nap? nah

 I tried hard to take a nap today

    I let Emily's dogs out,. went to the store, came home, got Jackie lunch and settled down on the red porch chair.

    At some point, Beth wanted to come out, so I got up to let her out.

    Then I got a bug bite and had to go put some anti inch stuff on it.

    Believe it or not, I got chilly, so I covered myself in a blanket.  Then the gnats started buzzing my head, so I pulled the blanket over my head.

    Then Beth wanted in, so I let her in.

    While I was supine on the porch, looking like a South American mummy, I could hear the flap of birds' wings.

    I think, but don't know for sure, but  the birdies may have been using my porch fountain as a bird bath!  I see lots of evidence of birds sitting on the railing near the fountain, and they sure sounded close.  I kept hoping one would land on my head, but none did.

    At some point I had to use the can.

    At another point, Jackie had to use the can.

    And at some point, I realized a nap was not to be had.  Which is too bad, because I was really tired.

    I could have mowed today, but I have decided Sundays are quiet days for me.  No mowing, no running the tractor, no screaming at the top of my lungs out the back door when the Cubs get hit with a 7 run inning.

    There is always tomorrow.  Hopefully. nTo mow, not to scream.  Again.

    And with that, I hope to start getting. ready for bed.

Peace and Love

sweet

 We had an outing today

    Our friend Sam was in a play in Rockford, and Jackie and I went to the matinee.

    There must have been 200 kids in the cast!

    That may be an exaggeration, but not by much.

    They performed The Lion King and I thought it was a pretty good show.

    Something about watching kids perform always gives me a good feeling.  The work they put in, the dedication, the actual performances .... it's always special.

    Anyway, it was a good time.

    Then we went out to Susie's Garden Patch in Garden Prairie to get some strawberries.  These are locally grown and they look super.

    That was pretty much our day.  

    Funny, in a way.  There was a lot going on in town today too.    

    Monthly market, 50 anniversary party, and a lovely day to do yard work.

    But watching the play was a better choice.

    And the Cubs finally won!!!

Peace and Love

Aaaarghhhh!

 I honestly don't know what I did

    I had 3 things I wanted to order on line.

    The first one went smoothly.  Order placed.  Confirmation received.

    The other 2?   Not really sure.

    I might have ordered on thing, , I might have ordered 10 or 15 of them.  At no point was my order confirmed .  

    So, I am not sure what to do.  I guess I will just let sleeping dogs lay and wait t see what shows up on my bill.

    The hell of it is, one thing I ordered is a knob to attach my shearing blade to the actual shearer.  The original knob might be in the bush I was trimming,, in the grass, or in the bag of clippings the should be in a compost yard.

    Believe me.  I have looked in the first 2 spots multiple times.

    Without the knob I can't attach the blade.

    Cost of the knob? 85 cents.

    I figured why order only 1?  So I ordered 5, went through the process of credit card, address, etc and hit the place order button.  Nothing.

    So I hit it again.

    Nothing.

    I called the customer service number, but it was closed at 5 p.m. Eastern time and it was now 4:10 our time, so I was a little late.

    Tomorrow, when we are in Rockford, I will stop at the big box store where it came from and see if they have the knobs because I can't believe I would be the only person to lose one.  Or two.

    I also tried ordering a magazine.  But after I hit order, again, nothing happened.  And yes, I did hit it again.

    Now, it might be because we have been losing internet quite often.  My dreaded call to Comcast took me to a chat bot which ran diagnostics and told me there was a problem that a technician would have to fix.  That person will be here Monday.

    The chat bot was actually nice.  I could understand it.  It did not ask me a lot of questions I don't know the answer to.  

    And I bet I have a bad modem.  I just hope. they have one with them.

    Camryn came to visit today and we chatted about a lot of stuff.  Then Emily came over after work and all of us had pizza, which tasted quite good tonight.

    It's just the little things in life that drive me mad.

    Last night I did not sleep until about 3, so I am even more tired today than I was yesterday.

    And the stupid Cubs don't help.  

    And to think, 1 year ago on this day I was dancing away at the Cavern Club in Liverpool.

    Sigh.

Peace and Love

wait...what?

 I think I lost today

    We got up by 9, but I had a. terrible night.

    Explain this to me, please.

    I did not have any tea, coffee or pop yesterday.  Except the tea I have for breakfast.

    I was really tired when I went to bed.  Watching the Cubs lose kind of takes the wind out from my sails.  I have no idea what that means.

    Anyway, went to bed.  I had been working pulling thistle from the native patch, and I was a little itchy.  Took a Benadryl, which has a warning about driving, using heavy machinery, or having access to nuclear codes after taking a dose.

    I went to bed well before 12.  Had my mouse machine on, wore my sleep  mask, got comfy in bed and heard the cuckoo hit 12, 12:30, 1, 1:30, 2....at which point I got up because I thought I was going to be sick.  No. reason, just felt icky.

    I finally went to bed again and was sound asleep.  I think at some point around 3;30, Jackie woke me up for the bathroom, but that might have been the other night.

    Anyway, I have been dragging all day.  Yet I could not take a nap!

    And now, post debate, I am wide awake.  Ready to go do something.

    I even took Beth for a walk down to the end of the  block after supper.  She is worn out, but I am not.

    And yes, I did have a coffee about 3:30 when I went to the store.

    I still have to take the dog out, which may not happen because it is raining a little...not a lot, but a little.  I was reminded of that when I went to put the car into the garage and sat on a wet seat.

    I just hope when I do hit the bed I fall asleep.  And sleep until morning.

    Then I can jump right back on that uncompleted list of chores I started working on last Sunday.

    By the way, anyone who wants to come over and dig out some thistles from my native garden is welcome to do so.

    Tomorrow I will deal with Comcast and see if it is my modem that is the issue.  We tried resetting it, but it has not helped.

    That should take a few hours.

Peace and Love

rabbit hole

 I got lost today

    Maybe lost is not the correct word.

    I wanted to see about flooding in Minnesota and the dam that was in danger of failing.

    Then I looked at videos of cities in Iowa.  And at videos from Zermatt, where they had terrible flooding through town last week.

    Zermatt, by the way, is the town to go to if you want to see the Matterhorn.  It is a way neat town, car free, and all the city vehicles are electric.  

    Heavy rains in the mountains caused major flooding and the videos were  plentiful on line.

    I got to the Reels section on Facebook and spent the next 45 minutes or so looking at floods.  Some were in Spain, some Mexico, Japan, China, Germany.... almost anyplace there is water.

    I could not tell where these floods were, or even when in some cases,  because many were not in English and there were no subtitles

    Some of the Reels were shocking....like the landslide in China, or the huge section of land with several houses on it breaking off and floating off to sea, only to be inundated by the water.

    I had a fixation.  I could not stop watching.

    The one that really shook me was from 1958 in Alaska.  

    A fishing boat was calmly sitting in the water when an earthquake caused a gigantic section of a mountain to fall into the sea.

    A tsunami followed.  If I remember, it was 120 feet high, or some crazy number.

    The guy in the fishing boat gunned the engines and drove right straight toward it!  The wave was gigantic!

    (I am using !! because it was exciting!!)

    He went up the wave and over the top, like a giant roller coaster.  When he came down, the sea was as calm as can be.

    I am wondering how he filmed it.  In 1958 there were no mobile phones to capture events.  He must have had a camera set up already on the back of he boat.

    There was no expiation....just the video.

    I am thinking the earthquake was the Good Friday event that caused entire neighborhoods to disappear in Anchorage.

    When I was younger I used to listed to Paul Harvey on the radio.  He did a thing called "The Rest of the Story."

    I would sure like to hear the rest of the story on a lot of those floods.  I'd especially like to hear from the guy on the boat, but I realize he could be in his 90s, or even passed.  I guess I will never find out.

    But who knows?  Maybe the wonderful world of Google can fill me in on the rest of the story.

Peace and Love

oh my

I am confused about the postal service

    I know......if you are sending a letter from New York to LA it is a lot better mailing it than carrying it your self.  I get it.

    In the past I mentioned Julia getting a post card in May or April on which the people had written "Happy Halloween."  Yes, it took that long to get from South Africa to here.  Maybe that is normal.

    I sent my sister in law a birthday card April 5.  It came back to our house sometime in June, with no cancelled stamp.

    I mailed my Rotary dues the same day, and I got them back last week as undeliverable.  Yes, I did have the wrong PO Box number, but 2 months?

    Well, I heard the topper today.

    A friend called and said she got an envelope from the postal service addressed to her.

    Inside the envelope was a bill she had sent a credit card company.  The return address on the bill was her previous address from 3 years ago.  And she has been doing paperless billing for a while.

    She opened the envelope and there was a check made out by her to the credit card company dated in April 2017!!

    Stamp was never cancelled.  

    It took 7 years for the check to come back to her!!

    7 years!!!

    I have an oak tree that is in distress.  I called the U of I plant clinic and they told me to follow the directions on their web page and mail them a sample of the tree.

    The directions said to overnight the package.

    I got the samples, packed it up, put a cooling bag in it, took it to the post office at 2:30  and sent it overnight mail.  Today is Tuesday.  The package will be delivered Thursday!  That's not overnight.

    If I had the time, I would have driven it down there.  As it was, I paid $36 to mail an overnight package that will not get there overnight!

    One would think an important service like the US Postal System would be operating with efficiency.  But it does not.

    Sure, the people covering the routes are doing fantastic jobs.  They are faced daily with angry dogs, irate customers, and in Chicago, armed robbers.  The carriers are not the problem.

    But somewhere up. the line some pretty poor decisions have been made.

    And that is my rant for tonight.

Peace, Love and change your payments to be done electronically.

whew

 I am one tired puppy tonight

    Sometimes I get the bug a boo to work around the house.

    This was one of those days.

    I mowed our yard and the field, planted 2 new flowers, weeded the garden, replanted part of the garden, and cleaned the mower.

    It was hot.  I drank plenty of water and took several breaks. 

    I wrapped up everything at about 9, then showered and got Jackie ready for bed.

    I thought we were going to get some storms overnight and tomorrow, but that seems to have changed.

    I did have 2 inches in the rain gauge the other morning....that was quite a rain.

    When I see pictures of flooded streets, I always wonder why people are out driving?  And don't people realize that viaducts fill up with water?  Why do people try to drive through flooded viaducts and underpasses?

    Beats me.

    My garden also beats me.

    It looks t terrible.  Rather it looked terrible.  All the weeds, it was a mess.

    None of the corn I planted sprouted.  The cucumber hill produced 1 plant.  Peas were planted too late.  At least the beans and carrots are doing well.  Or sort of well.

    I planted more beans, more carrots, and. more cucumbers, since I had the seeds and the space.  

    If I was a farmer, I would be in big trouble because the corn did not grow.  My lively hood would be threatened. 

    Thank heavens the real farmers know what they are doing.  Their corn looks pretty darn good.

    And that's all I have to say about that.

Peace and Love

stormy weather

Today was actually quite nice 

    After a couple of hot days, we had a cold front come through.  

    Along with the front came some rain, welcome rain.  I had 2 inches in the rain gauge this morning!

    I opted out of mowing today for two reasons:  First, it is Sunday and that should be a quiet day.  Second, I wanted the grass to dry a little.  But tomorrow, I mow.  

    I did go to buy a couple of plants today.

    As I drove to the nursery, I saw a friend out watering plants.  I stopped to visit and 35 or so minutes later I left.

    It was great sitting in the shade, with the breeze, the quiet, the trees. the conversation .....I could have stayed for much longer.

    We  had a great visit.

    I did buy some plants and learned the problem of planting one species of a plant over and over.

    In the front of our house we have some boxwoods, and in-between the boxwoods we have heucerha, (Which I know is not spelled correctly) or coral bells.  We have about 15 of the plants, all the same variety.

    But the good folks said they could not get that particular variety this year.  The person added that sometimes plant varieties are dropped, which may be the case with this one.

    If so, I have to find another species that looks like it to fill in 2 empty spots.

    Or I could find a totally different species to add variety, but it may look strange. 

    I can also look at moving a couple from my slope and replacing those with a couple of varieties.

    Whatever, I did not do it today.

    In fact, I did nothing today that was on my to do list.  Nook table is a mess. stairs still not cleaned, porch still not swept, den has not been dusted........ I hope the during the next hot spell starting Tuesday I can get some of that done.

    I hope.  Heaven's knows I did not get it done during the last hot spell. 

    But being a Cubs fan, I can always hope.  Or wait til next year,

Peace and Love

How old is old?

 I really want to know how old old is

    I mean, every thing has an expiration date, even us.  We just don't have it stamped on our foreheads or bottoms, like a lot of products do.    

    Jackie has asked several times in the past few months if we had any French onion dip and some chips.  I have always said we had chips, but no dip.  I could just buy the dip, but if I don't write it down, I don't think of it.

    I was looking through the fridge yesterday and behind a box of something, I found some French onion dip.

    It had a January expiration date. 

     January!!  How the hell did I not see that before June 21?

    It's the undated things that add a thrill to life.

    Like, is the sausage and spaetzle we had for dinner Monday still good on Saturday?  Can you keep cooked pasta in the fridge for 4 days and still eat it?  Check that.  Should you keep cooked pasta for 4 days and then eat it?  You can do almost anything, but that doesn't mean you should.

    Digression. 

    For example:  Yes, you can take up 2 parking spaces in the pick up lot for the pizza.  But as a common courtesy, should you?  And when 2 people do that, and there are 2 delivery vehicles, and only 6 spaces, someone has to walk down a stinky alley with hot pizza burning their hands and the blazing sunburning their heads.

    Sorry.

    Julia is very particular about left overs.  If it sits more than 4 days, she tosses it.  I, on t he other hand, being far more adventurous  (and cheap) will still attempt to eat food that does not have green on the top or sides.

    Except cheese.  I just scrape the green off because isn't cheese just really rotting milk parts?

    But I do have my limits. The watermelon that tasted tangy, gone.  The potato salad that was there for a while, gone.  Outdated milk, gone. Unidentified containers....tasted, then gone.

    Someday I know I will pay for my ineptitude.  Hopefully, that will come after my expiration date.

Peace and Love

    

    

gall damn

 I have a t ree problem

This has not been a good year for my trees.

A deer took out my ginko and my American Beech is slowly dieing.  Every year another branch seems to die.  I asked someone who to do because the main branch is dead.  He said to tape another branch to the main and eventually the other branch will become the lead.

But there is no other branch.

A digression.

    Know what this is?

    I will tell you at the end.  Back to the trees.

    I have a bur oak tree in the back of the yard.  It has been there for about 8 or 9 years.

    These are native to Illinois.  They grow to huge sizes and can live hundreds of years.  I planted one at our Skare Court house and it was about 20 years old when we moved.  I love these trees, but am afraid they are slowly disappearing from our landscapes.

    Here's my problem.   Leaves on whole branches are turning brown.  The branch is still flexible, but the leaves are dead.  Some of the leaves have little holes in them.....and there are galls on the tree.  A lot of galls.

    I am going to contact the U of I tree clinic on Monday, but this is quite disturbing.  I don't want to lose this tree!

    If the galls are a problem, then I need to treat the tree, but I really don't know what to do.

    And my final digression.

    As you know, I like to play solitaire on line .  I had this today.

    It was just strange to have three spades lacking aces.  

    And yes, I did win.

    Now, back to the picture at the top.

    This came out of Johanna's house,.  No one seemed to know what it was.  The wire rack slides and there are 2 screws or nails sticking up from the bottom.

    There is a patent number on the bottom, so I Googled it and discovered.........it's a potato slicer!  Slide the cage over, impale the potato on the 2 spikes, slide the cage back and slice the potato with a knife.  Each slice will be the same thickness.

    What did we do before Google?

    I need a life.

Peace and Love

rain

 We finally got some rain today

    I don't know how much because I have not checked my rain gauge.  But I can tell you it was not enough!

    One benefit was the rainbow.

    If you take the 2 bottom pictures and put them together, it shows the entire rainbow, sort of.  I think a part from the middle is missing.

    It was gorgeous...probably the best one I have ever seen because you could see both ends.  Amazing.

    I had trouble posting on Facebook last night and this morning.  I asked Julia to watch what I was doing to see where it was going south.  Of course, with her standing her I could post yesterday's effort with no trouble.  Hope there is none tonight.

    I have trouble concentrating, and remembering.  Well, I have been working on a book for a few hundred years.  Usually I do it during Jackie's library board meetings.  I hand write, then type it at home.

    Today I was looking for it to. take to the meeting and I picked it up, but noticed another notebook with paper in it.  That was another copy of the book.  Then I spotted a third binder that had.....another copy of the book.

    None of them are complete.

    I am going through each page, checking what I wrote against what is printed.  I realize this will take me more than a couple of more library board meetings, so I think I will work on it during the day.  Or night.  Whenever.

    I do feel it is almost finished.  Then. what???

    Time will tell.

Peace and Love

huh, again

 My garden is not doing well

    I have some beans, some carrots, but every thing looks so pathetic.

    I may have discovered the problem.

    I have an automatic timer.  It has 2 hoses hooked to it, so at a certain time hose 1 goes on, shuts off, and then 2 goes on, then shuts off.

    Well......they do not work if you turn the water off!

    My hoses were shooting blanks.  And no, that is not a suggestive phrase.

    Yes, I should have checked and I did.  They were working fine.  But I somehow turned off the water, despite being out there twice and wondering why they were not watering.  I thought I had the. wrong day.

    I hope it makes a difference.

    I picked up some dog food for Beth.  I usually get a 20 pound bag, and it lasts for a couple of months.

    But I could not find the 20 pound bag at the vet's office. 

    The pretty young girl working the counter said the 20 pound bag is now the 16.5 pound bag, at the same price.

    Almost 25 percent less.  Same price.  

    Jackie had a doc appointment and usually we call some friends to meet at Ollie's for a frozen treat.  But since it was so hot, and heat is terrible for MS patients, we didn't call.

    And that's too bad because I enjoy outings like that.

    Maybe next time.

    Anyway, it's little after 9 and I am just finishing up watering plants on the slope.

    After supper I weeded the veggies, fixed the hose situation, and watered plants.  I waited until later in the day because it was so darn hot,

    Hoping we get rain......

Peace and Love

Hard to tell, but this is a little green frog/toad on my siding.

At first I thought it was an animal's entrails, but when I touched it, it puffed!  Some kind of fungus among us

Coneflowers and the strawberry moon......

odds and ends

I really don't have a topic today 

    We did take a ride to Julia's lot.  Seems someone has been digging there!

    Her house is finally underway.  She is excited.  I am nervous.

    She has lots of trees around her house and I am wary of 2 of them.....but she feels they are ok.  My pessimistic nature has them falling on her house during a storm.

    Speaking of storms, we had nothing again today.  Cloudy morning, no rain, plenty of heat.  

    Speaking of heat, the Trib had an article about local people going to see Taylor Swift in Europe.

    One lady said the tickets for Swift's Eras tour are on the secondary market for over $2,000 for the upcoming shows in Indianapolis.

    This lady said she paid $500 for a show ticket in Amsterdam, and then spent $2,000 on a hotel/flight package.  She was going to meet up with a couple of college friends, so she felt it was a good deal.

    The article also noted the average price for a ticket to the Era's shows about $!,088!  That wasn't even the most expensive average!!  I think Alicia Keys was higher than that.

    Maybe it's just me, but I would not pay that much for any concert ticket.

    A couple of years ago Paul McCartney was doing a show in  the Quad Cities and there were tickets for about $300.  I did not buy one, and have regretted it ever since.

    But I do have my limits.

    New topic.

    We always seem to be getting stuff in the mail:  return address labels, pens, notepads, calendars.....you probably get them too.  We never send a contribution.  

    Several  months ago we got a small flashlight from Doctors Without Borders.  It had a little clip so you could carry it in a shirt pocket or in your underwear if so inclined.

    I kept it on my little bedside  table so when I got up at night I could have a light without waking Jackie.  Honestly, it is a great little light.

    Or was.

    I dropped it about 6 weeks ago and could not shut it off.  It has kind of a halogen bean and is pretty bright.

    Funny thing...... I put it in the bathroom to see how long it lasted.  It is still on, although the light is faint.  It is noticeable at night.

    I just may send the good doctors a donation because of the light.

    Speaking of light, starting next week days get shorter.  I hope they also get cooler.  And less windy.  And with some rain.

Peace and Love

Lots of dirt

No, this is not a root cellar

The trees with double trunks worry me

Hot as

 It was hotter than Hell here today

    I am talking about Hell, MI, where the temperature hit 91 while we topped out a little above that.

    I flunked my weatherman audition today.  I told Jackie the weather alert would go off sometime around the 2:30 to 3:30 time, but it never sounded.

    I thought with the hot, humid air we would get some storms.  But nothing.  No rain, again.

    A while back I mentioned mailing my sister in law a birthday card.  The card came back as undeliverable.  But the weird thing was it too almost 8 weeks for it to get back to us.

    Well, I mailed a check April 11 and it came back June 14, marked undeliverable as addressed.

    I don't think my handwriting is that bad  What is maddening is this letter was to someone in Rochelle!  It had a PO Box.  The people at the post office could have seen that and just put it in the box.  But nooooooo.   9 weeks later it gets back to me.

    I was talking with a person who works at  a local bank and she said the bank was having a heck of a problem with mortgage payments arriving  late, even though they were mailed weeks in advance.

    So....if you make payments with checks by mail, better give plenty of time for the check to make it on time.

    As long as I am complaining, why do people take babies to baseball games?  The baby has no idea what is happening.  It could even be dangerous if a foul ball came that way.  It certainly has to be uncomfortable holding a 10 pound bag of flour for 2 or 3 hours.

    And why are so many people on their phones while at the game?  Watch the game!

    Oh well........you all know I am perfect, right?

    Guess I will start getting ready for bed.

Peace and Love

Ripped it

I can't believe today

    Julia came in to our bedroom and said, "Do you know what time it is?"

    I admitted I did not.

    ""It's 11 a.m.!"

    Yikes!!  I did not realize that at all.

    Our cuckoo clock usually gets me going, but for some reason it stopped at about 8:30.  So, no cuckoo to help me tell time.

    My excuse was Jackie.

    I was up at 9:30, but she was sound asleep and I did not want to wake her.  So I went back to bed....and I guess I fell asleep.

    By the time she was ready for the day, it was a little after 1....and I was making her scrambled eggs and bacon. For lunch.

    The rest of the day passed pretty quickly.  I let out Emily's dogs while she worked, went to the store, read the Trib and it was supper time.

    I will skip over watching the Cubs because they were on Roku and I could not get them.  Julia eventually did, but it wasn't until the 7th inning.  By then I was on my way to the store.  I did not see another frustrating ending for this team.  Boy, I do mean frustrating.

    We had a severe weather alert.

    About 4 the sky was dark, the winds picked up, and. then the sky turned a funny brown, which was the dirt blowing!  The winds were really strong and another alert announced that we were in a severe t-storm warning.

    And then the rain started.  It rained for 10 or 15 seconds....did not even get the patio wet.  The wind died down, the temp dropped, and it was a great night to grill some steaks.

    Emily came over after work and we had dinner tighter.  I was very careful to chew only on my right side of my mouth and I don't think any food worked over to the left.  But for some reason, I hurt more today than I did yesterday.  Go figure.

    And that's the story of my Rip VanWinkle day.

Peace and Love

Sat day

Another day in my laid back life

    I did 2 loads of laundry.  That was it. Towels and sheets.

    Actually, I only washed and dried them.  I still have to fold them.

    I did take a trip out to see Julia's lot.  She wanted to be sure the house was in the right place and  the right distance from the road.  The big back hoe is there, so digging should start fairly soon.  I told her to be sure about the placement and to discuss any concerns with the builder.  But she seemed to be ok with where the house is.

    Julia asked me if I heard any of the commotion last night.  

    Seems a guy driving an ATV with 2 passengers flipped the vehicle on Skare Road by the park.  There were ambulances, a rescue squad, and a couple of police cars.

    I did not see or hear a thing.  Neither did Beth or Jackie.

    Seems at 1:30 I was asleep, although I thought I had gotten up to pee and walked around the house.  Guess not.

    If I did, I must have just missed the accident.  The incident just serves as another reason to not drink and drive.

    And I finally got to see a Cubs win!!!  I forgot to put my flag out because it has been so long since I have proudly flown it.

    For I time I thought I might have to fly it upside down.

    And I did not take a nap.......although I had planned on it.  Even with a loose schedule things happen.

Happy Fathers' Day to all you dads!

Peace and Love

day 2

 I made it through the day

    After my tooth extraction, I opted to take it easy for a couple of days.

    No heavy lifting.  No crunchy foods.  No straws.  

    Jackie was a real trooper.    Emily and Julia helped get her to bed last night and for 2 days in a row strangers came in to help her get in and out of the shower.  That is a pretty gutsy thing for her to do.  I thank her for that.

    I went to an estate sale with Julia this afternoon and was astounded at the goods for sale.  If you want to get a sample, go to Jolly Estate Sales Facebook page and check the Rochelle sale.  It was pretty impressive.

    I bought a wine rack.  Julia bought some small glass items including a uranium platter,  Emily bought some glass items.   My niece's daughter saw a picture of  hurricane lamps so we bought 2 for her.  It was quite a collection.  There is one more day of the sale and I am tempted to go back, but I don't know why.

    The downside to the day was I had spare time so I made the mistake of watching the Cubs for a couple of innings.  Of course those were the innings the dreaded Cardinals scored all their runs.  I tell you, this team is cursed!  Not hitting, not playing outstanding defense, pitchers going on the IL.....I had high hopes but everyday I am a little more pessimistic.

    I did read on the porch and did not fall asleep.  (But I played solitaire on the computer an d fell asleep in the middle of a game.  In my computer chair.)  I am reading Tune In, about the Beatles and have learned many things.

    Seems the boys were involved in gangs called Teds, skipped school a lot, were petty thieves, and generally were not a good bunch of boys.  If they had not eventually found each other I really think they would have all ended up in prison or reform school.

    But in the end, they came out all right.

    It is a little dry outside.  My grass is crunching.  I hope for rain, but don't see any in the near forecast.  Brother in law Bob got something like 13 or 14 inches in Florida over the past few days.  Wish some of that would come north.

    Until then, I will have to water plants and veggies.

Peace and Love

ouch

 I had a tooth extracted today

    In case you didn't know, I am the biggest baby around when it comes to medical things.

    So this was a big deal for me.  I did not sleep well last night, fearing the pain and agony of a tooth extraction.

    By the way, when I was younger they pulled teeth.  Make an appointment, get it pulled.  Today I had a reservation for the extraction.

    I opted for a general.  And I am glad I did.

    When I woke up it was all done, my mouth was packed with gauze,  and the good doc was sending me on my way.

    I go back in 2 months to see about an implant and to check on the healing.

    Funny thing.  Julia drove me over and had to wait for me.  Then we went to Target and HyVee.  I waited in the car with the windows down and it was pretty darn comfortable.

    I had a Starbucks.....and when I got home I asked how I got it!  I ordered it on. the phone and Julia went in to pick it up, but that is all a blur to me.  Guess I was still a little goofy.

    For food today I have had 1 yogurt and a can of soup, being careful to chew the chicken chunks on my right side only.

    When Julia was in the store she bought me some soup, but I misunderstood her and opened a can.  She bought fresh soup in the store.  That will be tomorrow's fare.

    She also bought some cake slices.  I had half a piece of a chocolate meringue and Jackie had half a piece of a coconut meringue.  We are saving the rest until tomorrow.

    Beth also tot trimmed up. today.  Julia took here to the groomers for a summer cut.

    Care for Jackie is always a concern.  I was not to do any heavy lifting for 2 days to make sure I did not cause the clot to break away.  So we had help in today until 4:30 and someone is coming tomorrow morning to help get Jackie showered  and dressed, which is where most of the lifting gets done.

    Tonight Emily is coming over and Julia and Emily will help Jackie get into bed.  

    I spent the afternoon sipping my iced coffee and reading while sitting on the porch.  The breeze was nice, the gnats a pain, and yes, I did nap.

    Hopefully I will do the same tomorrow but I would prefer a no gnat day.

Peace and Love

whaaat?

 Sometimes I have a 'what?' issue

    I am talking about my favorite tv commercial.  It's the one with the guy stranded on the island, he finally discovered he can use his credit card to flash out a signal and gets picked up by a helicopter

    He asked the pilot if she is from search and rescue and she replies, "No, I'm from the resort," which as on the other side of the island and when he sees it he goes, "Whaaaaat?"

    Every time I see it I laugh.

    Today I went in to pay a bill.

    I wanted a copy of the receipt, so I asked:

    "Good I have...." and stopped.  That was not what I wanted to say.

    "No, not good I have, but good I have...."  and stopped again.

        I counted to 3, took a deep breath and said, "Could I have a copy of the receipt p showing it was paid. please."

        She said yes and stamped it.

        Then she said, "They know our scam."

        I said what scam?

        She looked at me and said, "I didn't say scam, I said stamp."

        And yes, I did have my hearing aids in.

    Went to Walmart and ran into someone I have known for a while and could not remember their name.  She kept calling me Terry, and I kept talking and in my mind I am going thru the Rolodex  of names.

    As I was leaving the store I blurted out  "LuAnn!"  Which seemed to surprise the other people around me.

    All I did today was errands.  Noting taxing, nothing tiring, nothing that required any effort at all.

    Lucky thing too, because if I was tired I might have been even more incoherent .

Peace and Love

really????

 Well, another banner day

    I  actually almost got my list done.

    Mowed the field.  Mowed the yard. Took a nap.  That was not on my list, but I did it between the field and the yard.  ( To be clear...I napped in my chair in the house.)   I just wish I had put on sunblock.  My arms are a little red.

    I had to move all my garden hoses to mow.  And I actually put them back instead of letting them lay on the ground and not do anything.

    I began mulching.  Now, for some reason, I start in the middle of almost any plant project. 

    Weeding?  I start in the middle of the garden.  Or the native area.  Or the slope.  So it was not a surprise to me when I started laying mulch in the middle of the front bush line.  I don't know why I do that.

    I worked my way to the sidewalk.  It was going so easy.  I have a paving stone next to the sidewalk and it was not level with the sidewalk.  I moved that out, with Julia's help, and made it somewhat level.  

    By that time Julia had made supper, so I took a break.  Watched the Cubs for an inning or two, ate, then I went back out to finish mulching.

    I was doing fine until I reached the bridal wreath bush.  It was all over the place, way out of control, So I decided to trim it before I finished mulching.

    I got 2/3 done when I lost the blade from the trimmer!  It took me 15 minutes to find, then I could not reattach it to the handle.  

    I cleaned up the trimmings and called it a night.

    Speaking of night, I had another weird dream.

    My dreams seem to be triggered by things happening in life.  Emily went to a reunion, Julia is in the process  of starting a house, and I think those 2 combined  for a very weird dream.

    We were having a class reunion in our house, but it was not yet finished.  Railings on the stairs were 2 x 4s, bathrooms did not have toilets or sinks, painting needed to be done.

    But a lot of former students were there and I remembered their names.  I could see their little fifth grade faces and I called them all by their right name.

    The weird part was.....they were all adults but only 3 ft.. tall.  

    So I felt like I was in Munchkin land.

    It was a nice dream....and I had a good night's sleep.

    Now all I have to do is figure out how to put the trimmer back together.

    Time to get lost in the Google world.

Peace and Love

dang it

 I need to stop making plans

    I had a few things to do today:  Get gas for the mower and car, weed the veggie garden, spend some time moving mulch.

    I did laundry this morning, and dishes, and at 1 I told Jackie I was going out at 2 to weed the veggie garden.

    I decided to take a short nap.....45 minutes.  I was going out to weed the veggie garden at 2.

    Sat in my recliner, put my feet up, set the timer on the phone for 45 and took a great nap.

    Unfortunately, when the timer went ding dong, I turned it off for another 15 or 20 minutes.

    No problem.  I can still get outside at 2:30.

    I also changed my plan.  I went to get gas first, figuring I could grab a brew at Cypress House.

    I have a HyVee Perks card. I can use that at Casey's gas station.  I have a little over $1 off a gallon that I can use.

    But I could not find the card.  I looked through my wallet, in the car, in Jackie's wallet, in the basket where we keep keys....could not find the damn card.

    No problem.  I will just get another card and use the credits next time.

    But first, I will check at the Casey's where I used it last.

    As I packed my pockets, I could not find my phone.  Looked everywhere, could not find it.  Finally Jackie called it and it was in the blanket I used in the recliner.

    My Perks card was not at Casey's.

    I figured as long as I  was at Casey's I would get gas.  After all, the Casey's in Creston was $3.05 a gallon yesterday, so I figured the price had not changed.

    But it had...to $3.39 a gallon.  Now I wonder if I should have gone to the station on the edge of town, which is usually fairly cheap.  But too late.

    I had a stop at Ace, then I was going to get a coffee.  But I had to hurry because now it was almost 3:45.

    While checking out, Jackie called and asked me to come home, so I skipped the coffee.  I figured I might have spent $7 more for gas, so it balanced out.

    I helped Jackie and by now it was 4:30.  I sat down by the computer for a minute and Julia looked at me and said, "Thought you were going to weed at 2?"

    I was.

    But I didn't.

    Which explains why I ate supper a little after 7.  I weeded the veggies, replanted the corn, filled in the beans and peas, and replanted the cucumbers.  

    But tomorrow, I will be out at 2 to mow and mulch.

    Hopefully.  At least that's the plan.

Peace and Love

Tapestry

 I saw Beautiful the Carol King Musical today with Emily

    It is playing at the Paramount Theater in Aurora. 

    The show was fantastic!

    Years ago I bought Tapestry, the album she released in the late 70s.  It won numerous awards and was a great album.  Yes, album.  Had to put it on a record player.  Those days are long gone.

    But I never forgot the piano  on I feel the Earth Move or the haunting sound of Tapestry.

    The play follows her progression from 16 year old songwriter to mega star.  It deals with her teenage romance, pregnancy and eventual divorce from Gerry Goffin, who was her song writing partner. .  It also follows the career of another songwriting pair, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.

    The two sets of writers were competitors and friends.  The constantly tried to outdo each other in producing songs that were number 1 hits.  They produced a lot of 60s and 70s hits, but mainly in the 60s.

    I don't think Emily had much familiarity with Carol King, but she did recognize a lot of the music.

    The audience was mainly people my age, people who grew up on songs the 2 teams wrote.

    Of course, I had my favorites....Up on the Roof, Chains, You've Lost that Loving Feeling and I Feel the Earth Move being some of them.

    But what surprised me...no Tapestry!!  That's one song I figured would be in it.  I checked the playbill and it was not listed.  I checked the various productions, and it wasn't in those either.  Strange, eh?

    The Paramount was one block north of the Gay Price parade route, so parking was a challenge.  We ended up by the casino and had a 3 block walk, but it was worth it.

    The Paramount has a smaller theater and it is staging Million Dollar Quartet starting in July.  That is a great show and I want to see that.  I think tickets for that are pretty well sold until fall.  I'll have to work out a date with Emily and anyone else who wants to go see that amazing show.

    Musical dreams tonight!

Peace and Love

Great looking building in downtown Aurora....love the onion on top

Pretty simple set 

ouch

 I have come to realize I am no youngster

    The plan for today was to move mulch in the morning, go to a party in the afternoon, do some weeding after the party.

    But after a night of interrupted sleep, I just could not do it.

    My body was sore.  Goring up and down stairs at Johanna's took a toll.  And I swear, at about 3 a.m. the telephone rang!  It was one long ring, then  it stopped.   Everyone knows when a phone rings at 3 a.m. the news is not good, but it only rang once.  And when I checked the phone there were no missed calls.  Hmmm.......

    I thought maybe the Cubs were calling me to offer a chance to sing the stretch or play second base, but then my paranoid self took over and I had a whole bunch of scenarios going off in my mind.  

    Luckily none were true.  Actually, it would be neat to sing the stretch.  Oh well.

    So I relaxed this morning.  Yes, I did wash and dry sheets and towels in the morning.  Well, almost in the morning.  I went to put the towels in the dryer and discovered I never started the washer.

    I went onto the porch a little after 1 with the idea of taking a nap before going to a retirement party.  I like sleeping on the porch.  Fresh air, sounds of the neighborhood, birds chirping.

    Unfortunately it rained on me and I had to move into the house to continue my nap.

    We finally made it to the party, and it took 104 people to move the wheelchair into the house.

    Actually, it was pretty easy to do.  Coming out was even easier.

    Our friend Wendy retired after 40 years with the city of Rochelle!  Renee hosted a party and although we were later arrivals, we had a good time with the people there.

    But I had no interest in weeding afterwards. 

    One benefit to the day was I did not watch another dreadful Cubs game.  Getting tired of the lack of production.  But I still love the Cubs.

    Maybe tomorrow?

Peace and Love

relief

We had pedicures today and I feel great 

    Granted, the technician had to use a chainsaw on my big toe, but once that was trimmed, al the others were fairly easy.

    Honestly, why do we wait until we are past needing a. trim to schedule a trim?

    Then the plan was to come home and move mulch.

    Well.......the best laid plans often go astray.

    I stopped at the grocery store in DeKalb and then we hit Ollie's for some frozen custard.  I had a new flavor, dark chocolate, which had bits of chocolate cake in it.  It was pretty darn tasty!  Jackie had regular chocolate.  Despite it being warm, neither of us dripped much on our tops.

    But that all took a little time.

    Emily needed a little help moving a couple f items out of Johanna's house.  So Julia, Sheri and I went.  We were there almost 2 hours, making trips up and down the basement stairs with items to sell. 

    I think.

    Camryn and her mom, Shannon, are holding a sale tomorrow in Rockford.   An address would help, but all I remember is Myrtle Lane.  It's in Wildwood Subdivision, right off of Perryville an Harrison.

    We helped a little in bringing items out of the house, but to be honest, after several. trips up and down the stairs this old boy was a bit tuckered.  And I did spell that with a t, I checked.

  We came home unloaded the cars, ate pizza and drank some delicious rosé named Whispering Angel.  It was al very nice.

    But the mulch didn't get moved.  The garage is a mess, even worse than normal.  I have not read the  entire Trib or done Wordle for the day and I am pretty dang tired.

    If you like tools, then head up to Rockford and go to Johanna's garage sale.  Check Johanna's Estate Sale on FB for pictures and other information.

    Have a great night....I think I will sleep well.

Peace and Love

ain't that special

 Just a lot of random thoughts tonight

    I know, what's different from any other night?

    The Marlins baseball team designated for assignment a player that has $24 million due him this year.  That' contract was a big mistake.  I wish someone would pay me that much to not play baseball.

    In my FB memories tonight, a lot of D Day posts showed up, but one from a long time ago dealt with the weather.    We lived on Skare Court and on this date it was 97 degrees, with a hight of 100 expected for tomorrow.

    That was in 2011, if I read that correctly.

    When I planted my native garden, I imagined nature would take care of itself.

    Wrong, he who knows least!

    Thistle and grass have almost taken over my newest plot.  I have been out there a lot pulling grass and thistle.  I should not say pulling, because I try to dig it out. It is not easy.  If we had a decent rain it would help, but we don't seem to be getting those.

    My older plot has a lot of cup plant.  Now, I like cup plant....but there are way too many.  I dug out about 10 today and I am sure I missed some.  I am trying to keep it in one corner,  but dang, t hey spread.

    My bike is still hanging.  Is it fear or laziness?  I wish I knew.

    Cubs not looking good again tonight.  Result is another loss.  Can't seem to beat Cincinnati.  That's a hard one for me to spell.  I had to look it up.

    Boy was the wind bowing today!  Knocked over 2 of my patio chairs.  I ended up taking the umbrella down because I thought it was going to go and take the table with it.  And the dust was blowing like crazy!  Hopefully all the good topsoil landed where it will be useful

    That's random me for tonight.

Peace and Love

never forget

Tomorrow is an important date in history 

    June 6, 1944. D Day.

    The invasion of Europe begins on the beaches of Normandy in France.

    Thousands of young men and boys from the US and Allied forces landed on beaches all along the French coast, facing the machine guns and other weapons of German defenders.

    Jackie and I have visited Omaha Beach twice.  The first visit was another story, and the weather was terrible.  It was so foggy you could not see the beach from the cemetery.

    The second visit was much better.  I went down to beach where so many lives were shattered that day.

    Omaha is a big beach.  And it was a long way from the water to the bluffs.  I could not imagine the horror those young men faced as the landing ships opened  their front doors and the troops jumped into water, sometimes over their heads, with 60 or 80 pound packs on their backs.  German guns firing non stop at them from positions above the bluffs.  Land mines.  Artillery shells.  It must have been hell for them.

    But they advanced and eventually the Nazi forces were defeated.

    Standing among all those white crosses in the cemetery certainly gave me a sad feeling.  Yet I was grateful that so many sacrificed their lives to save the world from Hitler and his demented ideas.

    This is the 80 anniversary. Several vets from the US will be attending.  All are in their 90s.  

    They truly are the Greatest Generation.

Peace and Love

blech

That is how I feel right now 

    I am. ready to toss out something I don't think I have ever tossed out before.  EVER!!!!

    I had a little half bottle of white sangria wine.

    I have had red sangria.  In Barcelona.  Spain.  On vacation.

    I had it with tapas at a restaurant and it was good.  

    Of course, it had stuff in it...fruit, oysters, dead bats.... but it tasted fine.

    I wanted a little wine tonight with supper.  I figured a half bottle was good, because that is a glass tonight and one tomorrow.

    But holy cow!  I could not even drink 1 glass!.

    I TOSSED OUT WINE!!!!!

    You read that right.  I could not stand it ... too sweet, too syrupy, too what ever.

    We had brats tonight.  I thought a little wine would be good.  I knew it was going to rain, so I started early...just not early enough.

    As soon as I put the brats on the grill outside, it started lightly raining.

    As soon as I took the brats off it stopped.

    Meanwhile, I was wet.  And dry. And thirsty.

    I thought my day could not get any worse, but I turned on the Cubs.  They are playing the worst team in baseball, a team that does not score runs, does not hit, and is on pace  to lose 110 games this year.  Cubs have their best pitcher going. 

    Cubs are losing 5--0.  And in a rain delay.

    Two waves of storms have approached us, but disappeared by the time they reached our house.  I hope it rains, because the gardens need it.

    Meanwhile, I think I will look for another  bottle of a different wine for tomorrow.  

Peace and Love

grrrr

 I tried for years to grow strawberries

    I never succeeded.  I would get 1 or 2 berries, then nothing.  I would put in "everbearing " planets and they might as well have been called neverbearing.

    I finally ripped out the plants a few years ago.

    This year the girls bought me a strawberry plant.  It is in a container on the front porch.

    So far, I have had 3 berries off it!  Unfortunately, I have competition.

    Julia said dog Beth ate a strawberry!. When I was out with her today, she got up to grab another one!  Takes them right off the plant!!

    Guess I have to put the plant up higher.

    When we had Corki, she would go into the strawberry field and eat them.  Between her, the rabbits, birds and whatever, I never got any.

    I am wondering if Beth had anything to do with the missing tomato and pepper plants.  

    I had 2 of each in the raised garden, but yesterday I had none.  3 of the plants were completely gone an the 4th was chewed on pretty heavily.

    I am guessing a rabbit.  I don't think a deer, but it could have been.

    Of course, it's harder now to buy tomato and pepper plants, but I managed to get some and re plant them tonight.  I have my fingers crossed.

    We had storms predicted for all day today.  But we got nada.  Not a drop of rain, and none in the forecast until tomorrow afternoon.

    I even went out early today to mow the field before the 3 days of rain started.  Well, early as in 11:30.  I was up at 9 but I wait until Jackie is ready for the day before I go out side.

    At least the Cubs did not lose today.

    Hopefully they will start winning soon.

Peace and Love 

eh

This was a strange day 

    I keep saying it:  I have no desire to do things.

    No, I did not take a nap.  I just basically fritted the day away.

    At my age that is not something one should do.  I should take advantage of the day, carpe diem!!  But I don't.

    I eventually mowed the yard, thinking the next 3 days may bring rain.  I may mow the lot tomorrow morning if it is not raining.

    I did get a little frustrated.  I turn on my phone and listen to music through the Blu Tooth ear protectors, but for some reason they would not play.  Kept saying Blue Tooth was not connected.  Tried and tried and tried before I gave up.  (Notice, I do not know how to spell Blue Tooth, so I spelled it both ways, hoping people will think it is a typo.)

    I also gave Beth her flea and tick treatment.  

    Julia and I took her crate to the basement, which seemed to confuse the dog.  When we got it down there she went in it and looked at us.

     I don't think I will trip on her at night.  That was the main reason we crated her.  When she leaves the crate, she goes by the front door to sleep.  At some point she scratches on Julia's door and jumps up on her bed when Julia opens the door.

    We'll see how this works.

    I also finally put out the patio umbrella.  It is a 2 person job because I can never find the stand when I am holding the umbrella.  Julia guided it in today.  I did forget the golden ring, which means I will have to take the umbrella out of the base and put the ring in the table.  Oops.l

    I also watched part of the Cubs game.  Just too darn frustrating at this point.  They have good players, but they are not producing.  l hope they get it together before the all star break.

    Julia and Emily spent a little time at Johanna's house.   There is still a lot of stuff that needs to  be dealt with.  If you are interested in woodworking tools, let me know and I'll put you in touch with Emily.

    Johanna was good at making things.  We have a lovely table in the great room that she made for Jackie to display her Dickens Village on at Christmas.  That will be a memory we will always cherish.

Peace and Love

Happy June

 Lots of thoughts on this dreary June day

    Yesterday was a mix of emotions.  It was also  a day I may have overdone caffeine. 

    I had a tea for breakfast, Dr. Pepper at lunch, and 2 Pepsis at supper.  I thought I would have trouble sleeping, but actually fell asleep quite easily.

    I was tired today, so at 1 I decided to take a short nap.  I woke up 3 hours later!

    Luckily it rained most of the day and I could not have done anything outside anyway.  And the crew spent the day at Johanna's, cleaning, selling things, and tossing stuff out.  But there is still a lot of electronics to deal with.  Not sure how they are going to handle it.

    Marie and Heather, Johanna's mother and her wife, came to dinner.  We had a nice visit, but next time we see them I hope it is under much happier circumstances.

    Anyway, I am really tired tonight too.  Hopefully my afternoon nap will not affect my falling asleep.

    That's it.

Peace and Love