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

working out

I got quite a stair stepper work out today 

    I started bringing up Christmas from the basement.

    If you don't know, we have at least 489 plastic tubs with Christmas stuff packed away.

    Ornaments,  Lights. Candles. Figurines. Dishes.  Glasses.  More ornaments.  Stuffed animals.  Mangers.  Tree stand.  Ok, that one is not in a box.  Neither are the rugs that go under the tree in case it leaks.

    I did as much as I could then I had to take a break.  My knees were starting to ache, as was my back, and my hands, and my feet, and my toes, and my ears.  The only thing that did not hurt was my prostate because that was removed one year ago.

    It usually takes a few days to unpack the holiday.  I have a tendency to want to put stuff anywhere, but Jackie is very specific on where things go.  So I do what she says.

    Tomorrow John and I are going tree hunting.  I am looking for a 200 or 300 pointer that I can kill and mount in the living room.

    While I am gone, Emily and Jackie were given one (1) job to do:  weed out the bags!  I figure 3 piles:  1 to save, 1 to toss, 1 to pass on to someone who can use them.

    We have 2 tubs of bags!  Every year we put bags in, but never take them out.  Cloth bags, paper bags, bags with handles, bags for wine, bags for big gifts, bags for small gifts.  You get the idea.  Bags.

    Hopefully I will only end up with half a tub.  Hopefully.

    Well, I am bagging it for tonight!

Peace and Love

like a turkey

I am stuffed 

    Everything was super delicious this year.  I don't know if it was the food, or the fact we had people sharing supper with us for the first time in what seems like centuries.

    And it wasn't just us.  

    The neighbors had a touch football game going on in the back yard, something they have not done for a couple of years.

    Families gathered with friends all over the place and it just felt darn good.

    I hope you and your family and friends had a great day too.

    My gosh, the Bears even won!  

    Let's just hope there isn't a huge spike.......it would be nice to be able to gather again on Christmas.

Peace and Love

lights out

 I tend to get frustrated very quickly

    You people don't notice it, but Jackie does.

    I had two frustrating experiences.....which now seem minor in comparison to the problems people have.

    I brought the outside Christmas lights up and started hanging them.  I took each set and tested it.  Then I put them on the bushes.  Two sets did not completly light.  They lit last year, otherwise I would not have put them away.  So how do they go bad when they are not even used?

    So I went to the store for more lights.  WM did not have any, but our local Ace had a great sale...buy one strand of 100, get one free.  So I bought one.

    I hung the lights and they all lit up  the first time, the second time....on strand had half its lights out!  How does that happen?

    I know there are little fuses that I can replace, but in the past that has never been succesful for me either.

    I hang garland on the porch railings.  This crap cost $40 per strand new and over the years the lights obn 5 of the seven died.  I pulled the old lights off last year and wrapped them with new lights.

    This year, another strand died.  So I went back to the store for more lights.

    Tonight we  tried to order something on line.  I went to check out....and the little wheel started spinning.  And spinning.  And spinning.  I exited, ordered again, same result.  

    After the third time I called and talked to a wonderful lady who called me Terry every time she addressed me and said thank you every time I answered a question.  I assume she was not from the states.

    She went to process my credit card and ....... she had trouble because the system was busy.

    It must have been a good sale.

    After a few minutes, she apologized and said it was now working, so my order was placed.

    So here I am, past  11 and I am having a strong hot toddy.  I hope it relaxes me and puts me in the mood to sleep.....but I doubt it.

    Have a happy Thanksgiving.  Don't eat too much.  Don't be a turkey and get stuffed!!

Peace and Love

oops...again

 Sometimes I am an idiot

    No common sense.

    I hear truly intelligent people lack common sense, but that is not the case with me.

    I just lack common sense.

    Tonight we made a corn casserole for Thursday.  Friend Amy brought this a couple of times and we really like it.  Since Amy opted out of coming, Jackie thought we could make the casserole.

    She gave me a list of ingredients, including 15 oz. of creamed corn.

    When I went to the store, I could not find a 15 oz can, but I found 4.75 oz cans.  I figured three of those would be close to the 15 oz.

    Jackie was suprised I could only find 4.75 oz cans.  So was I.

    I got out a bowl tonight, opened three cans of creamed corn and poured it into the bowl, which almost filled the bowl.  I still had sweetcorn and corn bread mix to add.

    When I told Jackie I should have used a bigger bowl, she seemed surprised.

    "Are you sure you put in the right amount?"  might have been asked.  I said yes, and picked up the can.

    14.75 oz.  Not 4.75.  Somehow, I missed the 1. 

    Someone might have asked, didn't the cans feel heavier than 4 oz?  

    Common sense should have kicked in when I opened the first can.  Or at least the second.

    If anyone would like to stop over tomorrow for a bowl of creamed corn, let me know and I will gladly heat one up for you.

Peace and Love

a sinking feeling

We have a small plumbing problem 

    The handles of the hot and cold weater in our master bath were becoming very hard to turn,

    We had a couple of other issues in the house, so I called the plumbers to come and do some fixin.

    The faucets were a simple thing.  Pull off he handles, replace the thing a ma bob and put the handles back on.  Easy peasy.

    Except, they could not get the thing a ma bobs off.  The decision was made to order new thing a ma bobs.  So he did.  

    But, now we only have one usable sink in the master and it is not the one Jackie uses.

    The parts came Saturday.....but there was only one, not two.

    I took everything down to the plumber and they called for the second part.  It was supposed to have been shipped Nov. 19, so we'll see how long this one takes.

    It is just a little frustrating to have a sink we can't use.  But what's worse is it is the sink Jackie uses.

    So...that is my complaint for the day.

    Now, to lighten the mood....some carrots.

Peace and Love

carrot ghost?  a cactus?a gigantic middle finger?

Mummified remains of famous Cubs pitcher Mordeci "Three Fingers" Brown's hand? 

 

carrot love?  carrot boa constrictor?

I'm innocent!

Sometimes I am not the one who did it 

    I am on our church board and we had a meeting today to discuss the budget.

    Some people attend in person, but three of us attend via zoom.  For me it is a matter of convenience.  It takes about 30 minutes to drive there, 90 minutes for the meeting, if we are lucky, 30 minutes back home (not factoring a Starbucks order) and it is really too long a time to leave Jackie at home by herself.

    I tend to mute myself during meetings.  I don't want the phone to be heard by everyone there, or my crunching on potato chips.

    Today, during a rather serious part of a serious topic, there came a loud and emphatic "Shit!" 

    Everyone laughed at the randomness of it.

    After the meeting, I got a call and we were chatting and the person said, "What did the Bears do to make you yell 'Shit?'"

    My reply was, it wasn't me.  I wasn't watching the Bears.  My mic was muted.

    Turns out, EVERYONE at the meeting assumed it was me, and not one of the quieter, older ladies who was also zooming.

    Now I have a quandry.  Do I rat out the other person, or do I accept the nickname "Zoom Shitter" for the rest of my time on the church board?  Which might not be too bad, since my term is up in January.

    I know, it's a tough call.

    But, unlike the 100 percent of people accused of a crime, I really am innocent!

    Sigh.....

Peace and Love

    This is the hand that cleaned the mower.....still intact.  And the hand lens is to help me read the small print directions on the power washer.  To bad computers don't have smell-o-vision.

    And Dan...the hat is from Micheal in France!!

yucky

 I learned a lesson today

    I learned I should clean out the bottom of my lawn mower regularly.

    I say that every year about this time, for now is when I actually clean out the mess.  There must have been 10 pounds of grass clippings stuck to the bottom!

    Soggy, stinky, icky, dirty grass clippings. 

    I scraped.  I washed.  I scraped.  I grabbed handfuls of stuff hat just did not feel right.  Every time I put my hand under the mower, I was braced for the blades to suddenly spin, taking my hand off at the elbow.

    I know, it is an irrational fear....but a fear I have anyway.

    But now it is done.

    While the mower occupied most of my time, I did power wash the chairs and table top.  I even put the power washer in the basement when I was done, because the first one I had I left in the garage all winter and it froze the inside, causing it to not function the second year.  I learned that lesson too!

    While  I solved one mystery I found  another.

    I have a project around my bird bath.  Now, the display of the concrete stones is in the DeKalb Lowe's, but they don't have stones.  The Rockford Lowe's has stones, but no display.

    I bought 6 stones.  When I laid them out, they did not fit.  So yesterday I went back to the DeKalb store and discovered I actually needed 7 stones.  Now I have to go back to Rockford and buy one more stone.

    If I wait until spring, that product will be discontinued and I will have an incomplete space.

    My new mystery is also vexing.  I have a heavy sweatshirt type jacket to wear working otuside.  Emily got it for me.  John has one too.  But I wore mine Thursday.  I could not find it today.  I looked everywhere.  I hope I did not leave it out in the wind.  If I did, someone got a nice jacket.

    Maybe it will show up buried under my other projects.

Peace and Love

hair today, gone tomorrow

I got trimmed today 

    Feel free to copy these photos for your own personal use.

    I have not had a haircut since mid September.

    I got one today.  Actually, got them all cut.  Old joke, I know.

    We also got pedicures, but in the interest of public decency I won't show my feet.

    I think that is all for tonight.  

    The news from Kenosa has distressed me, and I really don't want to discuss it for fear I will say something really stupid.

    So, laugh at the pictures.  Go ahead.  You have my permission.

Peace and Love

going...going....

 My hair is a freaking mess

    I got it cut before I went to see Julia.  That was Sept. 30.  

    It seems to have grown fast since then.

    Part of the delay was the barber I go to has been laid up and is working less.  Another part is I just didn't feel like getting it cut.

    So, tomorrow is spa day for me.

    I get my hair cut in the afternoon, then we get toe nails cut after that.  I sometimes think I should get polish, like a shocking red or bright blue.  But no one can see my toes, so that would be a waste.  Jackie and I both enjoy the pedicures because now we won't be clawing each other at night.

    I don't even remember where I was.....but  young girl was running the register. Her fingernails were really long and had amazing designs on them.  I said to her, "Neat nails."

    She lit up like a candle and told me she got them for Halloween, there were ghosts and goblins, she really liked them, and thanks for noticing.  I think in this nameless, soulless world she just liked being recognized.

    And they were cool nails.

    We also have a PT appointment in the morning.  Lots of getting Jackie into and our of our car.

    I have talked to two dealers about used cars that have a TurnyEVO seat in them, and the chances of me finding a used one are slim to none.  The Cubs will win a World Series before that would happen.  The Bears would play in the Super Bowl before then.

    I am skiping over the White Sox and Bulls, because they could win before I find one.  Not sure about the Blackhawks.

    That's it for my sports metaphors.

    What's a metaphor?  Something to confuse you when Facebook disappears.

    I don't know if that is a joke or not.

Peace and Love

I hate shopping

 I did our monthly/holiday shopping today

    I am wiped out.  It is almost 11, and I have just sat down.

    This morning I picked up the rest of the yard and laid out where my bird bath is going.  Which is a puzzle.  Literally.  I saw a display in the store with 6 cement blocks.  One block in the middle, 5 around it.  It forms a neat spot to put the bird bath.  The main benefit is I won't have to trim around it every time I mow.

    So I bought 6 blocks.  Put them down and I can't seem to get them to come together like they did in the display.  Now I have to go back to the store, take a picture, and next spring put the "puzzle" together.

    I also picked up the hoses.  Someone asked me why I put my hoses away in the winter and I really did not have a good answer.  Will they freeze and break outside?

    I    also filled bird feeders.

    And I mowed up the leaves that were on the ground, creating a huge mess in the front yard that looks terrible.

    I might add that all during this time it was raining.  Not a hard rain, but a cold drizzle.

    Aftere that, I went to the store.

    Maybe it was the 3 stops before the store, but I was a bit loopy.

    As I walked up to the entrance the sign that says, "Go slow for pedestrians" was not in the driving area where it should be, but in front of the doors.

    Now, being the idiot I am, I saw the sign and pretended to walk in slow motion. 

    I took three or four  slow motion steps, slowly moving my arms, and approached the door.

    It did not open.

    In slow motion I stepped back and approached again.

    It did not open.

    A young man came up to me and said, "The door is over here."

    Yes, I did feel like an idiot.

    Anyway, I never finished my grocery list.  I got tired, it was late, I went to check out and I was fifth in line at the register and everyone had a huge cart.

    I had a meeting at 5:30.  I did not know it at the time, but I was supposed to be there at 5 for photos.  But I did not check e mail in the morning.

    I got home at 5, put the cold stuff in the fridge and freezer, got spiffied up for the meeting and got there at 5:36.  All the pictures were done.  

    When I got home I put stuff away, rearranging the pantry and discovering we have about 400 boxes of cookies and enough tea to serve the Queen for the next 10 years.

    That took me until a little past nine.  I folded two loads of laundry and got Jackie ready for bed.  Them I made myself a rather strong hot toddy and sat down to tell you about my day.

    I'm tired.  I am almost finished with the toddy.  If there are spelling mistakes or something doesn't make sense, I apologize.

Peace and Love

aw geez

 I am not a do it your selfer

    I think that is pretty clear to anyone who knows me.

    But....I keep trying.

    I had a little project to do.  Remove a shelf.  Some of the drywall came off.  So I bought some spackle, spackled it up, sanded it, felt it, then repainted it.

    It looks like crap.  I can see lines where the board was, dots where the screw holes were, and some bubbles that look like acne on my teen face.

    So.....what next?  I think I will scrape, sand, respackle, resand and then repaint, hoping to get a better result.  

    I am dubious.

    Over the next couple of days we are supposed to be able to see a meteor shower and a lunar eclipse.  Again, I am dubious.

    In my expereince, what that means is several nights of clouds and/or rain.  The forecasts may not call for it, but sure as shit that is what will happen.

    20 miles from me it will be clear and people will ooh and ahh at all the shooting stars they see and post great photos of the lunar eclipse.  Me?  I will curse the cloud that hangs over my head.

    I bought a rose bush last year and put it in a pot on the patio.  I slid the pot over  into a corner today to give it protection from the winds, but I am worried the roots will freeze.  I covered it, wrapped it in paper and bubble wrap and a blue tarp. I don't know if I can lift the bush.....at the same time, I don't want it to die either.  

    Life is full of dilemmas.  Or is is delamas?  Or delemmas?  How about problems.  That makes it a lot easier.

Peace and Love

training day

 I honestly don't know who trains who in this house

    Corki gets a night treat at about 7:30.  Since the time change, she starts pacing and barking right around 7.  She barks and barks and as much as we try to ignore it, she doesn't stop until she gets her treat.  But she is really getting it earlier than before the time change!

    But that is not the worst that is happening.

    I mix some canned dog food in with her dry food.  She gets a pill and some fish oil, a little water, 2 teaspoons of moist food, and her cup of food.  She only eats at night.  If I put food in her bowl in the morning, she ignores it.

    So....for a couple of weeks now, maybe coinciding with the time change, maybe not, she has not been eating UNLESS I help her!

    I sit on the floor, call her over, put some on my finger and she licks it off.  Then I put a glob in my hand and she licks it off.  We do this three or four times, then I leave her and she eats.

    There have been a couple of days where I have tossed her food in the morning because she did not touch it the night before.  I know she will eat whcn she gets hungry, but I do hate tossing the food.  So I hand feed her to get her going.

    Tonight she got turkey and duck instead of the ground beef and rice.  She immediately ate it without any help from me.  

    Thus, my future plan is to feed her the turkey and duck and not the ground beef.  

    I also wondered if her food bowl was too low sitting on the floor.  But she had no problem tonight, so that can't be it.  Maybe it's her way of getting attention from me.

    In any case, she has me trained to give her a treat and hand feed her.  

    Which proves she is another woman smarter than me!

Peace and Love

just thinking about stuff

I have lots of manly stuff

    Power saws, levels, yard tools, wrenches, nails.

    Stuff.  Manly stuff.  I have no idea why I have it.

    I am thinking I will have a yard sale next spring.  I have not used my miter box in two years, my circular saw in heavens knows how long, and the levels I have were left behind by an errant contractor.

    Then there are the boxes of nails and screws and hooks and, well you get the idea.

    I think I will just put it all in the garage and have a one or two day sale.  No clothes,  (for sale...I will be wearing clothes.  Although it is my right to not wear clothes and I just may have the sale in my natural state because I am tired of having the government telling me what I can do) just stuff.

    Camp stove?  You got it.  Pie irons?  You can buy them too.  Fertilizer spreader, yard roller, aerator, rakes..... stuff I don't really use or need anymore.

    Jackie ordered a new bed spread for our bed.  We got it, I opened it, tossed the paperwork, cut up the bag, set it spread on the chair.  Yesterday we put it on and ..... it does not fit.  It's way too small.  Yes, I measured first and thought the size would work.  It doesn't.

    Now I have to contact the company to see how we can ship it back without any labels or bag.  And it is pretty bulky, so maybe I will have to put it in a box and mail it.

    That's what I get for being efficient with packaging.

    And as soon as I sell that level, or that saw, I know I will need it.  That never fails.

Peace and Love

is it Saturday??

 I lost the day today

    I had a Zoom church meeting at 10 and after eating lunch and getting Jackie her food, I sat in my recliner for a quick nap.

    Three hours later, I woke up.

    Seriously, I lost the whole day!

    I did a little project, well, the start of a little project, but by then it was supper time.

    Now I know I won't be able to sleep tonight because it is past 9 and I am wide awake.

    I am curious about how much snow we will get.  I let Corki out about 8:30 and it was snowing.  I have heard dusting to one inch, but we have had more snow than that in November.

    I had hoped to get to church in person tomorrow, but that probably will not happen.  Getting Jackie in and out of a car 4 times, 2 of them in  snow, does not appeal to me.  Plus there is a safety factor for both of us.

    But, we shall see.

Peace and Love

deja vu

 This was another great day with friends

    We are truly blessed with wonderful friends.

    Nadine drove me to the eye doctor's today.  I was not so sure I needed a driver, but after they dilated my eyes, injected a dye into my system, took pictures with a bright flash, and made me read letters of ever increasingly small type size, my eyes were ready for a break.

    And I could not see real well.  Even on a dark day, dilated eyes make driving a challenge, so having her as my chauffer was great.

    Then tonight Renee and Wendy  brought supper.  We had a fun visit, enjoyed great food from Alfano's, had some laughs and watched Corki try to mount legs several times.  Now, Corki  has not done that for a while, so I am puzzled about her behavior tonight.  And the barking. 

    By the way, my eyes are stable.  The little blind spots are not growing.  The rest of the eyes look good.

    The good doctor said that within a few years there will be stem cell therapy that will fix my condition.  He said the macular will be repaired with the treatments, which will be a blessing for millions of old folks.

    And of course, if you did not know, it snowed here today.  When we got home from Jackie's PT session there was snow on the roof of our house.  Granted, it did not last long but it was a sign that fall is coming to an end.

    Julia also sent pictures of her boxes loaded on a container that will be shipped home.  Now all she has to do is get rid of the rest of her stuff.  

    Noe I have a problem....I think Jackie is asleep in her chair.  I have not heard her talk for about an hour.  Do I wake her for bed?

    I hear a stirring.....

Peace and Love

parlez -vous?

 I tine traveled tonight

    Friend Dan and I spent time in France in 2011.  

    One of our Frenchest experiences was going to the Yellow CDafe in Arles.  This is the cafe VanGogh painted in his "Cafe at Night" work.

    We ordered pastis.  This is a liquer that is anise flavored.  When it is served, traditionally you get a caraffe of water and add it to the pastis until it becomes cloudy and more to your taste.  I believe VanGogh was a big pastis fan.

    In my best French, I asked our water for 2 pastis  He grunted and gestured.  I again asked for 2, speaking my best, though inadequate, French.  This went on for a while until he gave up and went to get  someone else.

    When the second waiter came, I again asked for 2 pastis.  He repeated what I said, but shrugged his shoulders.  For the 45th time, I again asked for pastis and suddenly he flung his arms in the air and said, "Pastis!"  Oui, I replied.  He brought us two.

    The thing is.....he said it the same way I said it! The only difference was he  threw his arms up in the air.

    Anuyway, I asked Julia to get me some pastis, which she did and I brought home.

    Dan and Linda came over this afternoon for a little visit with pastis and cheese and crackers.

    Linda had a little amount, Dan had more and I had two, since I was not going anywhere.  Jackie stuck with water.

    As we were talking about it, the subject of alcohol percentages came up.  Jackie Googled it and discoveered  pastis is 45 percent alcohol!  45%!!!  Holy crap, that's a lot.  The bottle even says 45%, but who reads the bottle?

    Needless to say, it is only 8:30 and I am ready for bed.  

    I think pastis is an acquired taste.  I like it, but I will have this bottle for a while.

    And I am always willing to share.....just have a designated driver with you.

Peace and Love

dag nab it

 Sometimes the little things irritate me

    Like the computer mouse going dead in the middle of something.  A message appears on the screen, "mouse battery exhausted, "  but by then it's too late.

    My computer desk chair squeaks.  Not a soft, quiet "crick"....  but a loud, annoying "eeerchhhh".  I have oiled it, but that does not seem to help,  I deon't know from whence the squeak comes, but I have oiled every moving part.

    Plans that go astray sometimes work out anyway.  Emily had a delivery but did not want to have it sent to her house because she and John were at work.  So it was sent to our house.  It was supposed to arrive tomorrow.  So we planned to spend the entire day waiting.  Meanwhile, Jackie scheduled a hair appointment today.  To cut, color and style her hair is about 90 minutes.

    Last night Emily got a text that the package would be delivered today.

    So, I drove Jackie to the hairdresser, dropped her off, drove home and waited.

    When the time came, I went back to help move her from the chair to the rinsing or washing station then waited 30 minutes for her to be done.  I did order a Thanksgiving pie and had a coffee while waiting, so that was not lost time.  (And no, no coffee and pie at the hairdresser but at Acres Bistro across the street.)

    We got home, pulled in the driveway and as I was getting out of the car the UPS truck showed up with the package!  It was perfect timing.

    I also used today to get some information on a passenger side seat for the car.  The seat will twist out, and lower, allowing me to get Jackie safely into the seat.  Then it can be raised, swung around, and locked in position.

    So I called and talked to a rep at he dealer closest to me that installs them.  The cost:  a little over $10,000!  Holy crap!!

    It became apparent to us how helpful that would be when we got out of the hairdresesers and I went to put Jackie in the car, but we missed the seat.  She was on her way to the ground when we found a spot on the floor for her to sit.  Luckily, the brewmaster from the distillery next door  came out the back door and I asked him for help.  We were able to get her into the car.

    I told him thanks for the help and I like his brews.  Which I do.

    So now it is a matter of finding a car where this is a factory installed option instead of an aftermarket device.  So far,  I found Honda, Ford, and Toyota offer the seat, but I can't get a price on line.

    I guess I will be visiting some dealers in the future to see what is available, on what models it is available, and what the cost is.

    I am just getting too old to be lifting her into the car.

    Hell, I am getting to old for a lot of things!

Peace and Love

   

I'm a rich man

 I am a millionaire, but not in the way you think

    Over the past two days I have spent a lot of time outside, working on getting the yard and gardens ready for winter.  

    That gives me a lot of time for thinking, and I got to thinking how rich I have become in life.

    Trust me.....I am not talking money.

    I am talking family.  And friends.  And pets.  And lifestyles.  And health.  And opportunities.

    Jackie will tell you I am pretty much a pessimist.  I always see the glass as half empty.  

    But I have been blessed with a great family,  a wife, two daughters and a son in law and grandchild that are there to help me when I need it.  Other family members who call to check in or comment on my life.  And friends to pick me up when I am down or sit with my wife when I am gone or who come out to visit with a great lunch or who come over to visit and eat supper.

    I have been blessed with opportunities too.  Julia moving to Switzerland nearly 20 years ago was a kick in the gut at the time, but it opened a new world to me.

    I have walked on Omaha Beach, stood atop Eagle's Nest, stayed in a hotel that was formerly an SS headquarters during the war, met a former student in Florence for dinner, walked the streets of Venice and Paris, biked the roads of Holland, hiked up a moutain and stayed in a mountain hut, explored castles built by the crazy Ludwig, slept in a real castle,  watched a once every 25 years festival, and met some great people.

    I have also been blessed with all of you, who read about my boring life.

    Maybe it's the fall nights, and the coming of winter, that have put me in a slightly emotional, retrospective mood tonight.

    I just want you all to know that I do appreciate you...family, freinds, supporters, followers, confidants, confessors..... I am  thankful for all ofyou.

    Peace and Love

oops

 I got busy and almost forgot this epistle tonight!

    Yes, I was watching the Bears.  But I also did dishes, changed smoke detector batteries, replaced a burned out light bulb in the hall, found the table runners for fall, watered the downstairs plants, plugged in my batteries for the rechargable drill, filled the water softener, and before I knew it, it was late.

    Very late.

    The upside to the day:  I will become royalty!

    No, it is not a Nigerian cousin who is making me king or prince, but the good dentist who is giving me a crown.

    I broke part of a tooth off, but the tooth is "sound" so we are putting a crown on it.

    Actually, that is better than what I feared, which was extraction and an implant.

    After the dentist I helped pass out food at the mobile food bank .  There were a bunch of us, and I was appointed traffic director.  That should be in capital letters!

    As Traffic Director I waved cars forward and told them where to stop.  I would also yell out how many families were getting food and where it goes in the car.  Example, a car with a 1 T on the windshield meant one family, put it in the trunk.  If it was 2 B it meant 2 families, put it in the back seat.

    And to be truthful, I was the only person who had not already claimed a job.

    One of the young helpers said, "Have a nice day," to every car that came thru...and there were a lot.  I commended him for his politeness.

    The group had packed up 125 food packages and when we ran out, there were still 6 or 7 cars in line.

    It's sad to see so many people in need, but it is gratifying that agencies and people are stepping up to help.

    By the way, I predicted the Bears would lose by 28 but they darn near won the game.  I underestimated how bad the Steeler offense was.

Peace and Love

oh damn it anyway

Who breaks a tooth eating a grilled cheese sandwich? 

    I'll give you three guesses.  

    I can't figure out how it happened.  Must have been a cracked tooth to start with, but really, grilled cheese?

    I made a pork roast for supper.  Put in potatoes and carrots, some seasonings, and was really looking forward to supper.

    I ended up chewing on one side of my mouth.  

    On the upside for the day, t he Bears did not lose!

    Other upsides:  I mowed, maybe for the last time.  John and Emily and Camryn came over and moved my patio furniture and grill into the garage.  Hopefully this week will be nice enough weather wise to let me wash the tables and put a little teak oil on them so they are ready to go next year.

    I had a list of six or seven jobs for this week.  Changing he smoke alarm batteries is high on the list, especially with the way I cook.

    I heard the weather forcast kind of goes awry toward the end of the week.....snow flurries, rain, cold, windy....in other words, a pretty typical November day.

    But my main priority will be calling he dentist and seeing if he can figure out what happened, and fix it.

    At least I don't have any pain.  Hope it stays that way.

Peace and Love

what?

 Sometimes, I admit, I just don't get it

    I am still puzzling over a comic in the  Tribune this week.  I know there was a joke there, but I did not get it.

    That happens often lately.  I don't understand the joke.  Maybe it is just too advanced for me, or I don't have the basic knowledge.  Hell, it could even be an age thing.

    Oh well, there are other bigger problems in life.

    I also could not watch what I wanted to watch on my WTTW passport tonight.  I wanted to watch a Poirot, but no matter what I did, I could not find an episode.  So I watched the first All Creatures Great and Small and loved it!  It was light and entertaining and showed a lot of the English countryside.  

    We have too many choices to watch, but for some reason we get stuck on the same old stuff.  Part of the problem is habit.  I do my blog about 8, which means I have to get supper and dishes done  before then, which would be the best time to sit down and watch a show.  But I am busy. 

    So many problems.

    Spent part of the day today cleaning off the dining room table.  After several hours it honestly does not look much better.  

    The table was a mess because all the stuff came out of the den and Julia's room and it had to go somewhere.  Lord knows I know what to do with paper, besides stack it in piles.

    There is always tomorrow.  Or the next day.  Or the next.

    Don't forget to adjujst your clocks.....just in case you are on Mars and did not know the time changes.

    Peace and Love

memories

 I got confused by my Facebook memories today

    According to my memories, 8 years ago today I was enjoying a supper in Tuscany with family and friends.  Accroding to the second memory, 8 years ago today I was in Green Bay for the Packers-Bears game.

    Obviously they are not both right.  I do believe the Packer game was correct, because Tuscany was during the summer.

    I remember the game.  It was a package our park district offered and Jackie got it for me as an anniverary present.  It included box lunch, ticket and transportation to the game.

    There were 6 or 7 of us in a van and we drove 55 the entire way, because if you went over 55 the van shook.  It took forever to get there and forever to get home.  In fact, on the way home we got hungry but it was so late there were no gas stations open!  We ended up stopping and peeing along the road because the GPS directed us through every small town between Rockford and Green Bay and eveery one of them was shut tight.

    But it was a good game.  The Bears won, one of only 5 victories they have had against Aaron (Tell No Lie) Rodgers.  And despite me wearing all the Bear stuff I owned,  Packer fans were friendly and greeted me warmly.  It was a fun time, despite being in the van for what seemed forever.

    Now, a digression.

    The French are going to get a surprise.  The cost of a baguette is going up because of rising fuel costs and higher wheat prices due to a sub par harvest.

    The article I read said there would be a 4-6 cent rise in the cost of a baguette, which averages $1  (I am using dollars but francs are about the same.)

    This is huge because in the past 20 years the price of a baguette has only gone up 28 cents.

    I love baguettes.  The crispy crust, airy middle, the crunch you get when you bite into one.......heaven.  The only problem is they get very hard and almost inedible in a day.

    I got the idea reading the article that baguettes are baked in a steam oven......which creates the crunchy crust.

    I wonder if some day we will have bakeries here that create great baguettes and croissants.

    Until then, I will just have to rely on my faulty memory.

Peace and Love

ooops........

 I hope I did not offend anyone yesterday

    In order to repent from my rather crude vocabulary yesterday, I offer this story.

    This is not mine, by the way.  It's an old one.

    Bunch of old guys sitting on benches in front of a general store way up in the mountains.

    A young girl walks past hem, says hello, and tells them she is the new clerk.

     She is pretty and wearing a short skirt, which peaks the old guys' interest.

    After a few minutes, Ed gets up and goes into the store.  The girl is standing behind the counter.

    "What can I do for ya, mister?"  she sweetly asks.

    Ed looks over the shelves and says, "I'd like a loaf of that there raisin bread."

    The girl looks and sees the bread is on the top shelf.  So she gets a ladder and climbs up to get it.

    Ed is thrilled with the view.  He goes out and tells the others.

    Wayne goes in.

    "How can I help ya, mister?" the sweet young thing asks.

    "I'd like a loaf of raisin bread," Wayne says. 

    Again the girl gets the ladder, climbs up, and Wayne gets a great view.

    He goes out and tell Joe.  Joe goes in, asks for raisin bread, she gets the ladder, he gets the view, and goes back out.

    Bill goes in and asks for raisin bread.  The girl goes up on the ladder and as she is up there Homer comes in and stands next to Bill, just enjoying the secenery.

    The girl sees the new old guy and yells down,  "Hey mister, is yours a raisin too?"

    Homer smiles and says, "No...but its a twitchin a mite."

    And with that....good night.

Peace and Love

doctor, doctor gimme the news

 This is doctor week

    We had long scheduled visits today.  I mean long scheduled.  We call and it is sometimes weeks before we can get in.  If it is serious, like a cold or flu, we can usually get "snuck" in, but for a wellness check, it is a long wait.

    Jackie had an appointment for Monday with another medical person.  But that got cancelled because the referral has not come through yet.

    Tomorrow I have an appointment with the man who took my prostate.  It is my one year check up, with my surgery happening one year ago next week.  

    It seems so much longer than that.  I still have the scars, physical and mental, but I am sure they will fade. 

    Anyway, today I brought up a litany of complaints.  My feet itch.  My hands hurt.  My fingers lock.  

    The remedy for the locked fingers, or trigger finger, is : 1, cortisone injections; or 2, minor surgery to cut the tendons.  Both would be done by a hand guy.  

    I guess if I can't adapt, I will have to get a hand job.

    Bodda boom!  Perverts.

    As for the hurting hands, he suggested soaking them in hot water in the morning and rubbing Voltaran or something similiar onto them to reduce the pain.  

    What bugs me the most is how hard it is becoming to open things or grip items, and while it is not imposible, it is hard.

    I know, quit whining.  Or wineing, if that is a word.  Which it must be because I just used it.

    Moisturing my feet should help the itching.  Truthfully, I have been putting a cream on and wearing socks to bed, which really helps.

    I know...TMI but I felt like sharing.

    Did you read about the QAnon gathering in Dallas the other day?  

    Several supporters gathered on "The Knoll" because the ghost of JFK was going to rise and lead the reinstallation of tRump to office.  

    I am not going to say these people are wackos.  I do wonder if any of them were wearing aluminum foil hats though.

    Enough.

Peace and Love

almost.....almost

 This was almost a great day

    First off,  I apologize for any bad typing.

    It is son in law John's fault.

    He was over for,a few  minutes and I asked him to put together my vegetable peeler, which had somehow come apart in the drawer.

    I had been peeling carrots and I knew the broken one was better than the one I was using.  And it is better.  Much sharper.

    I can actually type.  I know the home keys and proper positioning.

    But tonight I can't use the finger that hits the t,f,g,b,v, r keys because since the bleeding funally stopped after 30 minutes, I am not comfortable hitting keys with it just yet.  

    That is hard to do.

    John was over because Jackie could not cut the carrots after I trimmed and skinned them.  So, she wanted t(ouch!  forgot!!)o go to her chair.

    As I lifted her from the  wheelchair, I stepped on her foot, which threw me off balance.  

    She landed between the chair and the wheelchair,  not sitting on either one, and slid slowly to the floor.  

    Thankfully John was home and came right over and got Jackie into her chair.

    No harm.

    But after that I asked him to fix the peeler,  and you know how that ended.

    What also ended was my night of preparing and freezing carrots (which is a hard word to type with out using  the ponter finger).

    I will pick up the task (more carefully. now) tomorrow,   Hopefully.

    So thank you John for picking up my wife and for fixing the peeler.  We do appreciate it.

Peace and Love

opening my eyes

 I have lived here for 50 years, but didn't know

    True, we have been in the Rochelle area for 50 years.  Yes, we lived for a while in DeKalb, but for most f our married life Rochelle has been home.

    Lately I found out some really amazing information.

    Not exactly about Rochelle, but about Flagg Center and Flag.

    Flagg Center  is at the four way stop sign on Flagg Road going into Rochelle.  Not to be confused with Flagg, which may be spelled Flag, a smaller community in Lee County, Flagg Center is not really an incorporated area.  Nor is Flag, or Flagg.

    Friend M is the unofficial mayor in Flagg Center and I always roll down my car window and yell, "Hey, Lady!" when I see her on the front porch or out working in the yard.

    But there really is not much to Flagg Center.  Or Flagg.  Or Flag.

    So I was surprised to see a pop up on my Yahoo page that told me about 8 new doctors operating in Flagg Center!   And the former child movie star who was now working in Flagg!

    Granted, there are no stores in either place, so my mind is imagining the kind of work she is doing.   (Not countng the gun/bait shop as a store.)

    Next time I am out riding around, I am going to look up some of those doctors.  They should not be hard to find.

    Because everyting on the internet is true, right?

    Digressing, what a difference a year makes!

    One year ago I was up to to my elbows in carrots.  This year, not so much.  We put up 5 1-gallon bags last year, but I think we will be lucky to get 3 this year, with 2 a more reasonable goal.

    On a positive note, I still have tomatoes on the plants!  Green, and maybe freeze tinged, but they are still growing.

    And Kathy, FYI....I did toss the green, black and white tomato out, uneaten.

Peace and Love