove slowly past again. 

    But it wasn't Emily and John, just their neighbors, one of whom is the sheriff.  We got to the corner and Jackie said don't go down the street again, so I went ther long route.

    I have no reason for telling that story.  At the time, it seemed funny.

    And just curious, how many followed up the first line with, "it was late September back in '63?"  Just wondering.

Peace and Love

and the rain came

 I almost got the yard mowed today

    Before I mowed I finished digging out around the last two trees.  I discovered our magnolia tree, or bush, not sure, had some "volunteers" growing along with it.  I think they were mulberries...so I cut them out.

    Then I trimmed.  I find it easier to trim first, then mow.

    I started to mow, finished about half the yard and the lightning came.  So I quit.

    I ended up on the porch, listening to the rain.

    For some reason, it took me back to Dewey Lake and my aunt's and uncle's cottages.

    They had two on the lake.  One cottage was theirs, the second cottage was one they sometimes rented, but my family always stayed in it during the summer.

    Our cottage was about 20 foot square, with a dining area added on the back and an screened in porch wrapped around the front of the house, like an L.  The kids slept on old army cots on the porch.  The cots were steel with wire springs and 4 inch mattresses ..... the most comfortable beds I have ever been in.

    There were roll-up canvass shades on the porch  that we could put up at night to catch the breeze or pull down during the day to block the sun.  The porch was not big, just enough for the cots, a couple of chairs and a table.

    I must have been 8 or 9.  We were up there and there was a huge wasp nest hanging on Uncle Jim's cottage.  It was the size of a football and very active.

    Uncle Jim was going to knock it down and douse it with gasoline, some time.  Until then, we had to dodge the wasps every time we went out the back door or went to get oars for the rowboat.

    My brother Dennis was in charge of me while the adults went someplace.  He wanted those wasps gone because he was tired of swatting them away.

    He devised a plan.  He was going to take an oar and knock the nest down, then run like hell.  Uncle Jim would then have no excuse for  not dousing the nest with gas.

    Dennis went over the plan with me completely.  I was to stay safely in the house when he poked the nest.  My only job was to make sure all the doors and windows were locked.

    I sat and watched him pick up an oar, cautiously approach the nest, raise the oar up and then ...Whomp!   Down came the nest.  Out came the wasps. I watch Dennis as he racesdto the back door and tried to open it.

    But he couldn't.  I locked it.

He was yelling for me to unlock the door.  So I ran to the back door and unlocked it..... but no Dennis.

    Suddenly I hear yelling from the front door!  "Unlock the damn door!"

    So I raced to the front and let him in.

    He was furious.   But I rememded him he told me to lock the doors and windows.

    "How was I supposed to get in with the doors locked?" he bellowed.

    I had no answer.

    I think that was the day I started taking things the wrong way.  He really didn't want the doors locked, just shut. 

    I have had a problem with literal interpretation ever since.

Peace and Love

crappers, Batman

 I have spent two restless nights

    I was up at 3 playing solitaire.  I could have talked to Julia, because it was 9 there and she was up.

    I have gone to bed at about 11:30, but can't sleep.  

    At least I was up in time to wish Emily a happy birthday!

    Emily was born in what was then Rockford Memorial Hospital.  Funny, John now works there.

    Anyway, she was supposed to be a July 4 baby, but Jackie is never on time.  So she arrived July 13.  That happened to be Jackie's dad's birthday too.

    So there we are, going to Rockford for the good doctor to induce labor.

    I was in the room when they finally decided to take her to delivery.  The nurse looked at me and asked if I was coming to watch.  I said no, I was going for coffee!  I then told her that I have a tendency to pass out at the sight of bodily fluids and I did not want to end up on the floor while our baby was being born.

    When we came home, Julia started crying because we would not let her carry or hold Emily.  Once we got in the house, we got Julia in a chair, and gave her Emily to hold.  One of my favorite pictures of all time is Julia holding a newborn Emily, and tears are coming down Julia's face.

    It was not too long after getting her home that we had a bit of a problem.

    Jackie started bleeding.  A lot.  I called the doctor, he told us to come to the emergency room ASAP and he would meet us there.

    At the time, it was US 51...a 2 lane road leading to Rockford.  No divided highway, no railroad overpass, just a road often blocked by trains.

    Julia sat in the back seat holding Emily. Or maybe Julia sat next to Jackie, I can't remember.

    But I do remember driving along and a voice coming from the back of the car, a tiny voice asking, "Is Mommy going to die?"  She asked a couple of times.  I said no, she was just bleeding and it would be all right.

    My brother lived in Rockford and he and my sister in law came to the hospital to pick up our girls.

    It was quite a scary night.

    But I digress.  

Happy birthday to Emily.  We are so glad you joined us.

Peace and Love

diggin it

 I am almost finished mulching trees

    Now that may seem exciting, but it is a challenge.

    Three of the trees I have done needed larger circles so I could mow around them.

    There are a few ways to do the circles. 

    I can attach a loop to the tree, tie some string on, and then tie spray paint onto the string, moving it around the tree an d creating a circle that is pretty, well, even.

    I could lay out a hose or similar tubing, make sure it is round, and then spray the ground, again creating a circle that is pretty round.

    Then there is the way I do it.  I take a shovel and cut out what I think is a circle.  After I pull out the grass, I even out the circle.

    For example, the circle on the house side was a little off.  So I evened it.  But then the circle on the neighbor's side was a little too small, so I evened it to match the house side, thereby throwing off the garden side circle.  After cutting the circle several times, I noticed I was now in the neighbor's yard and the circle around my tree resembled a mobieus strip.

    Well, not quite.  But unless someone goes out into the yard and inspects my circles, they are good enough for me.  They may be a little uneven, but hell, I am a little uneven.

    To cap off tonight, I am posting a short video....hopefully.

Peace and Love

far out

I often wonder what a space trip would be like 

    I think I read somewhere that I could go on a space flight for about $250,000.  To be honest, if I had that much money to spend, I would not go on a space flight.

    Then I read where Jeff Bezos has 100 billion bucks.  He actually is one of 3 men in the US with over 100 billion.  Billion!

   What does someone do with all that money?

    I know, it is not all in cash but companies, property, investments.  But still.

    He could spend a million a day and would not even notice it.  Imagine that!

    Oh well, his money is his problem.

    I would not go on a a space flight.  I don't like roller coasters, things that go fast, or things that have a potential to explode in a shower of sparks and debris.

    Don't get me wrong, it would be fun to be weightless and watch things float around.  Fun until I had to pee or, well, you know.  

    I sometimes have that  feeling of weightlessness when I get a touch of vertigo.  Not saying it is the same, but there are some similar sensations.

    I wish the space travelers a good journey...no matter who they are.  It certainly would be the experience of a lifetime, even for a nonmillionaire fraidy cat like me.

    Here's a trivia question somewhat related to my ramblings.   Anyone remember John Beresford Tipton?  I always wanted to meet him when I was a youngster.

    Stay grounded, my friends.

    Stay healthy too.

Peace and Love

hot dog!!

 Today was Hot Dog Day in Rochelle

    This is a newspaper promotion in which participants pay  a fee and get hot dogs and buns to give away.  Free.  No cost.

    Most places also sell pop, water, chips, and cookies.  It is a way to make a little money, especially the museum. 

    In the past some people have asked for 5 or 6, telling us they wanted to have some for supper and lunch tomorrow.  I don't believe that happened to day.

    I was down there today for a couple of hours, which was a gamble because it involved leaving Jackie alone.  I think I am about 7 minutes from home at the museum, so if it is a non emeregency I can get there fairly quickly.

    But she did ok on her own today.

    I helped, but I was a pretty minor cog in the operation.

    I love the hot dogs.  They are from Hormel, but I don't think they are available in stores.  They are big and crunchy, the kind I like.  Plus, they have a great taste.

    The last hour or so was in a light drizzle, which made clean up and take down a little challenging.  

    By the time I got home it was a steady drizzle, and I sat on the porch for a while with my sweatshirt on and the hood pulled up over my head.  I was chilly.

    I then tackled one of my most feared tasks.....cleaning the dining room light.  It was very dusty.

    The light hangs on three hooks, and I can never manipulate the hooks to get the light back up correctly.  Tonight it went fairly smoothly, I only swore once and only dropped some of the rings two or three times.

    But the glass is intact and the light clean.  That's all that counts.

    Hope all your lights are clean....stay healthy and happy.

Peace and Love

Friday

Not much to say today 

    Some days are like that.  Sometimes life hits you hard, sometimes soft, sometimes it just pats you on the head.

    Not sure what it did today.

    Suffice it to say, I mowed and trimmed, made fish for supper, picked up my hearing aids and ended the daylight hours with a mojito on the patio.

    One funny thing, that is pretty standard with me.

    Our church is putting together a new website.  I was asked to look it over and give my opinion.

    Last night I looked over the website, listed some areas I thought could be improved, and e mailed my suggestions to the rest of the committee.

    Turns out I looked at our current web site.  So I had to e mail everyone and tell them never mind.

    Somes even I don't get me.

Peace and Love

Ripped

 I guess we were pretty tired last night

    We went to bed after the Cubs' game. That would have been before 11.  I got up at 7 to take out recycling and went back to bed.

    We got up at 10:30!

    And I had to wake Jackie!!

    I know I don't sleep very soundly, but I was in bed for almost 12 hours!  Yes, I get up a couple of times because that is what I am do without a prostate.....but I always go  back to sleep!

    Why am I using so may exclamations?!?

    And the dreams......oh my gosh.

    In one my dishwasher was full of thistle seed that I feed the birds.  I had to clean it out wtih a teaspoon.  In another the window screens were full of something that had to be dug out with a toothpick.

    And there was one really weird one involving a woman whom I may or may not know  who may, or may not, be crazy or a witch and may have cast a spell on me turning me into something that I don't remember.  Or she bought me coffee.  Not sure.

    If I went to a dream interpreter, I do believe they would quite their chosen field and become grave robbers.  

    In any case, it is only a little after 9 and I can't keep my eyes open right now.  I am hot, then cold.  Neither one for very long, either.

    I tried to replace the cones in my hearing aids today and ended up taking them to DeKalb for the good doctor to do for me.  She is the one who showed me multiple times how to do that simple task, and finished up our lesson by saying, "Just bring them in."

    I am going to set up a time to meet with her and have her show me AGAIN how to do the switch, but this time I will video her on my phone so that I can maybe do this on my own.

    While there I happened to stop at Target to look for deoderant for Jackie.  No, she does not smell, but she is running low and will need some soon.  I have looked in three different stores for what she wants, but no one has it.  Weird, huh?

    Target had a special.  Spend $50, get a $15 gift card.  So.....guess who bought More toilet paper and paper towels?

    I think I have a problem.

Peace and Love and good health

snap, crackle, poop

 I had a chiropractor appointment today

    My hip and legs are feeling much better.  He told me to take it easy for a few more days, so I followed his advice and sat on the porch reading.  Again.

    But I have a strange question.  I pick up Corki's droppings every other day.  Somedays there are several piles, today there were only 2.  Usually over 2 days I find more than 2...so what is happening to them?  Is my grass too long and hiding the dog's gifts to me?  Is an elf coming in at night to scoop them up?  

    Inquiriring minds want to know.

    It's a puzzle, much like the garden.  How often can I replant it before I just decide to give up?

    Sitting on the porch, swallows were putting on a show.  They came swooping over my head several times.  Usually they do that when I mow, but since I was sitting in a chair, I was not kicking up any bugs.  The birdies must have been finding them because they made several fly throughs.

    I also mailed my passport application.  Nice lady at the post office helped me with the envelope and said they were running about 12 weeks.......which is not good news.

    I can't make flight reservations because if the passport doesn't get back in time, I can't go.  I also can't finalize plans for Jackie because now my dates are uncertain.

    It's frustrating and my fault.  At some point prior to this week I should have checked to see when it expired, but that was never in my mind or on one of my many lists of things to do.

    My fate is now in the hands of a faceless bureaucrat.  And I don't know if that is spelled anyway near correctly.

    And in local news......there was a bank robbery in Rochelle yesterday!  In Rochelle!

    I could have lead with that, I know.  

    The news article said a man entered the bank, gave a teller a note demanding money and saying he had a weapon.  The teller gave him money and he left.

    But the story said the incident began at the drive up!

    I'm thinking the guy goes through drive up.  I have this mental image of him giving the note to the teller, they slide it back and tell him no, so he parks the car and goes into the bank.

    A silent alarm was sounded and he was arrested one block away, and no weapon was found.

    My guess is the guy is not the sharpest pencil in the box.  Luckily.

    Stay safe.

Peace and Love

not so simple

 Sometimes I make easy things difficult

    I am hoping to visit Julia in late September, early October.  Taking our friend to the airport yesterday, I jokingly asked if they had their passport, knowing  a passport wasn't needed.

    Friend said they had to renew their passport because they got it in 2011.

    That got me thinking.  We got our first passports in 01, then 11, so we need new ones in 21.......this year.

    My passport expires in November.  A Facebook friend mentioned it took them several months to get a new passport.  

    Today I filled out the form and will mail mine as an expedited request, which is an extra $60.  My fear is this will all get screwed up and I will be unable to book airplane tickets or anything else I need to do.

    Of course, I had trouble printing the forms.  Then I noticed I put down my birthday as 1848, which would put me in the Guiness Book of World Records.  Then I had trouble printing the forms, again.  But eventually, I got the job done.

    Tomorrow the forms get mailed and hopefully I get my new passport quickly.

    Then I think of the people in Surfside, Florida.  There are many families who fled their condos with the clothes on their backs and they could not go back due to the condition of the building.  And the families who lost loved ones possibly to never have them recovered from the rubble.

    Think of the documents....passports, insurance policies, bank statements, driver's licenses; and the computers with papers, novels, stories, work projects.....all gone.

    All the family photos, heirlooms, jewelry, personal artifacts....all gone in a cloud of dust.

    It makes my passport problem seem trivial, indeed.

    Everyday I count my blessings.

Peace and Love

to hot to day

I just don't seem to change 

    I am not talking about underwear or socks.   Those I change.  I am talking about paying attention to details.

    I made burgers for supper.  I think there was a subliminal message from Jimmy Buffet to have a cheeseburger with lettuce and tomato, Heinz 57 but no french fried potatoes.

    I have been listening to the Margaritaville channel on Sirius a lot.  The music is summer music and seems fitting.

    Anyway, I had a mojito.  I mixed it a little on the strong side.  Cheeseburgers.  Mojito.  What could go wrong?

    Well, at 7 p.m. as I was halfway through both, people started showing up at my door because we had rehearsal for the play tonight at  our house!  Yes, I missed that on the calendar and I have not checked e mail today, otherwise I would have seen the reminder.

    So there I am, mojito on my table, tomato on my shirt, a burger on my plate....and a messy kitchen.  I was embarassed.

    The mojito helped.  

    I have always had a problem with details.  They seem to escape me.  Always have.  

    Earlier in the day I took a friend to the bus in Rockford for a ride to O'Hare, stopped at Starbucks, hit a store forlettuce and tomatoes for salads, picked up some safflower seed for the birds, had a chiropractor session, put an ice pack on my leg only to have it leak all over my chair and pants....but I did not take a nap.  So tonight, I should be able to sleep like a log...right?

    Time will tell.

    I don't think I will be flying the W tonight.  Again.

Peace and Love

not all quiet on the western front

 I am beginning to not like the Fourth of July

    Someone east of us is setting off huge amounts of fireworks...loud ones.  It's almost 11 p.m.  Don't they have any sense?

    Speaking of sense, I love Lawn Darts.  Remember those steel tipped darts you would toss at a circle?  They got banned because some people got hurt when they tips hit them.

    But fireworks?   Not banned, despite the number of stories that will appear about people losing fingers or hands because of them.  One person even died when he lit them on this head!

    If you are going to ban Lawn Darts, then why not fireworks?  Or better yet, limit the amount of bang they provide.  Only allow professionals, or licensed, people to shoot the more powerful ones off.  

    Celebrate America by doing something good.  Take the money you spent on fireworks and donate it to a homeless shelter, or an agency that helps veterans.

    That's my rant for the day.

    Got mulch spread.  Friend Sheri came and helped.  But I paid for it in the afternoon when my back and legs started hurting again.  I have a feeling yard work will grind to a halt over the next two days as the temps hit the low 90s.  I am too old to be out in the heat.

Peace and Love

Like a dog, man

I got a ton of yard work done today 

    I had help....Sheri K. came over and cleaned up my slope area.  It was a mess.  Over the past four weeks I have given up on weeding.  Frist it was hot.  Then dry.   Then wet.  Then hot.  Then I hurt myself.

    Actually, I feel better today than I have in a couple of weeks.  The yard work seemed to have a positive effect, even though I am now icing my lower back.

    I replanted my beans...again.  I guess I rereplanted them.  I may have discovered what the problem was.  The soil was very dry, dry down several inches.  I honestly thought with the rain and my watering it had plenty of moisture, but I may have been wrong.  Tomorrow I will start watering again.

    Tomorrow, before it gets too hot, I also hope to get mulch spread in a few places.  But if I wake up sore, that won't happen.

    Meanwhile, WW III seems to have broken out.  I think the allies are shelling the enemy and small arms fire keeps echoing.  I don't like the Fourth of July as much as other holidays because the noise drives me crazy.  I like the city fireworks, but all these people who think they are providing entertainment are idiots.  Sorry if I offended anyone.

    You may have noticed I have stopped putting the days at the top.  480 was my last one.  Those where the number of days since the pandemic started affecting us, at least by my count.  I hope I don't have to start it again.

Peace and Love and Happy Fourth of July

Oh happy day

I forgot to celebrate Bobby Bonilla Day 

    I might have spelled his name wrong.  Oops.

    Bobby Bonilla was a baseball star who renegotiated a huge contract with the Mets back in the 1990s.  Well, it was almost a $6 million contract, but that was huge then.  The Mets renegotiated  a longer payout instead of paying the money to him.  So,  he agreed to take a yearly paycheck of albout $1.2 million starting in 2010 or so..  There is interest figured in, so the check is closer to $1.9 million.

    Every year on July 1 in baseball land it becomes Bobby Bonilla Day.  Bonilla is now 58 and will continue receiving the money uintil 2035.

    Not a bad deal!

    Tomorrow I will replant my beans and cucumbers for the third, and final, time.  I just don't get what happened this year.  It's frustrating that I have gotten so little from my garden.  Last year we had enough green beans, Italian beans, peas, carrots and peppers to provide us with vegetables through the winter.  We actually still have some beans left, but not many.

    This year......pffft!  I have one cucumberr shoot, and two bean plants.  So tomorrow I will replant the beans.  Dang frustrating.

    I sent a birthday card to a lady celebrating her 90th next week.  But, she probably won't get it.  

    You know my tendency to reverse numbers.....well, I wrote the address on a piece of paper and forgot the paper  at home.  I bought a card, went to the post office and wrote down the address as I remembered it because if I didn't mail it today, it would not get here on time.

    I may have had the street wrong, and I know the number is wrong.....so I  bet that card comes back to me instead of to the person it should go to.

    I should have driven to her house and dropped it in her mailbox....would have violated federal law, but would have been a sure fire delivery.

    Oh well....just another day in my life.

Peace and Love

I hate shopping

 Today was grocery day

    I try to buy locally as much as possible, but big grocery stores have so much more from which to choose.

    So I went to a big store today and spent a bit over $200.  I was shocked.

    I noticed some things that were strange.  Kraft Mac and Cheese was .99  each  or 4 for $4.  Tea was discounted with a coupon, but there were no coupons.  1 item was 3.29 or 2 for $5.  I got 2, whether I wanted 2 or not.

    I always laugh when prices are 79 or 89 cents.  Why not just round it to the nearest 10 and make it easier for people to mentally compute prices.  I know, there is a psychological element to making it end in a 9, somehow it seems cheaper.

    I usually get very tired toward the end and wish I could lie down in the frozen food case and cool off.  But I discovered that is frowned upon.

    This store is allowing reusable bags again, which is great.  Next time I go I will bring mine because I hate all hose bags.  

    The hardest part is putting all the stuff away.  I must have had 15 bags to carry in, then put away.  I was fatigued, to say the least.

    Driving up to Rockford, I had to pull over and get out of the car.  My left leg cramped up.  I got on 39 at 72, after the work zone, and pulled over on the entrance ramp. Stretching it really helps.  The same thing happened on the way home, and I had to pull over on 64 by 251.  

    I am going to a chiropractor to see if he can give me some relief from my hip pain, and he said the leg cramping is a  result of my hips being out of alingment. When he does a treatment it feels fine for a while, but eventually I am back in pain.

    Here's hoping he is right when he said it would be a couple of weeks, then I would be better.  

    Oh my gosh, this was a pretty run of the mill post.  Hope you stayed awake!

Peace and Love