honest

I got in trouble for being honest today 

    First of all, I went to the final market at Cypress House today.  

    It is also only the second one I was at this year.  I just can't seem to get there.

    On the way back to my car, I started walking in an odd way.  Could not go straight.  I always seemed to head to the left and have to correct myself.

    I felt fine.  I am just not used to the ear thing and how it may affect my balance yet.

    Anyway, Julia and Emily and some others were out today.  

    When Julia got home, I told her while she was out shopping I went to the market, did two loads of laundry, emptied the dishwasher and got the lawn mowed.

    Jackie said, "You did not mow the lawn,"

    To which I replied, "I did not say I mowed the lawn.  I said I got it done."

    And I did.  I have a nice high school freshman who will mow the lot and lawn when it needs it.  Today I asked him just to mow the lawn and skip the lot.  I just did not think I would be good mowing it, plus he gets a little something for doing the work.

    So I was honest.    I got the lawn mowed.

    Renee and Wendy came over tonight.  They went out to see the progress on Julia's house, and then we had burgers and brats.

    It was a nice time, but I missed a lot of the conversations that were going on around me.  

    The food was good, the burgers a little under done, the desserts awesome and all in all it was a fun night.

    And the Cubs won!!  That made it a pretty darn good day.

Peace and Love

word smiths

I often wonder who made the word 

    Why is a door a door?  What prompted someone to come up with that sound for that object?

    I got to thinking of t hat today.  Julia's trusses were delivered for her house.

    Now, who decided it was trusses?  I wonder if tresses, or locks of hair, was the basis.  The trusses are the hair on a house, so maybe some person altered the word.

    I can imagine some conversations.

    "Let's go sit around the pile of wood that is throwing off heat," said Grog.

    "Why don't we call it fire and save time?" Mrs. Grog replied.

    Or. maybe someone was dyslexic.  

    "The wind is coming through the hole in the side of the house.  Put something over it." Mrs. Sodbuster said.

    Mr. Sodbuster nailed a buffalo hide over it and said, "No wind, now."  That eventually became wind no, which became window.

    Clear as mud, right?

    Anyway.....  I have not used my cooling blanket yet.  I always wash stuff before I use it.  Except socks.  I just wear the socks.  But everything else gets washed.

    The instructions were to wash on cold delicate.  I did.

    Then to line dry or air dry.

    I put it in the dryer and set the dial to air dry.  I also set it for 30 minutes.  It was pretty damp.  So I set it for 40 minutes.  It was still damp.  Then I set it for 35 minutes.  It was still damp.

    Next I spread it out over two chairs in the bedroom, but I just checked and it still feels moist.

    So.... what do they mean when they say air dry?  Discussion in our house was it means put it out in the sun, or in the air, but I countered that is the same as line dry.  Air dry is the setting on the dryer.

    In any case, it is still not dry enough to use.  Or is it?  Maybe I feel something that is not there.

    Hopefully by the end of summer I will be able to use it and not wake up in a sweat at night.

    Hopefully.

    Gonna pick beans tomorrow.  Totally random thought.

    And my friend Sam called the other night to tell me she has parts in 2  one act plays being staged in Rockford.  One of them is the main character.  I will be excited to see her on stage.

Peace and Love

still puzzled

 I am still puzzled about things in life

    I borrowed a book from Hoopla sitting at my computer and it is already downloaded on my e-reader.  I just don't know how that all works.  If you don't know, Hoopla is a free on line service available through most local libraries.  It gives borrowers access to thousands of books movies, music and who knows what else.  It is a pretty cool service.

    I had a call from a Comcast rep today.  He wanted to know how the internet was working.  I told him it was fine, nothing dropped.  I also told him the tech that was here and solved the problem was a wonderful person.  Then I said we never got a survey after he left!  The one person who fixed it and no survey.

    The rep said not getting a survey was unusual but he would make a note of my comments and send them on up, whatever that means.

    Here's another puzzler.

    When I pulled in the garage the other day, PCA of the Cubs had just homered.

    I walked into the house and said to Jackie, "Looks like he has figured it out."

    But on the TV, PCA was still batting!

    Jackie's brother Bob down in Florida is also ahead of our TV.  He will say great play, and then it happens.

    This is not new.

    When I listed to games on the radio in the den and there is an outstanding play, or home run, I get up and go into the great room and can see the play.

    Do others have this issue?  

    I wonder if the same happens with football games.

    Another puzzler.

    When you know the rules, why do you choose to ignore them anyway just to suit your own purpose?

    One more:

    Why didn't I check the lid on the container of mixed nuts before I dropped them on the floor?

    Normally I would just wash the food off, but how do you wash 100s of nuts?  So I tossed them.  Sadly.

    I got my cooling blanket today.  I have washed it and am now air drying it with the hope of using it tonight.  When does fall start?

    And a personal note to Nadine:  No one called me from Amboy.  I didn't win the $100,000 +.  Did you?

Peace and Love

toss me not

 Getting rid of things is hard for me

    I am not a hoarder.  But I am a sentimentalist.  And that's the problem.

    I have a Cubs shirt that says "we're done hibernating'". It's from the 22015 season when they went to the NL championship series but lost.  The shirt has a hole under one arm, maybe because my BO is pretty strong, or  because it's 9 years old.

    I wear the shirt at night.  I also wear my World Series Champs shirt at night.  I used to wear them as everyday t shirts, but they got old and cruddy looking.  So. they became night shirts.  After 8 or 9 years, you would think I could. toss them.  

    But I can't.  Jackie, John, Dan and I were at the 2015 game against the Cardinals when Schwarber hit a towering home run that damaged the Budweiser sign in right field.  We had parked at the remote lot, but the buses that ran from Wrigley to the remote lot had to be rerouted because of the crowds in the street and the celebration that was going on.

    We pushed Jackie, in her walker, from Addison to Irving.  It was a hot night and we took turns.  People that were total strangers even offered to push.

    And then in 2016, the only time in our lives we have called the Cubs World Champions.

    I can't toss the shirts.  The memories are too strong and too happy    .

    But what about this?

        It's a face cloth.  The figure in the corner is a rooster.

        I still use it. It isn't the best face cloth, but it does the job.

        In 2013 we rented a villa in Tuscany.  Julia, Emily, Jackie, Me, John/Johanna,  Carl and Ruth, Kathy and John were all there at some point.

        We hired a woman to come in and cook a traditional Tuscan meal, and she even made the pasta while we watched.  It was so good, we had her a second time the following week.

        We drank a lot of wine, laughed, ate, and had a fantastic time exploring the area.

        I had read about a butcher there, nicknamed the Butcher of Panzanno.  We went to his shop for some meat.  Opera was playing, grappa was being passed out, he was singing, and it was full of tourists.  It was great.

    We even had a meat dinner, featuring 5 courses of various meats served family style.  We ate gelato.  I peed on the sacred walls of Sienna.  We visited Pisa and several other small towns.

    When we got home I wrote a story about the butcher and submitted it to the Tribune travel section.

    My brother called and asked me if I had seen the paper and the story of the butcher.  I said I hadn't.  He started reading it to me and telling me is was just like we were there.  I asked him who. the writer was.

    I heard his laugh and his "for god's sakes" when he saw my name.

    So....what does that have to do with the old, faded, cruddy looking washcloth?

    The villa we were in, like most rentals in Europe, did not provide face cloths.  Only towels.

    So I bought a face cloth at a store in one of the towns.

    The rooster is a symbol of the area.  Wines that come from this area all have the rooster image on the bottle so you know it is a true Tuscan wine.

    Toss it? 

    Never, because I'll be tossing memories too.  And I want to hold on to those as long as possible.

Peace and Love

really?

 I am being buried by e mails

    I sit down in the morning and check my Yahoo account, mainly because that is where I get the e edition of the Tribune.

    We also get a couple of bills, so I keep an eye out for those also.

    But this week it has been an avalanche!

    One morning I had over 100 e mails!  That is not counting the ones that go to the spam folder.

    Many of them were asking for donations for Kamala and other Dems.  Of course there were the usual surveys from various agencies, ads for audio insurance, home gutter systems, and one that would make me 4 inches bigger.

    But I am 5' 8" now, and I would need to buy all new clothes if I was 6'.

    And no, I don't read any of them unless they are messages I am interested in, like newsletters or sales.

    I realized tonight that I have not looked at my g mail account in months.  I suppose I should do that in case one of my distant cousins in Kenya passed away and left me some money.

    I only left the house 3 times today.  Once to get the garbage can, once to get the recycling bins ,and once to get the mail.

    Even on those brief trips, I was uncomfortable.

    And a little perturbed.

    Heat warnings always include the "check on the elderly" phrase but almost no one has checked on us!  My sister in law Ruth did call,  but I expected hundreds of calls asking how we were doing in this heat.

    So disappointed.

    We did get a call for someone named Donna, but she does not live her.

    When that happens, I always want to say something like:  Donna?  She went out for milk  6 weeks ago and hasn't come back.  Or, No, I am sorry to say Donna is no longer with us.  Or, Donna was kidnapped by aliens last night...I saw the flying saucer with my own eyes!

    But I never do.

    One day I will.

Peace and Love

Groundhog Day

 Sometimes I think I am caught in a time warp

    I get Jackie up, make the bed, take a shower, help her get ready,  make breakfast, and read the paper.  

    It's the same routine every morning.

    Then I get lunch and lately, I take a nap.

    I think I napped for almost 2 hours today.  But I did not pay attention to the time.  I had no plans that involved going out into the 90+ weather.  

    I did schedule my MRI.

    The first time they had open would not work for me, so I set Sept. 19.  I know, I should not wait, but I did not want to get up at 6 a.m. to be at their first opening.

    How do I know when cucumbers are ripe? 

    I have a lot of them.  If anyone wants some, let me know.  You can come over and pick a few. Or a lot.

    Anyway, the ones in the store are all green.  Mine have a little yellow on the bottom.  Are they over ripe or not ready?  Guess I will Google that.

    I watched most of the Cub game tonight.  I think if a team is going to put in a position player to pitch, the game should be over.  It's a farce.

    Hoping the heat goes away and we get some rain.... maybe Wednesday or Thursday.  Hopefully.

Peace and Love

still around

 I had an interesting morning

    The word interesting is, well, interesting.

    For example:  Looking at a piece of abstract art entitled Pluto and Mickey at Work  may appear a jumble of reds, greens, oranges and some yellow.  Not know what to say, you say, "That's interesting."

    Or when someone tells you why they are supporting a certain felon for office, instead of saying the person is off his meds or has a loose brain, you say.  "That's interesting."

    But I digress.

We generally get up around 10.  The whole day is shot. I am unproductive.  Not that I am very productive anyway, but 10 is too late to get out of bed.

    So we have been gradually getting up earlier.  This week the alarm goes off at 8:15 and we get up.

    This morning Jackie got me up at 7:30 because she had to use the bathroom.

    I got her in there, but I was very tired.  So I lay down in bed again.  I should have made the bed instead, but I didn't.

    I can't hear out of my right ear.  So naturally, I put my left ear into the pillow and went back to sleep.

    I did that once before and Jackie had to call Julia, who was working.  But Julia and Emily went to Canada this weekend.

    I was sound asleep when I heard the voice of an angel calling me.  "Terry.....Terry...."

    I rolled over, opened my eyes and there was Sheri!

    What the hell, I thought.

    "Jackie is calling you.  She could not get you, so she called me."  And she left.

    Jackie had been trying for 45 minutes to get me!  She yelled, she called on the telephone, she pounded the wall and then she called Sneri.

    Later Sheri texted me and said she did not know if she had to call 911. the girls or how she would get Jackie out of the bathroom.

    I hope she was joking.

    But hell, I am 76.  It happens to people my age all the time.  

    Anyway, supper was another adventure.

    I made meat loaf.  Actually, I made 4 meat loaves.  They are small, and we ate 2 and froze the remaining 2.

    I like to add bread crumbs to the mix.  I think it gives it a little more body.

    I looked in our cabinet and found a box of Italian seasoned bread crumbs.

    Nice, I thought.

    I poured some into the ground beef mix and thought they looked unlike any other bread crumbs I have seen.

    I looked on the box and was surprised to see a box top for education logo on the top.

    Strange.  

    Then I found the date.  "Best used before March 2016."  They are older than most second graders!!! 

     Holy crap.

    I rinsed ground beef off and tossed the bread crumbs away.

    The meat loaf was fine, by the way.

Peace and Love

supper?

I made supper tonight

    That is not unusual,  I make supper a lot.

    But tonight I cooked from a recipe!

    And Renee, it was from A Taste of Home.  Or from home.  Or something home.

    Anyway, we had some big green peppers in the garden.  So I made stuffed green peppers.

    Usually when I cook it is pretty basic.  I can burn meat, undercook vegetables, and forget parts of a meal.

    Tonight I pushed my limits.

    I made rice.  I cooked hamburger.  I washed, cored, and boiled green peppers.  I stepped over Beth 897 times. I followed a recipe.  I spilled tomato sauce all over the cooktop.

    I even husked and cooked 3 ears of corn.

    By the way, Seebachs will be done with corn tomorrow.  They are on Center Road south of Flagg Road and it is good corn.  But with the rains predicted, they picked the last of their field.  So if you want corn, head out there tomorrow.

    It all tasted pretty ok.  Not great, but ok.

    I cleaned up most of the dishes, but I got tired and took a break for a while.

    Dizziness was not bad today.  I notice when I am tired, I get dizzy.  I took a 60 minute nap before going to Emily's and letting out the dogs and felt pretty good when I woke up.

    I also got the field mowed today.

    No, I did not over do it.  In fact, a very polite young man did the mowing while I sat in the AC.  Damn, it was hot out there.  And it won't be any cooler  next week.  Heat indexes over 110?  Yikes.

    I read an interesting tidbit today.

    Seems a well known actress was walking down a street in London when she saw some fruit on the sidewalk.  She stopped, picked it up, and took a bite.  It was a Jerusalem cherry and is mildly poisonous.

    I am just wondering what kind of person finds fruit on the ground and takes a bite?  She said she did not swallow, but spit it out instead.

    Yikes.  Even I would never do that!

    It takes all kinds.

Peace and Love

enigmas

 I seem to be an enigma

    I went back for a hearing test today.

    Seems I have lost more hearing in my right ear.

    But the cause is still unknown.  No fluid, no wax, no obvious signs of infection.

    So I asked, has this been seen in other patients that you have had.

    The answer was yes.

    My next question was:  Based on your experiences, will my hearing come back?

    The answer is:  In some cases yes, in some cases no.

    I will be calling for an MRI on Monday.  They said insurance will probably quickly approve this because it was a sudden hearing loss.

    The MRI will tell them one of 2 things:  I have nothing in my head.  Or I have something in my head.

    I guess that is a bridge that will be crossed at some point.

    Aside from that, I feel pretty good.  The dizziness is mostly gone.  I did have an issue today, but I popped a meclazine and that seemed to help.

    On the way home I took Jackie out to see Julia's house.  Jack can't get out of the car, but she could see most of the house from the driveway.

    My understanding is trusses come toward the end of next week and they will be put in place after Labor Day.

    Back to my hearing, or lack of it, I hear in mono.  So when music is on, I. only hear part of it.  Sometimes I do not recognize the song because I can hear the bass line only.  That is a little frustrating, especially when I listen to the Beatles or Buffett.

    A little positive twist, I was told that my hearing aids can be adjusted and possibly will give me some partial hearing.   

    Until the MRI results are in, there is not much to be done.

    Which is the frustrating and scary part.

Peace and Love

just a trim

 I mowed the yard today

    That may have been a mistake.

    When I was done, I was a bit wobbly.

    Before you pass judgement, I thought I could do it.

    I have a young high school student who has mowed my yard and the field in the past.  He is mowing the field this weekend.  But I thought I could handle the yard.  

    Wrong lawnmower man!

    I recently converted my mower from a mulching to a side discharge.  When the grass gets too long, as it often does, the mulcher is terrible.

    I mowed today and it was too long.  I have windrows in some areas.  One of my neighbors has a tow behind sweeper, and I think that will be my next buy.

    Something else I am going to do is go back to a lawn service.  I have so many weeds.  I honestly thought if I got on my golf cart and rode the yard with a weed killer in a sprayer I could keep up with it.

    The problem is I have to do it.  I bought the weed killer a month ago, before the health issue kicked in.  It has been in the garage since then and the weeds have gone crazy.

    Anyway, got off the mower and felt a little nauseated and dizzy.  I also discovered that when I mow between my raised gardens, I have to lift the plastic guard over the mower blades.  Then the grass hits the raised beds an covers me with green.  So I had to shower.

    After about 15 minutes I was ok.   Still can't hear, but that's on tomorrow's  plan.

    Tonight I made BLTs using tortilla shells and fresh tomatoes from the garden.  I thought they were great!  I think we are going to have stuffed green peppers pretty soon, using peppers from the garden.

    My second crop of beans is looking good and I have cucumbers out the wazoo......so if you need a couple, stop over this weekend.

    I'll even let you spray for weeds.

Peace and Love

numbers

 How about I talk numbers today?

    For example, I have done 3,828 blog entries since I started this.

    Yikes.  No wonder people know so much about me.

    I share everything.  Well, almost everything.  I do keep some deeply private thoughts and actions hidden. 

    Such as this:  Gold bars hit a $1 million value last week!  I have 6 of them buried in the lot next door.  I hope people don't go out and dig up the back 1/3 of the lot looking for the bars because if they do, I will have to plant some wildflower seed when they give up looking.

    But I digress.  And hope.

    There have been 328,862 page views.  If I ever get a book finished, I would love to sell that many copies!

    I think the stats are off  a little.  According to the weekly report, my Aug. 19 post had over 500 views.  Now, I am not saying that is wrong, but no other post has gone much over the 150 mark.

    I keep thinking that I have written my last entry, then the next day comes along and I do it all again.

    And from left field:  I watched part of the DNC last night and realized how much I missed the Obamas.  Such great speakers, and good people.  

    Another number:  192.   That's what I was on Weigh In Wednesday.

    Two weeks ago, during my nausea and dizzy days, I was down to 189.  

    But when the dizziness subsided, I sort of binged on a lot of junk food.  

    In January 2023 I was at about 206.

    It has been a gradual weight loss.  For a long time I gave up French fries and potato chips, but I have started eating them again.  And sometimes not in moderation.  Also in the spring of 23 I also walked a lot at the indoor track.

    To be frightfully honest, I have not done much this summer.  Walking, biking, even walking the dog has just not happened as much as I should be doing.  And that is my fault.

    Friend Nadine and I went to Amboy today to buy 50/50 raffle tickets.  She contacted me yesterday and offered to pick me up and drive over.

    I honestly thought the drawing was last weekend! If she hadn't contacted me I would have never bought the winning ticket.

    Amboy has been doing this drawing for a number of years, and it gets bigger every year.

    Last year the winner walked away with $124,000!  Wonder how much I will win.

    I know......you know....we all know.

Peace and Love

updates

 2 out of 3 ain't bad

    I have not had dizziness for 2 days!  Granted, if I turn too fast or walk on uneven surfaces, I get a little unsteady.  But no dizziness.

    And no nausea.

    But I still can't hear.

    I am going Friday to the ENT for a look at the hearing issue.  The next  steps will be determined at that point.

    I will ask about physical therapy to help with the unsteadiness, and future/possible dizzy times.  I will also check into iron counts.

    I really felt pretty good yesterday and today, just can't hear.

    I used my good ear, and louder volume, to listen to Pres. Biden last night.  I. thought he came across as forceful and effective in describing the work over the past 4 years.  I was a bit bugged that they brought him out after 10:30 though.  Jackie and I are working on getting up earlier, and waiting for him to speak did not help. that effort.

    So. tonight we taped the convention and watched the Cubs.

    Friend Barb e-mailed me about a column in the DeKalb Chronicle.  My NIU classmate and FB friend Lonnie Cain does a weekly column.  Last week I commented on one of his columns, telling about my experiences in addressing an envelope.  I wrote d instead of b.  I tried to fix it, which made it worse.  So I made a new envelope and wrote d instead of b. He used that story, sans last names, as part of his column.

    I have to say....  I was doing a weekly column for the local newspaper and his is so much better than anything I did.

    Julia and I made a trip out to her house this afternoon.  We were having leftover pizza from a niece's daughter's graduation party and Jackie opted out.  So I got her a tenderloin sandwich from Jay's Drive In in Oregon.  Suffice it to say, more left overs.

    I do appreciate everyone's concern over my health issues.  I am always the pessimist when it comes to my body, and that holds true in this case.

    Truthfully, I am a little (hell, I'll be honest...a LOT) frightened about what is causing this.  I know the sooner I find out, the better it will be.  I just want to be "normal".  If I ever was.

Peace and Love

Now that's a sandwich!

I even took a trip out to the native garden!

DNC

 I was at the 1968 convention in Chicago

    I went downtown a couple of times, just to be there.  I was not witness to any of the violence and mayhem that happened.  I was safely at home during those times. 

    But I went because I was curious.

    I was standing at Gen. Logan's statue when I saw a fellow Lake View grad in the crowd.  I called her name, and she came over and said something like, "Terry, call me Gloria.  I'm telling people I'm from Connecticut  and need a place to stay."

    It was weird.

    The second time I went down, protestors were going to march down to the Amphitheater  where the convention was being held.  

    I don't know what happened,  because I got my first faint whiff of tear gas and went home.

    My friend Billy, whom I haven't seen in 1.000 years, put on a suit, and tie, and walked into the Conrad Hilton and took an elevator up to the McGovern headquarters, completely unchallenged.

    Once he got there, he was challenged and had to leave.  It seems to me before he left he got the phone number of a volunteer and ended up marrying her.  He may have even become a volunteer in the office, I don't remember.

    I'm  also a little fuzzy on another story.  I think Dave, maybe John, and a couple of other friends were there and decided to go home before things got crazy.  They got to a corner on Balboa ad the light was red.  But no traffic was coming, so. they decided to cross.

    Someone yelled out, "That's great!  Take the intersection!" And the crowd settled down in the street.

    Now, that was a while ago and my memory may be a bit fuzzy.

    But da Mayor's infamous "Police aren't here to prevent disorder, der her to preserve disorder" still ring in mu ears.

    In 1968 my generation was out to save the world.

    We were going to end not only the Vietnam war, but all wars.  We were going to clean the environment and protect the planet.  We were going to give equality to all people.  We were going to make government responsive to the people.

    So long ago.  So many lost causes.  So many failures.

    Protestors today want the war to end.  They want a clearer Earth.  They want al people treated equally.  

    Some things just don't change very much.

    Here's hoping there is peace in Chicago this week.

Peace and Love

school daze

 My high school has an alumni newsletter

    I don't think it has a regular schedule, but it seems to come out twice a year.

    Last fall the group said it may not be able to publish any more because it was getting expensive and the money wasn't there.

    Well, the donations poured in!

    I even knew a couple of the names who donated....Sandy and Jill, who both read this little look into my boring life.  

    I am always fascinated by the stories in the newsletter.  Most of them are just a couple of hundred words, but they just always draw my attention.

    For instance, in this issue a grad was out in SanFrancisco visiting her daughter.  They went to eat at a local restaurant and seated beside them was a college friend of the daughter.  This was not a planned meeting, just a random lunch. 

    As the grandparents started visiting, one of them said he grew up in Chicago, so did the visiting lady.  Then he said he went to Lake View High School, and so the did the visiting lady!  Even stranger, they graduated together!

    I guess after 40 or 50 years you may not recognize a classmate.  Heck, I don't even recognize me in pictures from that time period.

    Such a small world.

    Once when Julia, Jackie and I were visiting in Germany, we went to a privately owned castle.  As we were waiting in line, we struck of a conversation with the woman behind us.

    She asked where we lived, we said Illinois.

She said she attended school in Illinois, a small private college southwest of Springfield. Then she said it was Blackburn.  Julia about croaked because she went to Blackburn!

    Here's a school with an enrollment of less than 600 and 2 alums meet in Germany.

    Granted, they did not attend at the same time, but still.

    Small world

   Jackie and I were in Juneau in front of the governor's house when a lady asked me if I knew what flowers were growing in the garden.  I told her I did not know Alaskan flowers, but I knew Illinois flowers.  She said she knew Wisconsin flowers.  I asked her where in Wisconsin, and she said Green Lake.  I told her we had friends from Rochelle who had a summer home there.  The lady looked at us and said, is it Alice Reed?  She's our good friend.  Alice was secretary at Tilton School at the time.  And by the time we got home, Alice had already heard about our encounter.

    One year Jackie and I were going over to visit Julia and a man came up to me in O'Hare and called me by name.

    We chatted for a few minutes, then he said his son, a former student of mine, was flying to Zurich.  Turns out he was a couple of rows ahead of us on the plane.  I said hello to him, but he had a look that was either "I don't know you" or "I'm afraid we are all going to die."

    Disney was right, it is a small world after all.

Peace and Love

so far, so good

 We have not lost internet all day

    That is a big thing for us!  We were losing it multiple times an hour until the Comcast guy figured out what the problem might be.

    Here's the funny thing.  Every time we have had a Comcast person to the house we get a survey.  

    This guy comes, apparently fixes the problem, and we don't get a survey!

    Hopefully we can find a way to reward him for his work.

    Skipped Heritage Festival again this year.  I just didn't feel like walking around downtown today.  

    I did go out to Julia's house with her.  They started framing this week and will be working away next week.  Can't wait for the house to take shape.

    Usually we order  food to take out on Fridays and Saturdays.  Reason one is neither Julia nor I feel like cooking again.  Actually, that is the only reason.

    So tonight I went to Arby's for Jackie.  I was the only person in the restaurant, although there were a couple of cars at the drive thru.

    I went to McDonalds for fries.  I was one of 3 people inside eating.  But again, there were cars in the  drive thru.

    Went to Country School for chicken and the place was packed!  Must have been 12 people inside eating and several cars in the drive thru plus a couple of us with food to go.

    I know!  Three places?  Jackie does not like chicken.  I don't like the fries at Country School.  So I have to hit 3 different places to make everyone happy.

    Also, ran into a former student at Country School and immediately called her by her sister's name even though I knew her name!  Seriously, I knew her right away and the wrong name came out of my mouth.

     As I was going out the door to Julia's,. the Blue Jays had the bases loaded and 2 outs.  As I w walked out the door I heard Jackie say, "Oh great, a grand slam," just as I was closing the back door.  Julia heard it too.

    When I got back, it was 3-2 in favor of the Cubs.

    Turns out the grand slam was actually a deep fly ball that was caught at the wall.  That was good, but I did not know that.  Figured the Cubbies had lost, but no!  They won!!!  Wooo hoo!!!!

    Tomorrow is our last corn day.  I bought 2 more dozen to cook and freeze.  That will be it for corn.

    Next up will be another batch of beans or carrots.   And probably green peppers.

    I also ordered a cooling blanket.  I sometimes get so hot at night I am soaked with sweat.  So I bought a blanket that is supposed to keep you cool at night.  We'll see. 

    I am a weird sleeper. I have to have my feet free of covers.  So I sleep on top of th blanket, with a throw over me.  But the throws are pretty warm, causing me to sweat..

    I know.... TMI.... 

    Still deaf.  Still tired.  Still dizzy.

Peace and Love

looking toward the front

This will be the wine cellar/storm shelter

view out her bedroom windows

great room and kitchen walls almost ready to go

we will see

 We had another Comcast visit today

    I have lost count.  This may have been the fifth, or sixth time someone has out.

    I have faith this is the guy who fixed our problems!

    He found a kink in the cable from the wall to the modem.  He said the kink could be enough to slow the signal, or even stop the signal.  He replaced the cable.

    He also bypassed the booster we have in the basement.  He said although the booster tested fine, he thought the problem could be caused by that, so he bypassed it.

    I don't know what that involves. but he said it would not affect service in the house.

    We'll see.  If his fixes work, we still won't know which one it was that restored our service.... but I won't care!  Just give us dependable service!

    The test comes this weekend, even tonight, as I use the internet.  But the big test will be Monday when Julia is working.  She has had several drops during her work day and it is very frustrating to her.

    The final thing the tech did was to put an order in to monitor our modem so that when we lose the internet or it becomes very slow it will be easier to diagnose a problem.

    As for me, this was the dizziest I have been in a long time.  Just can't seem to walk straight and sometimes I can't even think straight.    The latter might not be a new problem, however.

    I just keep hoping.

Peace and Love

wishes

 I wish I was a t truly wealthy person

    And yes, I am talking money wealthy.

    I was talking to someone today and they said the kids were back in school.  They are in middle school and she is starting school soon too.

    She is going to Kish to get her associates degree then plans to apply for the radiology program.

    She said it was not going to be easy, working, raising 2 kids, going to school, and it would get worse when it comes time for her practicum, which will be 40 hours a week.

    I wish I had the ability to say, "here...don't worry about working and paying school bills. "

    But I don't have that ability. 

    I imagine there are millions of people out there with the same problem.  How do they manage it all?

    When I read about people spending millions of dollars on a house, or taking trips to space, or on super yachts I just get a little angry that the system is like it is.

    Seems like people should be doing good for others with their riches.

    But that's me.

    Good old dizzy, deaf, old Terry.

Peace and Love

OH not PA or DA

My niece is back in Illinois for a few days 

    I always ask her how things are in Pennsylvania.  She always tells me she does not know because she lives in Ohio.

    Why can't I remember that?

    Adding to the confusion, she lives in Delaware, Ohio.  So now I sometimes think she lives in the state and not the city.

    Getting old is rough.

    But we had a nice lunch a nd a great visit.  I guess.  I could not hear all of the conversation, but I did hear that I was intelligent, smart, resourceful, kind, generous and incredibly good looking.

    At least I think that is what was said.

    Hearing is a funny thing.

    With my right ear dead, I hear music differently.

    I heard a Beatles song today and did not recognize it.  It didn't sound like the Beatles.  But it was.  I guess I am listening to stereo music in mono now.

    Ok, people of a certain age will. not understand that.  

    The other thing is, when people are talking I can't always tell who they are, or even where they are!  The sound comes in my left ear, but they may be on my right and I get confused.

    And I still am dizzy.  That's why Emily had to come over and help me pick up Jackie while Julia moved the wheelchair into place. 

    That is twice in a week.  I have to do better than that.

    She does not fall hard, just sort of slides down to the floor.  Still.....

    Anyway, hopefully tomorrow will be better.  For me and the Cubs!

Peace and Love

how many times do I have to tell you

Don't change passwords and forget to write down the new ones 

    As a matter of fact, Julia has told me several times NOT TO CHANGE PASSWORDS on specific accounts.

    So when I changed my Xfinity password last night, it screwed up everything.  

    Especially when I did not remember what I changed it to.

    I also had another password written in pencil that I erased, for some unknown reason, and could not remember it either.

    Funny thing....the second password was key to getting the first password.

    I have now noted in my password book:  Do Not Change.  Ever.

    By the way, I did he same thing 2 weeks ago and she had to spend a lot of time unraveling my misdeeds.  Ditto today.

    I posted a video on Facebook today.  I went out in the front yard and there were bunches of dragonflies buzzing around in the yard.  Dozens!  It was like a dragonfly convention!

    I am too lazy to Google it, but I thought they fed on mosquitoes and were usually around water.  We don't have any water near us.

    After supper I noticed a lot of swifts in the back yard, gobbling up bugs.  I wonder if they were feeding on the dragonflies.

    When I mow, I generally have a few swifts flying near me, catching insects the mower has flushed.  It is amazing to watch these aerial acrobats.

    I was the designated dog feeder tonight.  Emily, Julia, and a bunch of people went to see Green Day at Wrigley.  I don't think I will ever stop worrying about them.  Does any parent?  

    Anyway, I got the dogs fed.  I will go back about 11 an let them out again.

    Last night I went to my porch recliner and watched for shooting stars.  I saw a few bright ones, a couple of dull ones, but more than I did the night before.

    My chair is right next to some lavender plants and as I was sitting there I could smell the lavender and I was pretty darn relaxed.  I might have even fallen asleep for a minute or two.

    I am going to add "Making lavender potpourri" to my list of things to Google.

    While I still can't hear, no dizziness for most of the day.  But I do get dizzy when I get tired, so I found sitting down helps.

    Maybe tomorrow.

Peace and Love

holy criminey Pete

This was quite the strange day 

    I did not get up until 10:30, but I had an excuse.

    Last night I pulled my porch recliner out onto the sidewalk and sat outside to watch for meteors.

    After all, this is the Persied Meteor shower period and you can expect t to see 40 or more per hour!

    So there I am, with 2 blankets covering me, laying on my. back, watching the sky when suddenly a meteor soars past right above me.

    Cool I thought.....40 or more per hour.. here I am 15 minutes into it and I have seen one.

    After 90 minutes, I had a total of 3.

    What the hell.

    So, I did not get to bed until a little after  1,  Normally I have a potty call at some ungodly hour, so I figured I would go out again.

    Never happened.  Slept the whole night until around 5, which is actually only 4 hours.

    I had a couple of errands to run today.  Saw a friend pull into their driveway and pulled in right after her to visit.

    Stopped at MK and S's to wish their son good luck.

    Went to Walmart and was disappointed 4 of the items on my list were not on the shelf.

    Started home and while I was on Flagg Road by the high school I saw a huge column of black smoke to the south.

    Being of a curious nature, I went around and saw a house on fire!  I don't believe there were any fire fighters on the scene yet, and the smoke was thick and black.

    I parked in front of a friend's house and rang their bell, because now I could hear the fire trucks.

    When they answered, I I told them a house on the next street was ablaze.

    But the main reason I stopped  was not the fire, just to say hello and to tell them how sorry I was about a recent death in the family.

    It was a big fire too.

    I just hope everyone got out safely.

    Not as dizzy as I have been.  Still a little unsteady when I walk.  Still can't hear.

    And today we dealt with dropped internet several times.

    That is more frustrating than anything.  Someone has to be able to figure this out.

Peace and Love

oh my

 Some days just suck

    This morning we got word that a classmate of Emily's had lost his battle with cancer.  He was such a nice person.  I don't think Todd had a mean bone in his body, a trait we desperately need in our world today.

    Then this afternoon my cousin contacted me and said his son had passed away.  Bob is devastated, and so am I because Jimmy was such a neat person.

    Sometimes life just is not fair.  We see it all the time in children with cancer, or a child with a disability, or an adult suffering with cancer or an abuse issue.

    There seems to be no rhyme or reason. Good people get sick.  Bad people stay healthy.  It should be the other way around.

    Sorry for being a downer.

    I did watch the women's basketball game this morning.  That was an incredible finish!  If the French player was 1 step back, the game would have been tied at the buzzer.  

    I also watched most of the closing ceremony.

    To see the joy and relief on the faces of these athletes, well, it gives me chills.

    I can't imagine spending 4 or 8 or 12 years of my life training for one shot at the gold.  The pressure has to be tremendous.

    I love watching the faces, the proud showing of the medals, the dancing, the joy these athletes show.  Even the non medal winners have at this point realized the amazing deeds they have accomplished in just getting to the games.

    Imagine.... over 2 weeks of nations competing, side by side, without violence, without hatred, without war.

    If only we could have that in real life.

Peace and Love

Still stills

 This is getting to be pretty annoying

    You know what I mean!

    Damn.

    Went to the store looking for coyote urine today.  Did not find any, but ran into a long time friend, whom I immediately called Gary instead of Steve.

    I think my mind is being affected by the hearing loss.

    I knew who he was.  I know his wife, daughters, where they live, and for some reason thought he was someone else.

    I think it was the bald head that confused me.

    Went to Headon's for some meat today.

    Note to self:  Bring your 10 % off coupon with when you buy meat.

    Left Headon's, ordered a Starbucks.  Got there and they did not have my mobile order.  Why?  I forgot to hit place order.

    See?  My mind is being impacted by whatever is causing my hearing loss.

    Anyway, brats and burgers for supper along with some corn and wine and a little company.

    We were going to take our friend Sherie out for a retirement dinner tonight, but I just can't do that.  I am tired, can't hear any better, a little frustrated, and so we postponed yet another outing.  

    I did not get a nap in either.  I tried, but could not go to sleep despite me having a hard time keeping my eyes open.

    Hopefully tomorrow will be better, but I have been saying that for 2 weeks.  So far, it hasn't happened.

Peace and Love

Day 13

Tomorrow is my 2 weak anniversary 

    Get the pun?  Weak instead of week?

    I am one funny guy.

    Still deaf.  Still tired.  Still dizzy.

    I guess you could say I have the stills.

    Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.

    I am killing myself here.

    I have a morning routine.  I get dressed, get Jackie ready, give her breakfast, then sit down in front of the computer and read the paper on line, play Wordle, check Facebook go through any e mails, and generally waste time.

    Today I finished the paper, she was ready to move to her chair, we had to do corn, and I told her after her soap we would do the corn.

    I moved her to her chair and went back to finish Wordle, which was confusing to me today.

    My eyes got heavy and I moved to my chair, taking my security blanket with me.  Must have been about 1:30 or so.

    I got up at 4:15.  And I am still tired.

    Yes, the corn got done.

    And by done I mean husked, shucked, boiled, scraped, and bagged.  It really didn't take too long.

    I read about the Park Fire in California.  So far it has consumed 660 square miles and is only partially contained.

    Ogle County is a fairly big county, I think.  I totals 766 square miles.   So the Park Fire has burned almost the size of Ogle County.  That is frightening.

    I also saw an article that Ogle County was having a recycling day tomorrow.  Residents could recycle alkaline babtteries for $4 a pound and that sort made me feel that is wrong.

    Why should consumers have to pay to recycle?  Shouldn't the plastics people, the battery industry, the aluminum industrrty, and glass makers do their share and recycle the products they produce?  Why do we pay the burden?

    If I was king, it would all be different.  I would just need one day.  Just one.

Peace and Love

Meh......

All is quiet on the western front

    No deer.  But no tomatoes either.

    Still woozy.  Still tired.  Still deaf in one ear.

    Still amazed at how Republicans can stick with their nominee....... he makes me sound normal!

    Went to cook on the grill tonight and discovered I was out of grill gas.  Went to get the other container.  That was empty.  Poor planning.

    Visited the chiropractor today.  (Is it a chiropodist in England...with a SH sound at the front?) He used a jack hammer on my head but nothing improved.  It sounded like a hollow gong when he did it.  Cows started coming in from area farms.

    I stopped at Cypress House for a decaf Dark Side of the Moon and sat out in front there, just enjoying the beautiful day.

    By the way..... I am selling 50/50 raffle tickets for the Flagg Township Museum.   The drawing will be in December, just in time for Christmas shopping.

    We won't know what the prize is until the last ticket is sold, because it is 50/50..... one draw, the winner gets half the museum the rest.

    You can buy one ticket for $1. 6 for $5 or spend $20 and get 24 tickets, plus a year's membership in the museum, plus a coffee on my at Cypress House!  Such a deal!

    That's why when my hearing gets back I will be taking Jen Kudelka to coffee!!!

    Thanks for supporting the museum!

    I watch some of the Olympics and am always amazed at the abilities and talents these  people have.  Watching them run the hurdles is pure poetry in motion.  I could not even climb over one without falling.  Grace, strength, algidity, timing, balance........ what an amazing combination.

    And to finish this off, just a few photos of Julia's house.  You may have already seen these, I am slow in posting things.

Peace and Love

It will be interesting to see how the driveway grades out....seems high

potpourri

 Not a lot about anything tonight

    Still dizzy.  Still deaf.   Still tired.

    Such is life.

    A house was just built down the street from us.  According to Zillow the selling price was a bit over $400,000.

    Yikes!  That could be the most expensive home in the subdivision!!

    Julia and I went to her house today.  The forms are off the concrete walls and framing should start next week.  I have pictures, but it is late.  

    The garage floor looks about 3 feet above the ground.  We are both wondering how that will turn out.  

    On the way home we got some sweet corn, so tomorrow Jackie and I will husk and shuck the ears and I will blanch them and freeze them.  I only got 2 dozen ears.  Normally we do 6-8 dozen, but I don't want to do too much at one time.

    No deer in the yard today.  I did not go out to check tomatoes, but will tomorrow.  I hope.

    I might even fill bird feeders.  It has been over a week since I did. that.

    Julia took care of supper again tonight.......that is a big help to me.  She made rosti with chunks of bacon and lots of cheese.  And we had some corn to go with it.  Yummy!!

    I had a strange night overnight.

    One of my dreams was so weird, so detailed, so....... I don't know how to describe it.  I ended up in a store looking for my hotel because everybody abandoned me and I wanted to go back to the hotel.  But I did not remember the name, only where it was.  Sort of.

    The man in the store was very friendly but the store itself was filled with all kinds of bottles, jars, little boxes, books, magazines...... filled.

    At one point one of the jars was knocked off and when I went pick up the contents they were lady bugs. 

    I told him my hotel was by. the reflecting pool and along the interstate.  He called it a wasteland and told me what subways to take to get to it.

    But I also had a nightmare that someone was calling me.  I heard my name and when I woke up, the room was dark.  Jackie was asleep, but I could sense an uneasiness in the air.  It did give me some shivers.  

    It happened a second time, but without a voice.  It just felt like someone was watching me.

    As you can guess, sleep was a pretty spotty commodity!

    My imagination sometimes is a little too strong.

Peace and Love

stop, thief!!

 My tomato plants have not produced

    Seems there is a thief in the neighborhood.

     caught it red handed!

    Middle of the day!!

    My neighbor messaged me on FB and said there was a deer in my yard and sure enough....it was having a salad of sorts.  I was talking to my sister in law on the phone, but went outside to see.

    It was not frightened of us.  I went out, made noise, Julia went out, made noise and it kept munching my green tomatoes.  I think most of them are now gone.

    I did walk out towards it and it walked slowly to the back of the yard and hid in my native plants.  Then it came back

Nyah! Nyah!  Nyah!  ...can't see me now.  I am hiding!!

I don't think the ribs should be showing this much in summer when plenty of food is around.

    I did call the county animal control because to me the animal seemed very thin with some bald patches.  I know there has been chronic wasting syndrome reported in deer around us and I wondered if there was any agency I should contact to report it.  They did not think so and said that Mother Nature would just take its course.

    I figure coyotes will also play a part.

    I did feel sorry for it, but still did not want it to eat my veggies.

    I even hooked up the hose to spray it, but it seemed to enjoy the water.

    Oh well.

    Still dizzy.  Still can't hear.  Still frustrated. Still tired.  

    Maybe tomorrow.

Peace and Love

numbers

 It's funny how some numbers just stick to us

    I still remember my old phone number for Belle Plaine in Chicago, even though my mother moved out in 1977.  I still  remember friend John's phone number, and that has been at least 40 years.

    Back in those days we had letters for the first 2 entries.  Like my exchange was Buckingham, so my phone number start BU 1.  John's was GR for Graceland.  GR 2.  I don't know thy rhyme or reason for assigning the exchange names.

    I know my barber's, the hospital, the museum, the bank we use.....all sorts of numbers.

    But one that surprised me was the one that came up in a federal drug trial in Chicago.

    Seems one of the accused would go to Mexico to  buy burner phones for his team in New York.   He then would test them by calling a number.  He called a  Chicago number all the time.......588-2300.     

    If you are from the city, you must recognize the Empire Carpet number.  So, this big time drug dealer called Empire to check out his burner phone.

    Again, a number that is easy to remember because he dialed it so much.

    Like Hudson 3 2700, another carpet company in Chicago.  Started with a B......can't remember.

    Anyway, couple stopped by to drop something off at my house today.  I immediately called him by the wrong name.  I know his name.  I really do.  But, my foggy head sometimes isn't exact on what it wants to say or do.

    Still dizzy, still deaf, still tired.  Slept until 10 then slept from 1 to 3 and can barely keep my eyes open.

    Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

    Just for the record, Olympians are amazing.  

Peace and Love

    

ding dong

What can I say? 

    Still can't hear most sounds.

    But, I hear sounds.  Inside my head.  No, not voices telling me to do something, but noises.

    Like this morning.  I heard Swiss cow bells!  They were clanging in my right ear, the one that can't hear.  It was a peaceful sound.

    Ever since this has started I have gone t through phases of noises.

    Notice when you are watching a show set in a hospital there is always the beep beep beep of a monitor going off?

    I counted the times I heard that  my head.  Every 10- 20 seconds.  For days.  

    Yes, I could ignore it, but it would always come back.

    At another point I had a series of tones, like beep beep bong dong peep.  It was actually a nice little melody.... but not for as long as I heard it.

    I do have ringing in my ears.  That is a constant. 

    Before this started I used a noise machine and set it on the fan mode.  It sounded like an oscillating fan.  But I still hear the noise and I don't use the machine.

    Tonight I am hearing tinkling water.  That's the last thing a 76 year old wants to hear at bedtime.

    Thunder?  Yup, it's there.  

    Metal flapping in the breeze?  Ditto.

    Low drone?  Check it off.

    I slept a lot today.  I had to, because I was pretty dizzy most of the day.  My headache seems to have disappeared, but may be rebounding, I am not sure.

    I did have a good 1 hour window which allowed Jackie and me to chop up Curt's zucchini.  And folks, I do mean zucchini.  Nothing else.  We put up 5 - 2 cup bags of it.  When we make zucchini bread we use 2 cups, so we are all set to make 5 loaves.  Someday.

    Julia took care of Jackie's supper tonight and I think got her lunch while I was asleep.  To be honest, I don't remember.

    Hopefully tomorrow will be better.  I sure am getting tired of this.

    Sadly, there are people I know going through a lot worse than what I am.  Cancers, brain tumors, MS, Parkinson's....... and yet I am doing the moaning.

Peace and Love

happy anniversary

 I don't have much to say tonight

    One week ago I started feeling poorly. 

    Today was one of the worst days I have had.  I was better yesterday, but today..... not so hot.

    Dizzy, upset stomach, head ache, tired, listless.

    I feel like crap.

    Lawn was pretty long, so Julia mowed.

    Meanwhile, I sat around and did nothing... even napped a little.

     I woke up in time to watch the Cubs self destruct in the worst inning of baseball they have played this year.

    That didn't help.

    Pizza for supper.  While I don't have much of an appetite, I sure ate a lot.  

    Anyway, that's it.

Peace and Love

memories

Tonight was a night of good memories 

    But it was not what I thought it was!

    Years ago we saw the musical Margaritaville in downtown Chicago.

    Well, tonight at the Egyptian in DeKalb had Margaritaville.  I. thought it was the musical, but it wasn't.

    It was a Jimmy Buffett tribute band.

    Which was fine, but not what I expected.

    Emily and I went.  When we walked in and saw the set, I said it looked way different than what we saw in Chicago.  Then I wondered if they still had the zombies in the play.

    Now Emily was confused!

    Anyway, we had a pretty good time.

    I could hear most of the music, some of the commentary, and not a lot of crowd noise.  Luckily, I knew the words to most of the songs.

    And it was for sure an older group.  Not positive, but I think a few had never been to a Buffett show.  The beach balls and fins up seemed to be a "should we?"

    Four members of the group.  Only one sang.

    Some of the best times I have had at Jimmy's concerts.  Hanging with my friends, TC, CJ, CJ, BH, SK, CH, SK, SK and many more I can't remember.

    Going to Alpine Valley, boating on the lake, tailgating, getting home at 2 a.m., jello shots, great cheeseburgers,, rain, mud........a lot of fun times.

    Of course, Jimmy is gone.  Strange, I miss him a lot because he brought together so many people.  And created so much fun.  And good memories.

    Bubbles up, my friends.

Peace and Love