Well I'll be

 I had some errands to do in Rockford today

    I made four stops and told Jackie I would be home ASAP.  Meanwhile, Julia was around if there were any major issues.....like dropping the tv remote on the floor or someone at the door.

    After my last stop, I decided I was doing so well on time I would hit the Starbucks on State Street.

    I knew my card had to be reloaded, so I stepped up to the counter and told them to please put money on the card.

    Suddenly a voice said, "If I had known you were putting money on your card you could have paid for mine"

    I looked and it was John, a relative of a VCCT friend.  He and his wife Dolly were in Rockford for errands.

    What makes this weird is I usually run into them at a Starbucks in Sycamore!  I could not believe they were there the same time I was.

    So we sat outside and talked for a while.  It was a good visit.

    But just o show how small the world is, they go to a health care practitioner who is a former student of mine.

    By the time I got home it was near supper time, so I opted to wait until after supper to mow our lot.  I still have to trim and clean up the sidewalk from yesterday.

    I am a terrible mower.  The grass always looks uneven and I always leave tire marks when I turn.  I think I wait too long to mow, then try to cut it short.  It doesn't work.

    I finished my lot just now.....like a damn roller coaster.  There are some huge ruts.....may have to work on filling them so it's a little smoother, although it won't be by much.

    Yesterday I went to pick up my repaired hearing aid.  All the way over I was feeling poorly, but on the way home I felt great!  Headache gone, wooziness gone, queasiness gone....maybe it was the weather.

    I am just happen I am "normal" today.

Peace and Love

Prom.......

 Let's talk a little about prom

    It was prom weekend locally and Jackie and I enjoyed looking at all the pictures on Facebook.

    Got me thinking.  According to History. com, the word prom was first mentioned in 1879 in reference to a dance.  It surged for a while in popularity, then waned, but in the 1940s it grew again. 

    Now it is estimated it costs $919 per person to attend a prom, figuring attire, limo rental, dinner, flowers, photographer......holy cow!

    President Kennedy attended a prom while president.  He was at a fund raiser in the same hotel and stopped in afterward to greet the youngsters.

    Nancy Ford hosted the only  prom ever at the White House.

    My prom history is a little convoluted.

    I did not plan to attend, but all my friends were going.  Well, I only had 3 friends, but they were going.

    So I asked a fellow senior and she said yes.  This was not what I would call a romantic event.

    Some people double date for a prom.  Some even triple date.  We quadruple dated.

    The Leader of thePack rented a station wagon, and the girls sat in the seats while the guys sat in the back end.

    When we pulled up in front of the venue we looked like a clown car at the circus.  People kept getting out.  And out.  Just when onlookers thought we were done, another cramped body tumbled out.

    I was going thru an acne stage, which lasted from age 16 to 3 days ago.  (My unofficial nickname was Spots)  My date was about 6 foot to start with, but had her hair in a bee hive which made her top out about 7'3".  The official photographer had a hard time getting both our heads in the picture.

    But we made quite a pair:  Kid who looked like he had measles with girl  who looked line a Martian. Standing on my tiptoes I came up to her armpits.  (Another reason to avoid a slow dance.)

    I still have the pictures somewhere.  I never gave her copies.

    The dance was totally not memorable.

    We had  planned to picnic at a lake in Wisconsin the next day.  I told Prom Date we would pick her up about 7.

    We got to her house and she was nowhere to be seen. .  We honked.  We yelled.  We threw stones at a window.  I don't even know if it was her window.

    She finally appeared, completely puzzled by why the hell we were there.

    She insisted I never told her about the picnic.  In hindsight, that is something I have frequently done in life....made plans and then did not told people what was happening.  It has cost me a friendship or two.

    We all piled back into the station wagon, all 8 of us, and headed north.

    The Leader of the Pack was a smoker.  Camels.  Kept them rolled up in his t shirt sleeve.

    As we were driving along somewhere in Wisconsin he asked if anyone wanted a cigarette.

    Everyone said no.  Except me.

    "I'll take a smoke." I said, from the tail end of the car.

    "You?" he questioned as he passed a sCamel back to me.  "I didn't think you smoked," he added.

    "Oh, I don't smoke," the idiot that I am replied, "I eat them."

    With that I took a huge bite out of the cigarette and began chewing.

    Within nanoseconds I  turned multiple shades of green and yellow and purple and the car was pulling over to the side of the road because people were yelling that I was about to hurl.  I quickly got out of the car and got rid of whatever the hell was  now in my mouth.

    I don't think I actually threw up, but I spent several minutes spitting and gagging while 7 people inside the car wondered about my sanity.

    And believe it or not, that was the highlight of the picnic.

    I just hope today's kids had more fun than I did.

Peace and Love

Paper or plastic?

 Every once in a while I read something disturbing

    No, I am not talking about the people who dismember wives or girlfriends and hide their bodies.  Although that is disturbing.

    But the Tribune  had an article about plastic pollution, especially as it affects Lake Michigan.

    Plastics break down into microplastics. When they do that, the microplastics enter the food chain at some point.

    The article had an expert who said we eat, on average, one credit card of plastic a week!  A week!

    And nobody knows wha effect that has on our bodies.

    I look around my house and see plastic fruit containers, take out containers, soap containers.....all made out of plastic.

    And bags.  Plastic bags.  

    Drive down any highway and you will see them in the trees. along fences, and even in my neighbor's back yard tree, where one of mine blew last week.

    What to do?

    You can't buy most fruit at the store that is not in a plastic container.  Or hundreds of other items that we need for our daily living.

    My only action is to make a point of using my reusable bags every time I go to the store.  Sometimes I run in for one or two things and end up buying more than 1 bag can carry, and I end up with a plastic bag.

    Which is not too bad, because those are the bags we use to line wastebakets in the bathrooms.  If we did not use those, we would buy plastic bags, which isn't solving a problem.

    My second complaint of the day is the ESPN coverage of the Cubs game.  At least 3 plays were missed because the camera was focused on the baserunners or on the umpire.  It's just frustrating to only see the play on a replay.

    And the Boys in Blue are trailing....but there is still time.  At least it is not 17-0.

    Go Cubs, Go!!

Peace and Love

dam it

 I must be having financial troubles

    Yesterday and today I received several e mail notices that payments to my Peacock and Sirius accounts have been denied and I need to log in to a website to get them restarted.

    I can only assume they have been denied because I am out of money, my credit cards are hacked, or it is a scam.

    I am going with scam.

    I mean, both have the same wording!

    I hope nobody falls for this, but I imagine people will.

    In the meantime, headache comes and goes.  So does the queasy stomach.

    I need to mow, but did not feel up to it today.  It is supposed to rain for the next couple of days, so I guess I will wait.

    Went to see Julia's lot today.  A lot of trees have been cut down, and several more may have to go.  At least they are getting close to starting construction.

    Lucky Jackie and I went, otherwise we would have watched the 17-0 Cubs loss.  What a train wreck that was.

    Speaking of train wrecks, there is a video of 2 people in a train engine watching a tornado approach.  I am not sure the exact location, I think someplace in Nebraska.

    They are so calm as the storm moves toward them.  One of the guys says in a matter of fact voice, "Maybe we should get away from the windows."

    No panic.  No worries.

    I, on the other hand, would have been screaming and trying to get out of the locomotive to outrun the tornado.  If I had a Rosary, I would have had it out and been saying it and I have no idea what to say because I am not Catholic.   Not that any of that matters.

    The guys seemed safe.  Windows in the locomotive were smashed and ruined, but they seemed fine.

    It was a terrifying yet amazing video to watch.

    Hopefully we don't have anything like that near us.  (Tornadoes, not trains.  Plenty of trains.)

    If we do, you may hear me screaming.

Peace and Love

Ho hum

 What a miserable day it was!

    Cold.  Wet.  Windy.

    Thank you for all your well wishes for my migraine or whatever it was.  I felt ok most of the day, but around 3 the headache came back.

    It is tolerable right now, but I am so tired.

    I had to go to Sycamore because I broke one of my hearing aids. 

    The post snapped off, leaving me holding the one end while the other end was still in my ear.  Try prying a hearing aid out of your ear when you have a headache and can't see it.  Not easy, but it came out.

    The doctor's office thought they could repair it, but only before 3 because that is when they closed today.  I got there about 1:30 and was the second person with a broken hearing aid, so I will have to wait until Monday. And it could be they can't repair it and have to send it "off."

    In the mean time, write loudly because I can't hear well.

    Twice tonight Jackie has said something to me that made absolutely no sense.  When she repeated it louder, I understood.

    I never thought my hearing was bad until I didn't wear hearing aids.  Make sense?  With the devices I pick up so much more of conversations.  It is now an adjustment to go without them for a few days.

    I went to HyVee in DeKalb since I was over there.  Bought some stuff, went to the car in the pouring rain, checked my phone to see if the doctor's office had called, and found 2 texts from home asking me to buy a couple of things at HyVee.

    So I went back out, in the pouring rain with the 90 mile an hour gales roaring in from the north, and bought some lunch meat.

    By the time I left the store the second time it was raining even harder, and the winds kicked up to 100 miles an hour!  There were whitecaps on the puddles in the parking lot!  

    By the time I got back into the car I was wet and frozen.  Yes, frozen.  Icicles were dripping from my ear lobes and I thought ice was forming on my mustache but I realized I do not have a mustache and it was actually a caterpillar that the wind had blown onto my upper lip.

    Terrible day.

    It was made better by a Cubs win, but I can't put out my giant flag because we are in line for some storms later.

    Tomorrow may be more of the same.  But hopefully without a headache.

Peace and Love

My grain?

Jackie had a hair appointment today 

    When this happens, I get her settled in at Inner Beauty and then head across the street to Acres Bistro for a cup of coffee and to read my e-reader.

    Sometimes I have a dessert, usually cookies.  I eat half of the order and bring the other half home.

    Today they had several options:  chocolate chip cookies, lemon cookies, lemon beignet, and cinnamon roll cheese cake.

    I opted for the cheese cake.

    It was amazing!  I also had 2 cups of coffee.  

    When I went back to Jackie, I started to feel a little dizzy.  And I started to get a headache.

    By the time we got home I was still dizzy, my head was killing me, I was freezing, and I felt like crap.

    I think I have a migraine.  I think it might have been induced by the coffee and tea I had at home.... too much caffeine.

    The bad thing is...I had an errand to run at 5:15.  It was one that could not be put off because I tried several times to schedule it and this was the day that worked best for 3 sets of people.

    I actually did not feel quite so bad at 5.  But by the time I got back at 6 my head was splitting.

    Julia took care of supper and feeding her mom while I sat on the couch with my eyes closed.

    My head still hurts.  My stomach is not queasy anymore.  I am terribly tired.

    And I broke one of my hearing aids.  Not only do I have a headache, I can't hear very well.

    That's it.

Peace and Love

what next

 Things are getting ship shape here

    I was taking care of Jackie when Beth started barking like crazy.  Julia came up and saw a man at the door.  She came and got me.

`I opened the door and there was a guy standing there with a shirt that had RAYNOR in huge letters.

    "Can I help you?"  I asked.

    "I'm here for your garage door." he replied.

    Of course!!  Why else would a guy be at my door wearing a shirt from the company that is fixing my garage door!  Call me oblivious to the obvious.

    Making a long story short, as he came in the garage and surveyed the damage he said, "Golf cart, eh?"

    I must be the talk of the office.  And the neighborhood.

    I was pleasantly surprised when he gave me the bill and it was about $600.  I expected it to be at least twice that, so I am counting it as a win.

    So this week:  new utility sink installed, utility room door trim back in place, garage door fixed, lawn fertilized........ a productive week.

    The Rochelle Area Community Foundation had its check presentation program tonight.  The director provided all the speakers with a script.

    Of course, half way through mine I lost my place and just vocally wandered around the page.  I think I hit all the important points, but I am not sure.  

    Foundation grants awarded this year totaled about $100,000.  That is truly amazing.  

    I always favor the grants for agencies providing services for abused children, domestic violent centers, food relief agencies and homeless shelters.

    The needs for all those services are growing, not only in Rochelle but all over.

    If you can, find an agency near you and support it.

    We all can make a difference.

Peace and Love

not again

 Recycling is taking its toll

    Two times in a row I have ended up chasing recycling.  The damn winds play havoc with my recycling efforts.

    Today I had 2 boxes on top of the cart, but the wind blew so hard one of the boxes fell over and took a recycling bucket with!  It was the paper bin, so papers were blowing all over.

    I chased down about 10 of them in the yard across the street but I have no idea if any blew further than that.

    I wish the recycling bins had lids like the garbage cans.  Would make it easier on avid recyclers like me.

    The plus side is chasing after blowing papers has been about the only exercise I have gotten this week.  I have not walked at the REC, or walked the dog.  I can feel the pounds mounting.

    Of course my weaknesses don't help.  

    I went to a museum event today and visited the new ice cream shop for a junior sized serving of mint.  I had to, it is across from the museum!  The ice cream  was very good.  Then afterwards I went home and ate more stuff.  

    Self control.  I don't have any.  

    I went to the store, again, today.  Bought a couple of things and opted to pay cash.  I put a $10 bill in and was due $4.47 in change.

    The bills came out, but I only got 22 cents.  I called the lady over and said I was shorted a quarter. They found one and gave it to me, but I don't think they ever checked the machine to see if it was out of quarters or not.  Seems to me that should have been done.

    Now, a quarter is not a lot.  But do it 10 times a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks of the year and you could make a nice little pot of change.

    Not that any retailer would do that.

    But just to be safe, always count your change.

Peace and Love

    

    

short

 I am coming up a little short tonight

    But I did discover I am no the only one with a name problem.

    I ran into a lady named Summer.  That is not her real name, but it is a name that evokes a pleasant feeling of warm days, sunshine, and afternoon naps on the porch.

    Anyway, saw Summer at the local gathering place, the center of social life in Rochelle, Walmart.

    I have known summer for a few years.  

    I told her I was surprised to see her in a WM jersey, and she explained how she left her old job and was now working here.

    We talked for a few minutes and then I said, "I'll see you around, Summer."

    To which she replied, "Nice talking to you, BOB!"

    I knew is wasn't only me.  I just hope I called her the right name to start with.

    I have been battling grass in my native garden.  It seems to have invaded along the edges.  I have spent several hours out there digging away and I have cleaned out about 2 square feet. That crabgrass is tenacious!  The roots just keep going and going.

    I can't work a long time because my knees start barking at me.  If I lay down and work, I don't know if I could get back up.  Plus the turkey buzzards might get the wrong idea.

    Little by little it will get done.  It might take a year, but I will finish.

    Who am I kidding?

Peace and Love

penny wise

 I fertilized my yard today

    Correction:  I fertilized part of my back yard today

    I bought a  bag of weed and feed plus crabgrass control.  The bag was almost $80 and covered 12,000 square feet.  My back yard is bigger than that.  But the worst part is up by the house, so t hat is the area I focused my inattention on.  (on which my attention was focused.....better?  or....on which I focused my attention.?)

    Julia had to help.  The tow behind spreader has to be manually opened.  I can't reach it from the mower seat.  Last year I fertilized and killed a large patch of good grass because I opened the bin, jumped on the mower, and left a huge deposit of fertilizer.

    So this year I had Julia open it just as I put it into gear.  That seemed to work well.  Until I stopped to check the bin and saw there was still fertilizer in it and now it was draining out.  But I went to an area of the yard that does not matter to me.  I don't think there was much fertilizer left there, but probably more than there should be.

    I also bought a smaller bag for the front yard.  I don't want to do both areas at once, because when I put it on I want to keep Beth off it for a couple of days.  Now she can't use the backyard until Wednesday.  Then I will do the front yard.

    I used to have a service come and do all this, but I was not happy with the residue that kept getting left on the walk and driveway.  Plus it was getting more expensive.

    But after today, I am beginning to wonder if I am penny wise and pound foolish.  Maybe I should have opted for the service.

    Sigh......

    About 2 weeks ago Julia gave me Emily's white noise machine.  The ringing in my ears can get really annoying at night.

    I have been using the machine on the fan noise mode and am sleeping like a log!  Last night I went to sleep at about 11:30 and woke up around 9.  But Jackie was still sleeping, so I stayed in bed until a little after 10.

    I need to get up earlier, which means going to bed earlier.

    After all, I have to go watch my grass grow and the weeds die.

Peace and Love

Oh no, not me

It was darn chilly today 

    I had one job to do outside. One job.

    I had to trim around the house, gardens, and bird feeders.

    But I went to get gas and realized it was damn cold outside.

    The wind was strong, I was chilled, so I went home and did not do the trimming.

    Funny thing is, I don't know what I did today.

    I don't think I took a nap, although when Jackie asked me if I had fed the dog I was startled a little.

    I just did not want to go outside. 

    I did the usual Saturday chores of changing the bed and washing the sheets and towels.  But that didn't take me very long.  Truth is, I still have not folded the sheets and towels.

    Whatever I did, it has made me really tired.

    I did order new blades for my electric razor, but am having trouble setting them into place. I will put that off until tomorrow.

    I have changed up my reading genre a little.  Instead of the neat, happy, laid back stories about the Buncle family in England, I am reading Casino Royale, by Ian Fleming.  Yes, it is a James Bond novel.

    I have a problem because Fleming throws in French words and phrases and I don't always know what they mean.  I try to highlight the word and look it up, but frequently it is not a useful tactic.  There is not context either.

    This is the first Bond novel he wrote, and Bond is one of the 00 agents considered for the job.  He is new to the field, and they are not sure how he can handle himself.

    I guess he did pretty well in the long run.

    Bond.  James Bond.

    I can hear the Scottish accent.

Peace and Love

Crazy

 Is it me or my glasses?

    My new glasses are fine except for one area:  Whenever I blink, I feel hairs touching my glasses.  It is driving me crazy!

    Jackie watched and said it was my eyebrows coming in contact with the glasses.  So I have trimmed my eyebrows.  You can barely see them, but I can still feel them on my glasses!

    It is irritating!  I have never had. this happen and I wonder if it is the glasses or me.  

    Another crazy thing.  I mowed today and damn near froze to death!  It was windy and cold.  I only mowed my yard, not the newly purchased lot, because I was too cold.

    The wind was blowing at about 900 miles an hour out there!  Seriously!  I would not lie!

    I had a plastic bag tucked in my sweatshirt to carry door stuff that I picked up, but at some point the wind blew the bag out of my pocket.  (And to clarify, the bag was empty at the time.  All the stuff was in a shovel in the yard.)  I tried chasing it on the lawn mower, which moves faster than me running plus it doesn't have to stop every 5 feet to breathe, but the bag took off across the neighbor's yard and into another yard, where it seemed to hang up on the top of a tree.

    So I left it.

    And I feel bad about that because I hate to see plastic bags hanging from trees and always curse the idiots who don't hold onto them.

    Another crazy.  Mammals can catch bird flu!  If a cow catches it, that may allow them to jump over the moon, making that Mother Goose tail true!  Imagine that!

    And yet another crazy.  I have found the ! key and am using it a lot tonight!  I have never used ! so much in one blog!  

    We have a freeze warning for parts of our listening area tonight.  Imagine that.  April 19 and we have a freeze warning.  That is crazy!

    What's next?  An ice storm?  Hail? Spring?

    Enough.  I am too crazy to continue.

Peace and Love!!!

    

welll......

 Today was, may I say, interesting

    That is a word used to describe something, well, interesting.

    We had a guy coming today to put in my new sink in the laundry room.

    To fill you in on the story, we had one of those four legged ugly slop sinks in the laundry room.  Well, it was at that point a 3 legged sink, but I digress.   I decided to upgrade that to a cabinet with a sink.  But I did not want to have a big sink, so I ordered a smaller one.

    What I actually ordered was a bar sink.  It was so small, I could not get a bucket in the sink to fill with water.  (And yes, someone did ask if the sink was too small before I ordered it and I thought it was fine.  It wasn't)

    So I ordered another sink.  

    Big Jake came to install it today and also to reattach the trim I knocked off when I ran into it with a wheelchair. 

    See a pattern here?  Hit the trim with a wheel chair, took out the garage door with a golf cart, marred the side of the car by getting too close to the door frame.  I drive like shit, no matter what the vehicle is.

    He was coming at 1 or so.  The cleaning lady comes at about 2.  I have a chiropractor appointment at 2.  I needed to get to the Foundation office by 2:30 or so.  I had to go to the bank and get a document out of the safety deposit box.

    It seemed everything was happening at one time!

    It sort of all worked out.  The document was not in the box, but we found it at home.  How long should we keep stuff?  We still have the paper work for the sale of our house on Southview, (1982), Mill Pond, (1992) and payment records for cars long gone.  Why do we keep it ?

    But today was not the time to decide that.  

    I also stopped  at Starbucks today to get a gift card and since it was a BOGO Thursday, I ordered a vanilla latte.  For my free one, I ordered a lavender/oat milk concoction.  The offer was on the app, so I opened it and stared at it, then gave the phone to the guy and told him I was too old for this.  So he did it for me.

    Interesting, eh?

    Actually that is a word I use when I don't have anything good to say about a picture, story, music, or opinions.   Or a day.

    And I bet you are thinking this whole missive was interesting, eh?

Peace and Love

openings

 I can't seem to open anything lately

    Except my mouth.  And the front door.

    Yogurt?  Every time I pull that stinking little tab I spray yogurt all over my shirt.

    I tried to open a can of pineapple chunks the other day.  The damn ring snapped off and I ended up using a can opener, which is no easy task because it says on the top to open the bottom with a can opener, but when the top is partially open you can't!

    And what kind of colossus is screwing the caps onto plastic bottles?  I actually had to use a Vice Grips to open bottle of iced tea!

    I know.  I am getting older, my hands are weaker.  I don't have the grip strength I once never had.

    But potato chips?  My lord, if I can't open a bag I get so frustrated!

    I often use a scissors.  But I never put that away and so I can't find the scissors when I need them.  I have tried Jackie's left handed scissors, but they don't work for me, even using my left hand.  Do they know?

    Digression:  I read or heard somewhere that when you open potato chips, the whoosh sound you hear is not air escaping but nitrogen, which is used to preserve the chips.  Now....did I really hear or read that or did I dream it?  

    Google help me.

    Berries in a plastic container?  Pure hell.  I know they don't want the blueberries to open and spill all over the aisle at the grocery store when you drop them on the floor, (not that I have ever done that.) but my heavens it is so hard.

    Pills in pop out containers....it takes me forever to pry them out even with a scissors and knife.

    And those plastic lids on cottage cheese, cream cheese and other like items....it is just easier to slit them with a knife.

    Damn, it is frustrating.

    Speaking of frustrating, my margarita from last night froze.  I put it in the freezer because I did not drink it all and thought the alcohol would prevent freezing.  

    It didn't.  Makes it a challenge to drink it...wait for a thaw, sip.  Wait for a thaw, sip.

    I wonder how many times I can put it through a thaw/freeze cycle before it turns deadly.

    Hopefully more than twice.  

    Better Google that, too.

Peace and Love

memories

Where is the real Spring? 

    Six years ago my FB memories said the Cubs had been snowed out 2 days in a row before todays' game.  Huh.

    Today it was in the 70s.  No snow is expected.

    I see people working in their yards and I can't help but think I should be doing that too.  Instead I am waiting for the snow shoe to drop.

    Right now we are under a tornado watch until 10, which is about an hour from now.  The wind has picked up and there is lightning and thunder all around.  The rain is also falling.

    That's the weather report from my house.

    For some reason, I am pretty calm.

    Usually I really freak out about weather and storms.  Maybe the margarita I had has soothed my nerves a bit.

    I did not have the whole drink.  It was pretty large and I put the remainder in the freezer.  I hope I don't regret that tomorrow.

    Julia went out to dinner with friends and I jokingly told her she could bring me back a margarita.

    She did.  I did not know they sold carry outs.

    We traumatized Beth today by giving her a shower.  She really does not like getting wet.  I don't like getting her wet, but she had a doggy odor. 

    All of us were crowded into the bathroom.  I got Beth in the shower, Julia cleaned up her "I don't want to do this" pee and we washed her down.

    She actually was fine once we got the water and soap on her.  She stood still and did not try to run until after the water was off.

    Now she smells nice and clean and her fur is silky soft too!

    Wish I could say the same for me!

  Peace an Love

What the?

 I have been very active the last 3 days

    I can't explain it.  My energy level is up, I am not as tired, and I have gotten a lot done.

    Since Saturday:  power washed porch and patio; put 2 coats of oil on the outdoor furniture; sprayed my windmill, bison, and bird house,; reassembled my patio table; moved outdoor furniture to the porch and patio, rearranged the garage so I can get the van in; got the oil changed, bought groceries, and mowed almost 2 acres of land.

    Whew!

    We take our car to the dealer where we bought it for oil changes.  Well, this is only the second change in almost 2 years.

    Anyway, they operate on a drive in and no appointment basis.  I always take something to read on why e reader and today was no exception.

    I opened the book and discovered I had finished it last night!  I did not know that!  I figured there would be at least one or two more chapters, but I was wrong.

   That is when my problems started.

    There is free WiFi, so when I went to Hoopla to order a new book, I got a message to sign in.  But I don't know my Hoopla password.  So I eventually went to change it.  After several attempts to find the change password button, it magically appeared and I changed my password.

    By this time I had been working on it for about 30 minutes.

    I finally got a book, and just as I read the first line they told me the van was ready.

    Timing is everything.

    I had a big push to get a space in the garage cleared because we may have storms Tuesday night. I don't want the van out when it is hailing.

    Julia helped me with assembling and moving the table and with moving the grill. and the bison.  I could not do that by myself, so that was greatly appreciated.

    And the garage repair guys called and said they would be here next week.  And the sink guy called to install my new utility sink and reattach the door Frame I took off, and don't ask how.

    I am tired.  Hopefully I will get a good night's sleep.  Heaven knows I am ready for one!

    

Love and Peace

so far, so good

 Well, we are all still here

    I just hope everyone  keeps their senses about what Iran did.  Restraint.  Restraint.

    Wish I could opt for restraint in my life!

    For those of you who know me, you know I am a pessimist and a worrier.

    I do like people.  Well, most people.  There are some I don't like, but I know there are people who don't like me.  Hard to believe, I know!

    We moved into this house almost 12 years ago.  Neighbors have come and gone, but they have all be great people.  

    The developers have taken a rather aggressive tact to rid themselves of the remaining empty lots.

    We have one lot next to us.  It's a really weird shape, like a  piece of pie.    It's something like 200 feet across at the front and 40 feet across at the back.

    I figured no one would ever buy it to build on because it is such a weird shape.  My neighbor mows more than half of it, and I finish the rest.  Honestly, I would rather see long grasses for birds and deer, but it is not my choice.

    Well, last week a culvert was dropped on the lot.  And surveyors came out to get an accurate reading of the lot.

    I went out and talked to them and asked if my property was in any way too close or over the property line.

    Well........yes and no.  I have dozens of plants that are not on my property.  

    Therein lies my dilemma. I can remove the plants now or I can wait until the new owners move in and explain the situation and see if they mind.

    Then I started thinking.....what if they don't like me?  What if they have kids with dirt bikes or 4 wheelers that will race around the detention pond?  What if they have teenagers that drive recklessly and play music so loud I won't be able to sleep?  What if they are Sox fans?  Or Cardinal fans?

    Or worse:   Green Bay Fans!

    What if they demand I remove the flowers immediately?

    So all those worries led me to sleepless nights, where I tossed and turned, and turned and tossed, and tossed again.  I would walk the house, worried about our next 6 years here with neighbors who proudly display Packer and Sox banners along with a Trump flag.

    What to do?

    After discussing this with Jackie, and hearing advice from Julia and Emily, we ended up buying the lot.

    I will talk to a lawyer about creating a landscaping easement between the two properties and when we sell this house, we can sell the lot too.

    Yes, I am a little crazy.  No, a lot crazy!  (Good pun, eh?)

    Speaking of lots, we took a drive out to Julia's lot today.  Some of the trees are marked for keeping and some for removal.  Once the junk gets cleared out they will stake the outline of the house and driveway.  She is getting close to breaking ground.

    By junk, I mean downed trees and branches and garbage trees.  

    Weather permitting, I think they will start. next week.  Or maybe this week.  I get confused on next and this when it comes to days and weeks.

    I'm old....and entitled to a little confusion.

    Happy July 4!

Peace and Love

imagine

 Sometimes I just don't get life at all

    Like how a group of people can hate another group of people for centuries, because of their religion, politics, or the color of their skin.

    It just baffles me that humans can hate so much, so long.

    The situation in the MidEast worries me.  I can see a lot of countries, including us, being sucked into a war that is unnecessary.  Hamas should have never sent in terrorists to kill innocent children, then run and hide in tunnels, hospitals and schools.

    Israel had a right to respond, but when does that response become revenge?  And when does it stop?

    Now Iran is getting into the act.

    Good grief, people.  We are one world.  Let's try John Lennon's idea of a world of peace.  People in all those countries, and Russia and Ukraine, should take to the streets and demand an end to the violence.  

    But that will never happen.  Imagine if it would.

    I guess I am tired.

    I had a busy day.

    Laundry, let Emily's the dogs out, power washed the front porch and back patio, over-coated  the outdoor wooden furniture with teak oil, moved stuff around in the garage.....more than I usually do in a week!

    Tomorrow I want to get the table, grill, chairs, and umbrella out to the patio and the Adirondack chairs out onto the porch.  Hopefully I will have enough space in the third garage stall to park the van and keep it safe from hail and storm damage Monday through Thursday.

    Julia will have to help me, like she did in getting it into the garage last fall, because I can't do it myself.  Even if I were 74 I couldn't!

    Oh hell.

    And the Cubs lost last night.  My flag is getting dusty.

Peace and Love

late night

I had a late night Friday 

    Emily and I went to see Pretty Woman - the Musical at the Coronado Theater in Rockford.

    The show started at 8 and ended about 10:30.  By the time I got home the Cubs had already lost and Jackie was ready to go to bed.

    I thought the show was pretty good, considering making a play out of the movie had to bet a big challenge.  It was a little sexy, because Vivian was a prostitute.  Hard to put her in a nun's habit with that job.

    The Coronado season is over and the next season has not been announced.  In a way it's nice, because the theater is close.  But the shows are only 1 night, so if you are busy that night you are out of luck.

    I am a little excited because the Paramount in Aurora is building a new theater and Million Dollar Quartet will be there sometime this summer.  I saw that in Chicago and it was a great show.  I can't wait to see it again. That show is about one magical night in Sun Records studio where Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Elvis and oh my gosh I am tired and forgot the fourth guy did a session together.  The show has great music and great talent when I saw it.  Carl Perkins.  He was the fourth guy.

    I guess I could edit all that stuff out...but I won't

    Anyway.......I digress.

    I always focus on one character in a non starring role and tonight the hotel bellhop seemed to be my favorite......not counting the blond in the red bikini outfit.  He was very funny in a non vocal way and he could really move on stage. he received a huge ovation  on the curtain call.

    That's my day.

    Thanks, Emily, for taking the old man out for the night!

Peace and Love

    

Oh, really?

 Garage door guy came today

    I may need a go fund me account.

    He rigged it so it is closed.  I am only supposed to open it in case of emergency, so my van will be in the driveway at night.

    Julia suggested moving all the shit from the third bay to the middle and parking there.  That would be a good idea but most of that stuff is for outside.  If I move it, it might as well be to outside and where I want it..

    Garage guy also pointed out I knocked 3 studs off the concrete footing...about an inch and a half.  This was not something he could fix, so another crew has to come out to do that.  But first, a salesman has to come out to write up an estimate.

    Cha Ching!  Cha Ching!!

    I then told him how it happened.  That I had backed my golf car up from the front of the garage, and could not get my foot off the go pedal.

    "Golf cart?  he asked, with raised eyebrows.  "Damn, that's impressive."

    Impressive?  Maybe.  But also pretty damn stupid.

    So all day today I was in a "I'm pretty damn stupid" mood and nothing seems to be taking me out of it. Not the ribs, or cream puff, or the 2 glasses of wine.

    Jackie was getting ready for bed and dropped her nightgown o the floor.  I picked it up, gave it to her, and took about 10 steps.  She dropped it again and started crying.  "I'm sorry I keep dropping it," she wailed.

    I said, "Well, it's not like you took the garage door out with a golf cart.  You dropped a nightgown."

    At least she laughed.    

    Which seems to be the universal response when I show someone a picture.  They laugh.  

    However, I am still trying to find the humor.  

    Especially when it is pouring rain and I am parking in the driveway.

    And Jackie was a little concerned that I posted all that yesterday.  She said anyone could come into the garage and break into the house.

    Of course, it was 4 a.m. when she said I should delete the post.  I said no.  She asked why.  I said, "Because it's 4 a.m.!

    However I did put a chair under the door handle....just in case.

Peace and Love

Good news, bad news

Bad news is I fell in the shower last night 

    God news is it was only a dream.  But I woke up with a start!  I even checked myself to see if I had broken anything, which I hadn't because it was only a dream.

    But holy crap, it seemed real at the time.

      More good news.  I was not hurt in an accident this afternoon.

    Bad news.....my garage door was.

        No, alcohol was not involved.

        I was carefully and slowly backing my gold cart out of the garage when I lost control.

        I hit the railing taking out the 2 x 4 that braced it to the ground.   Instead of taking my foot off the go pedal, I pushed down.  Hard.  The cart vaulted backward, aiming directly toward Julia's car.  I still kept my foot pressed all the way down on the go pedal. 

    I flew backwards across the garage...going at least 80 miles an hour. 

      I  barely missed Julia's car, then, not content with a near miss, I rammed the side of the garage door.

    Whey didn't I stop after hitting the railing?  Good question.  I wish I knew.

    Why didn't I stop as I backed toward Julia's car?  Again, good question.

    I did stop with a sudden jerk when I hit the garage door, however.

    I am not sure at what point my hand got hurt, but it is minor.

    I had Julia come up to check out her car and she looked at it all and laughed.  Then we showed pictures to Jackie and she laughed.  I called the garage door people and that person laughed.  Sheri was passing by and stopped, and she laughed.  By now I was laughing too, but I had some tears also.

    The golf cart?  Holy crap, not a scratch on it.  But there is some drywall.

    I am guessing a minimum $2500 in damages by the time it all gets put back together.  If I am lucky.

    All I can do is shake my head and try to laugh about it myself.  It is so stupid.  A golf cart.  I can't even drive a golf cart!!!

     We listened to the Cubs on TV last night.

    It remained me of the days I was a kid on Belle Plaine.  If the Cubs were on the West Coast I would go to bed, turn thy radio on, and listen o the game.  Was it Vince Lloyd?  Lloyd Petit?  I can almost hear their voices years later.

    The radio was a white Philco with a round golden dial right in the center.  AM only, you would turn the needle to about where the station was and eventually I would get WGN.  We were in the house in 1959, but I don't know when we actually moved into it.  Carl would know, but that is another question I will not find an answer to.

    At some point my mom or dad would come in and turn off the radio.  I don't think I ever heard who it was.

    Nowadays we set a timer.  I fell asleep before the end of the game last night , but woke up during the postgame show, then the timer went and the TV fell silent.

    I don't think I will sleep as well tonight.

Peace and Love

memories

 9 years ago, this was one of the hardest days of my life

    I should say our lives.

    This was the day an EF 4 tornado ripped through Emily's subdivision, destroying several houses and damage others to the point of demolition.

    It was a warm day.  Ripe for thunderstorms.

    A tornado was reported in the Ashton area needed north east, putting us in t he path.

    I took Jackie to our basement then looked out the back window to see trees flying through the park.

    After it passed, I went out in front and watched it move north east.

    I told Jackie to wait in the basement while I went to check on Emily's house.

    I could not go down Skare Road because of downed trees and power lines.  I had to go around the long way.

    When I got there, John (now Johanna) was standing in the driveway, just looking around, stunned and lost.

    Everywhere I looked I saw broken homes.  Standing in her driveway, I almost threw up.

    I went home to get leashes for the dogs we found while he went to Walmart to tell her.

    She wondered what was up when a friend texted her and said, "Oh Em, I am so sorry."

    To me it was a miracle no one in our area was injured.  The tornado hit Fairdale and killed 2 people, but it could have been a lot worse.

    Honestly, I still tear up thinking about what we could have lost hat day.  The house was rebuilt, and life went on.

    Thankfully.

    The response from the community was amazing.  Hundreds of people came to help clean up, and provide food and water.  And comfort.

    9 years ago today.  Seems like a lifetime.

Peace and Love

eclipse, not apocalypse

 Sometimes people are either stupid or joking

    I read a post from a congress person that said the eclipse and earthquakes were God's warning to us that we are sinners.

    Really?  That's when I thought: how freakin crazy are people to elect this woman?  OMG, she seems to have no concept of Earth and its many faults.  (Pun intended.  Earthquakes happen along faults.  Funny, huh?)

    Ah well.

    We all watched the eclipse today.  I really wish I was in an area with a total blackout.  That would have been neat.  I think I heard we were at 98 percent, but the lighting did not seem to be much different than before it started.

    And I am not sure about the temperature because we were chilled by the wind.

    Anyway, it was cool to see.  Several of the neighbors were out watching also.  And we all had glasses.

    I heard them call Carbondale the eclipse crossroads, because the 2017 eclipse also was total for those folks.

    I might  miss the next one too....I think it is 2049.

    I stopped at Cypress House for the special of the day, a Dark Side of the Moon.  It was a   dark chocolate cold brew and vanilla syrup.  That was pretty darn tasty!  I hope they still have them during the week.

    I also mowed today.  I don't ever remember mowing in early April, but the grass was long in spots.  It also looks like crap in spots.  Not dog crap, just crap.  I may buy some fertilizer to put on it.

    And I have to trim.  

    As I was mowing I thought of all the things I need to do outside, and now I will make a list.  It's not that I don't like doing the chores, but sometimes my hands hurt too much to work.  Damn Arther itis!

    Finally, I watched Perdue get smoked by U Conn.  There were 13 second left and I guess the station lost its feed, because the screen went black.  I wanted to see the net get cut down, but I turned off the set.

    Such is life.

Peace and Love

Before the eclipse started

At 2:07.....peak time.  Does not look much darker.

Jackie's magnolia still has some blooms....but they are fading.

damn them

 I am still having trouble printing from my computer

    The whole situation started when I upgraded to Sonoma 14.3.1  From that point on, the printer stopped functioning properly.

    Turns out, I am not the only one!

    Lots of people have reported being unable to print with the new system installed.  

    So it is not the printer that is the problem....it's the Sonoma.

    One person said the best solution may be to remove the printer and reinstall all the software for it.  I have no idea how to do that, hopefully Julia or Emily can, and will, before Jackie yells at me again.

    There is also a possibility I can only print using Apple Air Print, or something, but I have no idea where that is.

    Damn Apple for upgrading and casing problems. I might even sell my 2 shares of stock in protest.

    We had  mini earthquake last night.  Just like New York and points east, our house shook a little, enough to wake Jackie up.

    The quake was not caused by tectonic plate movements, but by an elderly heavy set man missing the f'in bed!

    I don't know how I did it, but the bottom part of my body missed the bed.  The upper part made it in, but the bottom part fell off the bed, taking the entire body with it.

    Jackie thought the house was being destroyed.  But it was just me.

    Seriously!  How do I miss the bed?  

    No harm, no foul, no injuries.  

    Then I thought what happens if I do fall?  Jackie can't get out of bed to call, Julia gets the dog in the morning, which means I would lay on the floor for 6 or 7 hours before anyone but us knew.  Beth would probably come out and lick me, but she is no Lassie and won't run to get help.

    Maybe I need one of those help I fell and I can't get up thingies.

    We missed seeing my niece and her husband this morning.  They called and said they would be at the Starbucks in Rochelle in about 40 minutes.  Julia went, Emily went, but we did not have enough time to get out of bed, dressed, in the car and there.  Niece and hubby  was on heir way back from Peoria.  (Chuck Diamond was a weather guy in Rockford and he always called it Pee Oh Ree Ah.  How the hell do I remember that?)

    FYI...they called about 11.  Yes, we had just gotten up.  No, we were not dressed to go anywhere.  Yes, I realize that we need to get up earlier.

    But between men's basketball and earthquakes, it was a tough night to sleep.

Peace and Love

tis the season

 I actually planned on mowing today

    I know!  It's only April 6!!

    But my grass is getting long in spots and I don't want it to get away from me.

    The only thing that stopped me was:  I had no gas.  For the mower.  Plenty of gas  otherwise, (I did not put a space between of and gas and autocorrect changed it to organs.  Go figure!)

    Now, I could have driven into town, got gas, and mowed in the 50 degree weather.  I am 8 miles from a gas station.  The van gets about 20 mpg.  It would take me almost 1 gallon of gas to go buy mower gas.  That made no sense to me.  I will wait until I have to go to town and then I will get gas.  

    So instead, I watched most of the Cubs game.

    I had called my friend John yesterday and told him that if we had our Friday series tickets, like we did before pandemic, John, Dan, Linda and I would all be sporting our Pat Hughes  sweaters at the park.  But in reality, Pat Hughes sweater day was today, so we would not have gotten matching sweaters. Plus we would have been darn cold, even though we would have seen a Cubs win.  Oh well.

    We played euchre with friends tonight.  It has been a while since we have done that.  I learned to play the summer I worked at Funks in Ashton, unloading unsold bags of seed corn.  We could play one game during our 15 minute break, but it took us almost 2 hours to play 2 games for us tonight.  We spend a lot of time talking and trying to remember what trump is and who deals.

    I also sort of watched NCAA basketball.  I am looking forward to watching the championships tomorrow and Monday.  I think.

    Anyway, I plan to mow Monday.  The eclipse will happen in the afternoon.  Part of me really wants to hop in the car and drive 4 hours to the eclipse zone and park someplace and watch it.  But the other part of me says no.

    Julia bought us eclipse viewing sunglasses.  They came in the mail today.  Tell me how this makes no sense.

    The glasses were packed in a small box, which was packed in a larger box.  Just seems to us they could have found a more efficient way to ship this.

    And for some folks out there, the eclipse is not God telling us we are sinful and evil.  We already know that.  

    That's my story and I am sticking to it.

Peace and Love

I see, sea?

 I got my new glasses today

    I always have. trouble adjusting to new glasses.  Even though my prescription changed very little, it seems like I am having a little trouble adjusting to the new ones.   I know, give it time.

    I received an e-mail alert from On Star regarding the alarm sensor on my2022 GMC Terrain AWD vehicle.  This concerns me because I have never owned a GMC vehicle.  Ever.  Yet the e-mail was addressed to me.

    So was the one last week that told me I should call to arrange a meeting to discuss the tax issue someone was  working on for me.

    I don't return or respond to those, I know they are scams.

    But are they targeting me because I am a senior or am I on someone's list?  I smell a conspiracy.

    Or maybe it's a fajita, I am not sure.

    We had take out tonight and Julia called the order in while I was at the store.  She told me it was order 7 and it would be ready in 20 minutes.

    20 minutes later I went in to the restaurant and said I have an order....number 20.  The lady looked at me and said, "Isn't it 7?"  I said I thought it was 20.  I checked my text and it was order 7.  I guess I got the 20 from how many minutes it would. take.  The lady said she knew it was 7 because they don't go up to 20.

    I took a stroll around the back yard this afternoon after I got back with my glasses.  Actually, I was picking up dog doo.   But I realized the grass is actually getting long!  I told Jackie I may have to cut it, but I hate cutting it when it is cold and it is going to rain, so I am in a quandary.

    I don't want it to get so long it bunches, but I don't want to freeze my butt off either.

    I am watching my second NCAA women's game tonight.  Iowa is not doing so hot.  Caitlin Clark has not hit a 3 moving into the half, but I expect that will change.

    I have yet to watch a men's game!  Maybe I am just caught up in Clark ania.

    Finally, our kitchen has been a mess for weeks.  I just can't seem to put stuff away.  I really need to get on that tomorrow.

    I just have no ambition.

Peace and Love

winner, winner

 No, I did not win the lottery

    But Jackie won big at bingo tonight!

    Tonight was small business bingo at the Flight Deck.  The event was first organized by a lady, Ashley Patrick, who wanted to make a difference in the community.

    So she organized the bingo nights.

    People pay $15 to play.  Each player gets 10 bingo sheets, each sheet has 3 games.  Local merchants donate prizes.

    All the money goes to local groups.  For example, tonight the proceeds went to the Rochelle Area Community Foundation and The Kitchen Table, which is a pay what you want dining facility.

    Being on the Foundation board, Jackie and I opted to attend.  Jen K. got a table and we were joined by Sheri, Julia, Kevin, Joy and 2 of Jen's friends.    Names again.  Ashley and ......... ?

    We played a variety of games, including regular bingo, four corners, X, and some picture frame games.  I believe Jackie won on the 4 corners game.

    We got a box of delicious chocolate chip mega cookies made by a local business.

    That was a great prize and I am sure I will devour it within days.  But Jackie will get some, I hope.

    Anyway, that was the highlight of the day for me.  

    Yes, there were people there we knew.  Of course, I got Haley and Kelsey mixed up, again, but I recognized Kelly!  And I even said hello to their friend and partner, who wasn't even there!  

     I tell ya, names are just a battle for me.

    I let the dog out just before we left home.  

    Now, Beth can open the front door by pushing on it.  She often does that and I just go and close the door.

    Julia said she was downstairs after we left and could smell fresh air.  She came upstairs and the front door was wide open and the house was cold.

    Yes, I forgot I let Beth out.  Luckily she can come in the door and luckily Julia was home.  

    But I fear the day I leave and Julia is not home.  Jackie will freeze by the time I got back to shut the front door. 

    If only Beth could learn to close it after opening.

Peace and Love

Oh my

 What a cruddy day this has been

    Rain, snow, sleet, wind......you name it, it has happened.

    I can't believe the Cubs are playing baseball!  I also can't believe people are there watching it!!  But if you have paid some big bucks for a ticket, you go, rain or not.

    Well.....here are my horror stories of the week.

    I mentioned I was in a meeting yesterday.

    What I did not say was  during the meeting I got a hamstring cramp.

    Not just a little cramp.  But a leg goes straight out, kick a chair, shoot my body into a strange position, cause me to push my chair back and hit a wipe off board before I can get out of my chair cramp.

    Reaction of the people around me:

    Are you having a stroke?

    Is this a heart attack?

    Are you ok?

    I may have yelled something as the pain hit, but I am not sure.  Things were a little painful at that moment.

    I stood for a few minutes and that helped it a lot.

    Horror story week continues.

Part 2

    Took Beth to the vet to get weighed so we can give er the correct dosage of heart worm medication.

    I walked her around the yard outside the clinic, (in the freezing blowing snow/rain) and after a minute or three we went in, where Beth immediately took a crap in front of the dog food.

    Yes, she is a little dog....but this was not a little shit.

    I felt bad, so I got some paper towels out of the bathroom and cleaned it up.  The two girls at the desk were busy taking care of my med order, and I did not know what to do with all the dog shit I was now holding in a paper towels.

    So I put it in the waste basket in the bathroom.

    I got more towels and finished cleaning it up.

    The girls both said not to worry, it happens all the time.  I told them where I put the waste and one PYT (Pretty Young Thing) said that w it will be fine there.

    I told her fine unless someone wants to use the bathroom, and then they will be gagging.

Part 3

    Last year at this time I weighed close to 200 pounds.  I did not like it.  I felt terrible and had a low self image.

    So I started walking, eating less, eating better and by the first of this year I was at 192.

    I got on the scale today and I was.........197.  I have given almost all of my loss back.  I feel like a slob.  I also feel like having a cookie, but I know that has to stop.

    I need to get back walking and eating less.  

    I wanted to be 190 by my birthday, but I don't think that will happen.

    So much for self control.

Peace and Love

We have had a lot of rain.....tough on the fields and ditches

Yes, we stopped for a coffee and pup cup

She really got into this!

Whew!!!

 I am a different kind of tired today

    I am mentally tired, but fine physically.

    Had a rather long meeting today.  It was a good meeting, we made some great decisions, but it was a long meeting.

    I did not appreciate collecting the trash can this morning.  By the time I got back to the house I was soaked!  I ended up putting my coat in the dryer because it was so wet.

    I also got soaked going to the post office to mail our tax payment to the IRS.  Government can function now for another .006 seconds once they get our check.

    I always laugh at the commercials that say, "Owe the government over $10,000 in back taxes?  We can help."

    First off, what kind of idiot doesn't pay their taxes?  Second of all, why should those people get a break when I don't?

    But I digress.

    At some point today it was snowing.  Not a sticking snow, but you could see the flakes.  I don't know why I am telling this because most of you will have seen them too!  Some of you will have experienced much worse weather than we are having.....flooding, heavy snow, whatever....this week, but that is coming to us in the next 24 hours.......

    .....    along with 60 degree temps, tornado alerts, flash flood warnings, a blizzard watch, a possible tsunami and a volcanic eruption.  All by Saturday, so it should be interesting around here.

    On Easter I wore my tan chino pants.

    Jackie looked at me and asked why I was dressed up.

    Julia looked at me and asked why I was dressed up.

    It occurred to me that in the past 8 months there were less than 10 days I did not wear jeans.  Truthfully, I am tired of wearing jeans.  I just don't want to look for comfortable pants in my size. 

    Maybe I will put that on my to do list for tomorrow.

    I won't actually look, just put it on my list.

Peace and Love

This is the magnolia tree.....Easter, in the sun, looking good.  After the rains finish, and the winds lessen, I hope it has some blossoms.

I got to fly the W for the first time  this year on Easter! Notice my tan pants!!  It's been too wet to fly it much despite wins Monday and today.

gosh darn it

 I am back to list making

    After not having any for a few weeks, I opted to make one for today.  Of the 7 things on my list, I did 5 and a half.  

    Not bad.

    I am making a new list for tomorrow.  Actually, 2 lists.  I have a grocery list and a to do list.

    The grocery list is a little late.

    Julia made chili today.  I told her I would make corn bread to go with the chili.

    At 5 I took the corn meal out and read the recipe and discovered I had 1/4 cup of corn meal, and I needed 3/4.

    I had 1/3 of what I needed.

    My head almost exploded when I tried to compute 1/3 of 5 and 1/4 cups milk, and 1/3 of an egg, and 1/3 of a teaspoon.  

    Now understand, I have not taught fractions for over 14 years and even then it was a pretty basic few lessons.  And I was a little rusty on dividing 5/4 by 1/3, so when Julia said just use 1/2 a cup of milk I agreed.  I used a whole egg though, hard to get 1/3 of that.

    I ended up with 3 mini corn bread buns.  And they tasted ok.  I was surprised.

    I did drop an egg on the floor, which seems to fit in with my recent trend of dropping things.   Luckily Beth was not around to gobble it up.

    All is well that ends well.  Supper was good, the Cubs won again, and I got most of my list checked off.

    Hopefully tomorrow will have the same results.

    The big thing was I did not take a nap!  That's 4 days in a row I have not napped, and I miss it.

    Maybe I'll put that on the list.

    I hope nobody made a fool of you.  I just don't do the pranks I used to do.  

Peace and Love.....and that's no prank