Well, I'll be

 This was a rough day for credit cards and me

    I am not real adept at using the internet for a lot of things.  I do order on line, and usually don't have a problem.

    But, and there is always a big butt, sometimes  things don't  go right.

    We have a new tv stand and a new tv.  We tried (To be perfectly honest, Julia tried while I just stood there) to hook up our dvd player and could not get it hooked up.  Now, it may be that the dvd player  is old.  Real old.  So old, we do not remember ever using it in this house.

    So, the suggestion was made to order a new dvd player with a disc changer so we could play music.  Julia found a couple on line and we decided on one from Best Buy.  Their cyber Monday sale was extended to Tuesday.  This player was $15 below normal cost.

    I ordered it.

    I got an e mail confirming my order.

    Two hours later I got an e-mail cancelling my order.  I tried customer service, but there was a long wait ahead.

    So I ordered the same make and model from a different site, but $12 more.

    This morning I got an e-mail from Best Buy that my order had shipped.

    I also got a notification from Capital 1 asking if I was in the process of buying $750 in goods from an Office Max in Columbus, Ohio.  I immediately texted no, then called the number on the back of my card.  That sale was voided and my card deactiviated.  It seems it was an on-line order and they did not have the correct 3 digit security code.  Amazing!  

    The biggest hassle will be when I get the new card and have to call the various agencies we do monthly billing with on that card.  I think there are 8 or so, and those calls never go well.  I procrastinate and it takes me forever.

    Oh well....at least I am not out any money.  

    I posted my first Yelp review.  Jackie and I reviewed the cleaner that used to clean our house.  My review posted at Terry D from San Francisco.  I went in to try to edit and ended up posting another review, also Terry D from San Francisco. I don't know how to delete the review or change the location.

    On a final note....Julia was up at 4 a.m. today buying Cubs tickets for the game in London.  We had planned on going to both games, but the sticker shock of one  ticket changed that plan.  I guess they figure if you can afford to fly over there, you can afford the ticket.

Peace and Love

 Jackie and I had an argument today

    I looked out the window and said, "Hey, it's snowing!"

    She looked out for a minute, then said, "No, dear, that is rain."

    I told her she was wrong. The temp was about 32 degrees, so it had to be snow.

    "It's rain, I tell you.  Rain!" she countered.

    This went on for a good five minutes.

    I even asked Siri, who answered that there was no precipitation in the area.

    What the hell!  Every woman was going to contradict what I was saying?  

    Whatever it was doing stopped.

    We ate our breakfast in silence.  She was mad as hell as me, I was pretty ticked at her.

    I looked out the window and it was doing the flurries thing again.

    "Look.  Snow.  You can't argue with that."

    But she did.

    "It's not snow.  It's a mist.  Mist is a light rain.  It is raining."

    We have a new neighbor.  He just moved in a month ago and is a really nice guy.

    As we were arguing rain/snow/rain/snow/right/wrong the doorbell rang.

    It was Rudy, who emigrated here about 10 years ago from  Communist Russia and moved into our neighborhood this past summer.

    "Rudy,"  Jackie said.  "Is it raining or snowing?"

    Without hesitation Rudy said it was raining.

    "How can you say that?"  I screamed.  "Look at the snow flakes!"

    Jackie calmly said,  "Rudolph the red knows rain, dear."

    End of argument.

    You are welcome.

Peace and Love

no worms for me

 I don't remember the last time I was up early

    Probably when they sent the robots in to rip out my prostate.

    Jackie had to be at the hospital at 8 a.m. for a procedure.  We got up at 6.  AM.  As in morning.

    I have to admit, it was beautiful.  There was a frost, possibly a hoar frost because I did see fog last night.  And the early morning light on the top of the trees was very pretty.  A thinking person might have gotten a camera to capture the moment, but I was too busy keeping my eyes open.

    Her procedure went well.  About 30 minutes for the surgery, another hour to rest and recover and we were home by 11:30.

    Jackie developed a polyp (?) of some kind on the part of her nose where it meets the cheek.  It was getting ugly.  We had talked about getting it removed months ago but did nothing, but we got serious about it last month.

    The staff  members at the local hospital were so kind and considerate with her and me.  It was a good experience.

    Now she has a "divot" on the side of her nose that will heal in time.  Meanwhile, the bandage has to be changed twice a day and an antibiotic ointment applied. That is where Julia comes in.  I don't think I am ready for that.

    The tree came up today.  Julia put it together and I started "fluffing" it, which is no easy task.  It may take me a couple of days.

    I have seen pictures of families going out and cutting their own tree and am a little jealous.  But, and there is always a big butt, I am older.  And weaker.  And I don't especially like going out in the cold to cut down a tree.  Yes, I know it was warm last weekend, but that is not always the case.

    It was nice to see other families with children building those memories that we enjoyed for so many years.

Peace and Love

    

yowzer

 I had a schocking experience today 

    Literally.

    I have a sore chest.  About 4 days ago I reinstalled my bird  feeder pole.  It screws into the ground.  I screwed it in about 14 inches, twisting and twisting until my twister was sore.

    Ever since my chest has hurt on the right side whenever I bend over, take a deep breath, or lift something.

    I don't think it is a heart issue, because I probably would be dead by now.  It's been 4 days.  It does hurt.

    I don't think  bringing up Christmas totes or helping move in the new entertainment center helped, because it hurts more today than before.

    Which brings me to the shocking situation.

    I was sitting on the couch watching a football game.  I had a heating pad on my chest.  I shifted in my seat and there was a huge pop, and  a flash, from the heating pad!  It did not turn off, but was blackened around the area where the cord enters the actual pad.  It was even slightly melted.

    I unplugged it and tossed it.

    My hand feels a little funny, almost like it is burned, but there are no marks of any kind.

    Otherwise it was a good day.

    A group of us met to discuss the Cubs in London.  We went through 2 bottles of wine, some scones, and some cranberry bread.  It was a great time.

    Have to be up real early tomorrow.  Jackie has to be at the local hospital at 8 a.m. for a little out patient work.  That means tomorrow I nap sometime!

Peace and Love

I don't remember the last time I saw one of these!

Our new television cabinet and tv

Scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam, also a slice of cranberry bread.

whew

This was a busy day 

    We went to Wisconsin to pick up our new tv stand.

    But, and there is always a big butt, we also stopped at other stores once in Amish country.

    For example, I bought cough drops and corn salsa at the grocery store, cinnamon buns and three types of cookies at the bakery, string cheese and swiss cheese at the cheese shop.

    It is always a bit strange dealing with merchants there.  The groceery store only takes cash or checks.  All the items are priced individually and a young lady rings up each item with a hand cranked cash register.

    The woodman is the same.  Neither place has electricity, so it helps to go into the shops on a sunny day.

    The cheese place does have power, not sure if it is from a power company or a generator.  But they need cooling for the cheeses, which are all very yummy!

    Our new tv stand is pretty heavy.  When we went to load it into the van, the woodman, Ray, picked up one end and set it on the back of the van.  I was stunned, because he is just a little guy and can't be that much younger than me. 

    When we got home, the question was how do we get it out of the van.  So we called Kevin and he came over and the four of us, well 3 because I did not do much, got it out of  the van and into the house.

    Julia connected all the cords, logged us into our accounts, and set up the new tv.

    It was quite a group on this outing.  We picked up my brother Carl and his wife Ruth, met my sister in law up there,  Emily drove her van while Julia drove her car.  With the rotating chair in our van, one seat can not be stowed and the cabinet would not have fit.

    I guess the day tired me out because somewhere around Madison I dozed off and woke up in Rockford.....luckily I was not driving.

    We all got home safely, which is the most important thing on a busy travel weekend.

    And Jackie had someone come in and stay with her for most of the time we were gone, so all was well at home.

    That's it.

   Peace and Love

boxes, little boxes

 And they are not made of ticky tacky

    OK, that was a line from a Pete Seeger  song from long, long ago.

    No boxes for me, but lidded plastic tubs and there are a lot of them!

    These are Christmas tubs.  Packed full of decorations, ornaments, an entire village, pictures, hangings, candles and whatever else happened to fall in the tote.

    The new rule is:  If you are coming up the stairs, bring something.  

    Julia has come up the stairs several times and has lugged a couple of lidded plastic tubs, some outdoor decorations and who knows what else.

    So far we have about half the stuff upstairs.  I will make a couple of more trips tonight, as soon as my knees heal.

    Soon.......it will all be put in place.

    I was in town picking up pizza when Julia called me about an animal in the back yard.

    She was downstairs and heard a banging on the basement wall.  She looked outside and saw a rabbit that was frantic and in obvious trouble.

    She thought it was injured or perhaps caught in something.  When I got home I got a flashlight and we went to check out the bunny.

    As I got close, it took off, running into a drainpipe and then my raised garden.   Then it turned around and ran back, smacking into the house.

    I am assuming the poor thing was blind.  It had no sense of direction, but stayed along the wall of the house.

    We did not know what to do.  Should we catch it and keep it in a plastic tub in the garage?  Do we take it to a vet to be cured or euthanized?  

    The rabbit sort of made our decision easy as it broke free from the wall and disappeared in the darkness of the yard. Neither one of us is fast enough to catch a rabbit, even a blind one.

    I imagine a hawk or coyote will eventually get it.  Or a car.  

    I felt bad for it, but hawks and coyotes need to eat too.

    I just hope its safe tonight.

Peace and Love

Burrrp

I think I ate too much 

    I  thought all the food was good.  The pumpkin pie was cited as not tasting as good as a home made one, and one person wasn't overly fond of the turkey, but I loved everything.

    What I loved most is for the first time in over 20 years, my family was together on Thanksgiving.

    Julia left in 2002, and had not been home for Thanksgiving since.  She always made it home for Christmas, but seeing her just a few times a year always left me a little sad at Thanksgiving.

    But today Julia, Emily, Jackie and I were all in the same room, in the same town, at the same time!  

    And my brother Carl and his wife Ruth were here.  Usually they are in Florida by now, but they delayed going for a few weeks and joined us.

    My lete brother Dennis was also here, as we remembered funny moments from the past......the pumpkin pie Jackie made but forgot to add sugar; eating on a ping pong table and only seeing shoulders and heads around the table; having Jackie drive to buy more liquor because she was the only sober one in the group......all happening at his house.

    And we had new friends too, friends bringing food like corn casserole and bacon wrapped weiners.  It was a nice time.

    Every Christmas I watch "It's a Wonderful Life" and every time I get to the end I cry when Clarence writes, "No man is a failure who has friends."

    Yes, I am a schmaltzy kind of guy.

    But, and there is always a big butt, seriously..... you folks who read this don't realize how important you are in my life.  We have laughed together, cried together, acted together, worshipped together, worked together, dined together, got angry at each other, and through it all we have stayed friends.

    I have so much to be thankful for in my life.  But without my family and my friends,  not much else matters.

    Except my health.  That matters.  And money.  That matters a lot.  And a house.  Stores.  Wine.  

    And my family.  And my friends.

    Happy Thanksgiving

Peace and Love

Happy Thanksgiving

 I am feeling a littlestressed

    We brined a turkey this year.

    It is a kit;   bag, seasonings, instructions.

    I read the instructions, Juilia read the instructions, then Jackie read the instructions.  

    When it came time to prepare the turkey for the brine, Julia read so I did not mess it up.

    We were doing really well.  Turkey was in the roasting pan, huge bag was filling up with water.  I counted each measuring cup I poured in, because I needed to take some out to mix the seasonings.

    Then all hell broke loose.

    The turkey shifted, the bag went over the side, water went over the counter, on the floor.  We used up all the rags we could find.

    When we put it upright and discovered there was a leak.  And another leak.

    So we put it in a canning pot, so the juice would not run out all over the place.

    It reminded me a little of the first time I met my brother's in law in laws.  

    It was for a christening, and  afterward we gathered at their house for lunch and drinks.  

    This was years ago.  

    I remember the food was late and when it arrived, it was delivered by an overweight clown driving a VW bug.  Now, by clown, I mean the floppy feet, red nose, weird outfit type..  Brother in law Bob and I followed that clown all over, making comments that probably should not have been made.

    But the day got worse.

    I had been drinking rum and cokes that Bob had been mixing.  When the food finally came, I ate and had another rum and coke.

    Suddenly, the room felt funny.  Very hot.  My stomach started twirling around inside my body.

    There was a little bathroom right off the family room.

    I went in, closed the door and started throwing up in the toilet. To cover my noise, I turned the water on in the sink.

    My head was over the porcelain throne when water started dripping on me.  I looked up, and I swear I saw trhe scene from Fantasia where Mickey is caught in the flood with only a mop and a bucket.

    Waves of water started pouring over the sink.  I could not move to turn off the water.  People started knocked at the door.  I was still being sick.

Eventually I stopped tossing lunch, breakfast and the prior weeks entire dinner menu.  But my problem was the wet carpeting.

    So.....looking around I found a face cloth.  I spent who knows how long sopping up water from a soaking wet rug using a face cloth.

    It was an impossible task.

    I left the room, found Jackie, and told her we had to leave and she was driving.

    I was young.  I was always embarassed about it, but never mentioned it to the hostess.

    A few years ago I ran into her at another family gathering and she said, "Of course I remember Terry.  He flooded my bathroom!"

    Have a happy Thanksgiving.  Don't eat too much, and don't drink too much.  The rug you save might be an in laws.

Peace and Love

what a day

 This was a pretty darn good day

    We celebrated Julia's birthday by ordering take out from a local Mexican restaurant.  It was good, except Jackie wanted steak fajitas and got chicken instead.  I traded her my meal, which was qeuesidillas.  I doubt that is spelled anywhere near correctly.

    Emily wasworking and could not join us for supper.

    But little Sam came over and sang Happy Birthday to Julia, playing her guitar and singing in English then Spanish.

    I went to Walmart for the third time in 3 days.  I bought something for Jackie, went to the self checkout, and noticed I had the wrong item.

    I was on my way  to put it back when I heard, "Mr. Dickow!"

    It was a former student and her mother and they spotted me.  We spent the next 20 minutes talking and honestly, I could have spent hours talking with them.  She is an accountant, living and working in Amsterdam in the Netherlands.  

    Boy, they sure grow up fast!

    She was in my class on that fateful Sept. 11.  That was 21 years ago already, which hardly seems possible.  

    Her sister is also on her way home from Colorado.....I think it is great that the entire family will be together for the first time in a couple of years.

    Then I went to Cypress House and was treated to a Bentley....cold brew, heavy cream, oat milk, a splash of egg nog and some peppermint shavings as a topping.  It was pretty smooth.

    For some unknown reason, the whole day lifted my spirits.  I tend to get a little down starting about Thanksgiving, but the visit, the birthday, the music, the coffee.....all put me in a better frame of mind.

    Now, if I can only hold that through the holidays.

Peace and Love

sold.....not sold....sold

 I listed my entertainment center on Marketplace

    Within the first 15 minutes I had several responses. 

    One person was going to send me money by Venmo.  I don't have a Venmo account, but Julia does.  So I got her.

    She became suspicious when the person asked for more personal information.  So we did nothing further with that.

    Then Julia suggested that when I get an offer, I go  to their Facebook page just to see if they are legit.

    Well, a couple did not have pages and one man was in Australia.  A lady told me to text her husband at a number that went to a physical rehab facility in Florida.  When I asked two others where they were, they discontinued the conversation and page.

    Not a very good feeling experience!

    I do have one person interested.  They have communicated with me and seem legit.

    They even have a Facebook page with lots of dog pictures.

    I had a lunch date with a friend.  We have been talking about doing this for several years.  I told him the earliest I could be there would be 11:30 of so.  He said fine and we agreed to meet today.  No, we never set a definite time.

    Well....at 12:30 I ordered French toast and had lunch alone.  I didn't want to sit there for an hour and just have coffee.....and I love French toast.  Maybe he is like me and doesn't check texts, forgets dates, and goes to the wrong place.

    Lastly, I have most of my outdoor lights up.  They are not all connected to timers yet, that will happen tomorrow.  It was a blessing to have a warmish day today.

    I wonder what tomorrow has in store for me!

Peace and Love

ponderables

 Sometimes I just think too much

    I was reminded of that the other day when somebody posted a question and answer on Facebook:  Why is one side of a V longer than the other when geese fly south?  Because there are more geese on that side.

    Made sense.

    I can tell you the score of any football game before it starts!  It is always 0-0, then they start.

    Way back in grade school, dear Mr. Torres (Torrez)? told me if I took the number of runs his baseball team scored in games and added them, it would be more than the number of runs my team scored if you multiplied them.

   I accepted the challenge.  And I kept track of the Cubs and Sox runs for a week.

    When the Cubs got shut out, it demonstrated the concept of multiplication by 0 to me.

    And the old standard:   How far can a dog run into the woods?  Half way, then he is running out.

    I get to thinking of things like that and that is my excuse for a lot of things I do in life.

    For example, Jackie wanted an apple, peanut butter, and pretzels for lunch.  I brought her a piece of sausage, some cheese and peanuts.  In my defense, that is what I was having for lunch but for some reason I thought that is what she wanted.  And I asked her twice!  I was told twice that she wanted an apple and peanut butter.  WTH!

    Tested outside Chreistmas lights a little today. I plan on putting them out tomorrow.

    But what I don't understand is this:  I test the lights before I put them away.  So why does one strand have a dead spot right in the middle?  It worked when I put it in the box.  What happened in the box to make the lights not work?  Do they have some mysterious Christmas light sex that burns out bulbs?  Do they fight?  Dance?

    I wish I knew.

    The new foster host sent pictures of Ranger this morning.  He is fitting in nicely with her and her other dogs.  He was playing with then and was getting along fine.  I was very happy to see that.

    We are selling our entertainment center.  It is a beautiful piece of furniture.  I hate to see it go, but we are buying a new center that handles a bigger tv.  Progress, eh?

Peace an Love

one final hug

Tonight's the night 

    Ranger's new foster family picked him up tonight.

    She was in the area and it made sense to make the exchange tonight instead of waiting until tomorrow.

    She is a groomer and a trainer.  I feel bad that Ranger is not staying, but I  feel good that some one will work with him on his issues.

    So.... now he is gone.  His new foster just picked him up.  It was a trial.  He growled, leaped, and when she turned her back he tried to bite her.

    She got a muzzle, which I put on Ranger as Julia held him.  Then we dragged/pushed him out the door.

    She picked up Ranger and put him in the front seat of her mobile grooming van and he got quiet.  I mentioned that and she said he was out of his element and no longer protective. 

    I hope he adjusts as quickly as he did here.

    I hate him going, but I realize he could not stay here the way he was.  Emily can't even come in the house!  All Ranger does is snarl and growl......not what you want trhe family pet to do.

    So, that chapter of my life is over.  Our life.  He adored me and Julia, but was just starting to warm up to Jackie.

    I can go visit him, but I will wait a while just to give him time to adjust and get some bahavior training.

    And while I know it is the best for him and us, it still hurts.  I really loved that crazy dog.

Peace and Love

this and that

Some days are just days 

    Like today.

    Got my hair cut. (all of them!)  Restocked some items at the Pickin Station.  Let the dogs out at Emily's.  Went to Rockford for an open house.

    Maybe it was a closed house.  Friends Chris and Carrie have been remodeling a house and have finished it and sold it.

    They had an open house to show the finished project.  It looked very nice.  He does quality work and it will make a nice house for the new owner.

    Friend Beth drove and we avoided 39 because there was some sort of accidnet that had the road closed, or partially closed, near Baxter Road on the northbound side.  It was a mess.

    I read where some person paid a quarter of a million $$ for a pair of Birkenstock sandals once worn by Steve Jobs. 

    Notice the lack of a segue on that.  Not good, eh?

    I guess that is a problem I have with the super rich.  At least I am assuming the purchaser was super rich.  I don't know any school teachers or police that could spend that kind of moolah on a used pair of sandals.  And even if I could, I wouldn't.

    There are a lot of things I would do with $100 million.  Of course, providing for my family would come first, paying off student loans of friends, providing housing for the homeless, feeding the hungry,  and funding lots of causes and charities I believe in, would all be on my list.

    But buying Steve Jobs old sandals would not make it.

Peace and Love

Really!!

 Sometimes what I don't know amazes me

    For instance, wanted to watch the Green Bay game on the bedroom tv.  But it is on Amazon Pirme.

    Julia came in and asked if the tv in the bedroom was a smart tv and I had no idea.

    She hit a couple of buttons...and bingo!  Football game!!  We have a smart tv in the becdroom and I had no idea it was a smart tv, even though I bought it.  Criminy Pete!

    Yesterday Jackie and I were in DeKalb for pedicures.  Well, Jackie had a pedicure because the person booking us only booked one.  I ended up just getting a nail trim, which is really all I need.  But the pedicures are nice.

    Anyway, stopped for milk and a couple of other items.  Walked out of the store having spent over $80.  I put all the groceries in the back seat.

    Got home, unloaded the car, got Jackie in the house, made supper.  About 9 I realized the milk was  not in the fridge.  I went out and found it on the floor behind the driver's seat  It felt cool, so I put it in the fridge.

    This morning I looked and realized the milk is bad.

    How?

    You know those indents on a milk carton?  They are more than decoration.  When milk starts to go bad, it gives off a gas.  If the indents are popped out, the milk is bad.  There were no indents on my milk.

    I think that while it was on the floor, it was in front of the rear seat heater.  So for 40 minutes or so the heat was hitting the milk.  After it sat in the garage it felt cooler, but the damage had been done.

    So, I had a doctor appointment today in DeKalb.  (My PSA does not register, which is great.  So the urologist said I can go a  year without a visit,  Good news!)

    I went in for a few things at a different store, came out, put the groceries in the car and realized I forgot the milk.

    Sigh......sometimes life can be a bit of a challenge for me.

    This weekend I have to test the outside lights so I can put them up when the heat wave hits Monday.  Testing the lights has been on my to do list for at least 2 weeks.

Peace and Love

Love/hate

I find myself conflicted a lot 

    I love snow.  I hate driving in it.

    I hate being overweight.  I love to eat.

    I hate Liberty of Mutual Insurance commercials.  I love Jake of State Farm.

    I love being able to hear.  I hate wearing my hearing aids.

    I love drinking wine.  I hate drinking alone.

    I love to cook.  I hate cleaning up.

    I love English movies and tv shows.  I hate having to rely on closed caption to understand what they are saying.

    I hate not having enough time to do things.  I love spending countless minutes playing solitare on the computer.

    I love a clean, organized house.  I hate to pick up and organize or even put away stuff.

    I love watching the Bears.  I hate watching the Bears.

    I hate not being at Brookfield Zoo.  I love not making the drive with high gas prices.

    I love paper.  I hate dealing with it.

    So much to love....and hate.....sometimes I wonder about myself.

Peace and Love.  No hate here.

oh well

 We will soon be dogless. again

    Let me be clear.  We all love Ranger.  He did not warm up to Jackie as much as we would like, but we all love him.

    He loves to snuggle.  He is house broken.  He knows some basic commands.  He is a very smart dog.  He loves to play.

    But somewhere along the line, the train came off the tracks.

    We have had him for a little over two weeks, and I can tell you he has stolen my heart.

    We had people over the day we took him as a foster.  He loved them, they loved him.

    We had people over last Monday.  They loved him, he loved them.

    But Thursday of last week was a different story.  The architect came to work with Julia on house plans and Ranger was not happy the man was here.  A friend from VCCT stopped and Ranger was not happy she was here.

    We put him in the bedroom with Jackie while the architect was here and Ranger barked loudly for almost 2 hours.

    But yesterday, well......  A friend stopped by and Ranger barked and grabbed her pants.  Then he grabbed her fingers.  All the time his hackles were up and he was barking and howling.  Friend sat down, Julia sat next to her  on the couch and kept Ranger on her side, but Ranger jumped over Julia and bit Friend's sweatshirt.

    Julia went downstairs to work and took Ranger.  For the next 45 minutes, Ranger ran up and down the stairs. howling and barking.

    After the friend left, Ranger roamed the house sniffing the ground, looking for our friend.   He was very agitated.  We called Emily and she came over with Johanna, who was visiting.  

    Ranger again barked and barked.  Treats did not appease him or quiet him.

    After they left he again ran around the house sniffing and huffing, looking for them.

    Emily said he needs some socialization skills and behavior training, probably intensive behavior training.

    But I can't do that.  Yes, I have the time but not the energy or the follow through the dog will need to be a perfect pet.

    So we made the hard decision to ask for a new foster home.  He needs training, and we just don't have the knowledge or skill to do that.  

    We dreaded having him here Thanksgiving.  There will be 10 of us, and his behavior is suspect.  We can't risk it.

    His last day with us will probably be this weekend.  I understand he is going to a home where the person is a trainer.  Hopefully Ranger will learn the ways of becoming a perfect pet.

    So.... that's it.

Peace and Love

huh

 Not much into this tonight

    I am freezing.  I think it is too early for snow.  

    I am feeling a little down for a variety of reasons.

    I was a bit amused by a commercial I heard for an upcoming Christmas program.  It said this was a new Holiday classic.

    I'm t hinking a classic is something that has been around for a while, right?  Not a new show no one has seen.  Maybe it is just my mood.

    I managed to get my bird feeder out of the ground today.  Finally.  

    This one has a pole that screws into the ground.  But, and there is always a big butt, over the past 4 years the thing was leaning more and more.  The winds this year put it an angle where it became hard to fill the feeder because it was so out of kilt.

    Now I will clean off the screw part and put it into a new spot in the yard.  Well, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, after the snow melts.

    If it melts.  Ever.

Peace and Love

success

 I actually accomplished something today

    I attended Zoom church, first time in a few weeks.

    Then Jackie and I went to see our friend Samantha in a children's theater production in Rockford.

    It was a cute little show with about 18-20 youngsters involved.  Some of the older ones were helpful in keeping the smaller ones  on task and facing the right direction.

    Samantha did a nice job playing a cat...I especially liked her whiskers!!

    This was in the former NAT theater just off State Street in Rockford.  I have been to that theater several times, but for some reason, my mind was a little confused today.  I did not see any signage, so I went into the building and asked and they said I was in the right place.

    It was exactly where I thought it was.

    When I got home I took a connection off an outside water spigot.  I could not turn it by hand, so I had to use a grips to get it off.

    My next job was to pull out the bird feeder and reinstall it so it is not at a 30 degree angle.  This is proving to be a lot harder than I thought.  The base screws into the soil, and my attempts at unscrewing it are so far futile.  Maybe tomorrow.

    Ranger and I play a new game.

    I take him out and stand in the yard while he stands on the sidewalk and whines.  After about 5 minutes, he gets the idea that we are not going back into the house until he does something.  Then he sniffs and sniffs until he finds an appropriate spot to christen with Ranger juice.

    It took 10 minutes today.  I was damn cold.

    The best part of the day was I did not watch the Bears.  

Peace and Love

planning/ Shlamming

Sometimes planning doesn't work out right 

    We had planned to head to Rockford for a 2 p.m. show.  But when Jackie got up, it was clear this was a day we would not be going anywhere.

    That is one of the weird things about MS.  Some days are fine, some are ok, and some are  what in the hell is going to happen days.  

    If she doesn't feel right, we know not to go anywhere.  Today she just didn't feel right.

    So, instead of enjoying a play, I picked up stuff in the yard.

    Yes, I should have done that 2 months ago.  I should have collected the hoses,  put away the garden stuff, moved in all the chairs....but I did not. It would have been easier when it was 69 or 70, and maybe I would not have made a tactical mistake.

    I load my yard cart with hoses and other stuff.  I made the mistake of putting the potted rose bush and the weight for the umbrella in the back end of the cart.  When I disconnected the cart from the mower, it immediately tipped to the back and put the front up in the air.

    That is a problem, because the bar that connects to the mower is now up in the air, eye level, and can easily injure someone.  Plus, I can't back  the mower in farther because the damn bar is in the way.

    So, now I have to hook it back to the mower, unload it, reload it with  the heavy stuff in the front, and hopefully get all the stuff back into the garage.

    I thought about switching the yard stuff to the middle of the garage and using the third bay for the van.  But right now that is just an idea and I am not sure it is a good one.

    I used the mower today and ran out of gas.  It died in the middle of the driveway, but luckily I could drive around it. Of course, I had no gas in the gas cans.

    If I had planned better,  or planned at all, all of this would have been avoided.

    And of course, I am looking around the garage and wondering why I have all this crap to start with.  I need to do a spring cleaning next year.

    I saw 2 houses with Christmas lights on.......time for me to dig out our lights and start the testing.

Peace and Love

what?

 I don't know what happened today

    I got up before the alarm.  And yes, I did get dog licks when Julia got Ranger to take him out.

    I get Jackie to swing her legs over the bed, take her meds, then I lift her into the transport chair.  I have been doing this for a while now.  But, and there is always a big butt, sometimes there is a foul up.

    Which is why we were calling Kevin at 9 a.m. to help get Jackie off the floor.  I missed the chair. Julia and I tried, but the two of us are not strong enough to get her up and into the chair.  Actually, one person needs to hold the chair, so 3 people are needed.

    She did not get hurt.  Nothing broken.  It was a "soft landing" as I hear sometimes.

    The upside is Ranger got to spend a few minutes with her on the floor.  Not a lot of time, certainly not enough for Jackie, but it was time spent petting the dog.

    We got her up and all was well.  Thanks again, Kevin!

    Ranger does not seem to like the cold.  Maybe the grass is too cold for his feet, but he really did not want to leave the sidewalk.  I can't wait until it snows.  Maybe little booties for the boy?  We'll see.

    I also need to walk him in the front yard more.  It does no good for him to want to do his business in the back of the yard, because it may just be too cold and snowy to do that this winter.

    Corki would always look at the snow and go on the porch or sidewalk.  I would take the snowblower and make a path in the grass and I learned to clear the porch before letting her out.  That helped.

    I went with Emily and a bunch of people to see Clue, the play at Stagecoach in DeKalb.  It was an enjoyable show.  There were a couple of parts I thought it dragged, but overall it was good.  I always picture me in the show I am watching and I am not sure which of the male characters I could have been.  Or bean .  Or Ben. Oh well.

    Saw Renee and Wendy and a couple of other Rochelle folk there too.

    Julia stayed with Jackie, which is great for me because that allows me to go out once in a while.

    I see what they mean by it takes a village.....I had a lot of help today.

Peace and Love

odds and ends

 Nothing major about today

    Jackie had her hair done.

    I have a ritual, which I did not realize was now a habit.

    She gets her hair done in downtown Rochelle.  Right across the street is Acres Bistro.  I usually get her situated, then go to Acres for a coffee and dessert.

    I did not realize how often I have done that.  I walked into Acres, and the girl behind the counter said, "Hi Terry....we have chocolate bread pudding for dessert.  Do you want coffee?"

    Of course, I had to have it and it was absolutely amazing!  Deep chocolaty bread pudding with a dollop of whipped cream.....amazing!

    I also bring a book to read, so I sipped coffee, had my dessert, and read a little of "Dorian Gray."  Interesting writing, so far.

    I got home and we had two visitors.  Julia met with an architect for her house, and a friend came out to pick up a check.  Ranger was barking like crazy at both of them! It was a howling bark, loud and deep.  I don't think we had ever heard that.

    And he continued to bark at the architect while he was here.  Just weird.

    I mowed 90 percent of  the yard.   It got too dark to finish.  

     I should have been smart enough to put out the Christmas lights, but I was not.  Hopefully there are still a couple of 50 degree days on the horizon.

    Last night I was helping Jackie in  the bathroom and out of the corner of my eye I saw a pair of my blue jeans move across the floor and disappear.

    Ranger had dragged them out of the closet and had them in the living room in front of the tv.  Earlier I found one of Julia's shoes in the middle of the floor and thought it was odd she would leave one shoe there.  Now I have another suspect.

    Ranger likes to play.  I worry we don't play with him enough and he is getting bored and looking for other ways to get our attention.

    He really is skittish at night, so now I take a flashlight  when we go out for the last time.  I just hope a neighbor doesn't think I am a burgler and calls the cops.  Or opens fire with a bazooka!

    And finally....saw a butterfly in the native plants.  I thought it was a monarch, which means it will have a hard time making the migration.  It was moving south, but with the weather coming in, I don't know if it will make it very far.

    That's it!

Peace and Love

OMG

 What a beautiful day it was today

    It was a day when I could work in the yard, do the last mowing, pick up yard stuff.

    It was also a day t o visit Pickin Station, move some things in, move some things out, then  stop at Cypress House for a beverage and spend 15 minutes sitting out in front of the shop, simply sipping.

    I did not get anything done.  Well, not true.  I picked up a few things from the yard, walked the dog, thought about taking a nap but didn't.  I wasted the day, and don't feel bad about it at all.

    I had a 5:30 meeting, and normally it is getting dark when I get out of the meeting, not when I am going in.  I think 4:30 is about the end time for doing yard work.  I will be home a little tomorrow afternoon and plan on mowing.  Plan on.  

    Aside from that little stuff, it was a pretty normal day.

    I missed the lunar eclipse, because for some reason when they said it would be Tuesday I was thinking Tuesday night.  I was up until 11 last night but the moon look normal.  Beautiful, but normal.  I won't have another chance until 2025 or sometime.

    Now that the election in Illinois and most of the country is over, I wonder how long it will take people to pick up their candidate's signs.  That always bugs me....people are gung ho to put them out along roads, but darn slow in picking them up.

    And I ended a sentence with a preposition.  Tough.

Peace and Love

ranger stories

 We had an interesting Ranger day today

    Julia gets  up first.  She lets Ranger out of his crate, which is in our bedroom.

    Ranger usually goes in the crate at night  and I just close the door  but don't latch it.  It's not that we don't trust him, but we don't want him jumping on and off the bed at night.

    Anyway, the pattern works this way.  Julia opens the crate, Ranger bounds out and jumps on the bed and licks my face.  Then he goes with Julia.  She usually takes him out, then feeds him.

    But Ranger does not seem to like the grass.  This morning she took him out and he did not want to leave the sidewalk.  She tried tugging on his lead, but he would not budge.  

    She went down to work, and Ranger followed.  

    An hour later, Julia became overwhelmed by an odious odor.  Mr Ranger went into the furnace room and dropped a load on the floor!

    He had never done anything in the house until today.  What caused this we do not know.

    I had a stern talk with the young man, telling him that is not appropriate behaviour.  Then I took him out and walked him around the yard, where he peed.

    Later we went out and he dropped another load and received lots of praise.

    He had a half eaten chew from last night.  Julia said he carried it downstairs and tried to hide it!  He went behind a chair, under a table, and finally decided to put it behind a pillow on the couch.

    He is quite the character.

    Sarah, I don't think he is going anywhere.  But nothing is definite yet.

    We voted today.  Cast our ballots for democracy.

    Trouble is, several local races, senator, representative, sheriff, county board, had only one name on the ballot.  I think that is a shame.  Races need to be competitive so voters know who they are getting.

    That's my 2 cents.

    And by the way, I did not buy my Powerball ticket in California.

    Oh well.

Peace and Love

Monday funday

 Today was a pretty good day

    Not only did I buy the winning lottery ticket, we made a new friend from Texas!

    She is the mother of a good friend we have known for years and was visiting. They joined us for supper and some wine and we had a great time talking about travel experiences, life in Texas, lots of little stuff, and Ranger.

    Now, Ranger has been here for just over a week.  We have not had a lot of people over during that time, but we have had two sets of company.  Ranger has not jumped up to snatch food or sat and begged off anyone.  All he wants is people to pet him.

    All of us enjoyed pizza, apple crisp, good wine, great conversation and making new friends.  Well, all of us except Ranger, who made new friends but did not have any food and did not join in on our conversation.

    Ran into an old friend at Cypress House.  She was buying something for a baby.  She then explained to me that (I am changing names to protect the innocent) George just had a baby boy.  George is Pete's son.  So I said to her, you are a great grandmother.

    She shook her head ans said no, Pete is her grandson.  George is her great grandson.  The baby is her great, great grandson.

    I told her she looked pretty good for a great great grandmother.

    I have been going to Cypress House for a while.  I like the people and the coffee.  But I got a little confused today when I could not get in!  I pushed and pushed but the door would not open.  Don't you think after all my visits there I would know it's a pull?

    Sigh.

Peace and Love

too late

 Sometimes life is like Dominoes

    You hit the first block, and if spaced properly, the rest will fall.

    That's why someone else bought the house I would have liked.

    The Dominos were not spaced right.

    Let me explain.

    I missed winning the last Powerball drawing by 6 numbers.  I saw a Steven Colbert bit about him having the winning ticket but some unknown forces changed the numbers so his ticket was not the winning one after all.  Frankly, the prize was stolen from him.

    I was going to do the same type of comment in my blog!  But I hesitated, and he did his, so I could not do mine because that would be copying his work.  I won't do that.

    But it was a great bit.

    And because I did not win, I won't meet Jimmy Buffett.

    Jimmy would have been the last Domino.  (I don't know if it should be capitalized or just the pizza company, but I'm not as smart as I used to be either.)

    I have been going to Buffett shows for the past few years with a much younger group of people.  We sometimes rent a boat on Lake Geneva, then go set up at the show and sit around and talk.  And drink, excpet I don't because I am not really able to handle alcohol well.

    But because I did not win the lottery, I did not buy the 12,289 sq. ft. house on Lake Geneva for $17 million.  It sits on 20 acres and has a beautiful front lawn creeping down to the lake.

    The house would have been perfect for our pre show get  togethers and would have been a great spot for a post show sleep over with Jimmy and the Coral Reefers.  We could sit and talk, and sing, and laugh.  Maybe have a drink or two.  With almost 1 billion dollars in my pocket, I think I could convince him to spend time with us.

    But no, the Domino did not fall and I did not win the 1.2 billion this drawing.  But they draw  again Monday night, and I will have my hands clutched around the winning ticket.

    So....Buffett group....be ready for an awesome experience in 2023!!

    Sure, the odds are 300 million to 1, but I could be that one!

Peace and Love

odds and ends

Just a few random thoughts for today

    Say this out loud:  Have you been sleeping?.

    Now, be honest.  Did you say "bin"  or "ben" or "bean"?

    I say bin, but I don't know why.

    The ee combination almost always says e.  Feet, sheet, meet, greet.....get my drift?  So why, in been, do most of us not use the long e sound?

    Had Ranger out in the very back of the yard today.  He was taking a dump, (he goes regularly now, thank you) and he was on the long leash.  We have been working on "come" and I thought we would try it today.

    So I dropped the leash and said, "Come."

    He took off on a trot, dragging the leash behind.  I ran after him, but to be honest. unless I am chasing a turtle there is little chance I could catch anything other than a cold.

    He ran straight to the front door and sat there, waiting for me.

    Future sessions will be done with me holding the long leash.

    Froze carrots today.  While putting them away I found an apple pie from 2021.  Gonna bake it this week, because I love apple pie.

    Just took Ranger outfor his nightly potty walk.  Deer in the field.  Let's just say we were both pretty excited by the time I got him back.  But he did not pee, so we will go out again later.  He does not like the dark.  By the way, I did have hold of his leash.  Briefly. Lesson learned by me.

    One and a half inches in my rain guage today.

    256,000 views of this blog.  You folks are amazing to put up with my drivel.

Peace and Love

    

    

    

picture day

 Not a lot to say tonight

    Hearing tomorrow's forecast, I took the patio furniture in this morning.  Julia said I should have asked her for help, but I didn't need help, so I didn't ask.  Jackie encouraged me to put it safely inside.

    Wind gusts of 60 possible.  Sounds like a fun day.

    Yesterday I dug carrots.  Today I scraped them.  Tomorrow we will cut and blanch them.  I thought I would get that done today, but for some reason I didn't.

    I did stop for a chocolate banana frappe at Cypress House.  I managed to dribble some down my shirt, so I wiped it off as soon as I  got home.  Then I dribbled again. I also dropped some baked beans from the CAN pork chop dinner on my shirt, so it is kind of a mess.

    Normal people would have changed their shirt.

    Johanna dropped off a mug from the Christmas market in Chicago last year.  I did not make it down, but now I have a mug.

    Finished Lincoln Highway last night.  Great story, highly recommend it.  Towles is the author.

    Now for some pictures that have no particular bearing on anything.

Peace and Love

Saw this in DeKalb by the dog treat store.

What a great idea!

Bib butt carrot

Weirdness comes in all shapes

Just how do you lose a drum?

Feel free to stop over and help cut

gender fluid?

Ranger may not know it, but he is gender fluid 

    I call him a her or  she way too often.  He is a boy dog.  He is not a bitch.

    There.  Maybe that will clarify it in my mind, but I doubt it.

    I have also called him Corki a couple of times.  Jackie may have also.  We still miss her terribly.

    Luckily he responds to his name.

    He actually has had some training.  He can sit on command.  Today we were in the yard and he was on his long leash and I just let him go.  When he got far enough, I called his name and said come and he did. 

    But the next time we did that, he did not come.

    Stay is also a tough one.  I guess I shouldn't say that, it has only been a couple of days.

    He seems very smart.  He knows we go out the front door and come in the front door.

    I bought the winning lottery ticket tonight.  I know my odds are something like 229 million to 1 I will win, but a person can dream, can't they?

    I dug carrots today.  Tomorrow I will skin them, slice them, blanch and freeze this year's crop.  Last year's was not so good but tomatoes were great.  This year, not to many tomatoes but a lot of carrots.  Go figure.

    Normally I do not drink beer.  But I had one at the cast party and am having one tonight.  I did not like the party one, but the Spotted Cow is pretty nice.  I still prefer wine.

    And that' the way it is.

Peace and Love

darn it

 Sometimes my brain misfires

    Jackie had a doctor appointment in Sycamore and afterwards I stopped at a near by grocery store,

    First off, they have Christmas decorations up...even a tree!  Christmas music is playing on the in store radio.  It's Nov.2.

    Anyway, they had 1 pound packs of little carrots for 99 cents.  They had 2 pound packs for 99 cents with a coupon.

I asked the nice young man (and former student way back when) where I could get a coupon.

    He said they must be in the store magazine.  So he walked to the front of the store and got a magazine....no coupon.  So he went to the service desk and they had a smaller magazine with weekly coupons, and there was the coupon for the carrots.

    I did the rest of my shopping, which was not much, went to the only person working checkout line, unloaded my first two items and gave her the coupon, realizing I never picked up a pack of carrots!

    So, she voided the transaction and I went back and got carrots.

    I went back the her line and as I was getting ready to pay, a huge red spot formed on my shirt.

What the heck, I said out loud.

    Oh, she laughed, that is the price reader pointed at your shirt.  Did you think you were being targeted with a lazer, she asked.

   No, I told her.  I thought I was bleeding out.

    She thought that was very funny.

    I walk back to our car and discover a stranger sitting in the front seat.

    I will say, there are an awful lot of black Pacificas in this world.  I was parked two rows over.

    Ranger went all day without the belly band, AKA diaper, and did very well.  He even went tentatively to Jackie to get a treat or two, but still won't get up onto her lap.

    Meanwhile, I tried to fold towels and she laid in the middle of the pile.  Makes it hard to get work done when she keeps giving me kisses.

    Also today, she went into her bag and got out a toy and played with it.  We throw it, she gets it and brings it back and drops it at our feet.  Except when Jackie throws it.

    Maybe tomorrow.

Peace and Love

day 2..... touchdown!

 We had a long day today

    Jackie had a doctor appointment in Rolling Meadows.  Usually we call sister Judy, but we wanted to get home as soon as possible.  Good thing too, because Jackie did not feel well once we got home.  

    Ranger spent the day with Julia.  He was excited to see us get home. The big news is I took him  around the yard and he dropped a huge load!  Julia suggested puttng him on the 30 foot leash and letting him explore, which I did and he sniffed and sniffed and ...... kaboom!!!!

    I know....no one wants to read about a dog pooping.  But I was getting worried.

    I am sitting at my desk typing this.  Last night I posted and played a game of spider solitare and this is what happened.

    I don't even know how hegot up there, and then he was licking me like crazy!  I had to eventually put him down on the floor. Julia was laughing at us and took the picture.

    Now  to get Ranger to go up by Jackie.  Still not a connection.  We'll see what happens later this week when I go out for a while and Jackie is alone with him.

    My gosh, this was a beautiful day!  I hope we get another week of this weather.  I keep saying I am going to get on my bike, but I don't.  Maybe tomorrow.

    If you can, Tom Skilling of WGN is doing a series on climate change.

    One of the experts he had on Monday night in episode one said that while we have experienced hot and cold cycles in the past, these usually occur over thousands of years.  What we are experiencing now is much more rapid and much more threatening to our way of life.

    I just hope positive change is not too late.

Peace and Love