enigma

I think that might describe me 

    Something difficult to explain or understand.  Like a puzzle.

    Like the problem with my right ear.

    To recap:  Saturday I started feeling dizzy and nauseated.  When  I got home, I took out my hearing aids and found I could not hear out of my right ear.  Sunday I felt like crap, even had dry heaves.  Monday did not feel better and went to convenient care.  Ears checked, no noticeable infection or swelling.

    Contacted my audiologist Tuesday and tthey had me in today.

    Checked my hearing.  Left ear has not changed much since 2021.  Right ear has major hearing loss.

    No sings of infection or damage.

    Go to anther health care person in the building.  He checks my ears, nose, throat....no signs of infection or swelling.

    Then he checked my glands, running his hands up and down my neck and head.  Damn, the felt great!

    No problem.

    When health care professional have no idea, they come up with a fancy word:  idiopathic, which means, "beats me."

    They can't seem to find a reason for the sudden loss.

    It may be a virus, but all 3 people have kind of downplayed that.

    In any case, I was put on a prednisone regime and given some pills to help with the balance and dizziness.

    What's next? 

    Well, if the symptoms don't go away I will have an MRI to see if there is another issue.  

    I am taking the prednisone and on the side effects it says anxiety, nervousness, sleeplessness......which is my daily life.

    It also says on males it can cause itching ion the testicles.  

    Great.  

    One plus, if there is a plus, is Jackie likes the TV on when we go to sleep.  I can't sleep with the TV on.  But last night I slept on my left side and barely heard the TV!

    But I don't want that to be an every night thing.

Peace and Love

Day 3

 I am tired of this

    The constant dizziness, nausea, unsteadiness......I walk like a drunk!

    I ate supper tonight.  That was the only meal I had because I was just not hungry.  And my head feels like it is going to explode!

    One good thing is I see the ear specialist tomorrow.  My appointment is at 11, meaning we  have to get up early.  Jackie has to go with, because she has a doc appointment at 1.  Both are in DeKalb.  I don't think I can go, then cone back home and get her and make it for the 1 o'clock.

    Even though I feel like crap, I was not idle today.

    We cut up beans and then I blanched them and froze them.  We ended up with 2-1 gallon bags.  But the beans are pretty small.  My little friend Sam had much bigger ones from her garden!  I think I planted too late and ignored the dry spells.  Oh well.

    I also picked up all our goods from Pickin Station today.  We have decided not to keep the booth, mainly because my partner is moving and I don't have the eye for detail that she does.

    It was a good experiment.  I guess.

    Undermining all this is the "feel like crap" feeling.  I am better in the mid afternoon than I am in the morning or at night.

    Watching the Cubs brings no relief, either.

    I always hope tomorrow is better.

Peace and Love

updates

 Sometimes I just give TMI

    No exception tonight.

    I ended up going to convenient care at the local hospital.

    The really nice PA examined my ears.  It was funny, because she shined a light in tone ear and on the wall behind me a cartoon popped up!

    There is no sign of infection in either ear.  She thought I had a blockage in the eustachian tube, and that it would take a couple of days to clear up.

    She also said if it was still there, check with my audiologist to see if it was something else.

    I have gone from hearing a fan in my right ear to hearing a medium pitched drone.  The downside is I can't hear crap.  Also, I experienced dry heaves, which is a delightful experience. 

    I finally ate something at 7 tonight, the first food I have eaten today.  That statement alone should tell you I don't feel well.

    I am still unsteady at times.  Jackie asked me if I was ok driving and I said yes.  I'm  sure the corn will be ok to harvest once it gets upright, but other than that, I did ok.

    Xfinity folks came out again today.  They ran tests, laid a new line from the box to the house, and checked the modem.  Again.  They said all was good.  

    This is the second line run from the box.  This one is supposed to be the correct one, which I guess means the one run 2 weeks ago was not.

    One of the techs came back in with a new modem, unpacked it, and plugged that in. 

    We have not dropped internet since.

    When this started a month or so ago, I suggested we needed a new modem.  They kept saying no.

    Whether it was the modem or the line, I don't care.  As long as we stop the drop.

    Lastly, Beth was out in front today for a long time.

    I went to check on her and she was having a staring contest with the dog across the street. Ollie was on the road by our ditch, tail just a wagging.  Ollie is a cute little guy, must weigh about 12-15 pounds and is very friendly.

    I have never seen Ollie out of the yard.  And at the time, I was not sure it even belonged to the people across the street because of that.

    I told Beth to go into the house so I could shoo Ollie home.  Instead, Ollie galloped into the yard and they spent the next several minutes wagging tails and sniffing.

    I thought Beth was getting a little too excited, so I picked her up to go inside.  The front door was open and Ollie beat us into the house!

    Julia was working but I yelled for her and she came up as Ollie was running around.  

    She picked up Ollie, we called the neighbor who was out in back of their house looking for the dog, because he never leaves the yard.

    Based on Beth's prior behavior around dogs, this was a good experience!  Last week she went to Emily's and went out in the back yard with Siri and had a great time running around with her.  I think it is when a dog is in our house that Beth gets a little crazy.

    But then, I am a little crazy too.

    And dizzy.

Peace and Love

  

who, me?

Sometimes I think I complain too much 

    It's too hot.

    It's too cold.

    It's too rainy.

    It's too dry.

    My thumbs hurt.

    My legs hurt.

    I don't feel well.

    I'm tired.

    I'm bored.

    I'm too busy.

    I could go on and on, but you all know what I mean!

    Right now it is a combination of several of them.  My ear is still funny.  You know how a fan sounds when it is on high speed?  I hear that in my right ear, with and without my hearing aids.

    And I have a headache.  And I ate too much.  And when I went to the bathroom at 2 this morning I was dizzy.

    Complain.  Complain.  Complain.

    I guess I will call the audiologist tomorrow.  But maybe by morning it will  be ok.  Or not.  

    Our internet is still crappy.  Julia was on a work call Friday and lost contact 4 times.  I lose internet several times an hour.

    I used the Xfinity help chat, again. The AI devices eventually decided to send a human out tomorrow between 3 and 5 to try and figure it out.

    So far they have changed cords, rewired the router, laid a new line from the box to the house, resent the signal, updated Bridgemode, whatever the hell that is, but nothing seems to have changed.

    Well, again, let me correct that.  Our Xfinity bill has gone up $60 since March.  Add that to my list of complaints.

    At least today I got the damn beans picked!  Tomorrow we have to trim them, blanch them and freeze them.

    There are a lot of beans.  Could be a major project for Jackie and me.

    Finally, the Cubs traded one of my favorites.  I loved the energy Christopher Morel brought to the team.  I will miss him.

    Baseball is a business, like it or not.

Peace and Love

what?

 Something strange happened today

    First of all, I was up before 9.  That in itself is pretty darn unusual.

    I did not sleep very well, I don't think.  I feel like I fell asleep, woke up, and could not go back to sleep right away.  But, maybe that is my imagination.

    In any case, VCCT had a work day today.

    I went about 10:30 to help take down and move some shelves from a now defunct grocery store.

    I was there about a little over an hour and started to feel light headed.  Yes, I was hot.  But I was also not hearing well.

    I went home, and took out my hearing aids, then put them back in.  I was still not hearing well out of my right ear.

    I took them out again and discovered I could not hear anything in my right ear!  All sound was muffled.

    That was perplexing.

    I still don't feel like I hear enough in the right ear, so I will call the doctor Monday.

    My first thought is I never put my hearing aids in after I shower.  I always wait a couple of hours.  But today, they went in after about 30 minutes.  I wonder if I had water in my ear and now have plugged the sucker up. 

    At least I hope that is the problem.

    And no, I did not pick the damn beans.  I basically sat in a chair for a couple of hours, eventually taking a nap.

    Friends came for dinner and we played cards.

    I told them they had to speak up.

    

Peace and Love

should a

 Sometimes I make choices I don't like

    Today I was going to pick beans.  

    Instead, I watched most of the opening ceremony of the Olympics.

    I don't regret doing that, I just wish I had picked the beans.

    Tonight I watched the first almost 5 innings of the Cubs.  When it hit 6-0, a regretted not going out to pick the damn beans.

    I heard this today.

    A friend was working as a Democratic election judge in a precinct in Oregon, Il.

    She was sitting next to a Republican judge.

    A voter came in and was asked if they wanted a Republican or a Democratic ballot.

    The voter replied, "Republican.  Do I look like a Democrat?"

    The judges were both silent for a second, and then one said, "What does a Democrat look like?"

    The voter was stymied.

    And it was the Republican election judge who asked.

     Tomorrow, hell or high water, I am picking beans.

    Unless something else comes up.

Peace and Love

Wowser

 I had five things on my. to do list for today

    I did every one of them!

    I am as surprised an anyone!

    I mowed,  trimmed, spread dirt, added water and charged the golf cart and picked some beans.

    To be honest, I did not spend a lot of time picking beans.  I will have that to do tomorrow.

    Call it poor planning, but I set the automatic watering doodads to go off while I was picking....so I had to quit.

    Mowing was a bit of an adjustment today.

    I had a mulching mower.  But I had problems mowing the field, because it is weedier and the mower kept getting clogged.

    I had it converted back to a side discharge and the clogging seems to be a non issue.  But I do notice the just mowed grass.  I told Jackie I may get a tow behind grass picker upper at some point.  I tend to wait too long to mow, and then when I  do mow it leaves a lot of cut grass.

    My final act of the day was to make a mojito.

    Julia made supper while I finished up outside.  After supper I had a little to do still, like spreading dirt.

    The field, or Terry's Folly, has some huge ruts.  When I mow I almost bounce off the mower.  So I have been buying bags of dirt and trying to fill in the ruts.  Today I put 5 - 40 pound  bags and raked them down.  I still need more.

    I often wonder if anyone would mind if I took my yard cart down to the new home sites and grabbed some dirt from there.  Although it may be easier with bags than shoveling it into my cart and shoveling out when I get home.

    I am not looking forward to the temps going up.  I am totally housebound when the temps hit 90.  I can't believe people, who live in areas where it is 100+ for days on end.  It may be a dry heat, but it is still hot.

    That's my life.

Peace and Love

Olympic mania

 The summer games start in just a few days

    I will watch some of the events, but probably not as many as I do during the winter games.

    After all, there is no curling in the summer games.

    I know there will be exciting events, like track and field, swimming, gymnastics, basketball....all great events to watch.

    But that is not enough.  Those events don't allow us, as normal citizens, to compare our lives to Olympians.

    Therefore, as a public service announcement, I offer these suggestions for the future games.

    Tiddlywinks.  Yes, that old timey game where you tried to flip a plastic disk into a cup using another plastic disc. As a child, no doubt you spent hours playing the game, practicing your skill, developing strategies.  It is an event in the making.

    Corn hole.  I. think this is truly an American sport.  Given time and exposure, I am sure other countries will be quick to pick up this user friendly sport.  All you really need are a couple of boards and some bean bags, making it a low cost activity for every country.

    Cup stacking.  This was the rage once in elementary schools.  Give teams 15 cups and 5 challenges to stack in certain ways and the team with the best time wins.  To make it even more challenging, fill the cups with beer first, and team members will have to chug it all to get the empty cups.

    Fitted sheet folding.  Competitors will have 4 sheets to fold into a compact, what?  Parcel?  Pile?  Pick a name.  Teams will be composed of 4 people and each person will have to fold a sheet.  Sheets would be for single, double, queen and king sized beds.  Those folding the sheets into the shape of a goose or pyramid will get bonus points.  This would be a relay type event, with the sheets having to be folded in order, one at a time..

    Fly swatting.  Contestants are put in a 8 x 8 foot booth with 1 flyswatter and 20 flies.  After 3 minutes, the dead flies will be counted, if they can be found.  If not, then just the live flies will be counted. Winner will be determined by the number of dead flies.  Or do it like golf and count live flies with the winner the one with the least amount of flies.  Judges will be allowed to decide if intentionally swallowing of a fly counts as a legitimate kill.

    Here's one special for this Olympics.

    Pooper scooping.  Teams of 10 will be given scoops and sent out into the streets of Paris.  The winning team will be the one that collects the most dog waste in 4 hours.  Given the amount of dog shit I have seen in the City of Lights, a large dumpster will be needed.

    There.  My suggestions for future games.

    Feel free to send these to the Olympic committee but  please, don't include my name.

Peace and Love

confession time

 I seen to have developed an addiction

    Don't panic!  

    It's not a drug or anything like that.

    It's Triscuits.

    I know!  You might think potato chips or Oreos, but no....Truscuits.

    I didn't even know what they were.  I had to ask one of the girls what the name of those little square crackers that we had at Christmas.  

    After I learned Triscuits, I have bought a few boxes.  And eaten a few.  Truthfully, more than a few.   A lot.

    Yes, it is a more healthy snack than a lot of stuff.  According to the website, there are 120 calories in 6 crackers, but they are whole wheat so they are better than other crackers.

    The website also said this cracker was invented in 1900, making it 124 years old!  

    I did not know you could invent a cracker.

    I also discovered today I don't know beans.

    Let me rephrase that.  I don't know about beans.  I don't know when they are ready to pick.  I keep thinking they are not quite ready, but Jackie said they looked good.  So I guess tomorrow I will go pick some so we can blanche and freeze them.

    Ever get really bothered by a tv commercial?

    I have seen a Lincoln commercial where a man and a woman are sitting in a car, she says "ready" and they run and jump off a steep cliff.

    I have no idea what that has to do with the vehicle, but my problem is I don't know how the people get out of the water!  It's a steep cliff!  Sheer walls!

    Now maybe there is a footpath or something, but I like to think they ended up being rescued by a helicopter.

    I know, it's a commercial.  Those are not supposed to reflect life.

    Finally, I have a bur oak that is in distress.  According the to U of I plant clinic, it has a fungus of some sort that does not have a cure.  It also has galls, which are not a problem.  The biggest concern is that it is planted too deep.

    I did not know you could plant a tree too deeply in the soil.

    The report said the planting issue does not surface for 10-12 years after planting.  This tree has been in about 10.

    It was recommended I prune out the dead branches when the tree goes dormant.  I should also fertilize it in the spring and make sure it gets water during dry periods.

    Not much I can do, otherwise.

     And I love that tree.

Peace and Love

git up

 I didn't pick beans today

    That was my plan.

    But we did not get up until.......10:45!  I have no idea what happened.

    By the time I got Jackie up, dressed and fed, it was close to 1.  

    I planned to go pick  beans, but kept putting it off.

    At 3 I decided it was time.....and it started raining.

    It was like nature was telling me not to pick beans today.

    So I sat on the porch and read a little, had an afternoon tea, and listened to the rain.

    At around 4 Beth came out, sat on my chair with me, then went inside.

    When I sat down, I felt a little tired and closed my eyes.

    I woke up at 6:30!

    Therein lies the problem.  I take an afternoon nap and can't fall asleep at night.  Because I can't fall asleep I sleep  later in the morning and don't get to do anything.  

    Oh well, there is always tomorrow.

    I hope to pick. the beans and weed the veggies....but I have been saying that for a few days.

Peace and Love

it ain't easy

Honestly, I do try to read directions 

    But that does not necessarily mean success for me.

    Emily mentioned a long time ago that the push button electronic locks into the house don't work.

    So in February, I bought 2 new sets.

    I read the directions.  I used a magnifying glass to read them.  I read them a couple of times.

    Today I went out to put on the new lockset.

    The package says:  Easy installation.  Installs in minutes.

    That is never good for me to know.

    At one point I was tasked with holding the front plate on, holding the back plate, and attaching a wire linking the 2.  Incredibly hard when you only have 2 hands.

    So I got Julia out to help.  After I experienced several frustrating attempts, she told me to go check on Jackie.

    When I got back, she had it almost figured out.  The 2 of us finally got it connected, installed, and working.

    45 minutes.

    The second lock seems to work fine, which I should have checked before ordering 2 of the expensive suckers.  And since I have had them for 5 or 6 months, I can't return them.  

    Curses.

    However, the lock is installed and it works.

    I aired up my bike tires and rode around the block, which is 2.5 miles.  It is the first time this year I have been on my bike.

    I made supper, steaks on the grill, and they were quite good.  I did not burn  them or over cook them.

    And I made a mojito that seems to be my best one of the summer.  OK, it is only the second one I have made, but it is very good.

    Throw in a Cubs win and it made for a very good day.

    The one drawback:  Julia repotted some plants on the patio.  She had a paper bag of plant debris.  I watered the patio plants and got the bottom of the bag wet.  

    Maybe the mojito clouded my judgement, but I thought I would take a shortcut through the house.

    Bad choice.

Peace and Love

crapola

 Talk about a lousy night!

    After we got home from dinner last night, I wrote my usual drivel but forgot to post it.  I don't know how. that happened, but it did.  I was tired.

    I had a coffee at about 3.  This was a cold brew, which may be a factor.

    I know at dinner I had 2 beers, unusual for me.  Since Julia was driving I figured I was ok to have 2.

    I ended up going to bed about 11:30.

    I heard the cuckoo go off at 12, 12:30, 1.....  I got up for the 2 beer bathroom evacuation time and it was about 2.  The cuckoo ent off at 3.  Then 4.

    I was still awake.

    It was after 4 when I finally fell asleep, only to have Jackie wake me at 9.

    I was really tired.  Very tired.

    I think that is why I lost my grip on her moving her from the bed to her chair.

    Her top half was on the bed, sliding off, I had her feet and was yelling for Julia.  She came in and the two of us were able to lift her back onto the bed.

    That was not an ideal way to start the day.

    The rest of the day went fine.  Camryn came over for a visit and we ended up getting pizza.

    But I did not get a nap.  I think. tonight I will sleep soundly, if I can make it to bed.

    Jackie may be on her own.

Peace and Love

a first!

I went to a new restaurant tonight 

    At least new to me.  

    I had never been to Prairie State Brewery in Rockford before, and tonight we had a family get together there.

    My sister in law, nephew, niece and her husband and one daughter, Jackie, Julia,  Emily and I enjoyed he evening dining outside along the Rock River.

    A good time was had by all.

    But it was also a late time, so the rest of this will be in picture format.

Peace and Love

Good food and good visiting....makes for a great night

I took my umbrella down when I heard about  strong winds.  I placed it on the table.  But the winds blew it off  the table, taking my gargoyle with it.  Luckily there was no damage.

Jackie ordered 2 bras.  They came in this box.

High water at the Rock River dam

It's called a fairy ring, but I believe it is caused by a fungus, not actual fairies.

This is my chair.....but Beth is now claiming it!

Rockford at night

catching worms

 I was an early bird today

    But I don't have worms.  

    At least I don't think I do, but you never know. 

    As a kid I was terrified of developing tape worms.  I would look at pictures and look in encyclopedias for information.l. I was always afraid one would come out my butt.

    Then, when I was older, I heard about guinea worms.  People get these from drinking contaminated water.  The worm may spend up to a year in your body then emerges from a blister like bubble on your skin.  OMG!!

    But I digress.

    I was to be at the local radio station at 8 a.m.  Tom McDermott, lifelong Rochelle resident, city council member, and historian for the local museum, wrote a book dealing with Rochelle's history. It really is a neat read and tells a lot about the quiet heroes in our midst.

    So Tom and I were there for an interview, although in all honesty I did not have much to contribute, especially at 8 a.m.

    I got home about 8:40, Jackie was still  asleep, so I lay down in bed, figuring she would wake in a little while.

    11:30.   That's when she woke up and then woke me. 

    Needless to say, not a lot got done around her today.  

    She had a library board meeting at 7, so I had to cook supper early so we could eat before the meeting.

    When I got home, I was happy to see Julia had done the dishes.  So I sat out on the patio with a glass of wine and watched the sky turn red.

    Even though I did nothing, again, I feel drained, mentally and physically.  

    I feel like I could sleep another 12 hours......but I will settle for 8/

Peace and Love

ho ho hum

 I am not the Jolly Green Giant

    Or farmer Brown for that matter.

    I seem to be one of the  worst gardeners in the world!

    I just spent 2 hours weeding my veggies and I am only 2/3 done.  I don't have big plots, just a lot of weeds.

    I need to weed more often.

    But the doesn't compare to the lousy looking plants!  

    My carrots have their tops chewed off, probably a deer.  The tomato plants are huge but I don't see many tomatoes.  The beans are growing, but not a lot of flowers.  The cucumbers....well, we will see what happens with those.

    But I did get a stalk of sweet corn!  Unfortunately, it was growing in the beans.  I planted 5 4 foot rows of sweet corn and got one stupid stalk.  And I planted sweet corn twice.  

    But I learned my lesson.

    Plant earlier next year.  Don't plant sweet corn.  Allow more space between tomato plants and green peppers.  Weed more often.

    While I was out there weeding, it actually felt good to get dirty.  I had some quiet moments pulling weeds and I need that once in a while.

    Hell, I need it every day.

    Jackie says I have a domestic abuse problem.

    Two nights in a row I have been hitting her in my dreams.  I vaguely remember battling pirates or zombies on a ship.  Trouble is, I actually hit her.  She yelled at me and I guess I stopped.  I honestly don't remember any of it.

    I also had another bad dream about teaching.  This time I was in a classroom at Tilton School and there was a big project night approaching.  All the classes were making neat displays and I knew nothing about it.  I kept saying I was retired and just subbing, but I was told I had to get the project done now.

    I retired in 2008.  You would think my nightmares about being in the classroom would disappear, but I seem to have them quite often.

    And my class did have a project for project night.   It was the best one of all.  It seems I had  given students plants at the start of the school year and they kept records of growth, moving them around in the classroom to see if different lighting affected the development.

    They each put their plant out and set their record book next to the plant.

    Now that I dream about it, that would have been a good project for student.

    16 years too late.

Peace and Love

who did that?

 From dust I came......

    So, I was waiting for an appointment today when I discovered I had committed a faux pas.

    Yesterday I went to Julia’s lot to check out the water.  It was muddy.  My shoes got  muddy.

    I realized today I had put on the muddy shoes.  I was sitting in a space that had just been cleaned when I noticed a pile of dirt forming on the floor.

    My shoes were caked with mud.  It  had dried, and was falling off.

    So, I scraped it around as best I could to disperse the pile, but realized I still had a lot of mud on my shoes.

    I improvised.

    Going outside, I found a puddle from yesterday's rain.  I stepped in it, wiggled my feet around, and cleand off my shoes.

    Problem solved.

    I then sat in a different chair.

    That was the highlight of the day.  

    When I got home after the store in the afternoon, I sat down to read and 2 hours later woke up.

    I have noticed that if I don't get enough sleep, my muscles hurt.    Is there a connection?  Or is it my imagination?

    I am trying to get to bed sooner, and drinking more water, which makes an uninterrupted night of sleep pretty darn difficult when you hit 70 + years.

    The other down side is it is near bedtime and I am wide awake, full of energy, and raring to go.

    I just don't know where I am going.

Peace and Love

I am beat

I am so drained right now

    It is not anything I did today.  Far from it.

    It's. the fear of storms.  I have been worrying all day and when the alarm started sounding tonight, I was in quite a state.

    I told Julia about the tornado warning for us and she stayed in the basement with Beth.  I wheeled Jackie into our guest bathroom and then proceeded to go to the front, side, back over and over again, watching the sky.

    I don't know why the storms affect me so.  I have been that way ever since moving out here.

    For a tornado warning we should go to the basement, but I can't get Jackie down the  stairs.  So we go into the bathroom, which is an interior room.  

    Julia and I did go to Emily's to let the dogs out before the storm and then started moving them downstairs to her safe room.  Luckily she got home in time to get the reluctant ones down and caged to wait out the storm.

    Anyway, the whole day took an emotional toll.  

    It is still thundering and lightning, but the worst of the weather is long gone.  Just hope other folks are not impacted by the storm.

Peace and Love

 

it's wet

 I would like the rain to stop

    Wonder why?

    Here's why:

    This is the basement of Julia's house.

    Currently we are in a severe thunderstorm warning, with heavy rains expected.  The area just a little south of us has a tornado warning until 9.

    To say this is all unnerving to me would be an understatement.

    My stomach hurts.  I have made at least 10 trips from the den to the bedroom to listen to the latest alerts, which almost always are north of us.

    I eat.  I worry.  I watch out the windows.  I don't like severe weather.

    And all this rain will not make Julia's basement dry.  Until it dries, they can't start serious work on the footings and foundation.  Some areas around us are getting 1 to 2 inches an hour!

    Nature can be a n uncooperative  entity.

    We had a storm with hail overnight, but I did not hear it!  I slept through most of it, but I did briefly wake up because the rain sounded really hard.  Jackie and Julia said that was hail.  I went back to sleep.

    I don't have much else to say, so that's it.

Peace and Love

Six

We ventured into the city for a play today 

    We saw Six, a musical history lesson on Henry VIII and his wives.

    The show was pretty darn good!  The six females were energetic, talented in dance and song, and pretty neat to watch.

    Five of us went, but we did not sit together.  Julia and Emily originally got tickets, then Jackie and I decided we wanted to go and so did our friend Renee.  So Julia  and Emily sat downstairs while the 3 of us had a handicap seating area in the dress circle level.  Whatever that means.

    After the show we walked over to the Elephant and Castle for dinner.  Friends John and Kathy joined us and again, it was a great experience just talking and visiting.

    The restaurant is a mock up British pub.  There was a traditional British food menu, so I had fish and chips.  When we were in London and Liverpool last summer, I had them and I think it was better there because, well, it was England.

    By the way, in England  they used to serve the fare in rolled up newspaper, but I understand Covid put an end to that quaint tradition.  Now the food is served on heavy paper plates.

    In front of the theater there was a woman singing.  She had a mic, some amps, speakers, and CDs with background music.  Her voice was amazing.  I dropped a couple of bucks in her bucket.  Now, there were a LOT of people sitting on sidewalks holding signs that said things like homeless, need food for my children, help me.....and I did not drop a coin in any of those.

     But a street performer?  Even the kids banging on plastic buckets get a couple of bucks from me.

    Anyway, coming out of the show she was still there, singing away.  

    I asked her if she also sang at the Christmas market and she said yes.  I told her I thought so, because when I heard her then I was impressed by the voice.

    We missed the big excitement back home.  Seems a heavy wind came through. the area, knocking down a couple of trees and destroying an office at a crop research facility.

    I only hope dogBeth was not tormented by the weather alert going off and no one home to shut it off.

    Friend Sheri came and let Beth out for us, and also let Emily's dogs out.  

    And we had friend Kimberly on stand by in case Jackie woke up not feeling well enough to go.  

    But it all worked out......it was a great day.

Peace and Love

    

Not Six

Call me Billy Bob

I have turned into a redneck 

    No, I don't like NASCAR (sorry Beth), country music, line dancing, moonshine, or have a 1973 Plymouth Dusters up on cinder blocks in the front yard.

    Wait....that may not be PC.  Oh well.

    I mean a redneck, or more precisely a person with a red neck.

    I mowed today.  The sun was bright.  I put suntan lotion on my face, arms, hands.....but I forgot the back of my neck and now it is a little red.

    So, I am a redneck.

    I went to the store again.  This time I made a list and thought hard about what we needed.

    But, and there's that big butt again, I was supposed to buy something but could not remember.  So it did not get on the list.

    I said to Jackie as I was leaving, "I know there was something we needed, but I can't remember."

    Went shopping, stopped  for a coffee, got home, and the first thing I was asked was ...  "Did you get applesauce?" 

    Damn!  That was supposed to go on the list.

    "What about the ........?"

    Damn, that was supposed to go on the list too.

    I did go to Starbucks today.  It was late, and Cypress House was closed....I think.

    A lady sitting at a table near the pick up area said "Hi, Terry." 

    I was a little flummoxed with my order for some reason, and just said hi back.

    When I went to the pick up area I saw my friend Dana, whom I have not seen in person for a long time.  We spent a few minutes catching up and agreed to get together soon. 

    I really hope we do.....it seems I have a lot of people in my life I value, but I don't get to visit or spend time with them.

    And that is sad.

    So...let's get together!

Peace and Love

odd thoughts

 Just a few odds and ends from my cluttered mind

    14 years ago on this date Dan and I were at a Cub game.  They won, and we held up the W flag.  People saw us on TV!

   Staying on the baseball theme, a White Sox pitcher recorded 3 outs on 9 thrown balls, all strikes, in a game Wednesday.  That is called an "Immaculate" inning and is less common than hitting for the cycle.  The last White Soxer to do it Wass Sloppy Thorsen in 1923.  Curious how he got that nickname!

    I was mailing a letter to someone who has a the letter b in their name.

    When I first addressed the envelope, I wrote d instead of b.

    I got another envelope.  and wrote d instead of b.

    Third tine was the charm. 

    I remember my students sometimes reversed the letters when printing.  I guess I am not smarter than a fifth grader after all.

    Music sometimes makes me wish for the old days.

    When Elvis sang Return to Sender, letters were delivered that day and returned the next!  Now that process could take weeks.

    But then the Beatles  were way off base when they sang, "I'd rather see you dead little girl than to be with another man."  I don't think that song would do well today, and it shouldn't.

    There is construction going on by our high school, and the main entrance has been closed for a couple of weeks.  The signal at that corner has been flashing red instead of going through the red, yellow, green sequence.  It makes no sense, because there is no traffic crossing Flagg Road!  One side is where the construction is, and the other side is a church.

    Making it even stranger is today signs went up telling motorists they need to stop for a flashing red light.

    Really?  What kind of idiots are driving that don't know that?

    By the way, I did watch 2 cars breeze through the intersection not even bothering to slow down.  

    They must not have read the sign.

Peace and Love

nothing

 Sometimes I just can't get motivated

    Today was one of those days.

    We got up late, Jackie wasn't feeling well, and the day just got away from me.

    Sure, I went to the store.  Again.

    I swear....I probably go to the store every day!  Sometimes I think I do just to get out of the house for a while.

    Ran into an old friend who has had lots of medical issues.  He was wearing a shirt that was blue on the top and orange on the bottom.

    Now, those are Chicago Bears colors and he is a Green Bay fan.  I gave him a little guff about that, and he showed me his artificial leg, which has a Packer tdesign. 

    I cooked pork chops for supper.  Jackie said she just wanted a little of the chop and some applesauce.

    I went into the pantry and ..... no apple sauce.  Damn, I was just at the store.

    I decided o make a mojito and went to find my natural sugar and it was gone.  I was just at the store.

    I made one anyway and sipped away while the chops burned on the grill.

    Julia made the Mac and cheese and supper turned out pretty tasty.  And so was the mojito!

    Maybe tomorrow I will get something on last weekend's list done.

    But I am not real optimistic.

Peace and Love

weird

 I can't explain some things

    Last night my original post was taken down by the Facebook Police.  The message was the content was inappropriate.

    But they never said what content was inappropriate.

    I had said that I had a three even day, and called it a three some.  Maybe that was the reason.  Whatever, I redid the post and the second time it went through.  Go figure.

    I was getting ready to take Jackie to her doctor appointment in Rolling Meadows today when a van pulled into the driveway.

    A guy got out and said he was from Comcast and was here to bury the cable.

     I told him that was fine, but the cable had not yet been laid.

    He was shocked.  He said his work order said the cable was laid and all he had to do was bury it.

    Then he said he had some cable and would string it out and then bury it.

    That is when I got shocked.

    Literally.

    I needed to find the underground fence so he did not cut through it.  So I got the dog's collar, went down on my hands and knees and got shocked several times as I traced the path of the underground fence. 

    After I marked it out, he began burying the cable....by hand.

    I told him I thought they had a little trencher that did that, and he said they did, but it leaves a line of dirt across the yard.  He used a shovel, lifted up the sod, put down the cable, and patted the sod in place.

    I asked him if that wasn't real tiring and he said, "I am young...I have lots of energy."

    I did give him some water and a couple of glasses filled with ice, but we had to leave before he was finished.    

    Now I have to get a tech out here to connect it to the house.

    And maybe somebody can explain why I have an OK spray painted in yellow in my front yard?

    Aliens?

    Hmm

Peace and Love

3...really??

Do things really happen in threes? 

    I experienced a weird triangle of events today/

     I mean three unrelated, unconnected, and unwanted events.

    Like all the smoke detectors going off at 5:30 in the morning!

    I ran out into the living room, Julia ran out into the living room, and Jackie was left in bed.

    The alarms went off for a bout 2 minutes.  Beth went out the front door and a tiny voice said, "Fire!  Alert!  Fire!"  I did not know I had a talking smoke alarm.

    I checked all over the house....no smell, no evidence of fire, no smoke.....and then the alarms went quiet.

    In hindsight, my first response should have been to get Jackie into a wheelchair and out of the house, then look for evidence of a fire and calling 911.

    But we didn't do that.

    Later I called the fire station and explained what happened.  The person said they had no clue, but if it happens again call them and they will come out and check.

    I know all the detectors are hard wired with battery back ups and they are all connected.  When one goes off, they all go off.

    I wonder if the basement detector, which is also a CO-2 device, picked up a hint of something and went off, triggering all its friends.

    Power surge?  Freak of nature? Just one of those things?

    It sure did wake me up and made it hard to get back to sleep.

    Surprise number 2 was next.  No internet.  Or cable.  Or landline phone.  I could not read the paper on line, Julia could not work, Jackie could not use her tablet.......after 3 hours it came back.

    While the internet was down, I grabbed a book to read and dropped my glasses, causing the a lens to come out.

    That was number 3 in the terrible three triangle.

    Instead of putting the locks on the doors, I drove over to Sterling to get my glasses repaired.  It's about a 30 mile drive each way, which isn't too bad.  It's just that it happened.  And yes, I. tried fixing them myself, but I could not.

    I got back a little after 2 and took a nap.  Then I started. reading the directions for installing the door locks.  Had to read it 3 times for it to make any sense, then I realized I was looking at the Spanish side.

    Maybe Wednesday.

Peace and Love

huh

 I did nothing today

Nada.  Zilch.  Zero.

    I let Emily's dogs out about 1:30, and let them all back in this time.  I seem to have missed one yesterday.

    When I came home I got Jackie some lunch then sat down to read on the porch.

    At some point I fell into a semi sleep.

    You know, you think you are awake but you may be asleep.

    A fly kept buzzing me, I kept swatting it.  Gnats kept trying to get in my ears and I kept pushing them away.  My leg cramped up.

    But through all this, I know I fell asleep.  

    I went into house after a while and sat in my chair.  Next thing I knew, it was supper time

    No putting new locks in.

    No airing up the bike tires.

    No putting the new thing together.

    I guess that's why tomorrows were invented.

    I hope to get at least 2 of those tasks accomplished.

    Hope.

    Unless I nap, again.

Peace and Love

me bad

 Sometimes my good deeds go awry

    Emily works this weekend, so I let the dogs out this afternoon.

    I like petting them, especially Liam, the huge Irish Wolfhound.  If I stop petting him, he nudges me with his giant head.

    Emily texted me when she got home from work, thanking me for letting the dogs out.  She also asked that tomorrow, I let them all back in!

    Seems I missed a dog.  Siri was out in the yard for about 4 hours, all by herself.

    I remember waiting for Becky to come in.  She is so slow, I went out to hurry her along and Siri must have snuck out .

    Emily said she was fine after her experience at freedom.  But I feel bad about not being more careful.

    I will do better.

    I thought I would show off my garden.

Peace and Love

I think that is a sundog on the right....

out and out

 This has been a strange power day

    Our electricity has gone out 4 times!

    It goes for a few seconds, then comes back.

    But twice the generator kicked on, which only happens when the power is off 15 seconds.  At first I thought someone was mowing, but realized the generator was running.

    I was sitting on the patio the last time it went.  Just before the lights went out, a huge hawk swooped down and landed on the roof right above my head!  That was pretty cool to see.  It took off within seconds, probably because it did not see a ground squirrel to feast upon.

    Besides losing internet, the most frustrating part about a power loss  is resetting the 2 clocks in the kitchen.  I never get them to have the same time.

    I tested my strength today by lifting 480 pounds!

    I did!  Really!!

    Our field, which could be like Seward's Folly, has two huge dips which almost cause me t o fly off. the mower when I hit them.

    I have been gradually filling them it and today I bought 12 bags of top soil, each bag weighing 40 pounds..... so that was 480 pounds!

    I took four bags at a time on the golf cart, dumped the dirt and raked it.  Tomorrow I may mow to see if that has smoothed out the rough spots.

    Rochelle is doing its fireworks tonight.

    Whatever the reason, I just don't feel the urge/desire/want to go watch.  Neither does Jackie.

    I did not see them last year either, because I was in Switzerland for the Fourth.  I didn't miss them last year either.

    I wonder if it is age, or just a general lack of enthusiasm because. they are not on the actual Fourth.

    Last night some people were shooting them off near our neighborhood and little Beth got a bit panicked.  She would not go out for me at bedtime, so I left her in Julia's room.  She would not even get off the bed.

    Hopefully she will be better tonight.

    Happy Fifth of July!

Peace and love

grouchy old man

 I tend to be a bit of a grouch on July 4

    The holiday is great.  It's the people that are not.

    It is against the law to shoot off fireworks in Illinois unless you are licensed.

    But people can go to Indiana, or Wisconsin, load up with a bunch of fireworks and shoot them off at all hours of the night.  

    I remember reading once, "Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should."  Or something like that.

    But for some reason, there are people who don't think that applies to them.

    I don't think the celebration of the founding of our country means you are free to do anything you like.  People still have to obey the rules, follow the laws, and be good neighbors.

    That applies to fireworks and the 2 yahoos that just went through our retention pond on their ATVs.  

    My guess is some of those people are ones who feel they can do whatever they want, but want to control how people dress, worship, and what they do with their bodies.

    Everyone says they support law enforcement.

    And that is great.  Just stop breaking the law when you say it.

    We had a nice Fourth.....grilled out, had friends and neighbors over....drank some wine.  It  was a pleasant time with good people.

    And none of us shot off fireworks.

Peace and Love

honored ?

 I was honored today

≠

    I do believe this is a once in a lifetime honor.  I am thrilled.  I am thankful to be recognized in this way.

    I went into Cypress House for a Dark Side of the Moon, or as I call it, a Pink Floyd.

    I walked in just as the staff was ending a discussion on bridesmaids.

    The topic seemed to be, what customer would you pick for a bridesmaid?

    Amy picked me.

    I accepted the honor and showed the moves I would make going down the aisle at church, in the woods, or in a judge's  office.

    I must say, I was impressive!

    Now, I was told there is no actually wedding, all of this was purely conjecture.

    But I was still honored.

    I just wish I had gotten a crown or something.

    Anyway, I can not go to the store anymore.

    I went to the butcher's for some brats and hamburger.

    I walked out with over $100 of product.  I just got carried away!

    Then I went to Walmart and spent another $70!  I was stunned.

    In fact, I was so stunned I got home and re-added the bill on my calculator.  The computer was right, as it always is.

    I even stopped to visit Dan and Linda when I was in Creston.  I only stayed for a little while, but it was nice to catch up.

    Speaking of which, I forgot to buy ketchup.  And bananas.  

    But at least I did not lose the mower, dog or my keys today.

    Have a safe and happy Fourth.

Peace and Love

wth

I had a pretty busy day today

    I got my hair cut, and had a massage.  Not at the same place.

    Busy, eh?

    If only my life was that simple.

    Jackie asked me to make her lunch before I went to my haircut appointment.

    I did.  Sliced up some veggies, put hummus on her plate along with a beef stick and cheese.  Put some dog treats on for Beth and even remembered Jackie's afternoon meds.

    I made her a pineapple smoothie and put that on the tray for her.

    And. then I left.

    She had to call down to Julia for Julia to bring her the lunch, which was still sitting on the kitchen counter.

    But wait, that's not all.

    We have  potpourri of food for supper.  Leftovers galore.

    Jackie had some steak, and I made broccoli for us.

    I asked her how long it had to cook.  She looked it up, told me, and I put the pan on the stove, and turned  on the stove burner.

    I never put water in the pan! I went to check if it was boiling and almost had a heart attack!  That's the kind of incident that causes house fires......pots on the stove with no water.  It was lucky I checked.

    And then there is Beth.  I forgot her in the back yard.  Again.  

    She just sat and waited patiently.

    The old me would have worried about Alzheimers.  But the new me knows I was busy doing multiple things at one time and just forgot.  I need to do one thing at a time.  One.  Uno.

    The massage was great.....my legs don't hurt as much and I am feeling better than I have in a week.

    Now I am waiting for the weather to hit.....maybe a t storm....and wondering about the hurricane in the Caribbean.... that could be a doozy!

Peace and Love

really?

I know I can't keep track of things

    That's mainly because I don't put stuff away.  

    Every day I look for something.  A scissors, my car key, my phone, the paper I just made notes on for the  store.

    But today topped them all.

    I could not find my lawn mower.

    This is not the small push until you keel over in the heat mower.  It's a VW sized rider, bright red.

    I had mowed most of the yard around the house.  

    But my legs hurt, so I took a break.

    I went in the back door and sat for a while.

    When I got up, I went out the back door and ..... no mower.

    I went to the front of the house.  No mower.

    I went to the garage side of t he house.  No mower.

    Now I can deal with misplacing my glasses or screwdriver.  But a freakin mower?

    I walked around to the side of the house and there it was.

    I can not figure why I would park it on the side of the house when my legs hurt.  If anything, I would have parked it as close to possible to the house, not as far away as possible.

    Sigh.

    And I mowed the field. 

    After mowing, I cleaned out under the mower and as I was doing this, I thought there has to be an easier way. 

    I raise the blade up as high as it goes, then I lay down on the ground and grab the muck with my hands and pull it off the mower.  Sometimes I use a scraper, but there is not a lot of room.

    If I get up too fast I get nauseous. 

    My hands get filthy, my shirt gets dirty, the driveway is a mess and I wonder how I can do this better.

    My thought is:  car ramps!  I get two ramps, pull the mower up, exposing the underside, and I can easily lean over and scrape. 

    I just don't know if it will work.

    After scraping, I use the hose to wash off the underside.

    Today I hit myself 3 times with the jet setting.  Now I was full of muck and wet.

    When I finished everything, I showered, warmed up supper, and poured some wine. 

    I am still pouring.

Peace and Love