someday

We got pedicures today 

    I am not going to bore you with details.  Suffice it to say, getting someone in a wheelchair into a spa chair is no simple deal.

    I sat in a chair next to another guy.  He seemed a bit older than me and had his toes and fingernails done.

    One of the girls asked him if he did a lot of walking.

    He said yes.

    They asked him if he had a walker at home to help him.

    He said no, he was not ready for that.

    He said he uses a cane but prefers a walking stick because you don't have to bend over when  you walk.

    "But you know what the best thing to hold onto is?" he asked the girls.

    After a beat or two he said, "A hand."

    Turns out he has a walking partner two doors down from where he lives.  She is a bit younger than he is.

    How old is she, came the question.

    87 was his answer.

    One of the girls asked, "How old are you?"

    96 was his reply.

    He still drives, in fact, he drove himself to his appointment.  He was married 73 years.  He can still put his own shoes on and pretty much takes care of himself.  He has cut down to one drink a day and he said he does not take many medications.

    His mind was still pretty sharp, but he did have trouble remembeering names of some places, but who doesn't.

    I can't imagine myself at that age.  

    The entire world has changed since he was a child.  Literally and figuratively.  Computers. Nazis, space travel, depressions, wars, political assinations, integration, self driving cars.....the list is endless.

    Even in my lifetime the change has been tremendous.  But I think it pales in comparison to what is going to happen over the next 50 years climate wise.  I fear the future generations will have to make some major adjustments.

    If there are future generations.

    Anyway, took my bike tire back.  Nobody there today.  Went to the DeKalb bike shop.  They don't have the valve stems needed.  I was confused by that.  So I still don't have a bike.  And the weather is beautiful.

    Maybe tomorrow.

Peace and Love

it ain't easy being me

 I ordered socks today

    I know!  You are tired of reading about my itchy feet!  I am tired of writing about them.

    Last night was a night with no itching.  I even slept better.

    So I ordered some socks today.

    I ordered 12 pairs.  They come in packs of 6.

    Here is the conversation I had with wife.

"I ordered socks.

What kind did you get?

I ordered black ones from a diabetic sock place.

Black ones?  I thought you wanted grey socks.

I did.

Then why did you order black?

I don't know.  I will see if I can change the order."

    And then I am thinking is this what I really want in the first place, so I tried to cancel the order and start over.

    I want socks I can wear with shorts.  But summer is almost over, so maybe I don't even need those yet.  I should try my black ones to see if they cause the same problem.

    I have trouble deciding things.  So I panic, and make a choice that is not what I wanted.  Oh well.

    Other than that, it was a pretty busy day.  I mowed, again.  Crushed cans.  Bagged up plastic bags.  Had tea on the porch and finished reading a book  Went over and introduced myself to the new neighbors.  Washed clothes.  Watched the new neighbors immediately put up a for sale sign.  Just kidding.  I met the guy and he seems nice  Strong handshake.

    It was a beautiful day and tonight is just great.  The days are getting shorter and the nights cooler, must be fall a knockin on the door.

Peace and Love

1 more time

 I have joined the cast of our next play

    I know!  It was hard to memorize lines in the last one.  Rehearsals took a lot of time.  I was stressed out.

    And I am doing it again.

    I have a part in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."

    Jackie and I discussed it.  I think we will be ok.

    I have 1 line to memorize.  I already did that.  One line.  Yes, I say it 5 or 6 times, but it is one line.

    It does involve an obscenity, so I will not tell you what the line is.  But it is totally out of character for me to utter in a crowd.

    I read the book when I was in high school.  It is dark.  And funny.  I want to reread it before the show, but I can't find a large print edition or an e-book through our library.  I will keep looking.

    My socks may have looked funny yesterday, with the elastic cut and all, but my feet did not itch last night.  I wore loose fitting socks to day, and my feed don't itch.

    Either it's coincidence or I am wacky.  Please, don't give your opinion.

    I actually fixed the clothes hanger in the laundry area.  That was on my list in January. It took about 6 minutes, with most of the time spent looking for the right size screwdriver. 

    I don't think I will plant the rest of my impatients.  That was on my May list.

    And I ordered a new compost bin to replace the one that blew apart in the storm yesterday.  It was a big deal for me an I am disappointed it was not mentioned on any of the newscasts.

    Not really.

    But I am not looking forward to transferring the contents.

Peace and Love

    

    

Run!!!!

 Sometimes us older folks mess up technology

    Jackie "talks" with her brother Bob during Cub games.  They message back and forth.  Sometimes it's a simple "damn" or "hit"  or "hurray."

    When the Cubs scored their first run today, Jackie texted "run" to Bob.

    Except, it wasn't Bob.

    Our weather was unsettled today, severe thunderstorm warnings for our area.  Emily lost her house years ago in a tornado and is a little skittish when storms move in.

    Emily was perplexed when Jackie texted HER "run."

    Was there a tornado?  Why should she run?  Where should she run?

    So Emily called and said she was trying to round up 13 dogs and head to the basement because Mom said run, which must mean a terrible storm is coming.

    I don't think she was actually trying to get 13 dogs into the basement, although that would have made for an interesting video.

    Mind you, this is not the first time wife has done this.  Emily has received several  messages from her mother that take some explaining, such as "great" or "about time."

    Ah...technology.

    The wind blew my compost bin apart.  I had to order a new one.  Luckily I took down the hanging plants and umbrella, 

    I had to iron a small table cloth today.  Easy peasy, except I don't iron much and had no idea where it was.  It had been in Julia's closet until last November, but I have not seen it since. 

    I found it, but it took a while.  The cloth is ironed and looking good.

    Last night I Googled "why do my feet itch at night."  They drive me nuts when I go to bed.  I have tried sprays, ointments, ant-itch creams.....nothing seems to help.

    But......two articles I read were about people with the same problem:  itchy feet at bedtime.  

    One doctor hypothesized that the person's socks were too tight, causing the blood vessels in the foot area to not get enough blood.  Once the socks were removed,  the blood vessels got the blood, expanded, and caused the itching.  Another person, not a doctor, said the same thing.

    So when I put on my gray socks today, I cut the elastic bands at the top.  My socks always leave a band mark on my legs and often my feet swell.  I have to wear my gray socks, because black socks don't look right with shorts.

    During the play, a couple of people even told me, "Dickow, your socks are too tight."

    Hopefully tonight my feet won't itch.

    But my socks sure look funny.

Peace and Love

deja vu

 I think I have had this day before

    Mow the yard.  Yep, did that before.

    Groused at how the back yard looks.  Yep, did that before.

    Washed and folded sheets.  Yep.

    Washed and folded towels.  Yep.

    Had a flat front bike tire.  Yep.

    Ok, let's focus on the last part.  I just got the inner tube replaced and this morning the tire was flat.  I called the repair shop and he said there must be something in the tire or rim causing the problem.  So, I have to take my tire back.

    The last two days would have been great for me to ride around the block a couple of times.  I saw people on the bike path today and wished I could be doing that, but I can't with a flat tire and out of shape body.

    I did take Jackie to the market at Cypress House  today.  We walked up and down the street, buying some tissue box covers from friend and fellow Cubs fan Sue, some cookies for Julia to take to a friend's house in Chicago today, and some popsicles.  I had a chocolate peanut butter one and it was fantastic.

    The only downside was I was too late for bread.  Jen's bread sold out almost as soon as she unloaded it.

    Jackie enjoyed getting out and the seat really helped getting her in and out of the car.  We are still working on the best positions, but we are getting close.

    It was a beautiful day.  I hope you got to enjoy it because the next two days sound kind of yucky

    The drought in Europe is pretty bad.  They have found a Roman fort near Spain that has been underwater for hundreds of years.  The world is a mess.

    And yet some people don't believe there is a problem.  And the rest of us wonder what we can do to change it.  It is a frightening situation.

    Hopefully we can partially restore the balance.

Peace and Love

    

F F F Friday

 I have never been to Memphis

    But I have the feeling I will end up there one day after I leave the house to drive to town for milk.

    I swear.  Literally.

    I had a flat bike tire.  I took the tire in to get a new tube.  Figured I would go to the place in DeKalb, then continue on my way to Cortland for some downspouts.

    It is Cornfest Weekend in DeKalb, which means Il 38 is blocked and you have to navigate around the fest.

    I did that.  Ended up at the bike shop, as planned.  But they were closed today because of Cornfest.

    No problem, I headed to Sycamore to a bike shop I usually visit..  They replaced the tube and I was on my way.

    Cortland is due east of DeKalb on Il. 38.  All I had to do from the DeKalb bikeshop was to go straight.

    So I left the Sycamore bike shop and headed straight east.  On Il. 64.

    I don't know how far I got when I looked out the window and saw a bike trail on my left.  

    Huh....I thought to myself.  The bike trail is along 64.  I AM ON THE WRONG ROAD!!!

    I turned onto what I thought was a road, but was actually a driveway, where I had to wait for traffic to clear before I backed out and went back to Sycamore.

    I went to Cortland and found the gutter place.  The reason I went there was I was posiitve they put the gutters on our house 10 years ago and could match the color for the downspouts.

    I was wrong.  They did not do the gutters on our house and they don't use 2 x 4 gutters anymore.

    But, they had some that were close in color to mine so they sold me those.

    In case you are wondering, my gutters are called willow, or canebreak, I don't remember.

    But for sure they are not tan or almond.

    Anyway, I asked the man if he was a family member of the business;  He said yes.

    I asked if he knew Abby.  

    He said yes.  She was his daughter.

    I told him I was her fifth grade teacher before they moved to Sugar Grove.  He sort of remembered me, and our house on Skare Court where he did do the gutters.  Abby is now 45 with 4 children.  I told him I remembered her great personality, her smile and her face full of freckles.

    We talked about construction and Abby for about 15 minutes.  He asked about Jackie, remembering she was a teacher too.  It was a nice remembrance.  I told him to please say hello to Abby for me.

    Doing the math, she was in my class 35 years ago.  How come I remember her?

    Picked up pizza in DeKalb and when I got home I put the oven on keep warm and put the pizzas in because it was still early.

    Ten minutes later the house was filled with smoke.  I opened the oven and smoke came poring out.  I opened the back door, turned on some fans, then opened the front door.

    Julia came up from work because she smelled smoke.

    When we cook anything in the oven, the smoke detectors always go off.  Always.  Today the kitchen is full of smoke and .....nothing.  Not a beep.  Go figure.

    It was good pizza......even smoked.

Peace and Love

Damn near set the pizza box on fire!

I have no idea why the Starbuck's in DeKalb has had a skeleton at a table for the past year.

Can someone tell me what kind of tree/bush this might be?

I have these for sale...only $20!   You could win up to $1,000!  Tell me how many you want....I can even mail them!

if I were a rich man

 And Saturday, I may be

    I made my annual drive to Amboy today to buy tickets for the 50/50 raffle to  be done this Saturday.

    I bought the tickets at city hall then marched across the street to the grocerey store to put them in the big drum.  Holy crap, there were a lot of tickets!  I spread mine and Linda's evenly throughout the drum.  I will be super surprised if I win.

    Last year's winner got a little over $100,000.  Realize, this is a 50/50 drawing.  That is a lot of tickets at 6 for $5 or $1 each!

    I don't know how long they have been doing this.  I believe the original raffle was to bebnefit the really neat museum they have.  As it grew, other projects were added and now it benefits projects throughout the city as well as the museum.

    I figure it goes for a good  cause, so while I hope I win, I know even in losing I am benefitting people.

    Speaking of which....I have Rotary Club calendars for sale.  These $20 each and offer a daily cash prize of from $25 to $1,000.  Again, the proceeds from this fund raiser go towards community organizations that  can really use the money.

    Every year I buy a couple and I have not won anything.  But I have friends who have won multiple times, so I think it is just the cloud of bad luck that sometimes follows me around.

    Had a nice visit with some friends tonight.  We had after    dinner wine and some munchies and spent a lot of time talking and laughing.  It felt good to do that.  

    Pleasant dreams....or good morning.  Whichever works.

Peace and Love

dog gone

 We do not have a new dog

    One of the 2 dogs we planned to look, at was gone by the time we got there.

    The other dog was a cute cocker spaniel.   A pretty little girl.  

    And here's those big butts again.

    She was 6 or 7, and had not been spayed.  That had to be done at a vet of theirs in the Northbrook area.

    She had what they called cherry eye and was getting eye drops for that.  But the other eye looked a little funky too.

    She was "partially" house trained.  

    She was not used to a leash or lead.

    She was extremely jumpy....a door slammed and she jumped.  

    I just thought it was too much of a project dog for us.  

    It would have taken her time to adjust to us, which is normal.  But she had been abused and neglected and pretty much stayed by the side of the kennel person.  She did come up to me and let me pet her, but she was so tentative.  And I can understand that.

    And then there is the Corki issue.  I know we won't find a dog like her.  I understand that.  But I still hope.

    We punched in the kennel's location and the Apple drive gave us great directions.

    Coming home was a different story.  

    When we finally hit West Dundee, we abandoned the directions and went south on 31, picked up the tollway, and went home.

    I just figured we would return the way we came.  But I guess I hit the "use the backroads home so you can drive 45 on 2 lane roads" mode.  

    I have got to learn stuff about the car!

Peace and Love

maybe

We are going to look at 2 dogs tomorrow 

    I have mixed emotions.  I know neither will be a Corki.  I shouldn't compare them to her, but down deep I will.

    I am looking forward to meeting the two.  Both are females, one is 6 and the other 7.  Both are being rehomed.  Wel'l see how we all get along.  We are only taking one.  They are not littermates or anything, so we are not breaking up a set.

    This will be the first trip with the new seat!  If I remember, I will do a video of Jackie getting into the car or out of the car.  I am not counting the ride back from the install place as a trip.

    The shelter is in Northbrook!  That is about 90 minutes away.  Google says we can go one of two ways, the time difference is 4 minutes and the mileage is less than a mile different between the two routes.  

    Not being sure of anything, Julia helped load a crate into the car for transport purposes.  

    Sometime in the next three days I have to take my bike in and go to Amboy to buy my winning raffle ticket.

    Linda....let me know if you want some and I will fill out the slips.  I hope to go Friday, or Thursday, if I get up early enough!

    I mowed again today.  When I came in, I felt like there was a bug crawling on me.  But I could not find one, Jackie could not find one, so I let it go.

    A few minutes later, same sensation.

    I went to the bathroom and put on my sleeping outfit and combed my hair.  Some black bug, fairly big, landed in the sink and went down the drain.  I guess it wasn't my imagination.....I just hope I don't have a hair full of spider eggs.

Peace and Love

o crap

 I got a bike ride in today

    This was my third ride of the year.  I have gone from 1.4 miles, to 3.1 to 4.5 today.  I feel good about that since I have not been on the bike for a year.

    But, and there is always a butt, it was not a fun ride.

    I stopped to talk to my neighbor about life and we both agreed our road is crap.  The township put down an oil coating and then covered it with sand.  This is supposed to prolong the life of the road.

    As I left his house, I realized how heavy my legs were.  I was really pedaling hard the last part of the trip. It was an effort to get home.

    That is when I noticed my front tire was flat.  F L A T!  I was actually riding on the rim.  No wonder it was so hard!

    I went in the house and Jackie inadvertently reminded me of a childhood lesson I had long forgotten.  If you have a bike without fenders and you ride through water, you get spray up your back from the rear tire.

    My pants, shoes, socks, shirt and legs were covered in the sand and oil mix.  I went into the garage and took off my chothes then got into the shower to wash the dirt off.

    And yes, the garage doors were closed.

    I had a cheeseburger for supper and Jackie had a hamburger.  Julia does not like hamburgers.  She cooked her meal and asked where the salt and pepper grinders were.  They were not in the place they usually are.

    I used them yesterday and was positive I put them away.

    Trouble is, I put them away in the wrong place.  Took 5 minutes to find the suckers.  

    Kudos for putting them away, right?  I mean, you can't have everything in life.

    Now I have to fix the flat.  Or take it in to a bike repair shop, which will probably be the easiest for me.  

    Flat tire, dirty clothes, crappy road.....but it was still a good day.

Peace and Love

A pretty darn good day

 Yesterday started off poorly, but ended great

    Friend Sheri K and I left my house in a downpour.  We were on our way to Beth's and then up to Alpine Valley to watch Jimmy Buffett.  It was pouring harder at Beth's.

    We made crucial decision:  meet and talk about what we were doing.  We did.  All of us were of the same mindset:  someone else make a choice.

    We called Carrie and voiced our concern.  Rain, muddy grounds, rain, wet clothes, possibility of a cancelled concert.  I reminded her of our nightmare on Northerly Island where we watched Jimmy while standing ankle deep in mud and getting soaked.

    She reminded me that was an experience.  Yes, we were muddy; yes, we were wet; yes, we had a great time with some funny stories.

    Besides,   I had the canopy.

    We packed up the truck and took off.

    It was not a bad day.  Yes, it rained just before we went to find seats on the lawn.  But we talked, laughed, ate delicious grinders, and relaxed.  We wandered the grounds looking  at all the Parrotheads and enjoyed a cloudy, but dry, day.

    Yes, it rained on us when we were sitting on the lawn.  But it was a short rain, we really didn't get  that wet, and the show went on.

    To me, there is a positivity to his shows.  A feeling of love between the performer and the audience and the audience towards each other.

    It could actually be a sing along, the audience was pretty involved.

    Jimmy is 76.  He still jumps around on stage, plays a wicked guitar, tells jokes, and remembers the words to his songs.  

    I think he is amazing.

    And the folks I was with were pretty amazing too.  I heard a lot of, "are you ok?" quetions directed toward me.  And I was promised help if I could not get out of the rented concert lawn chair.

    But I did.  And I appreciated all the help.

    You guys are as awesome as Jimmy.  Almost.

Peace and Love

We even had our own private bathroom!

 Parrotheads brought their own resting place at this tent.

People travel in style to see the show

Look at the canopies!!!

It's a party bus, Partridge family lovers!

This was the greatest hat I saw!

Greatest hat back side.

Greatest hat's dad's hat....not too bad!

Why did we have a private bathroom?

Maybe me next  year?

The group at Buffett 2022.2

Sharks do attack in the rain!

I did get out of the chair without help....but it was a struggle.  I was afraid if I fell I would roll down hill and take out about 60 people!

ahhh......

Had a great time in Margaritaville tonight 

It's late, or early, depending on your point of view.

But, Jimmy Buffett was amazing, the crowd was great, and the  fellowship was awesome!

TC, we missed you!

Thanks Carrie, Chris, Kevin, Curt, Sarah, Beth, Sherri and Cathy for the fun night.  And we only got a little wet.

Now, to sleep.

Peace and Love

fears

I get scared of stuff easily 

    Bears, for example.  I went backpacking with the guys several years ago.  We went to Porcupine Mountain State Park in the UP.  The ranger told us to be sure to hang our food because there had been some black bear activity.  He also said not to throw our packs at the animals and run, because that was rewarding their actions.

    Every branch that creaked was a bear.  I tried sleeping in my tent that night and every time I heard a branch crack, I knew it was a bear.  The next day friend John and I hiked back and stayed at a campground with a lot of other campers. 

    Turns out that was not a good idea either, as other campers left food outside their tents and car horns were constantly going off in an effort to scare bears away from the hotdogs and Oreos.

    Alligators.  I will never walk near a ditch or pond in Florida.  Never.

    Venemous snakes.  Hell, snakes in general unless I have been specifically told it is a friendly kind.

    Oysters.  Yes, oysters.  Some people in Florida got sick after eating raw oysters.  Raw??  They look disgusting cooked.

    Fastballs.  My reaction time is slow, so playing baseball is a no no.  A 98 mph fastball could kill me.  (Not to mention my age, inability to hit a pitch, and the unlikely hood of me ever facing a 98 mph fastball.  Ever.)

    Now a new threat looms on the horizon.  Wendy's is not putting romaine lettuce on burgers because of an e coli outbreak possibly linked to the lettuce.  I only buy roamaine.  I just bought some yesterday to make BLTs with tomatoes from our garden.  

    A Trump presidency.  Enough said.

    Anyway, I am sure some more fears will creep into my life.

    In the meantime, I am wearing a metal helmet in case an astroid hits me.

Peace and Love

oops, again

 My dishwaher was not doing a good job

    I noticed the upper spray arm had a plugged hole, which means water was not coming out of that.  So, I took the arm off and tried to unplug it.

    Not having much luck, I put the arm on and ran the dishwasher, thinking my poking and prodding would have broken up whatever it was.

    The next morning I emptied the dishwasher and the arm was on the bottom rack.  I did not put the arm on correctly.  Which meant the dishes in the top rack were either washed and not rinsed or not washed at all.

    So I unloaded the dishwasher and hand washed the top rack contents.  Then I tried to get the debris out again, but without luck.  Whatever it is, it does not want to come out.  Now I just have to be sure the nozzle hole is clear.  And I secured the arm correctly.

    Friends David and Pam were at the Cubs-Orioles game at Camden Yards today.  They were rooting for the O's.  We tried looking for them in the crowd behind the Cubs dugout,  but could not see them.  They were the ones who introduced Jackie and me by setting us up on a blind date.

    I have hearing aids.  It is quite a difference when I am outside at night and can hear all the night creatures.  Without the aids, I don't hear as many creatures.  Tonight would be a good night to sit on the porch in the dark with a glass of red and just listen to the night pass.  

    I just hate opening a bottle and drinking alone....so if anyone is out and about in the next hour, check my porch.

Peace and Love

brain fog

 I just sometimes get confused

    Whenever that happens, I wonder if it is something serious or just a moment's lapse of whatever.

    Today I ran into someone at Walgreen's.  I said, "Hi....has he left for school yet?"  She gave me a puzzled look and I realized I was talking to Krista of Cypress House and confused her with neighbor Wendy, who's son is headed to Iowa.  They look a little alike, but not enough to confuse a normal person.  I am not normal.

    Then, when I left the store, I got into the passenger side of the car.  WTH??

    At Walmart I could not remember the third thing I was supposed to buy.  I wrote it down on a piece of paper I left at home. 

    Holy cow, what is up with that?

    Hoever I did some positives today....load of laundry, quick cleaning of two bathrooms, cleaned my mower deck, got carboard cut up for recycling, and I rode my bike around the block!

    Wooooweee!  2.14 miles!!  Understand, I have not ridden this year.  I aired up the tires and after supper took a short ride.

    I could not believe how tired my legs were though.  I had planned two trips around, but only made one.  Tomorrow's another day.

    As I was looking for my car in the Walmart parking lot, (actually Julia's car, which I could not remember what color it was) very pretty, young girl, said, "I like your shirt."

    I was wearing an Ollie's shirt.  She said her family owned a business near Ollie's and she loves going there. 

    I like to think she was hitting on me, but that is the dreamer in me.  But it could just be the custard.

Peace and Love

realization

 I hate mowing

    It pains me to say it, but I am beginning to hate mowing the yard.

    When I am done my body hurts, especially the knees.  I think sitting for that long gets them stiff.

    But the main reason is it never looks good.  I think I mow too short when the grass is long, and too long when the grass is short.  The rsult is a lawn that is uneven looking.  Very uneven looking.

    And I always run out of gas.  I thought I had plenty to do the yard, but half way through I was out of gas.  I had some in the garage, and you would think I would put the gas in before I start mowing.   But nooooooo.

    Mowing means trimming.  I have trouble using my trimmer.  The string never advances and I end up taking the head off and rewinding the string.  Today was an exception, as I did the trimming without any problem.

    Tomorrow I have to clean off the mower......I think it is a mess under the deck.  The grass was pretty long and I think it has clogged on the bottom.

    Early in the season I like mowing.  I ride, think, listen to music or a ball game, and it relaxes me.

    But late in the season, I think I have had my fill.  I bet I still have 5 more mowings left.... maybe more, depending on the rain.

    I took the van up to Rockford for the new seat.  They said it would be done by Friday.  I thought it would be sooner, but they thought I was getting it up there earlier in the day today.

    Which poses a problem.....not sure how I will get up there!

    Oh well, things work out.

Peace and Love

normalcy?

 Life is fairly back to normal for me

    I don't remember the last time I went a whole day without looking at my script.  I admit, I was thinking about it today.  Lines keep popping into my head, but that will fade in time.

    Julia started work today.  She is working from home for a nationwide company.  I wanted to take her picture as she went to her first day of work, but she gave me the death stare.

    Don't ask me what she does.  She told me and I don't understand anything other than compliance.

    A big thank you to Nadine for taking me to the eye doctor today.  Normally, Julia or Emily would have, but Julia did not think it wise to take her first day off and Emily was working, so Nadine volunteered.

    My eyes were dilated, which makes it hard to see clearly for several hours afterward, and I would have been a hazard on the road.

    I did not take a nap today, but I sat on my porch chair with my eyes closed.  I did get a headache, and closing the eyes helped.  But I don't think I went to sleep.

    I had a rough night....I think due to the coffee I had yesterday.  

    I could not sleep, my back and leg hurt, and my feet itched like crazy.  I started out in bed, went to the chair, back to bed, back to my chair, and finally back to bed.

    Funny thing though, I sprayed my feet with an anti-itch powder and this morning there were footprint from the bedroom to the den.  I had to clean the floors.

    I am thinking about maybe looking for a new chair for the den.  This one is at least 15 years old and not as comfortable as it once was.

    Tomorrow is the big day for our new car seat.  Van goes up in the morning and will probably be there all day and most of Wednesday.  I just hope this solves our biggest problem of leaving the house:  getting Jackie safely in and out of the van.

    Sweet dreams.

Peace and Love

awww heck

 The curtain came down on Tuna, Texas, today

    I have to say it is bittersweet.  TC and I have done 4 of these shows, the entire Tuna set.  It has taken over 20 years to do it, but we have.  We have, we have.

    Renee has directed all 4, so we have been a team throughout the Tuna saga.   Jeanie and Sally have been dressers for all of the shows, if I remember, and Wendy has been on hand for technical support..building space ships and all sorts of crazy stuff.

    They all make a great team and it is a pleasure to have worked with them.

    Some newby dressers joined us this year, Will and Chris, and with the exception of Chris pulling my underwear down accidentally, all went well.  At least I think it was an accident.  And Johanna and Kimberly did awesome jobs with lighting and sound.

    No matter how many times I say this, people still have a hard time accepting it:  I am sort of an introvert.  If I know you, you won't think that.  But put me in a room of strangers and I will find a corner and sit.  Put my in a role  on stage and you won't see it either.

    Being on stage fills an inner need for me.  I think it allows me to be someone else for a while.  I am not Terry out there, I am Arles, or Petey or Didi.  They can say things I can't and I sort of enjoy that.

    I do have to admit it felt amazing when people my age came up to me and said they could never do what I was doing.  They didn't have the energy or memory skills anymore.  That is like a tonic, hearing that about me.  Suddenly, I don't feel 74 and sore all the time.

    And so I face the final curtain, as Old Blue Eyes sang.

    Another item of noninterest:  This blog now has 250,108 views during its life time.  I am deeply honored and humbled at your interest in my boring life.

    I do have a problem, though.  When I post it, I can't see it on my newsfeed!  I don't know what I did, but it is not there.  If it gets posted a couple of times it is because I did not see it the first time......so I hit it again.  And again.  I won't continue to do that.

    Now to rest.

Peace and Love

1 to go

 One show left

    I am relieved and sad.  I enjoy hanging around with TC and Renee and the backstage posse, but I will be glad to be done.  It is tiring.

    I am proud of what we have done.  Especially me.  It is not easy at my age to remember a lot of lines, but I have done well for the most part.  TC is a youngster, so it is a lot easier for him.

    I sometimes don't hear entire conversations, but I thought I heard TC was now the age I was when we did the first Tuna.......back in 01.  Time for him to start looking for a new sidekick if they bring the first show back!

    Last night was weird.  I posted my blog, but I could not see it.  It was not on my home page, not on my news feed, not anywhere.  So I posted it again.  And again.  And again.  Linda said I posted it 4 times, but I still have not seen it!  What am I doing wrong?

    Our clothes drier has been acting up.  If you put it on normal dry, it turns off in about 10 minutes.  Same with delicates.  The only way it runs completely is on the timed dry setting.

    We had it looked at 2 weeks ago and the nice young man cleaned out the vent, checked connections and said he hoped that fixed it.  It did not.  When he came back he said it was the computer board that controlled the sensors.  Good news, easy fix.  Bad news, the drier is 10 years old and that part is no longer made.

    So....guess we will be looking for a washer and drier in the next few weeks.  In the mean time, I guess we will just keep running it on timed dry.  It's a pain, but I don't want wet clothes.

    A final note....I felt like crap most of the day.  I was up until about 3.  No matter where I tried to sleep, I could not.  I woke with a tremendous headache and a little dizziness.  We had planned to go to a memorial service for a dear lady, but I just could not.  I ended up going back to bed, sleeping until 10:30, then taking an hour nap in the afternoon. 

     My head feels better now, I just hope it does not come back.  Pretty sure it was weather related.

    And that's my story.

Peace and Love

2 to go

 What a great time tonight

    I love it when the audience is large and loud.  Tonight they were both.

    Plus, I got to see a lot of friends and visit with them afterward.  Thank you all for coming.....I hope you enjoyed the show as much as TC and I enjoyed performing.

    What's funny is I get moments when I don't think I remember what my lines are.  So I have a script back stage that I check before act one and during intermission.  But, I know my lines.  I know most of TC's lines.  He knows my lines. We have done this so often, yet I always do a little panic that I don't know it.  Funny, huh?

    And I heard a great compliment after last week.  A local woman came with a friend.  She loved the show and said it was the first VCCT show she had ever seen.  She was so impressed, she can't wait until One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in the fall.

    I guess that is what sometimes amazes me.  VCCT has been around since the early 80s and there are people in town who have not tried us, some don't even know about us.

    I think they are missing out on a lot of fun and some damn good performances.

    With our own theater, the future should be even brighter.  If you have not seen a show, come to this one and check us out.  You will like it.

    You will, you will.

Peace and Love

oh, really?

Sometimes I am clueless 

    We had a pick up rehearsal tonight for the final three shows.

    I have a great deal of trouble with a line in the play.  I said it perfectly tonight, but tomorrow may be a differe nt story.

    When we were doing a different Tuna, I believe it was A Tuna Chrismas, I had a line that was:  "I have had it up to my ass with this sorry excuse for a town, and somebody is going to pay."

    I said it during rehearsals.  But the first night, I get to it and it comes out   "I had it up to here, and I am not going to take it."

    Every night after that I said it different.  TC said I would come out, hit that part, my eyes would roll up into my head, sweat would bead my forehead, and something strange would come out.

    Same problem this show.  I won't tell you the line, because I intend to get it right.

    And tonight, I have another line as Didi  that is "I am Pearl's bodyguard."  Renee and TC both said I have said "I am Didi's bodyguard."  3 times last weekend.  They didn't tell me because they knew I would get flustered for the rest of the show.

    It's hell getting old and remembering things.

    But the truth is, I have always inverted lines.  If the line is: he dropped off the film and washed his car I will say: he washed his car and dropped off he film.  Same actions, but a little different time line, maybe.

    I will never be able to change that, as hard as I try.

    Big moon tonight!  It was lovely.

    I tried looking for meteors last night, but no luck.  I will try again tonight but with the brightness of the moon, they may be hard to spot.

    Stay safe.

Peace and Love

on line

 We have been having internet issues

    Several times  day the connection will disappear.  Once in a while we also lose phones and tv.

    I thought it was the lines, but I finally had the signal resent.  Nothing improved.  I had it resent again, or reresent, still nothing.  

    Digression:  resent, looks like resent.  As in, I think I resent that remark.  So should  resent be hyphenated?  And, mouth and south rhyme,,,,but youth doesn't.  Just saying.

    Back to my internet.  I finally called a human named John at Xfinity.  He ran some checks, resent (re-re-re-sent) the signal but the issues remained.  He said the likely problem was the modem, so  today I traded in the old for a new one and so far all seems ok.

    Jackie had a doctor appointment in DeKalb, so it was not just a trip for a modem.  I try to combine trips whenever possible to save money on gas.

    Perseid meteor showers tonight....but with the big moon and house lights, it might be hard to see a lot in the northeast sky.

    And finally.....278 views until I hit 250,000 for this blog.  That's a lot of love people, and I appreciate it.

Peace and Love

Surprise

 I got a surprise in the garden today

    First off,I am terrible about picking cucumbers.  They get the size of footballs before I remember them.  Jackie said they are not good when they get that big.

    So I went out today and found some smaller ones.

    And this.

    I  may not be a terrific gardener, but I know this is not a cucumber.  There are two of these in my plot.  I only planted cucumber seeds, so my guess is the compost I used had some melon seeds.  

    And speaking of compost, my bin seems to have fallen apart.  The top no longer connects to the bottom, mainly because the bottom is no longer round and the top is.

    I am not sure what to do with all the refuse in the bin.  I guess I will find a new bin and transfer all the composting leaves, fruit and other stuff, but I really dread doing that.

    I had thought of building my own, but that never seems to work for me.  It becomes more of a mess.

    Anyone with suggestions?

    

    I mowed today instead of taking a nap!  That is a major accomplishment for me these days.

    And next week I plan to start riding again....enough of my own excuses.

    Stay safe.

Peace and Love

rainy days

I enjoyed not rehearsing tonight 

    For the last 7 days, I have been gone every evening and one day for rehearsal or the show.

    I did not realize how tired I was.  I went to bed, had a tough time getting to sleep because my back and hip hurt, my toes itched, and I could not get comfortable.  I slept in my recliner until about 3, when the weather alarm sounded.  I went to bed then and it went off again at 5 and again around 6:30.  

    Jackie was tired too....that is my excuse for not getting out of bed until 10:30.

    Honestly, I don't know how people do theater when they have to work too.   Well, I do know because I have done that and it was exhausting.

    Anyway, this is a picture night.

    Stay safe.

Peace and Love

First off, some of my native plants.

Our retention pond was pretty full today

These people are all Dickows!

My nephew, wife and two sons......visiting from Switzerland and driving a vintage Chevelle.

whew!!!!

 Today was a pretty full day

    We had a small but very responsive audience for Tuna Does Vegas this afternoon.

    It was family day for me....Jackie, Julia, Emily, Jackie's brother Bob and his wife Anita and our friend Sheri came to watch and laugh.

    Afterwards, Bob and Anita came out and we enjoyed Portillo's beef sandwiches with lemon cake for dessert.  We sat and visited and talked for a long time.  They live in Florida, and come up once a year to visit family.  We do Facetime, but it is not the same as visiting in person.

    It was extra nice that they came on a weekend when I was performing.

    Speaking of extra nice, Terry and I were honored this week.  A patron of the arts commissioned some art work for the "Two Terrys."  

    We have been in over 20 shows together, going back to Harvey in the 90s....the first show we were in together.  I have always enjoyed performing with him and am always thankful that he pulls my butt back on track when I go off the rails!

    So...when you see a show, give a wave to us, even if we are not there.

Peace and Love

old age

 I sometimes forget words

    I blame it on old age.  

    Tonight I hit a spot where I have said the right thing (once I learned to pronounce it correctly) for days.  Not this time!  I hit the word and it was gone out of my head.  TC said something like "that musical instrument"  and I knew what I wanted to say, but I could not get it out! 

    Eventually I said it.

    But that was scary!  Am I losing my mind?  Having a stroke?  Something else?

    It happened a couple of times today when I feel like I am saying the right word and nothing is coming out of my mouth.

    Maybe it is the lack of wine.  I have not had any for a while.  

    We had a small crowd tonight.  Whenever we do shows, we always say the Friday night crowds are laughers, the Saturday night ones chuckle, and Sundays are full of both kinds.  The theory is Friday night is the last work night and people are ready to blow off steam.  Saturday folks have spent the day doing chores and are a little less likely to do belly laughs.  Well see how the Sunday crew shapes up.

    That is pretty much my day these days.

    Matinee tomorrow.  Jackie's brother Bob and wife Anita are coming out and we are having a special dinner after  the show.  I will be ready to relax by then.

    Hopefully I sleep soundly again tonight.

    Peace and Love

one down

 Opening night went pretty well

    The audience laughed, we did not have any wardrobe malfunctions, and we had a lot of good comments after the show.

    There are still plenty of seats left for upcoming shows.  You can order in advance or buy tickets at the door.  Be advised this is a BYOB show, while we do have snacks and pop on sale in the lobby, there is no bar so bring your own beverage of choice.

    It was  nice seeing old friends, neighbors, new friends and former co-workers in the audience.  I got to chat with some of them, which is a bonus for doing a show.

    I am amazed how physically tired I am though.  I realize we both do a lot of standing during this show, and my legs feel it tonight!

    And I am so glad TC is there to keep me on track.....us old folks sometimes get a little confused!

    

Peace and Love

ready

 We are ready to perform

    This will be a funny show to watch, because Tuna Does Vegas has been a funny show to rehearse.

    Tonight was one of those nights where we veered from the script several times to get a laugh.  This was a dialogue run through, and I think it is safe to say we proved we are very comfortable with our lines.

    I do have one character who gives me problem.....I can't get the voice for Maurice.  Sometimes I am southern, sometimes Italian, and I might have even been German at times.....can't seem to find a consistent voice.

    That is my goal for tomorrow....narrow down a voice!

    TC and I are just the actors on stage.  We have light and sound people, costume people, folks who dress us in our different outfits, a director, set builders, and a whole bunch of other people who are in charge of ticket sales, table decorating, clean up and whatever else comes along.  

    A lot of people have put a lot of work into this show.

    If you live in or near Rochelle, come see us perform.  If you have never been to our shows, give us a chance to impress you.

    And entertain you.

    And make you laugh.

    See you at the show.

Peace and Love

missing tastes

 My mouth is hungry for summer foods

    And I am disappointed.

    Many of you know I am like a prime number....a little odd.  

    I love locally grown produce.  Sweet corn, strawberries, peaches, cherries, and apples to be specific.

    Sweet corn and apples are no problem.  But the rest are.

    I love peaches from Southern Illinois, and Michigan and even Missouri.  They just taste better.  Every year I have friends who bring me some from the  Alto Pass area, and they are so yummy.  

    A DeKalb grocery store has Illinois peaches.  I bought 5.  The first one I bit into looked great on the outside, but the inside was brownish and the taste was not good.  I was very disappointed.  Peach  number 2 was better, but still not what I want.

    I didn't get strawberries because the place that had Michigan ones was 40 miles away, and gas was over $5 a gallon.  I could not find close strawberry sources.

    I was pleasantly surprised to see Michigan cherries in Aldi's, and I bought one pack but when I went back, the cherries were gone.  

    One of the things I loved about France and Switzerland were the markets.  You could buy local produce of all kinds.  It was fresh, tasty, and fun to buy.

    I think that is why I like growing my own beans, carrots, tomatoes.....they just taste better.  When they grow.

    So much for my summer tastes.

Peace and Love

    

    

road trip

 We went to the burbs today

    Jackie had doctors appointments in Rolling Meadows today.

    Usually we call her sister to meet for lunch, but today we just went to the appointments and came home because I had rehearsal tonight.

    As it was, we didn't get home until almost 4:30 and that was without lunch.  Granted, we did stop for coffee and made a second stop in Aurora for ice cream.

    I am eating supper now, at 11 p.m., because  after coffee and ice cream I was not hungry at 6. 

    Rehearsal went well tonight....but for the second night in a row I  skipped a line or two.  Same spot.  I have to pay more attention to that script.  Luckily TC always pulls me out of the mistake.

    Back to the doctors, she saw her MS guy and the Botox queen.  MS guy always just spends time talking with us, asking how we are doing, giving suggetions.  Botox queen does the same.  By the way, the Botox is to control spasms in Jackie's legs.  We are just happy to go to these specialists....never feel rushed, they always answer question and we talk about life.  It's a nice visit.

    I am always amazed at the traffic.  I could be cruising along at 80 on the tollway and people passed me like I was standing still!

    At one point in the burbs, these two cars were just weaving back and forth as they sped around us slower driver.  Slower?  I was doing 80 in a 60 zone!  I can understand how road rage can occur.

    We just all need to slow down.

    Peace and Love

August????

 Where did the summer go

    I keep asking myself that.  I still have not ridden my bike!  I can't believe that, I love riding.   School starts here i two weeks.....unbelievable.

    Today I planted a second crop of beans, carrots and cucumbers.

    I am not sure if they will make it before the first frost, but I figure I have the seeds, so I might as well plant them.

    I did pick 3 tomatoes and some cucumbers, but the cucumbers seem to yellow before I can get to them.  Go figure.

    Rehearsals went well tonight.  We have dressers to get us changed from one character to another.  That is not easy.

    Anyway, it's late.  I'm tired.

    Happy Switzerland Day!

Peace and Love

No bull...it's gonna be a good show!

This is how we keep track of my costume changes.......and there are a lot!