oh my, AI?

 Sometimes I just want to scream

    Scream.  Not ice cream.  Scream.

    Like when you turn the computer on in the morning and you get a little spinning wheel that does not stop spinning.  So you turn if off, and on again, and get the wheel that keeps spinning.  So you turn if off again, on again and go have breakfast tiuntil the wheel stops spinning.  Which it eventually does.

    Or when you find out the trash guys won't take your carpeting because you don't have a work order.  It is  3 sections, 4 ft by 4 ft about, but they leave it on the yard cart.  I call the company for a work order and they tell me $25.  I tell them fine...what choice to I have?

    I could cut the carpet into smaller sections and over the next 6 months slip pieces into the trash, but knowing me that will never happen and it will just stay in a heap in the garage.

   Our Comcast bill has gone up $60 since December.  The "person" I talk to tells me  the special rate I was on has expired.  As a show of appreciation for me being a valued customer, they give me a $30 credit.  The person I talk to is Dikho, which sounds a little like my last name. 

    I asked them if they were real or AI and the reply was  they were part of the Comcast customer support team.  

    Which is not really an answer.

    Julia came and got me early today because of "a thing" on the floor in the basement. 

    I went down and picked up a tiny vole!

    It could not have been bigger than a quarter.  How it got there is anybody's guess.... I would like to know so I can prevent others from coming into the house. 

    I am just glad Julia found it and not dog Beth!

    I did a load of towels....twice.  I forgot to put soap in and had to redo the load.

    We also made a trip to Rockford so Jackie could be fitted with an ankle brace to help straighten her left foot.  I just hope it works. 

    And another frustrating thing was the Cubs not scoring with men in scoring position!  Men on second and third in the eighth, no run.  Bases loaded in the ninth, no runs.  They end up losing 4-3 to the best team in baseball, but they could have won if 1 of  guys hit a single.

    So much for my frustrations!

Peace and Love

    I named this vole Larry.

safe

I did not burn anything on the grill tonight 

    I did not clean the grill, but I did cook 2 burgers and it all went fine.  But I do need to scrape out the bottom.

    My neighbors have mowed twice since I mowed.  My lawn is a little long, but with the lack of rainfall, I don't want to stress it by mowing.

    I did water a couple of trees today.  I have 2 that are showing some signs of stress, so I let the hose trickle on them for a while.  That's garden hose, for all you perverts out there.

    True:  There was a stock car driver in Rockford named Dick Trickle.  I think I would have changed my name.

Jackie has a hard time sitting on the bench in the shower.  She does not know this, but I made her a special thing for sitting on the bench.  I hope it works.  If it does, I will show it to you.  If it doesn't, you will never hear about it again.

    I had a strange experience today.

    Usually I read without my glasses on.  Truth be told, usually when I read on the porch I fall asleep and I don't want to break my glasses.

But today I read with my glasses on.

    After about 40 minutes, I had blurred vision and dizziness!  I could not see things clearly with my glasses on.  It did scare me a bit.

    So I took off the glasses and closed my eyes for 15 minutes.  I stress, this was not a nap, but an attempt to get some relief.

    When I started into the house the headache hit. 

    So I don't know if it was reading with the glasses on or what, but the dizziness and blurring followed by a headache all seem to me to  be the start of a migraine type headache

    Happily it did not develop into that.

    I managed to cut up the wet carpeting so the trash collectors could pick it up in the morning and do a couple of other little things outside.

    But it was pretty much a laid back day.

    And I was fine with that.

Peace and Love

9 1 1

Another first for me today

    I grilled a couple of t-bone steaks on the grill for supper.

    I like to grill on high for a couple of minutes, flip them for a couple of  minutes, then turn the gas down and let them cook at a lower temperature.

    I did that.  Turned the gas down.  Went into the house for something.  Noticed smoke from the grill.  A lot of smoke.

    I went back out and the grill temperature was about 700 degrees!  When I opened the lid, flames shot up into the air!  The steaks were on fire!

    I moved them off the flames, but the flames kept burning.....higher and higher.

    I took the steaks off the grill, shut it off, turned off the gas and moved it away from the house.  Smoke was billowing out of the grill.....sometimes gray, sometimes black.  There were plenty of flames.

    I thought then that maybe it was time to clean the bottom of the grill.  Something I usually do at the start of the grilling season but did not do this year.

    I knew not to throw water on it, because grease fires and water don't mix.

    I debated calling the fire department, but figured  by the time they arrived it would be too late.

    Eventually the fire burned itself out.

    Oddly, the steaks were super good!  They were pink on the inside and very tasty.

    I did take a nap in the afternoon, but after that I got busy and finished planting the garden, weeding the veggie garden, hooking up some hoses, and planting a few little plants.

    I also managed to watch a little of the Cubs.  Funny, eh?  They get blown out by a team that is sub 500 but then shut out the best team in baseball.  The next couple of games should be interesting.

Peace and Love

sigh

 We went to Camryn's graduation today

    The Sycamore people did a nice job on this.  There was a special handicapped parking permit given out for parking close to the graduation site.  Camryn got us a pass, and it made life a lot easier.

        Two students gave short speeches, and they were very good.  Positive, uplifting and reminding classmates that they are never alone.  Friends, family, former teachers and others are there for support.

    The speeches also touched on the fear of moving on into the adult world.  That can be terrifying.  Life still scares the hell out of me and I'm way past graduation age.

    As I was sitting there I thought back to my high school graduation.  I really don't remember much.  I don't remember going across the stage to get a diploma, or the ceremony, or much of anything about the event.  I do remember meeting classmates I had never known during rehearsal the day before.  One of them even showed me the hickies on her neck.  Darryl?  I remember her last name, but I don't want to embarass her.

    Up until that day, I never knew she was at Lake View.  Judging from the hickies, she was popular.

    I don't think we had graduation parties either.  My folks did have a cake, and I think Frank and John came over for some, or maybe I went to their house for cake, but it was not a party like graduates have today.

    I will be honest.  I wasted an opportunity to learn when I went to high school, and maybe even college.  I never worked hard, never really studied much, and usually did just enough to get by.  I realized that too late in life.  Sadly, I have no changed much.

    Anyway, it was a pretty good day.  We went to Ollie's for frozen treats to celebrate.  When I got home I was just too tired to do a  anything except sit. 

    But tomorrow the beans get planted!

Peace and Love

The graduate

The diantus is blooming

that time

 I always get a little sentimental this time of year

    Despite how much I  complained, I did like teaching.  I especially liked working with fifth graders, which I always looked at as young adults.

    That may have been a problem, in hindsight.  They were only 10 or 11 and I may have expected too much from them at times.

    But the end of the year was always a sad time.  I knew I would miss the kiddos, even the ones that gave me ulcers and sleepless nights. 

    It was worse when our sixth grade moved to the middle school.  When sixth grade was at Tilton I could see and interact with my former class.   Before the sixth grade moved, seventh graders would frequently stop by my window and talke to me on their way home.  But once the sixth grade left, that stopped.  

    I saw a former student the other day.  We talked for about 10 minutes.  He told me he doesn't talk to very many former teachers because, well, he just didn't like them.  But he talked to me quite a bit.  And he caused me sleepless nights.

    Then today I met another former student who is living in Amsterdam.  We talked about her new baby, her sister's wedding, Amsterdam, and a little about Tilton School.  She said it was ironic that in sixth grade she had Mrs. Hahn and had to do a country report.  The only country left was The Netherlands.  She did a report on it and.... now she lives there.

    Mom might be blaming Mrs. Hahn for that, I am not sure.

    We are going to Camryn's graduation tomorrow.  It's funny.  She entered our lives when she was about  9 or 10.       Now, she is graduating and moving on into the world of adulthood.

    I told her today that the day after my graduation, I went over and stood in front of Lake View High School because I just wasn't sure what to do.  I had always been in school, and I felt a little lost.

    Here's hoping this year's graduates enjoy their jump into what we adults call life.  And they will get over that lost feeling.

Peace and Love

  

holy ====

 This was one of those days

    Plan was to leave at 11, hit four places in DeKalb, be home by 1:30 or 2 at the latest.

    I am writing this at 1:42 p.m.....tired, wet, discouraged, upset......you name it.

    At around 10 Julia said there was a man walking around the house.

    It was Tom, the landscaper.  He is putting some edging and mulch down for me.

    We talked for a few minutes and I went inside.

    I got Jackie breakfast, then decided, luckily, to get a muffin from the downstairs freezer.

    (Emily made a Costco trip and bought us several dozen muffins, which we froze.)

    I opened the door to the furnace area.  I  took a step inside and......water, water, everywhere.

    Shit.  (Which is not what I said several times, but I am cleaning it up for the youngins' out there.)

    I called the plumber, they said soneone would be out ASAP.  Julia and I began hauling out the wet carpeting and  boxes,  I used the shop vac on the water, along with a wringer bucket and mop.  Emily came over and we moved my pillars out of  the water and set them on edge against a wall so the bottoms  dry.

    I figured the floor drain where the water softener discharges into, was blocked.  No such luck.

    The ejector pump failed.  After 12 years, it finally died.

    Which is ironic, because I had actually thought about having it replaced  before we needed to, just in case.

    That opportunithy as passed.

    Because the concrete is saturated, I bought  a dehumidifier.  

    The one bright spot is I discovered it today.  We don't go into that room very often and it could have been Sunday or Monday, double time days for a plumber, so we saved some money.

    But crap, what a hassle.

    I eventually made it to DeKalb. I got to my first stop at 3:06.  They closed at 3. The rest of my stops were pretty routine. 

    I picked up a pizza and got home about 5:30.  Sheri came over with dessert and we had pizza, wine and 2 kinds of dessert.  It was a welcome end to a stressful day.

    I have a humidifier running, all the soaked carpets are out, a couple of bags of wet stuff are still in the basement but it is pretty well cleaned up. 

    The carpet is no big loss. It was left over from when the house was carpeted 12 yearas ago and I just threw it down on the floor to make it more comfortable for walking.

    The biggest losses were time, energy, and not getting my muffin.

Peace and Love

well, well, well

 I turned 75 two weeks ago today

    In commemoration of that momentous day, I would like to share some of the greeting cards I received.  There are no illustrations....so bare with me. Italics are the front of the card.....

Go ahead, blow out those candles

        Just don't spit on the cake.

Birthdays are like cheap underwear

        They keep creeping up on you

Put your tongue on this spot (a circular target) then sing the birtrhday song without moving it.

    Don't feel bad!  Nobody at the store could do it either!

On your birthday I can't give you the sun and the stars

    So here's the moon.  (An astronaut with his butt sticking out of his spacesuit.)

Happy birthday from the bottom of my butt

    It's a lot bigger than my heart.

Picture of a dog's face on the front of the card

    Good news!  You don't smell old!

I don't think of you as old

    But I am wrong a lot!

She was a bit ashamed at the status of her recycling bin...one of the bottles still had some wine in it!

    It's your birthday.  Make all the pour decisions you want.

A guy your age found a frog in the woods.  "Kiss me ," said the frog, "and I'll turn into a beautiful princess and do ANYTHING you want."  The man picked up the frog and put it in his hip pocket.  "Hey,", the frog yelled.  "I said I'll do ANYTHING you want."

    "Nah", the man said.  "At my age I'd rather have a talking frog."

Life goes on.

Peace and Love

Serious ?

 I have a serious question, or topic, if you prefer

    I talk to myself.

    Usually to myself, but sometimes out loud.

    I wonder if I am normal or if I need to see a psychiatrist.

    It is not just once it a while, it is almost all day.

    Here's an example.

    This is my going to be bed discussion.

    Put some toothpaste on the brush.  Turn it on.  Be careful not to lose the toothpaste...............fill up the water pik while you are brusing.  Nice job.  Now, use the water pik to get all the crap out of your teeth.  Good. 

    Or if I am doing laundry:  Put the clothes in, Terry.  Make sure you have them all.  Now, put in the detergent.  Remember you want normal wash.  Start the machine.

    I do this all day!  Getting on the lawnmower, I work through the steps.  Doing dishes, I tell myself to put on the hot water, add detergent, fill up the sink.

    Sometimes it drives me nuts.  Or nuttier.  I will yell at myself things like, "I know how to do dishes so leave me alone!"

    That makes me seem even crazier!

    All this is done silently.  

    So, truthfully, and I a certified nut case or just an average Joe?

    Now excuse me, I hear myself telling me I have to go pee.

Peace and Love

an olio

 Pardon my while I run wild tonight

    I had to do a crazy dance last night.  I had Beth out and one of those pesky brown beetles that are around flew into my neck  Then I thought it went down my shirt and I started dancing around and pulling my shirt out of my pants.  No beetle.  I was afraid I would have to take off my pants in the front yard.  At least it was dark.

    My knees hurt when I weed in my native garden.  I should not have to weed, but the grasses have invaded the edges of the garden.  If I had burned it off in the spring, that might not be an issue.  Next year.

    My handwriting is getting terrible.  I can't even read some of the stuff I write.  True story:  After report cards one year, a student came up to me and said their parents thought I had a funny first name.  I said why.  The child answered they had never heard of anyone called Tenny.  I still can't make the letter r in cursive.

    Second day in a row for a short bike ride.  I don't know what hurts more, my legs or my butt.

    Speaking of the native garden, I dug out a plant tonight that was huge.  It had red stalks and reminded me of  rhubarb.  I could not figure out the phone/ID plant thing, so I am not sure what it was. 

    We need to adopt a teen ager.  When Julia leaves, there will be no one to show me how to work my phone or get the sound back on the TV when we lose it because someone hit the wrong button.  (And yes, that someone is me.  I just keep hitting buttons, hoping one of them is the right one.)

    I just took a drink from a covered glass and spit out some kind of bug.  The glass was clean.  It has a lid.  What the hell?

    Our lilac bush still smells awesome.  But, and here is the big butt, the bush is way overgrown and needs to be trimmed back a lot.  That means next year we will probably hot have as many blooms.  I need to find someone to do it who knows what they are doing because I don't.

    Ants bite.

    Friend Sheri was over looking at my native garden tonight.  We were looking at the newest section, planted last year.  I pointed to some plants and said I had no idea what they are, but there are a lot of them.  She pointed out they were thistles.  Oops.

    I used to know names of plants.  I don't anymore.  

    I need to read more.  I have not done that in about 2 weeks.  Hopefully, tonight.

    Cooking suppers is getting boring.  

Peace and Love

not today

 I love looking in my spam folder

    In addition to winning a DeWalt saw, I have won a tool kit, grill, dream vacation and a whole bunch of other stuff.  By the way, I have won the DeWalt saw about 67 times.

    Today I found an e-mail from Aardal that my order had been placed, one from Ankit that they have recived my order , one from Prsaur that my order confirmation was sent, and one from Danielle that my subscription was automatically renewed.

    Of course, if I wanted mor information I should click on their link.

    On the phone today I got a call from a credit union in Michigan for Dan who was supposed to call them back right away.

    And I have gotten e-mail from GM regarding my vehicle recalls.

    I tell you, there seems to be a scam going everywhere!  

    What is sad is people actually take the hook.....and I bet there are a large number of seniors who have lost thousands of dollars in scams.

    These scammers  should be boiled in oil when they get caught.

    I am having trouble sleeping, again.  Yesterday I did not have any caffeine except my morning tea.  At 1:30 I was still awake.  It is frustrating.

    Monday is a walking day, but I decided to take a quick nap on the porch at about 1:30 before I went to the Rec.  After 45 minutes, my phone alarm went off and I set it for another 45 minutes. It was close to 4:30 when I woke up.

    We were having brats for supper, so I put them on to boil and rode my bike around the subdivision twice,  I think it was about 4 miles, but I hit the wrong button on my excercise tracker and it had me on an eliptical!  I did not go very far on that, but I went for 20 minutes!

    After supper I went out to my native plot and started working on the grass that has invaded the edges.

    I wish I could ID plants.  I have several out there that I am puzzled by.  Maybe when they flower it will be easier.  I also have a humungous thistle!  It has 6 inch stickers on it!   Ok, maybe not 6 inch, but they are huge.  I need to take a shovel out tomorrow and dig that up.

    I also have a plant that does not look familiar.  It is about 2 feet round, but I am going to dig that one out also,  Even if I did plant it, I don't like it.

    Our lilac is blooming and when we open two windows by it, the house is flooded with a lilac smell.  I love it.  Unfortunately, when the sun goes down the house also fills with the smell of Canadian wildfires, which is not so pleasant.  So we close windows at night.

    Both smells have their place.

    The lilacs remind me of Mackinaw Island in early June.  The place is flush with lilacs.

    And the fire smell reminds me of camping trips with my friends.  

    Both are pleasant memories.

Peace and Love

    

    

Funday

I had a fun day  

    Emily took me to see School of Rock at the Paramount Theater in Aurora.

    We hit the matinee, which looked pretty full.   Our seats were off to the left but in about the 10th row.

    I have seen a few shows at the Paramount and can't say enough about the theater.  It is a beautiful theater,  Seats are comfortable and the sound is good.

    And this show was amazing.

    I had never seen the movie with Jack Black, but now I will have to hunt for it.

    The kids that played, sang, and danced in this were amazing.  I had 10 year olds in a play a long time ago and thought they were pretty damn good, but these youngsters were, well,  amazing.  Four of them were accomplished musicians and during the preshow announcements, the speaker said, "And yes, the kids are really playing."

    It was not the first time on stage for most of them.  I can't imagine what the future holds for some of them.

    I do admit, at times the pit band was a little loud and drowned out some of the younger voices.  But I do have a hearing loss, and the hearing aids amplify all the sound, not just the parts you want.

    And the person behind me constantly rustling a plastic bag and occaisionally talking to her friend may have bothered some people, but I directed my hearing aids toward the stage, which helped me.

    If you love theater, you still have a couple of weeks to capture this show.

    The lighting, sound, staging, acting and ambiance are worth the drive to Aurora.

    Our show was done maybe around 3....and they had another show tonight.  That's a lot of energy to expend when you are 10 or 11.  Of course, they have the energy at that age.

Peace and Love

Love the Egyptian influence

Part of the pit

Center of the ceiling

frustrated

 I admit, I am stubborn as well as cheap

    That is why I spent hours over 2 days  trying to disconnect my two hoses.  I finally decided to leave them and use them the way they were.

    I planted more plants again today.  I wanted to water them.  I got out my soaker hose, (which it turns out was not my soaker hose, but it didn't matter) and tried to attach it to the hose I had come to hate with a deep loathing.

    It would not connect.  I tried, and tried, and tried.  I had to go into the house for a minute and while I was in, Julia put them together.  But when I turned the water on, it sprayed  mightily from the connection.

    So I took the soaker hose off and carefully looked at the hated hose end.  It was not completely round.  It was bent out of shape.  So was I.

    My frustration started this morning when I went to the plant sale in Creston.  I wanted some geum, I think that is how it is spelled.  Commonly it is called prairie smoke.  It is a beautiful native.

    But they did not have any!  They supply to a lot of landscapers and wholesalers and the plant is very popular. 

    I did leave with a variety of plants that are now in the ground somewhere.

     I did watch the first inning of the Cubs game......that was enough. 

    Julia had ordered supper from a local Mexican restaurant, so I went to pick it up.  On the way, I stopped at Ace and bought a new hose.

    I get Ace coupons all the time.  But could I find mine?  NOOOOOOOOoooooooo!

    I told the girl at the check out that I had coupons someplace  and she said if I spent 1 cent more, she would give me a $5 coupon.  So I bought some Junior Mints.

    Supper was good.  The hose works fine.  My new plants are getting watered.

    But my pole sprinkler is still not working.  Not sure what the problem is, but the water just dribbles out.  I have checked for blockages, reconnected the hose, run the hose without the pole....all checks out.  But it does not spurt water.

   It was just one of those days. Even my antidepressants (Jimmy Buffett and an iced latte) have not helped!

Peace and Love

Prairie smoke

Grazing in the grass

I have no idea what this plant is called.

Finally

to do, or not to do

 I had 5 things on my to do list today

    Plant garden.  Well, mostly done.  I did not plant beans because they are ready in 50 days.  That is right about the time I get back.  I figure wait a week so the beans won't be ready when I am gone.  I think it is good planning.  But the carrots, cucumbers, peas, tomato plants, and green peppers are in the ground.  Now, I hope the seeds and plants cooperate.

    Hook up hoses.  I have a timer to water the garden.  I can run two watering devices off of the timer.  It is a matter of running hoses from the watering devices to the timer, which is on the spigot on the side of the house.  One hose was no problem.  But the second hose is.  It is too long.  It's a 100 foot hose and I only need 50 feet.  But it works for now.  The second hose is the right length but nothing is coming out of the watering device!  It must be plugged, so I will look at that tomorrow.  There is always a tomorrow.

    Set up my windmill.  Did not get that done.

    Plant the herbs.   Did not get that done

    Reseed bare areas.  Did not get that done.

    So....what did I do?

    Julia and I gave Beth a bath.  Beth had a bit of an odor, and it has been a month since she was groomed, so I took her in the shower and hosed her down.  She did not like that very much.  Once she got wet she was fine.  But getting her settled was a 2 person job.

    I mowed.  That takes a lot of time and it seemed to me to be more pressing than the jobs I skipped.

    I also did a load of laundry.  

    I did not take a nap, which was sorely needed because I have not been sleeping well, again.  I was in my chair in the den from 1-4 a.m. and seemed to sleep better there than in bed.

    Part of me thinks it is because I can have a window open and fresh air helps.  But a part of me also thinks I am obsessing too much about sleep.  Or the lack of it.

    Tomorrow I will get  the herbs planted and the windmill in place.  Hopefully.  But live has a way of sidetracking my plans.

    For example, I hope to go to a plant sale.  That means planting more plants.  I guess I better put that on my list.

Peace and Love

sad times

 Emily had to put a dog down today

    One of her greyhounds, Tesla, had bone cancer.  She was diagnosed last week, I believe, so Emily has babied and coddled her for the past week.  I don't think the dog had ever eaten so much good food!

    She did not want Tesla to suffer, so she made the difficult decision, but I think it was the right decision.  Tesla's bones were getting weak and if she fell, she could have broken a leg or even her back.  That would have made  the suffering worse.

     No segue on this one.

    Jackie and I had some blood tests today. 

    The lady who took mine asked if I taught at Tilton School.  I told her yes.  She said she went to Central but had heard of me.  I should have asked what she had heard, but I didn't.

    She did a nice job poking my arm and drawing out 8 gallons of blood.  It seemed like 8 gallons.

    Aside from that, the day was pretty low key.  I don't know where the time went.  Jackie had a library board meeting that we didn't get home from until almost 9 p.m.. which is very unusual.

    I did absolutely nothing, except read on the porch.  And I mide a list of 5 tasks to get done tomorrow.

    We'll see how that goes.

Peace and Love

any takers?

 We have a lot of stuff

    I have been trying to sell our old tv cabinet.  Made by the Amish in Ohio, it is a beautiful piece of furniture, great for a den or office.  

    I still have 3 columns in the basement.  They would make a great bar area.

    Now I have a shower chair.  Jackie thought that would be better for her, so we bought one last week.  She used it once and did not like it.

    So we bought another shower bench.

    Which means we have a new shower chair and a used shower bench.  I will sell the chair, but give away the bench.  Hopefully.

    I spent some  time out in my native plant area today.  I did not think I would have to weed very much, but the grass has invaded the edges of the area and it has to be dug out.

    Jackie suggested a month ago that I burn it, and I thought about it but decided not too.  I should have burned it.  That might have taken care of some of the crab grass that has snuck in.

    Next year.

    I managed to plant a few more flowers today, but I did not get as much done as I should have.  That is a common thread in my life story.

    There is always tomorrow.

Peace and Love

a front

I love learning new things 

    Today, for instance, I learned about a pneumonia front.

    That is a weather system where the temperature drops 25-30 degrees in minutes.

    We were supposed to have one, but I don't think that happened.  It is still 66 degrees, and when I ate dinner it was 72, and that was 2 hours ago.

    We had leftovers tonight.  I heated them in the air fryer and that seemed to help the fries, but not much.  Maybe I did not heat them long enough.

    Anyway, I sat out on the back patio and ate.  It was a lovely evening.  Nice temperature, very little breeze, and fairly quiet for a change.  Not as much traffic as there normally is.  The sun was a bright orange in the sky.  I assume it was because of the smoke from the wildfires in Canada.  We may seem some haze from that tomorrow.

    I planted some plants on the slope today.  Jackie said it lacks color.  It lacks more than color as some of the plants seem to have disappeared.  I lost a section of yarrow and two sedums.  There are also 2 plants gone whose name I can't remember at this time.  I guess I need to figure out the name so I can get replacements.

    Tried again to get the hoses apart, no dice.  I guess I will use them the way they are.

    I do get tired easily.  I don't know if it is being 75 or just being inactive for the winter.

    I went out at 2 and worked until 3 then took a tea break.  Went out at 4 and worked until 5 and then fell asleep on my chair on the porch.  I went back out at 5:45 and finished  what I had started.  Sort of.  Some stuff I put aside until tomorrow.

    The temperature is down to 64.  Funny, in January 64 felt like a heat wave and tonight it feels a little cool.

    But it beats snow.

Peace and Love

    

GaaHH!! OoooH!

Life is full of surprses and frustrations

    Today, for instance.

    I have several hoses and a hose reel.  But for some reason, the hose that connects the reel to the outside faucet twists up when I reel the hose up.  It has never done that before.  I am guessing I have a loose nut someplace, so tomorrow I will try to find it.

    That's a frustration.

    I have a couple of hoses I can not get apart.  They seem fused together.  I have tried pliers, WD 40, and straining my weak muscles, but they just don't unscrew from each other. 

    That's a frestration.

    Today I potted some of the plants I bought the other day.  I did not finish because I just got tired.

    But I went to water some of the ones I potted.

    I bent over to get the green, plastic watering can that was on its side in the driveway.  (I know, I should put stuff away.  But I am 75 and have been like that forever.)

    Digression:   Beth caught a baby   rabbit the other night.  She had it in her mouth, but I grabbed her collar and she let go and the rabbit hopped off.  

    Reason for the digression:  I picked up the watering can and it seemed heavy.  I looked in it and.....there was a baby rabbit!  Same one?  I don't know.  How long was it in the can?  I don't know.  Where's the mama?  I don't know.  What is the square root of 5?  I don't know and I don't care.

    Anyway, I showed Julia and Jackie the baby and then let it go in my wildflower garden.

    It took off in a flash, so I assume it was fine.

    That was a surprise.

    Another surprise:  Friends came over for a visit and brought us a plant and some caramel popcorn.  I may have eaten too much of the popcorn.

    Final  surprise:  Cubs tied the Astros on a home run by Morell.  I hope they can put this one in the win column.

Peace and Love

Jackie got two hanging baskets from the girls

Jackie's bridal wreath is really blooming this year

Isn't it cute??

apring is sprung

 What a lousy day this was!

    It was cold, rainy, windy, dark, dreary, damp and the Cubs lost 190-3 or some ridiculous score.

    I hate it when position players are called on to pitch in games that are out of reach.

    I think after the 7th inning, a team down by 10 or more runs should have the option of raising the white flag in surrender.  Another option would be to let the team that is down have their at bats in the eighth and ninth inning while the team leading does not bat.  If the game somehow gets tied, the team that blew the lead would be able to bat in the innings they didn't.  Make sense?

    Anything is better than watching a utility player give up 6 or 7 runs.

    I did not do anything outside because it was wet and cold.  I could have planted the planters in the garage and then moved them out, but it was cold in the garage.

    There were bright spots today.

    My sister in law stopped by on her way home from a graduation at the U of I.  We had a nice visit of about 90 minutes or so before she continued on her way.  I offered pie, but she declined.

    And Emiy came over after work and she and Julia gave Jackie a really cool card, two hanging baskets for the front porch, and a blanket in a bag that doubles as a pillow.

    Pretty neat stuff.

    Then I made some steaks and we actually ate at a table!  We rarely do that.  It was nice.

    I hope you all had a great day, despite any lousy weather you may have had.

Peace and Love

    

I love these....alium, which may not be the correct spelling.

My rhubarb is flowering....is that a good thing?

uh oh....

 Sometimes I can fail at the easiest task

    "Buy some graduation cards," she said.

    We don't have a Hallmark store in town anymore, but the Walgreen's has a nice selection of Hallmark cards.

    So, I go to Walgreen's to buy graduation cards.

    I always look on the back or a card to see where it is printed.  I try not to buy any card that was not printed in the USA.  C'mon!  We can at least print greeting cards here, right?

    I also don't like buying all of the same design.

    So I picked out 3 or 4 cards and I saw a really neat one.  It was the last one in the space.

    It had a beautiful star on the front and it said, "It's your time to shine."  I glanced at the inside message and thought it was very nicely worded.

    So I bought it.

    The next day Jackie asks to see the cards so she can send one to a relative.  After a ffew minutes, she starts laughing like crazy.

    I did not think any of the cards I bought were funny.

    I asked her what was so gosh darn funny and she said, "Read this card."

    'It's your time to shine,"  opening inside, "Mazel tov on your Bat Mitzvah.  This is your once in a lifetime, celebrate big time, be happy, feel proud, milestone day."

    Guess which line I did not read?

    So I learned  a few  things today.  First, read the entire card.  Second, pay attention to clues, like the star of David on the front of the card.  Third, a Bat Mitzvah is similar to a Bar Mitzvah, but it is for females.

    If you know anyone who is having a Bat Mitzvah, I can at least supply a card.

     I wonder if the store will take it back?

    Oh well....at least it was made in the USA.

Peace and Love

she did what!!!???

 Today was  a very doggy day

    Dog Beth had her 4th birthday today.  We did not give her any pie, even  though we have a lot left.  By the way, stop by Saturday afternoon for pie and coffee, if you like.

    I went to buy some plants. 

    My plan for the day was:  get a big ass pot, buy plants, plant peas, and plant the tomato plants.

    Well, I bought the pot.  And some plants.

    But I did not get to plant anything.

    I took Jackie and Beth along for the ride.  I carefully strapped Beth into her dog seatbelt, and she settled in the back seat with a worried look on her face.  I can't blame her.  This was her fourth time in the car:  once to get spayed, once to the groomer, and once to the vet.  I think she was worried we were taking her someplace that was not fun.

    When we got home, I put the leash on her and let her wander around the garage while I got Jackie out of the car.

    Beth has been zapped by the underground fence a couple of times, so she is aware of where it is.  

    I took off her zap collar when we went for the ride.  She did not have it while wandering the garage.

    She went out, I was lowering Jackie out of the car.  I got Jackie down and wondered why Beth was not back yet, so I went to check.

    She was out by the mailbox! I called her and she started to run just as a car came down the street.

    The car stopped and I gave chase.

    If the driver had a phone handy, they could have taken a video of an overweight, out of shape 75 year old lumbering down the driveway.

    Luckily Beth stopped to pee  in the neighbors' yard  and I grabbed her leash.

    Tonight I took her out in front.  She had her collar on, but I watch her at night.

    She does a lot lf sniffing because of the baby bunnies running around and whe was really sniffing up a storm tonight.

    Then she lied down in the grass and played with a squeaky toy. 

    It hit me:  she does not have a squeaky toy in the yard!

    I ran out (running twice in one day?  I'm freaking 75!) and grabbed her collar.  When she opened her mouth, a little ball of fur hopped out and across the grass.

    I took Beth in and went back outside with a flashlight but could not find any baby rabbit.  I hope it got away with only minor damage.

    For the past 20 minutes Beth has raced around the house, going from door to door and never sitting still.  When I take her out later it will be on a leash.

    Supper for me tonight was lobster!

    Our church for years had a May Lobster Boil, selling lobsters to the community and having a church party when the event was over.   Covid put an end to that.  We have not been able to restart the tradition.

    So tonight some of the parishoners orgazinzed a boil.  Just a group of about 20-25 people, some grilling meat instead of eating lobster.  Jackie did not go because the smell of lobster makes her ill.

    It was a nice night.  

    We had some pies left over from my birthday, so I brought them since people were supposed to bring a dish to pass.

    Imagine my surprise when I saw a table with 7 pies!  I added our 2 to the table.

    There are left overs.

    Seriously.  Left over pie is pretty good.  

    Just stop over tomorrow afternoon and see.

    Please.

Peace and Love

another trip around the sun done

 Well, 75, here I am

A few friends came over for pizza and pie and we had a nice time visiting.

The big surprise of the night was when the kids played a video.  Not just any video, but one from Pat Hughes of the Chicago Cubs wishing me a happy birthday!

I posted it somewhere on Facebook.  Actually, Julia posted it because it was far beyond my mental capacity to do it at this time.

I have had some wine, maybe too  much wine, and am getting tired.  So, this is a short entry.

But I want to pass on some words from Jimmy Buffett.

No you never see it comin'
Always wind up wonderin' where it went
Only time will tell if it was time well spent
It's another revelation
Celebrating what I should have done
With these souvenirs of my trip around the sun

And a big shout out to Carrie for introducing me to Jimmy,.  He lifts my soul.

Peace and Love

feeling good

 I got a lot done today

    I trimmed around the house and I mowed.  I mowed yesterday, but I mowed again today because I mowed at 4 inches yesterday  Today I went to 3.25, but changed it to 3.5 half way through because the grass was clumping.

    I am never happy with how the lawn looks after it is mowed.  It just doesn't look right.  I am not a perfectionist, by any means, I just don't like the way it looks.

    Last night I finished reading "The Natural" by Bernard Malamud.  I think I spelled that name wrong, but I am tired so it is close enough.

    I have never seen the movie, which I heard someone say was the best baseball movie ever made.  

    I liked the book, but hated the ending.  I don't know if he goes back t Iris, what he does for a living,  or even if he lives.

    I like things final.  He gets the girl, he doesn't get the girl.  Tell me.

    Now I have to spend the rest of my life wondering and projecting different endings for the Roy Hobbs story.  

    I know, there is the theory that good literature makes you thing about things and this book does.  There is good, and evil.  Sometimes the evil is good, sometimes the good is evil. 

    I am glad I read it.  Maybe I will watch the movie and compare the two, but I have a feeling I will like the book better.

    It's a little after 9 and I just went to put a load of Jackie's shirts into the drier.  Problem  is, I never started the washer!  I loaded it about 7, went out to finish the yard, and just never hit the start button.

    So, I will be up for a while.

    And I will be thinking about what Roy Hobbs does with Iris.

Peace and Love

duck, duck, goose

 We had a doctor's visit in t he burbs today

    Julia was gone too, so we wanted to make this trip as quick as possible because we felt sorry for little Beth in her kennel for 4 or 5 hours.

    We were going down 88 at about 70 miles an hour when the semi in front of us hit the brakes and veered left, then right.  Other cars started hitting the brakes.

    Accident?

    No.  A pair of geese and 4 or 5 goslings were crossing the tollway!  They little buggers were in the right lane when they reversed course and went back into the left lane, causing traffic to swerve, slow down, or come to a halt.

    One of the trucks pulled over to the side.  I don't know if he got out to shepherd them across the road or just to get out of all the slowing/stopped vehicles mess.

    I did not see any piles of feathers on the way home, so I guess they made it ok.

    Funny thing.  I have driven this route a lot.  For some reason today I missed 88 on the way home on 355.  Jackie asked if I missed the turn, I said no, then passed Maple Avenue and realized I had in fact missed the turn.

    How did that happen?

    Maybe I was sipping a coffee, or daydreaming, but it was disconcrting to say the least.

    I got off 355, then got back on and made it back to the tollway, but I am still puzzled how I missed it.

    We got back early enough for me to mow.  The grass was pretty long, so I mowed at 4 inches instead of my normal 3.5 or 3.25.  I hope to mow again tomorrow at a lower height and also trim.

    I also got a second coat of polyurethane on the bison and the windmill.  Maybe they will be in  set place tomorrow.  Or maybe not.

    It seems like I am way behind in getting things out for summer.  I know it's still early May, but it seems like I have just not done what I need to do.

    Maybe the warmer, sunnier weather will put me in a better frame of mind.

Peace and Love

now what!

 Something new has popped up

    Robins are attempting to nest on our front porch.

    Normally they wait for the hanging baskets to appear.  Then they build nests in those.  At least they did until I started putting those pointy wooden barbecue sticks in the plants.  They could not land to build a nest.

    But, they are a little impatient this year and have started a nest on top of the pole that holds Jackie's signs.

    When I went to remove the nest, the two robins screeched at me from the sidewalk.  I told them to find a tree, where birds belong.

    When I went to Emily's to let dogs out today, I discovered a robins' nest on top of the drainpipe as it curves in toward the house.  I did not remove that one because it was raining and I was getting wet.

    While scattering more grass seed today, I found 6 ground squirrel holes!  Holy crap!

    I may have to start trapping them and taking them over to the park to release.  

    I honestly thought they were gone after the hawk and heron hung around the yard for a few days last year.  After the birds were here I did not see any of the little furry critters.  

    But this year?

    Beth likes to sniff after them and yesterday got zapped a couple of tines because her nose was glued to the ground and she was not watching where she was going.  There are still blue flags in the back yard, but you have to see them to be reminded of the underground fence.

    At least we don't have a possum in the garage, feral cats under the deck, or a skunk that regularly visits the bird feeders.

    And my brother in law in Florida had an alligator in his yard yestereday.

    There are some things to be thankful for when living in Illinois.

Peace and Love

1 track minds

 We may have a slight dog problem

    I have a little garden area off the front porch.  Some lavender, ornamental grasses, salvia, dianthus and heuchera, which are coral bells, make up most of the garden.

    But Beth has developed a fixation on the garden because of a new addition.

    Baby rabbits.

    Somewhere in the garden, we think under the salvia, there is a rabbit nest and some baby rabbits.

    Beth has discovered them and is determined to, shall we say, make their acquaintance.

    So, when we take her out Julia and I stand guard.  We block Beth from getting into the area.  But she is determined.

    Night time is not a problem because I will put her on a leash and walk her into the grass.  But we are not letting her out the front door by herself until the babies are gone.

    We saw one of them hopping around on the sidewalk today.  It was so tiny and cute! We don't know how many there are because we don't want to disturb the nest.  So for the next few weeks we will monitor their progress from afar.

    The backyard has at least 4 ground squirrels running around.  Beth has not been able to catch them either, but I know a hawk likes to sit on our roof and watch.  I can trap the ground squirrels and relocate them, but I don't want to do that with the rabbit babies.

    Jackie and I made it to morning church for the first time in....well, a while.  Usually we do Zoom or YouTube, but this was our minister's last Sunday with us.

    Getting up at 7:30 drained me for trhe rest of the day.  I ended up watching the Cubs lose a very winnable game.

    The Cardinals are coming to town, which should be an interesting series.

Peace and Love

I know there's rabbits in there!  Let me at 'em!!

ends or beginnings?

 We went to a retirement party tonight

    Our friend Laurie is retiring after 38 years of high school life.  She is a counselor at our local high school and has been for as long as we have known her.

    It was her party, but we saw so many people we have not seen in ages!  I even saw people I very seldom see in person but I see a lot of Facebook posts involving them.

   And it was really great to see former students of mine all grown up and working, as well as kids of friends, and just kids we knew who have grown up and become amazing people.

    As usual, I got stumped a time or two.

    I watched one man get up from a table on the other side of the room, cross through the crowd, come up to me to say hello and shake hands, then go back to his table on the other side of the room.

    I had no clue who he was.  I pointed him out to Jackie later and she told me his name but I am still baffled why he crossed the room to say hello. 

    A few co-workers gave short speeches and some of them were pretty darn funny.  

    It was a good party.

    We were late getting there. 

    Julia had left the house about 15 minutes before us.  At that point I was getting Jackie ready.  We moved from the bathroom to the bedroom where she was going to change from walker to wheelchair.

    We do this by her standing up, leaning on the bed, then me moving the wheelchair under her  so she sits.  We do  that every morning.

    But for some reason, she decided to sit down a little early.  I grabbed her, but it was too late to reach the walker or the chair, so I guided her gently to the ground.  

    I called friend Kevin who came over and the two of us got her up and his daughter Sam pushed the wheelchair under Jackie's butt so she could safely sit.

    No harm.  No hurt.  Nothing damaged.  Just a pain to miss the chair.

    A Cubs win, a great party, old friends, new friends...... it was a pretty darn nice day!

Peace and Love

    

friends from old

 We had a great time with long time friends today

    Although we are all well into our 70s, I don't think of us as old.

    Yes, we have aches and pains and medical issues, but sitting around talking and visiting takes me back to a time when life may have been a little simpler.

    Not necessarily better, but simpler.

    Joe and Marilyn used to live in the city, then Schaumburg and about 10 years ago moved to Webb City in Missouri.  Frank and Barb live in the "old neighborhood."  In fact, they live in the building Frank and his brother John grew up in.  We all went to Lake View High School.

    I spent many hours in their kitchen, in the basenent, and in the alley, where a never ending 16 inch softball game always seemed to be taking place.

    When senior prom came, Joe, John, a guy named Bob and I quadruple dated.  At least that is a memory stored deep down inside, and I think it is a true memory.

    I know it was a horrible experience.

    I went with a girl I did not really like, and to be honest, she was not that hot on me either.  

    When we pulled up to the hotel, it was like people getting out a clown car.....8 of us crammed into a station wagon.  I did opt for the prom picture package and honestly, I had such a bad experience I never gave her her copies of the pictures.

    Anyway, we haed a nice time today talking about the past and the present.  It was great they came out to see us, because it is much more convenient for us.  Meeting at a restaurant is always an option, but that's not ideal for Jackie.  Handicapped accessibility is an issue, and not all places are handicapped friendly even if accessible.

    I cooked burgers and brats.  We had a taco salad and potato salad from Headon's and I made 3 bean salad, under Jackie's directions. Julia organized all the food, cut the buns and tomatoes, and got all the stuff ready while I grilled. 

    We had pie and cookies for dessert  and I made coffee.  My coffee is not very good, because I don't make it often.

    But I have a feeling sleep will not come easy tonight.  I may have had a sip too much caffeine.

Peacef and Love

Like a certain type of battery, still going strong

Even Beth had a good time

A day late

 Sometimes I get too easily confused

    I had a chiropractor appointment yesterday.  Jackie had a hair appointment today.

    But when her hair appointment was changed to yesterday, I forgot about the chiropractor.  So I missed him yesterday.

    I went today for a back crack and it always feels good.   I do a lot of lifting, bending, twisting and sometimes my back swears at me.  

    I have forgotten several appointments.  Yes, I have appointment cards  Yes, I write them on the calendar.  Yes, I sometimes miss, like yesterday.  Luckily he is very understanding.

    Then I went for a coffee and called one of the girls by the wrong name.  Funny thing, I called her by the same wrong name when she first started there a couple of years ago!  For some reason I think she is a Tabitha, but she is not.

    I finished the night by going to see Canryn's final orchestra concert at Sycamore High School.  Jackie has not been feeling up to snuff, so she stayed home with Julia.

    The director said when he came to Sycamore, there were only 15 orchestra students.  He has  a ton of them now, and they recently won best orchestra in the state at competition.

    She plays the violin and I hope she keeps that up after graduation.  It's a wonderful talent to have.

Peace and Love

Exam time

 We are going to see how much Dog Beth has learned

    I have taken down almost all of the blue flags marking the Invisible Fence power lines.

    She has been good respecting the flags.  Now we'll see how she handles no flags.  We will keep an eye on her when she is outside.

    I was mowing today and the little girl was out across the street, riding her little bike.  Julia came out and pointed at my ear protectors.  I took them off, turned off the mower and Julia said the little girl was saying hi to me.

    So I said, "Hi Maddy."

    Now she is about 4 years old.  She waves to me every time she sees me.  She also talks to me, but sometimes I have a hard time understanding her.

    "My name is not Maddy  It's Madeline."  She said that very clearly.

    Actually, I was impressed.  Here is a little one speaking upa to an adult when the adult is clearly wrong.  

    I seem to be a creature with predictable habits.

    Jackie had her hair done today, so I went over th Acres Bistro for a coffee.  When I went  in, the person looked at me and said, " Hi Terry.  Coffee?  Crean and sugar?  We do have cookies today."

    So I had coffee and cookies.

    After supper I took my windmill and bison out into the driveway and gave them a first coat of sealer.  I will give them a second coat tomorrow morning and hopefully get them out to the garden this weekend.

    Which means crossing 2 more items off my list.

    Progress is slow, but I am making progress.

    We also signed a contract with a home care agency to look after Jackie while Julia and I are gone in July.  Mentally, that takes a load off.

Peace and Love

We don't understand how she does not fall off!

Look, daddy!  I brought out my toys and a facecloth!  Play with me!!

Killer bees!!!!!!