who dat?

 I don't follow college sports

    Yes, I do watch a bowl game or two at the end of the season.  I have not been to a college game in 100 years. And I only watch the NCAA basketball  finals when the time comes.

    I have watched 1 women's game in person and none on tv.

    Until tonight.

    No, I did not watch the entire game.  But I watched enough to see the Caitlin Clark mania.

    Iowa played at Northwestern tonight, (Game on Peacock) and for the first time in women's basketball history there was a sellout at the stadium.  Some tickets on the aftermarket were going for $158.

    Clark is a senior at Iowa and has a scoring average of about 32 points per game.  She is also the Big Ten assist leader.  A friend in Iowa said to watch her if I ever had the chance.

    College students can now be compensated under the Name Image Likeness provisions of collegiate sports.  How big is Caitlin Clark?

    $739,000 big this season, if the Google geeks are correct.

    A basketball card of hers was rumored to sell for $78,000, but that was a rumor.  I have not checked to see if that was true.

    No matter where Iowa goes to play, the stadium seems to sell out.  She is a draw.  I watched her take some 3 point shots and she seems deadly accurate.

    She is bringing a new awareness to women's basketball and that is good, in my opinion.  I wish her well the rest of this season, in the playoffs, and in the pros.

    I went to Cypress House for a coffee after a Pickin' Station visit today.  I was real excited to see they had a cherry dark chocolate mocha on the menu.  It was written on the outside board.

    I told the Cypress House girl I wanted a cherry dark chocolate mocha and she looked at me like I was daffy..

    "Terry, we don't have that."

    "Yes you do.  It's on your menu board."

    "It is?  I have to see that."

    We march outside and I say, "Lower left corner.  Cherry dark chocolate mocha."

    She looks at it and says, "Uh, Terry, it says raspberry dark chocolate mocha. Not cherry."

    By golly!  She was right!!!

    How in the hell did I get cherry out of that?

    I had one anyway and it was very good.   But it wasn't cherry.

    One downside to the doctor visit yesterday.

    I weighed in at 196.  I weigh in at home every Wednesday  after I shower and I have been around 192, but I know I don't wear 4 pounds of clothes.

    Sure enough....this morning I was 195 on the scale.

    I gained 3 pounds in the last week!  Mainly due to cupcakes, cookies, and chocolate hearts.  And I am sure raspberry dark chocolate mochas don't help either.

    My New February resolutions are:  avoid French fries; walk; limit chocolate hearts to 1 per day;  cut back on pop; be aware of what I am eating, and how much.

    I really would like to be 190 by my birthday.  That was my goal last year, but I never made it.  I hope to this year.

    And that is my boring life for today.....

    Except I did something I hate.  I was on 20th Street and a guy was waiting to cross the road.  I did no stop for him.  My excuse is he was on a bicycle and it was a pretty crappy day to be riding.  But state law is I have to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks.  I think he was ready to cross.  There is a button to push to turn on the flashing yellow warning lights....that would have been a signal.  I just did not see him. I will be more aware next time.

Peace and Love

Here are some of our offerings at Pickin' Station.

doctor, doctor gimme da news

I had my first medical appointment of the year today 

    Some background. 

    I had a cardiologist since 2006, when I had my heart attack.

    He met me in a room at St. Anthony Hospital and said he wanted to do an angiogram, and stent me if I needed it.  There happened to be an opening at that moment, I think it was 6:30 or 7 pm..  I could also wait until the next day.

    I went that moment.

    I remember conversations in the cardio lab.  I heard someone say they needed a 14 stent.  I asked if that was 14 centimeters.  He replied, "If it is, it will have to come out your nose."

    We always talked about biking.  I told him once that I had ridden 300 miles that summer.  H looked at me and said something like, "I just had a75 year old patient who rode 1,500 miles.  Come back when. you have something to brag about."

    He wasn't being snotty, but he was trying to motivate me to ride and exercise more.

    He was my cardiologist until 2022, when he retired and I had a new heart guy.  But I did not connect with the new guy in a way that may me comfortable.  When I tried to schedule an appointment last August for December, they said he did not schedule that far out and they would call when December came. Well, they did not call.

    So I opted to change to a cardiologist at Kishwaukee Hospital.

    Why him?

    In 2017 I saw my regular guy and during the conversation he asked me how I was mentally, and I said I felt like I was going to die, but nothing seemed wrong.

    He wanted me to have an angiogram but my insurance did not cover the procedure at St. Anthony so he recommended this heart guy in DeKalb.  That doc was booked but a new doctor had just joined the staff, so I made an appointment with him.

    He did the procedure, inserted 2 small stents, and I did a couple of follow up visits. 

    So I am back with the Kish guy.

    He did an EKG today and said it looked the same as the one I had before surgery in 2020 and the EKG done in 2017.  He said my heart was stable.  

    I asked about a stress test, and he said he would not recommend it now because I was not having any symptoms or problems.

    But he did change my blood pressure medication.  And I need to monitor it at home.

    I did not know that the feeling of impending doom was one way our bodies tell us there is a problem with the heart.  I have had 2 doctors tell me this, as well as a nurse who worked in ICU.

    New doc said if I ever have that feeling, call or go to the ER.  He also said the same for chest pains, shortness of breath, or  dizziness.

    He did ask why I came back specifically to him.

    I told him, "You once had my life in your hands and you did ok."

    He laughed, which is always a good thing.

    Well, that's a much ado about nothing!

Peace and Love

Happy Poop Day

 I bet you didn't know it was Poop Day!

    That is the day when enough snow melts that 3 months of dog poo are revealed!  It should be a national holiday!

    The sun came out, the snow disappeared, and lots of animal waste was revealed.

    I patrolled the front yard, but never attempted to get to the back.  Beth seldom goes in the back when there is snow, so I figured to save that for another day.

    Some of you know this story.  Years ago we had a house with a gravel driveway.  Our first dog used the driveway in the winter.

    I would go out and blow the driveway after a snow.

    Spring came and I was out in front of the house looking at the roof.

    Several globs of a brown, oozy mess were on the roof, melting and making heir way to the gutter.

    I had snow blown the  dog poop onto the roof!  It was ugly looking.

    I also learned how to correctly position the snowblower so it was not aiming toward the house.

    While cleaning up after Beth I ran across a huge pile that was not hers.  Somebody's dog or a coyote, but it was out of the area  in which she deposits.

    Eating something?

    Aren't you glad you are reading this?

    In tech news, turns out I did know how to move pictures from my phone to the computer.  I figured it out by myself.

    Pictures in a text get saved to photo.  Then I download the photos to the computer.  It's easy and I am surprised I forgot how to do it.

    The biggest news of the day was the sun shining for more than 2 minutes.  It looked so good this afternoon.  

    I really think I suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder.  January and February were always my worst months of teaching.  I was grouchy, irritable, and in general a pain in the butt.  I am still that way, and I think it is the lack of sun.  When Ol Sol came out today, it was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders.

    My step was lighter, until I stepped down and hurt my back.  That put me in a bad mood again.  I was sore, aggravated, and wanted to take a nap.

    But I didn't.  Because I had poop to pick up.  And recycling to take care of.  I seemed to have missed the last pick up of both. 

    And I made doctor appointments!  Going to see a heart doc for a routine visit, my personal care physician for an annual check, and my audiologist for a good laugh.

    Such is life at this age....doctors followed by more doctors.

Peace and Love

My highly annoying duck whistle and a new hat!

Me, Philip Johnson (aka MooNiE), and Terry Camplain
Notice the picture?

lots of laughs

 I went to a comedy show today

    Philip Earl Johnson was in town for an afternoon show at the Lincoln Performing Arts Center.

    Most people know him as the performer MooNiE, who does shows at Renaissance faires around the country.

    But today his show was very different.

    No juggling.  No tight rope.  No whistling.  No fire eating. 

    He talked!  In his Renn Faire shows he does not talk, he communicates by whistling.

    So his show today was a bit out of his comfort zone, but it was great.

    He told great stories, sang some great songs, and created lots of laughs.

    Afterwards "special" people got to go to an after show gathering featuring hot chocolate, cookies, and Philip.  He talked, we laughed some more, he answered questions.....it was a great event.  By the way, you were special if you bought the after show ticket.

    I bought 4 tickets to the show.  But Jackie decided not to go, the fourth person decided not to go, so Emily and I went.  I sold my after show tickets to the Camplains.  TC and I even had our picture taken with MooNiE in front of our picture in the theater.

    But due to my complete lack of computer knowledge, I can't get the pictures moved from the phone to the computer.  Emily took them on her phone and messaged them to me.  I thought I could air drop them from my phone the the computer, but the computer does not show up as an air drop destination.

    Maybe tomorrow.

    Exciting football games today!  I missed the Chiefs win, but watched most of the 49ers-Lions game.  I was disappointed the Lions did not win, but happy the 49ers did.

    My next problem is the Super Bowl.  I like both quarterbacks.  I hate to root against either  of them.

    Such a conundrum, eh?

    While I was at the show, Kevin, Jen, and Sam came over to watch the games.  Julia made dishes from India for super and a good time was had by all.

Peace and Love

woof, woof

 Terry is not writing this tonight

    I,  Beth, the family dog, am doing the writing.

    I know you don't believe it, but miracles happen all the time!

    It is sort of like the movie Freaky Friday, where the teen girl switches with her mom for he day.  Or week.  I don't remember.

    So I have taken over his body and he is in mine.

    They put me in a kennel every night.  But they don't shut the door.  I like it.  I feel safe and warm in there.  And if I have to go out, I can go up to their bed and whine.  Except I did that the other day and neither one of them woke up, so I went and got Julia.

    Terry doesn't always understand me.

    Sure, it may be 30 degrees but I love to go outside and just watch the world.  He goes out with me at night and I can see him start to shiver and tell me something that I don't understand because I don't speak human talk.  But he seems to be adjusting.  he gives me treats, lots of love, belly rubs, food, and he lets me go outside and stand on the sidewalk until he starts to shiver.

    Jackie can't pet me as much as she would like.  I can tell.  But I can't get up on her chair, and she can't get down to my level, so I may seem a little stand offish toward her.

    I know whenever she eats, I will get some food food.  Usually it's because she gives it to me, but it also happens when she drops food.

    Julia gives me breakfast every day and lets me out first thing in the morning.  Then she goes downstairs to work.  But before she starts, we play!

    I love playing downstairs because it is carpeted and I can run and not slide across the floors like I do upstairs.

    Life is pretty good here.  I would like more attention, but what dog wouldn't?

    When Terry goes down on the floor to put Jackie's socks on her feet, I love to stick my nose in and lick his face. It drives him nuts.

    I also like to bark at imaginary shapes!  When I do that, someone gets up to look outside to see what is happening and there is never anything there!  It's a hoot to watch them scurry around.

    At night I like to find a dark place to sit, so Jackie can panic and tell Terry to find me.  Sometimes he forgets to bring me inside, so me hiding in a dark spot is a fun game to play.

    I am a female dog.  When I have to go to the bathroom, I have to look away from him.  It's a modesty issue.  He looks away too because he knows a lady needs her privacy.

    It's almost been 1 year since we met.  They came to a meet and greet in Sterling and met me, but I was going to somebody else.  That person ended up not taking me, so Terry and Jackie did.  Julia has been a big help to keeping me healthy and happy.  And Emily gives lots of advice too.  It really is a family affair.

    I can feel myself starting to weaken....time for me to return to my dog body.

Peace and Love

    

uh huh

 I get very confused about life

    Why do people drive in foggy conditions with their headlights off?  They do it in rain too.  It's a safety thing, people!

    Tonight I was on my way into town and almost ran into a car that did not have taillights!  Brake lights worked, but no taillights.  I made sure I stayed a ways back.  I could see their headlights, but not the taillights.  

    Yesterday I said Phinias for my fog entry.  The main character in Around the World in 80 Days was Phinias Fogg.  Sometimes even I don't know why I write the things I do.  Of course, there is the large possibility his name was not that and I was hallucinating.

    We had carry out tonight.

    Went to Alfano's and the cheerful young girl greeted me, was upbeat,  happy, gave me my order, and wished me a good night.

    I went to a second place and I swear, the girl seemed like it was a bother to take my order.  She looked really unhappy to be there and working.  

    It was a contrast in customer relations.

    Emily and Julia gave Jackie and me some swag from DisneyWorld.  Cool shirts and a sweatshirt, plus some mugs and a duck bill whistle.  The whistle scares Beth and irritates everyone else.

    My attic exhaust fan has been running since Monday.  It is temperature controlled and I know it was not 100 degrees in the attic.

    Electrician came to look at at and said all the control needed was cleaning.  Seems to be working fine now.

    But the garage door opener isn't.  Sometimes it opens, sometimes it doesn't.  Emily was over and we attempted to reset the key pad, but it will not reset.  I think the key pad is bad.  And yes, we replaced the battery. 

    At least we are helping the economy by putting tradespeople to work.

    Tomorrow.....the sink from hell nightmare may be over.  Actually, it is not a nightmare or a sink from hell.  it's a small sink.  Too small.  Picked it out myself.

    But for a month now I have been going back and forth on what to do.  I can't make a decision.  So the girls decided for me.

    Time will tell.

Peace and Love

    

Phineas?

 There's a fog upon Rochelle....

    And my friends have lost their wayey.

    They' ll be over soon they said.  Now they've lost themselves instead........

    Sorry, I was channeling George Harrison for a moment.  The fog  caused me to have some moments of memory lapses.

    Like.....where did I put my phone?  What day is it? Did I feed the dog?  Where did I park the car?

    You know, the usual questions I ask myself day after day.  After day.

    I was standing in an office today and the topic of fog came up.  One person was driving north and was concerned about the visibility.  Another person said the fog seemed to lift by IL 64.  The first person said, "That's amazing.  Fog there but not here."

    I immediately channeled Mr. Torres and said, "Fog has to stop and start somewhere otherwise the whole world would be covered in fog at the same time."

    I could tell by the looks on their faces they were impressed by my fantastic knowledge.

    I have to admit, I know few answers to life's questions.

    Like....why does the low pressure warning show up on 3 of my van tires but not the fourth, even though they are all at the same PSI?

    Or why do I always need car gas when the price goes up 15 cents a gallon?

    Why do restaurants  put in plastic ware with take out orders?  They should ask if people want them, not just assume we are eating in our cars.

    And here is one I can't explain.

    The Trib had a story today about a guy who robbed a bank.  He went in  and handed a teller a note that said,"Please give me your money.  Thank you."

    The teller gave him something like $600 and he walked out of the bank.

    Police arrested him less than 2 blocks from the bank.  He was charged with bank robbery.

    He was acquitted because robbery involves a threat. and he made no threat.  So he walked free.

    Three days later he goes into another bank and hands a teller a note that send, "Please give me your money.  I will pay it back later."

    Again, he was arrested near the bank.

    But this time he was charged with theft from a bank.  His attorney seemed to think that this was a more logical charge.  She did not say she would be representing him agin.

    He is either a slow learner or a brilliant crook.  This next court case will decide.

    You know, I joke around a lot.  I know not to go into a bank and when they ask how they can help, not to answer, "Please give me all your money."

    Unless I know the teller really, really well......but I don't think I know any tellers who would laugh.  (It should be spelled laff by the way.)

Peace and Love

Found this in the pantry.....guess we have had it a while.

a first

 I had my first full body massage today

    Now that I think about it, it was not actually a full body massage.

    She did my lower body and my back, but not my chest area.  So is it a full body or not?  I don't know.

    I went because my back and legs were sore.  I do go to a chiropractor, but the pain in my buttocks and legs was pretty bad yesterday, so Emily suggested I get the massage.

    For a while I did feel better.

    But I went to feed the birds.  Trudging through the snow, I slipped and slid and may have aggravated my  back.  My leg was really sore, again.

    I put ice on it and that seems to help, but my buttocks still hurt.

    Aren't you glad you are reading this?

    Anyway.....

    Feb. 14 is a big day this year.

    Ash Wednesday, for one.  Valentine's Day for another.  And spring training starts for the Cubs!  That's the official date for pitchers and catchers to report in Arizona.  It is also the signal that spring is coming, and winter is going.

    I know other teams  may start earlier, but I don't care about other teams.  

    This is the part of winter I don't like.

    The constant melting, occasional rain, freezing surfaces, muddy areas, months of dog doo exposed, temperatures on drugs with freezing one day and not freezing the next, snow that looks like, well, not like snow anyway.... I don't like any of it.

    I have some outside shoes.  I also have winter boots.  What I don't have are chukka style boots good for the winter, with lugged soles that provide some traction o the ice.  So do I buy them now, or wait until the fall?  

    If I buy them now, I may not remember where I put them or even that I have them.  And if I wait until fall, I might forget I want them.

    Such is my life these days.... always a problem, seldom a solution.

    Stay upright.  Stay warm.  stay safe.

Peace and Love  

euuuuh!

 What poet  wrote the fog creeps on little  cat feet?

Thank you, Google.

Why Illinois' own Carl Sandburg, that's who!

The fog comes 

on little cat feet. 

It sits looking 

over harbor and city 

on silent haunches 

and then moves on.

    Well, that fog certainly is on little cat feet tonight.

    It is as thick as pea soup.  I always wondered if pea soup is really thick.

    Maybe the expression should be as thick as ketchup.   Or peanut butter.  Or sludge from the treatment plant.

    Why pea soup?

    Another question.  Why are my second lines in a small paragraph indenting?  Did I hit a button on accident?  If so, which button?

    I hate technology.

    But I love food.

    We went to a Mexican restaurant to celebrate a friend's birthday today.  I tried something new, and dang if I can remember its name.  It's a cheese and steak quesadilla deep fried.  It was quite yummy.

Yes, that is my margarita.  No, I was not wasting away.  And yes, I found my shaker of salt.

    All in all it was a fun night.  

    Unfortunately I did have a brief mental breakdown while we were getting ready.  Sometimes I just can't deal with my caretaker role, and that was the case tonight.

    Luckily Julia and Emily pitched in while I reset. 

    Tomorrow I am going for a massage.  It will be my first one ever.  I don't exactly know what to expect, but hopefully my leg muscles won't hurt as much as they do now.

    And hopefully I will figure out what I did to create indents on every line.  And now that I look back, they type sizes are different too.  Damn technology.

Peace and Love

Doggy days

 I had to shovel and scrape the sidewalk today

    Not because it was snowy and icy, which it was.  

    But because the snow the grass is so deep, Beth is doing her business on the sidewalk.

    We looked like the Beverly Hillbillies.

    I am shocked at how much waste that little dog creates.  It sure does stand out with the white snow.

    We had a quiet day around the old homestead.

    I was supposed to take a friend to a medical appointment at 1:30, but the hospital called them  and said they  could come at 9:30 because of a cancellation. I could not take them because it takes me 2 hours to get Jackie up, showered, dressed, fed breakfast and ready for the day.  Luckily they found another ride.

    That was my movement for the day.  I ended up taking a nap because I did not sleep, again.  

    It was weird.  I woke up and looked outside about 2 a.m. and it was so bright.  I did not see a moon because of he cloud. cover, but the front and back yards were easily visible  in the light of night. I think the clouds formed a blanket and the snow reflecting off the clouds provided a lot of light.

    Whenever I do that, I spend a few minutes looking for deer, fox, or whatever.  I very seldom see any, but the yard is full of deer droppings and deer prints.

    No squirrel lately, but the harrier was perched on my gargoyle.  All the. birds were in hiding, because he flew off empty beaked.

    It's almost the end of January and I have yet to keep 1 of my 3 resolutions.  It frustrates me that I am unable to do the simplest tasks.

    Maybe in February.

Peace and Love

 

Oh Lordy

The weather for the next few days is going to be weird

    Rain.  Freezing rain.  snow.  Sleet.  Freezing rain and snow.  Dangerous icing conditions on roadways and bridges.

    Another fun week in northern Illinois!

    A person really has to be strong to live here.  Freezing winters, blazing hot summers, 2 days in fall that are ideal and a spring filled with muck and mud.

    But I would not trade it for any other state.  Maybe another country, one where I can parlez vous.

    Some tidbits you may have missed.  Actually, you could go through life and not really care.

    A guy in the suburbs was convicted of tax evasion.  Feds said he had an income of over $300,000 two years running but only declared $4000 as income.  

    His attorney had a good argument.  He said the guy was really bad at math and produced his rather mediocre high school record as proof.

    It  was less than an adequate defense.

    In 1913 a new hotel opened in Chicago and the owner had to deal with the city's attempt to ban tango dancing as too scandalous.  The owner actually, on his own, banned dancing in the hotel when the man danced in front of or close to the woman.  His belief was it caused impure thoughts.

    Cindy Morgan passed away in Florida.  She was 72.  Cindy was a Chicago native who became famous as the femme fatale Lucy Underall in Caddy Shack.  She never had a big movie career after that first movie, but did appear in several tv shows over the years.  

    Finally, I want to show off a Christmas present Julia got me.  

    That will be in pictures, if you can stand it.

Peace and love

Chocolate covered malted milk balls with a sea salt seasoning

I wonder how many Schewddy Balls I could get in my mouth.

What the hell?

 When ever Julia wakes me up, there is a problem

    At about 6:30 she came into the bedroom and said, "It's cold in the house.  Temp is set at 68 but it is only 61."

    While the furnace fan was running, there was no heat.

    I have warmed everyone about checking furnace vents.  I know I checked mine, but I went outside anyway.

    No snow near the vent.  Clear.  

    I put my hand down by it and found the intake tube was full of snow!  Packed tight!

    I stuck my fingers in and started pulling snow out and the furnace kicked on.

    Now, I have no idea how that happened.  

    My guess is it was been windy.  We had some light snow.  The furnace ran, drawing air in, and drawing the light snow in at the same time.  Eventually it clogged.

    Some 2 hours later, Julia said, "Furnace stopped again.  No heat."

    I went back outside and agin stuck my fingers up the tube.  But my fingers were not long enough.  I could feel ice or snow, but could not get it out.

    I got a tool I use to remove hair from sink drains.  (Side note:  I almost gag when I pull out a glob of hair. It is the most disgusting sight in the world.)

    But that did not seem to break it up either.

    So I got the wet vac, turned it on, inserted the hose and must have sucked out some snow or ice, because the furnace kicked on again.

    I went down to the basement with a hair dryer and aimed it at the plastic pipe.

    Whatever the answer was, the furnace has run fine since about 10 this morning. 

    I am thankful, because a service call on weekends is $150 minimum and I would hate to spend that for someone to tell me I had snow in my intakes. 

    After all, we all know that.

    And thanks Steve Frank for telling me my friend was a northern harrier.  It was back again looking for food.

Peace and Love

Must have been cold because it is only on 1 leg!

squirrel!

 There was a squirrel on my bird feeder this morning

    That is kind of a surprise, because we don't have any big trees near our house.

    Not in our yard.  Not in any of our neighbors' yards.  Nowhere.

    So the squirrel had to travel over from the park.

    Imagine that.

    You are a squirrel.  (No, I am not calling you a squirrel.  Just pretend you are a squirrel.)

    You can't find the nuts you buried last fall.  Or maybe you already ate your nuts.  But you have no nuts.

    So you look for food.

    Your extremely keen sense of smell detects sunflower seeds along with a mixture of peanuts and whatever.  But where is the enticing  aroma  coming from?

    You scurry down your tree.  Even though it is bitter cold, you leave the warm shelter of your nest in search of food.

    Crossing the road, you pay attention to  cars.  

    Look!  Here comes one! 

    Quick!  Dart in front of it!  Now go back!  Now go in front!  Run like hell across the road!

    You breathe deeply.  But a sudden realization that you are out in the middle of a barren field, your smokey gray body a target for hawks, the occasional eagle, or an owl with insomnia.

    You dart across one yard.  Then another yard.  

    You spy the pole and can sense the food at the top.

    You wrap your frozen little claws around the icy cold pole and slowly inch your way up, thankful that the human  providing the seed did not put Vaseline on the pole.

    You. reach the apex!  You have hit the motor lode!  There are peanuts, corn kernels, sunflower seeds!  Heaven for you!

    Once your tummy is full, you stuff as much food in your cheeks as you can and begin the perilous journey back home.

    Crossing the field, one eye to the sky the other eye on the look out for fox.  Or coyote.  Or the neighborhood feral cats.  Or a loose dog.

    You reach the road.  Seeing no cars, you have no choice  but to wait.

    A car comes slowly down the road and so you dart out.  Stop. Run back.  Dart out again.  Listen for the screaming breaks.  And then you run safely back to your tree, where you tuck your nuts away and rest.

    Tomorrow you plan another foray across the frozen tundra, unaware that the human putting seed out for the birds is looking for the Vaseline.

    All good things come to an end.  Eventually.

Peace and Love

    

Getting close

 I have almost got the den cleaned

    This was my project started about 6 weeks ago!

    The problem is paper.  I can' deal with paper.  I don't know what to do with it.

    Little bits of paper with notes, likeFury and Glory.  What does that mean?

    I have lineups I predicted for the 2023 Cubs.  It is now 2024, why should I keep the line ups?

    I have papers that keep track of all the Cub trades over the last two years....who they got rid of and who they got.  I can get that info online anytime I want it, so why save it?  And why would I want it in the first place?

    Yet I put it in a pile

(In case you are wondering, Peter Crow Armstrong was not the starting center fielder last year, but he will be this year.  He came to the cubs in the Baez trade with the Mets.  and Caleb Kilian may be in line for a starting role this year or next.  He came in part for Bryant)

    Membership forms for Morton Arboretum and Brookfield Zoo.  Notes from investment companies.  Beatles lyrics.  A picture of 3 boys, in front of the Prudential Building in Chicago.  I am not one of the boys. And when I look at the picture, it may be only 1 boy and a statue of 2 boys.  

    Yet I keep it.

    I blame my mother.

    After she died, I ended up with a lot of stuff, including pictures.  One of the pictures was of a man standing in front of her house and on the back she had written, "Who the hell is this?"

    I swear.  She did not know who he was, but could not throw out the picture!  See where I get it from?

    I have pictures of a bridge.  Rolls of film I found in my mom's stuff.  3 rolls of 126 film.  I thought I had discovered thidden family pictures that no-one got developed.  After 40 or 50 years I get the pictures developed at a cost of over $50.  What are. they?  Pictures of a bridge.   3 freakin rolls of a picture of the same bridge.

    I still have them.  

    Luckily, they are in a drawer.

Peace and Love

I'm game

 I have been thinking about games lately

    Not the common, standard everyday ones.  New ones.  Exiting ones.

    Like Take a Chance.   In this game you pick a character and attempt to make your way through a city.  You spin a wheel when it is your turn and follow the directions.

    You may get a card that says, "Fall in a pothole and break a leg.  Miss a turn."  Or "Get mugged, go back 3 spaces."  Or "Wearing all black, attempt to cross a busy street in the middle of the block at night."  You have to spin the wheel and it it comes up 3 or 7, you don't make it and automatically lose.

    Other cards would be beneficial, like "Find a parking space close to your destination.  Move ahead 5 spaces."

    One card in the stack of 200 would be, "You have won Powerball.  Collect $500 million and win the game."

    Perhaps Elections would be more your style.  In this game 4 politicians are running for office.  Your candidate will have to raise $10 million to run for Congress, avoid being charged with bribery, explain their way out of being in cahoots with some guy named Epstein, convince voters a giant conspiracy is fixing the election, and survive primaries.  I have not figured out all the rules yet, but they will be different for each candidate.

    Maybe Almost home would be a great game.  You are a traveler heading from some foreign city back home and are in the airport.  Penalties are lost luggage,e misplaced boarding pass, lost passport, delays, and sitting next to a passenger who massages their bare feet.

    Rewards would be complimentary drinks, attractive cabin personnel, a sober pilot, and getting upgraded to business class.

    I also like Dress Poker.  In this simple card game, the loser of the poker hand has to go into the hosts closet and put on an article of clothing.  The game ends when the closet is empty or people are  unable to move.

    The more athletic might like Croquet Dodge Ball.  As the name implies, it is playing dodgeball with croquet balls.  When you get hit, you are really out!

   One game I particularly enjoy is Where is It?  I often play this game in parking lots, looking for my car; in the house, looking for my glasses, car keys, or pants; in the grocery store looking for lima beans; in a doctor's office looking for magazines newer than 1987, (although Covid has cleared some of them out) and in the yard looking for dog doo.

    I admit, these games might not be for everyone.  Or anyone.  

    But when they come out, remember you read it here first.

Peace and Love

oops

I sometimes forget to hit the right button 

    I went to Emily's  last night to sit with an ailing dog until tJulia and Emily got home.

    So I did my blog and left the house.  I forgot to hit post.  

    I am sure my daily drivel was missed bye thousands of people who read it, so I apologize.

    I also apologize to the various people who did not get Christmas cards from us.  Seems I updated the list and eliminated about 15 people....friends, relatives, total strangers. I don't understand how I did that either.

    Anyway, when I was at Emily's the girls got to my house and could not get in!  The garage door was not opening and the little door into the garage was not accepting the code.

    They called and said get home, so I did.

    But I left the TV on at Emily's.  When she got home she was surprised the TV even went that loud.

    I left the TV on because I could not find the right remote to turn it off.  And  I figured the dogs would not even know I was gone because of the TV.  I was watching Jurassic Park, and had to leave just at the time the velocoraptors were starting to multiply and do their kill the human thing.Maybe I will finish that at home now that most of the football games are over.

    I will wear my hearing aids so that I don't have t o blast the TV.

    At the same time, we have watched a couple of Poirots on PBS. and even with hearing aids I have a hard time picking up the British/French accents.  So the TV gets turned up a bit.

    I am looking forward to the balmy temperatures expected over the next few days.  We should be at 13 tomorrow!  And 18 on Thursday!  That is almost spring like.

    Of course, another round of snow Wednesday into Thursday. 

    I have a guy plow my driveway.  He comes when there is a 2 inch or greater snowfall.  He was here the other day and the driveway was great....until the wind started blowing.

    I had a nice drift across the drive.  I thought of firing up my little Toro and attacking the drift in the -4 temps, with a -18 windchill where flesh can freeze in as little as 20 minutes.  I thought again and texted the guy and he was there within the hour.  If he doesn't know it needs plowing, he won't come.  But if it needs it, all I have to do is contact him.

    Message received.

Peace and Love

They're late

 It could be a long night t tonight

    Julia and Emily are on their way back from Florida.  Their flight was supposed to land about 6 p.m. Chicago time.  But they did not take off until about 8 from Orlando.  They should arrive around 10 at Midway.

    Then begins the drive home.  I imagine after spending a week in 80 degree weather the car heater will be on high.

    I have warned them about the country roads being in crappy condition. I imagine the interstates and toll roads are in better shape.  I hope so.

    Yesterday they ran into Jim and Karen, friends who once lived in Rochelle. but now live in the Quad Cities.  It was a chance encounter, and those events always amaze me.

    They also spent time with their cousin Lauri and her husband and Ron at Disney World.  Laurie had a conference in Orlando, and when they learned our girls were there they arranged to meet up.

    One time  we were in DisneyWorld and in one of the long lines for a ride.  I think it was the small world one.  Julia and Emily caught up to us and joined us in line, and somebody called Julia's name.

    Turned out to be a family from Flagg Center that Julia once baby sat for.  They had moved away from the Rochelle area but recognized Julia.  It is a small world.

    Julia, Jackie and I were in line to enter a castle in Germany once.  We got to talking to the lady behind us.  She was from Illinois.  We mentioned we were from Illinois and the talk got around to colleges.  The lady said she went to a small school, Julia said she did too and they discovered they both went to Blackburn College!  

    Granted, there was an age difference so they did not attend at the same time, but Blackburn only had about 600 students at the time.  

    Jackie and I were in Juneau, Alaska, at the governor's house when another couple asked me if I knew what kind of flowers were growing there.  We told her we were from Illinois and had no idea.  She said she was from Illinois but now lived in Wisconsin.  She asked us where in Illinois.  We told her Rochelle and she lit up and said she was from Rochelle and did we know Alice R?  

    We said of course, she was the secretary at Tilton School.  Turns out the  couple were close friends of Alice and Mel.

    Finally, Jackie and I and maybe Emily were coming back from the East.  We were on an expressway in New York State and stopped at he Fishkill rest area.  Coming out of the bathroom I passed a lady that looked familiar, so I sat and waited for her to come out.

    When she came out, she came right over to me and said hello.   She said she was in too big a hurry to use the bathroom to stop on her way in. 

    We all went to St. Paul's Episcopal Church in DeKalb.

    I think old Walt was right....it is a small world after all.

Peace and Love

well, well, well

 I made a list of things to do on a cold day

    We have now had 2 of them and I still have my list.

    It's not that I haven't done anything, just not a lot.

    I have fed the birds.  It was cold out there!  I hope my fine feathered friends appreciate that.

    I have also checked the furnace vent to make sure. it was not covered in snow.  It was not.

    I used the snowblower to clear a path in the snow for Beth.  I have done that three times now and each tme it seem a little cooler.

    None of those were on my list.

    I've watched a couple of football games.  Not on mu list.

    I started replacing Christmas glasses with regular glasses.  I am half done with the task that should take 10 or 15 minutes.

    I started taking down the train tree ornaments.  I have 11 down, with about 60 to go.

    I received a FB comment from a beautiful young female who "wants to know me better."  I am not falling for that trick again. My comments are not that interesting and I don't think communicating with total strangers is a very good idea.

    Beth is not enjoying the weather.  I put a coat on her and she trudges out to the sidewalk, does her business, walks the cleared path in the snow, then comes in to the comfort of home. Sometimes she just likes to go out and sit while watching the world pass by, but she has not done that for two days.  Even she knows it is too cold.

    Things to consider.

    January is almost half over.

    Pitchers and catchers report in about 3 weeks.

     Ash Wednesday falls on Valentine's Day this year.

    It was 15 degrees in Dallas today.

    That bottle of water sitting in my garage has not frozen yet.

    We are almost out of Christmas cookies.

    Julia and Emily come home from Florida tomorrow.  They will go from 80 degree weather to -5 with horrible wind chills.

    It will get into the teens by Wednesday.  There is hope.

Peace and Love

advice?

 Sometimes I hear my parents, and myself, talking

    It may be an expression I use, or something I say. 

    Today I heard both all of us on the radio.

    No, I am not  hallucinating.  It was us.

    OK, maybe not our voices, but our words for sure.

    As I often do in the morning, I had the weather radio on so I could hear the forecast for the day.

    (In case you missed it, cold.  Followed by colder.  Followed by so cold snot freezes as it drips from your nose.)

    The recorded message said the same thing my mother said to me, and I said to my kids.

    If you are goin out, make sure you wear a hat, gloves, a scarf and a winter coat.

    We have all said that, I am sure.

    When talking about driving conditions, my dad said (disguised as the weather channel people).

    If you have to drive, make sure you have a flashlight, bottled water, and an extra blanket.

    I used to pack a winter survival kit in my car.  I might have even given Julia and Emily kits, but I don't know.

    I would take an empty coffee can, put in a candy bar, hot chocolate mix, a plumbers candle, matches, and an empty soup can.  I would make sure I had a working flashlight and at least one extra blanket in the car.  Sometimes I would put a sleeping bag in the car too.

    My thought was if I got stranded, I could light the candle, heat water in the soup can, make hot chocolate, bundle up and wait to be rescued.

    Unfortunately I always ate the candy bar ahead of time. 

    Thank heavens I never had to rely on a kit to survive.

    Now days I don't drive farther than 7 miles most days, and I would never drive if the roads were bad, as they are tonight in Ogle County.

    At 6 p.m. the sheriff's department said many secondary roads were impassable and plows had been pulled until tomorrow morning.  Blowing and drifting snow and the extremely cold temperatures are the reasons why.

    Currently the temp is about 4 with the windchill at  -12.  And tonight is the warmer of the next three nights!

    So, if you are going out make sure you wear a hat, scarf, gloves and a winter coat.  And if you must drive, be sure to take a flashlight, blanket, your cell phone, a candy bar, coffee can, soup can and matches.  

    Be safe.  Be smart.  Stay home.

    You might even turn on a football game and think, "What the hell are those people doing outside?"

    That's what I'll be saying, anyway.  

Peace and Love

Yikes

 The snow may be done, bring on the cold

    I think the snow is done......although it is still flurrying outside.  Is that a word?  Flurrying?  I wonder.

    It was an uninteresting day.

    I had to snow blow a path in the grass for Beth.  The snow was up to her belly this morning and she could not squat.

    I checked the generator and heating pipes twice, they are clear.  We may get some wind tonight, so I will check them again in the morning.

    I learned I put too much oil in the snowblower, which is why it was spitting out oil.  I took some out and it was fine.  It does misfire, so I. think it may need a new spark plug.  I only use it on the sidewalk and Beth paths on the lawn.

    Johnny D. cane and plowed the driveway.  I have a huge pile at the end of it.  I don't think it will melt until March 15.  

    I spent my day doing crossword puzzles on the computer, reading the paper, and watching a movie or two.  I was in the mood for an Indiana Jones flick, so I watched the Temple of Doom.  We also watched Monk's Last Case.  And Jackie directed me in making cheddar potato soup.

    I know.  I know.  Boring stuff.

    I walked out in the yard and stood by my native garden area.  It was so peaceful, and cold.  Watching the snow come down and not hearing traffic for a few minutes was pretty relaxing.  I did find it hard to walk in the snow, my legs hurt by the time I got back to the house.

    I used to go cross country skiing  and snowshoeing in the park.  I don't remember the last time I did either one.  Today would have been a perfect day too.

    Oh well.

Peace and Love

Kevin, I ate the ChrisEaster cookie!

Thursday I noticed these balls in the yards.  I imaging the wind created them during the night .  It was neat to see so many

Not sure how accurate the gauge is

I have 3 raised gardens.....the 2-2 footers and the 1 footer.  The smaller one seems to have disappeared.

We had a strong wind out of the north last night.

Anticipation

 How bad will this winter storm be?

    Tom Skilling of WGN showed a graphic that puts Rochelle in the 9 inch zone....the prediction was 9.1, as if the .1 makes any difference.

    Of course, the storm can change course and give us more snow, or less snow.

    But there is also supposed to be a rain/snow mixture at some point, which means icing and dangerous road conditions.

    Then in the afternoon we may have blizzard like conditions.

    Holy Crap!

    I have a physics question.  At least I think it is a physics question.

    I was outside with Beth a little while ago.  I was standing on the porch and I heard a whirring/rumbling sound that got louder and louder.

    The road in our subdivision curves.  This is important.  Or not, I am not sure.

    The noises got louder, then faded.  This happened several times.

    I noticed that as cars on Flagg Road came into my view, the noise disappeared!  This happened with every westbound car.

    I would hear a loud whirring sound and as the car headlights became visible, the sound faded.

    I am guessing the moisture laden air carries the sound of the tires on the road better than dry air.  I am also guessing that as the cars are in one section of the road where there are houses on both sides, thus an echo effect is created.

    I am also guessing that as the cars come into view, there are open fields an d the echo effect is gone.

    Does that make any sense?

    I guess that was my question.

    Finally, I have been out of teaching for 15 years and I still get excited for a snow day!  Rochelle schools, and most other area schools, have already cancelled for tomorrow.  

    This storm is supposed to affect the area until sometime Saturday....which is a long haul.  

     I have stocked up on the basics...toilet paper, chocolate, potato chips, red wine.... and am ready to sit it out.

    I hope no one reading this has to travel anywhere tomorrow.  If you have something planned, cancel it.

    Stay home.  Stay safe.

    Keep those furnace exhausts and generator exhaust vents clear, especially when the snow starts blowing.

    Make some hot chocolate and enjoy the day.

Peace and Love

amazing

 Sometimes I read things I can't believe

    Recently I read that Savannah GA is one of the busiest sea ports in the US.

    Ok, I can believe that.

    But there is a bridge in Savannah that may cause problems in the future.  The bridge is not tall enough to allow the larger container ships to get into the harbor.  If they can't get into the harbor at Savannah, they will have to go somewhere else.

    The solution is....... raise the bridge!

    Engineers will replace and shorten the enter span cables to raise the bridge 20 feet in the center,  allowing room for  the anticipated bigger ships.

    All I can think is ye gads!  

    This is a huge bridge.  They don't anticipate the bridge being closed to traffic.  

    Like I said, some things I just can't believe.

    The project will cost about $189  million, which is still less than Ohtani got for signing with the Dodgers.

    I am not an engineer.  Heck, I can't even spell it!  But it seems to me that if you have a road, and you raise part of that road 20 feet, you are going to come up short of concrete somewhere on that road.  

    The project isn't going to start until 2025 and is considered a temporary fix until  a new $2 billion bridge is built.

    Speaking of numbers, sometime in the past few days this blog passed the 300,000 mark for page views!

    I am grateful and thankful for all of you who have read this drivel.  You may not be a regular reader, but you don't have to be because most of the entries stand by themselves.

    So...thank you again for allowing me to share my boring life with you.

    I will share this tidbit with you.  I read it somewhere, but I don't remember where.

    There was a new king crowned in a far off land.  He was only 12 inches tall!!!  It. was amazing that he even became king.  Unfortunately, he was not a very good king.  But he made an excellent ruler.

Peace and Love