whaaaat???

 I think I hit my limit

    I am tired.  I am cold.  I am bored.  I have a sore back.

    This is my pity party.

    I thought Jackie had a doctor appointment this morning.  We had it scheduled but they wanted to change to a different day at 1 p.m.  They said today.  We said no, we have an eye doctor appointment in DeKalb.

    The next thing I heard was how about 10:15?

    We said great.

    Get up early, load Jackie in the car, unload Jackie, get into the office and get met with blank stares.  Our appointment isn't today, it is at 10:15 on the original appointment day!

        Jackie and I recall the conversation.  We can not come at 1 today.  Yes we can come at 10:15.  The scheduler said she was referring to the original appointment day, but she never said that.

    Both our faults.  We should have verified the date in the first place.  So should they.

    So.....the plan was one doctor, drive to Sycamore for the eye doctor, go home.

    Now we had 90 minutes before we had to leave for Sycamore.

    So....load Jackie. back in the car, drive home, unload her, then 90 minutes later load her, unload her and go into the eye place.

    Of course, she has to get into the exam chair.  That wasn't hard, but in getting her out of the chair I thought I was going to go backwards with her on top of me!  Scared the crap out of both of us.

    By now it was almost 3.  We were both hungry.

    Normally I stop at a Starbucks, but considering the day, I did not.  And when she asked for a shamrock shake, I said no.  

    Symbolic, I know.

    I thought of Cypress House, but I think they close early during the winter months and I did not want to walk in at 3:58 for a coffee if they closed at 4.

    And last night I guess I did not post my usual drivel.  Don't ask me why, I guess I was just tired.

    I did not sleep well, got up early, didn't have a nap.... I think tonight I am going to make a hot toddy.   The may help me sleep.

    Or, maybe not.

Peace and Love

snot

 I know, snot is not a great topic

If you go to kiss your honey

but your nose is kind of runny

and you think it's kind of funny

but it's snot

    Well, let me tell you what little doggie did today.

    She finished eating supper, climbed up onto the couch and proceeded to rub her food encrusted face all over my belly!  I had dog food on me!

    No wonder my shirts are always stained in some way.

    We have a kind of routine at bedtime.

    I take her out about 9 and she stands on the sidewalk and stares.  She does this for a few minutes, then is ready to come in.

    I take her out again around 10:15 and she usually does her business after wandering around for a few minutes.  She will stand still, staring at a bush, waiting for it to move!  And it never does.

    When. we come in the house, I sit on the couch, she sits next to me and I spend the next 20 minutes or so gently rubbing her belly.  I think she sometimes fall asleep when I am doing that.

    When I am ready for bed, I get up, she gets off the couch and heads  right to Julia's room.

    Beth will have a rude awakening when Julia leaves.  I hope I can fill the gap.

    Hell, I will have a rude awakening when Julia leaves!  She cooks dinner a couple of. times a week and gets stuff at the store.  Most importantly, she  is here for Jackie when I go to run errands.  

    But we will carry on.

    Speaking of carry ons, if you had a dream vacation spot, what would it be?

    Not that I am planning a trip, but your dreams could help me mentally.

    And I need all the help I can get.

Peace and Love

which road?

 For some reason, I have roads on my mind

    Maybe I was influenced by the Bob Dylan biopic.  One of the first Dylan albums I bought had a song that contained the words, "highway 51 runs right by my baby's door."

    Little did I know most of my life would be spent living close to Highway 51, which is now 251 since 39 opened.  As a matter of fact,  I remember a Chicago Tribune article where somebody drove 51 from north to south.  And if I remember, they stayed at the DeLos Hotel.  Was that before we came to Rochelle?  Hmmm.......

    Anyway, we passed a sign that said 251 and Shotgun Tom Kelly was talking about the biopic on Sirius Radio's 60s channel.  He said it can be streamed on Apple TV and Amazon Prime for about $29.  I thought holy crap, that is a lot of money!  To be honest, I have not checked either site to verify his information.

    I always wanted to take a trip down Route 66.  Friends Dan and Linda and Sharon and Chris did this summer and it had to be a great experience.

    All the roadside attractions that were there, and are there, would be cool to see.  For some reason, I would like to take the trip in a Corvette convertible.  Wonder why?

    It would be great to take a couple of weeks or more and just wander down the road that starts in Chicago and ends at the Pacific Ocean.  I'd get my kicks on Route 66, another song.

    AC/DC sang about a Highway to Hell.  Sometimes I think I am on that road.  And correct me if it was not AC/DC because I am too lazy to Google it.

    John Denver sang about country roads, and The Beatles sang about a long  and winding road that leads to your door.

    LSD is a drug, but also a song about Lake Shore Drive in Chicago....a beautiful road along the lakefront.  I have driven it many a time but never been high on LSD.

    Ringo got a little philosophical when he sang "Don't go Where the Road Don't Go." That is very sound advice, although not grammatically correct  Is it?  When Dickens wrote Christmas Carol he would use he don't and she don't.  He was a pretty good writer, which makes me wonder when it changed to he doesn't.

    But I think Jimmy Buffet had the best advice when he sang that if you don't know where you are going, any road will get you t here.

    And that seems to sum up most of our lives, doesn't it?

    Now, I think I'll look for that Rand McNally Road Atlas I have been saving and dream about road trips.

Peace and Love    

wild is right

 I have been watching a new tv show

    Well, actually, it is not new to viewers but it is new to me.

    It is called Wild Travels.  It is a PBS show, but you can catch earlier episodes on line.

    Years ago I loved a show called Wild Chicago.  Wild Travels has the same host but it spans the United States.

    I was fascinated by Ed's Museum in Wykoff Minnesota.

    Ed was just a resident in the town. He ran a general store, was town treasurer, volunteer fireman.....almost anything that needs to be done he did.

    He had a quirk:  He never threw anything away.

    Ed's Museum is filled with his stuff.  Weird stuff, like 25 gallstones, gold teeth, and his cat.  Not embalmed, but sealed in a box and stored in the basement.

    And thousands of other items normal people would have tossed.

    It gave hope to me, a person who is reluctant to toss anything.  Maybe someday my kids will create Terry's Museum and proudly display all the items I an't part with.

    Anyway, other odd places visited were a coffin museum in Houston, Texas; a  gift shop in the LA coroner's office, a furry festival in Rosemont,  Pin Ball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas (you can actually play all the machines....a couple of hundred!) and The Bonyard in Las Vegas, which is where neon signs go when they are no longer wanted.

    It is a really quirky (ET festival in Oregon where people talked about being taken by space aliens) and dr. Evermore's Art in North Freedom, WI., which is a whole collection of welded artwork of al shapes and sizes. 

    And some places some of you may have been to:  Baumgartners in Monroe, WI, home of the world famous cheese sandwich, and the Mustard Museum in Middleton, WI .  In Sparta WI, there is a museum dedicated to astronaut Deke Slayton and bicycles.  

    Like I said, it is a strange yet interesting look at the weirder things in life.

    And strangely, I was at the Mustard Museum when it was located in Mt Horeb.  It was a pretty spicy place!

Peace and Love 

Play ball

 I love and hate spring training games

    I'll start with the negative.

    Teams don't always play their regulars.  Sure, they may play an inning or three, get a couple of at bats. but usually the game is filled with people I've never heard of.  

    Now for the positive.

    The games usually have people I've never heard of.

    Strange, right?  But a lot of these guys may eventually be on the major league club.  Pete Crow Armstrong was one of those "who is he" guys a couple of years ago.  To be honest, I thought he was going to be a star the moment the Cubs announced they had acquired him in a trade. I mean, c'mon!  He has 3 names!  He can't miss.

    I do think he is the most exciting player the Cubs have right now.  It's too bad Christopher Morell could not play third base better than he did, because he was another exciting player.  

    Another positive?

    Warm weather is not too far away.  Baseball is back!  It's a summer sport!

    Another positive?

    Maybe it will block some of the noise from Washington.  I think we all need a break from the goings on in our capital.  At the same time, we can't ignore it.

    One final positive.......this is the Cubs year!!!!  They have an improved line up, better relief pitching, some youthful enthusiasm...... gonna be a good year!

    Hey, hey holy mackerel, no doubt about it.  The Cubs are on their way. Hey Hey!!

    I just hope I have the same positive outlook in July.

Peace and Love

No, really?

 Sometimes I let Emily's dogs out

    One of the dogs is named Ciri.

    She is a cute little girl, but she does have a bad hind leg.  She barks at me constantly but does get quiet when she gets a treat.  She also sneaks out of the house when I turn my head, which explains why she was outside one day last summer when Emily got home from work.

    My problem is with her name.  Ciri.

    Emily also has home pods.

    They respond to "Hey, Siri."  And sometimes the pods talk to me.

    The first time it happened I honestly thought there was someone in the house!  I mean, besides me.

I might stand at the back door and yell, "Hey Ciri, hurry up!"

Only to hear, "I'm sorry, I don't understand."

Hey Ciri, stop barking.

I'm sorry, I am unable to do that.

Hey Ciri, what are you doing?

I am answering your questions.

Hey Ciri, come here.

I'm sorry, I can not move by myself.

Hey Ciri, give me a paw.

I don't have any pas.  Or mas either.

Hey Ciri, are you a good girl?

I don't have an answer for that.  Is there something else I can help you with?

Hey Ciri, can you wag your tail?

I have found some web results.  I can show them to you if you ask again from your iPhone.

    OK, I did make some of those up.  But I wonder.

    Friend Nadine came out for a visit today and we had a nice time talking and catching up.  I'm glad she came.and so is Jackie

    Nice day today.....

    And tomorrow should be much better.

Peace and Love

We went to this

from this today

finally

 I finally saw Pistol Pete

    No, not the once famous basketball player, but the bluesy guitarist from Rockford.

    He played at the Lincoln Performing Arts Center, or is it Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts....I am not sure.  I know it is not the Kennedy Center.

    I have heard about Pistol Pete for years.  I  just never got off my butt to go see him until tonight.

    It was a great show and he is an amazing guitar player.  His fingers move up and down the frets at the speed of light.  I really enjoyed watching him perform.

    My problem is I can't understand the lyrics or talking during shows.  I have the same problem with musicals...I can get the music, but not the lyrics.

    In fact, at one point tonight I took out my hearing aids and could actually hear the music and vocals better.  Go figure.

    We took Jackie out to the house today and she was able to see the progress being made.  Julia is looking at mid-March for a move in date.  It is exciting to see the progress and the unique  decorating style she has.

    We also took doggie Beth with. 

    When we got out of the car she actually seemed afraid.  I wonder if she thought we were taking her to someone's house and leaving her.  It's hard to tell what a dog is thinking.

    Julia led her around the house on a leash and Beth seemed curious yet confused.  (That actually describes me 90 per cent of the time.) She also seemed glad to go back into her house once we got home.

    Other than that, it was a pretty quiet day. 

    I like those once in a while.

Peace and Love

tgiff

 I know, there is an extra f

    And you just went back to check, right?

    The extra f could stand for fun, or finally, or whatever f word you want to use.  

    I am not always happy for Friday.  Because that means  Saturday is right ahead and I have to change sheets, make the bed, do 2 loads of laundry and pretend it is a lot of fun.

    When I was working Friday was much more exciting because it was the end of the work week.  But when you retire, you either have a constant weekend or a constant week  of work, depending on your situation.

    In either case, Friday loses a lot of its excitement.

    It is usually pizza night at our house.  Tonight was no exception.

    Friend Beth joined us so there were 2 Beths in the house!  But only one could talk to us and it was great just to sit and chat and hopefully unwind a bit.  Those things do make Friday nights special.

    Saw a friend at the store and asked how her daughter was doing, but I used the friend's name instead of the daughter's.  

    It was like:  So how is Mary doing?  "Mary is doing ok"

    At that point I recognized she was talking about herself in third person form.  She had already told me she was fine, but I asked again, thinking her daughter was Mary and she was .... what?  

    Jane!   Her daughter is Jane.

    So I apologized and asked how Jane was doing.

    Turns out, she is doing ok too.

    And I hope all of you are doing ok too.  Even better.

Peace and Love

.  

and then.....

 I hate cliffhangers

    You know, the tv show where they have an exciting ending and then you have to wait for the next season. 

    Those of us who are of a certain age remember when JR got shot on Dallas.  People speculated if it was Bobby, or the other characters.  If we had internet in those days, there would have been tic toc  and social media posts up the wazoo about who did it.

    But we only had face to face conversations.  I miss those days.

    Julia told us about What About Todd, a tv series she thought we would like.

    Well, we started watching it and really got into the series.  The last episode had the evil villain stepping  off the elevator.  The camera showed the feet, the lower torso, but never the face.  That was the cliffhanger.

    Who was it?  We were left to ponder the various  choices and then we heard the series was cancelled!  Now we will never know!!

    It haunts me to this day.

    Years ago WLS Radio, when it played music, had a contest involving a cliffhanger for Cheers.  

    Diane was going away, and the question was if she was coming back to Sam.

    So WLS ran a contest for coming up with the best follow up to the cliffhanger.

    I was teaching 5th grade.  I sent my entry in, I don't remember all of it but it involved transvestites, gender changes and a monkey.

    They were announcing the winner at 9 a.m.  I sat in the back of he classroom and turned on my little portable radio, it must have been during attendance or lunch count.  I was listening to the radio when I heard, on. the radio, "Good morning, Tilton School."

    I yelled to the kids, "I won!" and raced down to the office.

    I talked on air to the DJ for a couple of minutes and then I went back to class.

    Problem was, the kids had no idea what was going on and didn't listen to the radio, which was on very softly.

    My prize was a 12 inch color tv.  Yes, 12 inches.  It may have been the first color tv we had, but I don't remember.

    That is one of 2 prizes I have won in my life.  

    And my cliffhanger follow up was no where near the real episode, but I think everyone thought it would have been a good one.

    I just wish I knew what happened to Todd.

    Maybe that bad guy was a real estate developer who got into politics.  That would have been fitting.

Peace and Love

blanks

 I am drawing blanks tonight

    Too many choices in life.

    I have started earnestly to put together a picture book on the London trip of 2023.

    I have lots of vacation books.   I always figure when I am gumming my pureed lunch I can look at the pictures and smile.  (Mr. Wallace was one of my favorite high school teachers.  He taught history.  He used to say, "Mr. Dickow, if you are not going to read the material just look at the pictures and smile."  Sage advice I still adhere to.)

    The problem with digital photography is I take too damn many pictures.

    Instead of taking my time  appraising the value of the shot, composing the shot, and printing the shot, as I would have done with a film  camera, I aim and click, click, click..

    So I have 163 pictures of an English phone booth.  And 26 pictures of people standing on the field before a baseball game. 

    And lord knows how many pictures of the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, none of which should be saved at all because of the poor quality.

    Photo books are great.  But they do cost money, generally the more pictures you have, the more expensive the book.

    Friend Linda had an offer from some company for free pages in a photo book.  But that offer expired.  I think she got their book done in time.  I did not.

    I have a lot of pictures of London I want.  And Liverpool.  And Switzerland.  So, do I do 3 books?  And will Key West be a fourth book?  Will I need a mortgage to get them all printed?

    Should I just do one. look with 4 or 5 pictures of London, Liverpool, and Switzerland?  What will I sacrifice?  Penny Lane? Strawberry Fields?  The boys on the dock? Dancing at the Cavern?

    I t hink not.

    Hopefully by clicking on the websites of 3 picture book makers I will get a "special" offer within the next few days.

    It's been almost 2 years since London, so I am obviously not in a big hurry.

    But I would like to get it done before I start dripping puree from the corners of my mouth.

    Strangely, none of this has to do with blanks.  

    Go figure.

Peace and Love

why do I?

 I have been wondering about why I do things

    Not the normal run of the mill things. like dishes, laundry, bathing. and spying on the neighbors.

    But the other .... let me call them oddities.... in my daily life.

    Jackie has two curling irons.  One of them is very hot for about 20 minutes after it is unplugged.

    I usually wait until afternoon to put it away, giving it a couple of hours to cool down.

    Why, then, do id tentatively touch it to see if if is still hot?  It's been 2 hours!!

    Jackie wears compression pads on her legs for about 20 minutes in the morning.  They are marked L and R.  So why, after putting on the Left one, do I check the back to see if it is the Right one?  She only has 2 feet!!

    Why can't I take my daily meds when I am supposed to?

    Why do I apologize to inanimate objects when I bump into them?  Does the lamp or door frame really feel offended when I smack it?

    Why can't I buy new jeans?  I honestly am afraid to buy them for fear I will get the wrong size... again!  I should just to the store and try them on, so why don't I ?

    Why don't I rinse the sink out at night after I am done with the dishes?

    And most importantly, why do bad things happen to good people?

    I will never figure it all out.

Peace and Love

meal time

 Nature isn't always the prettiest

    When Julia was upstairs this morning, she heard a bump on the patio window.

    A little bird had hit the window and was stunned.

    This has happened a couple of times.  Once I found a dead bird, and last month I put a stunned bird into a box in the garage and little birdie recovered and flew away the next day.

    This little birdie was not so lucky.

    The hawk that hangs around just happened to be in the area.  Julia said it carried the little bird off, probably to enjoy a fresh breakfast in a tree somewhere.

    As I write this it is 0 outside with a -14 wind chill.

    That is chilly.  I always wanted to trow water in the air and see if it freezes at that temperature.  

    I told our help not to come this week.  I don't want anyone driving in this cold just to help me for a few hours....so we will start next Monday.  It should be warmer then.

    I actually started stacking boxes today.

    I have a pile of things to get rid of,  I figure I will have. a garage sale and sell the tuff I don't see using again, like my camping gear and tent.  Sleeping on the ground no longer appeals to me.

    I also discovered I have 3 tubs with no lids and 9 lids with no tubs.  I honestly don't understand how that happens. I can understand 1 or  2 but 9?  Jimmy Crickett.

    I know as soon as I get rid of them I will find the tubs....someplace.  

    I am feeling old tonight.

    We started watching the SNL anniversary show and I was shocked to see how old we have grown.  Steve Martin said he was 79 this year, Paul Simon was almost unrecognizable.  The girl that sang with Paul...something Carpenter, said she wasn't even born when he performed Homeward Bound.  then she said her parents were not even born then!  OMG how did. this happens so fast?

    I also finally spent time working on my pictures from London in 23 and Key West last month. Usually I put them into books.  I figure someday when I am old and in a home, I can look at the picture books and remember.

    I just didn't realize it would be so soon.

Peace and Love

no football??

 I had a really lost Sunday

    No football to watch.  Not even a skins challenge, whatever that is.

    Digression.  We used to play skins-shirts basketball in high school and they never let me be a skins....said I was too distracting to the other boys.

    I could have watched racing.....let me correct that, no I could not.

    My plan for this weekend was to organize the Christmas boxes.  I still have not done that.

    I hate to do it when Julia is working because I am sure I will yell something that I shouldn't.  But she does not work tomorrow, so I will get to  it.

    I would have today....but we didn't get up until 11.

    I know!!

    I guess we were tired.

    In my defense, someone woke me about 4 and said she could not stay in bed.  So I got her into a chair and after about 15 or 20 minutes, she was ready to go back to  bed.

    I think she was having some kind of panic attack.  In any case we went back to sleep....and slept.

    I bought 5 boxes of Girl Scout cookies today.

    They were set up outside Walmart.  The wind was blowing at 900 miles an hour and their lips were blue, so I felt sorry for them and bought some.  I also read somewhere that buying them was a good thing this year.

    We do have new help in the morning.  She was going to start tomorrow, but the wind chills are supposed to be terrible, so I told her to wait until next Monday.

    Keep safe tomorrow....roads were snowy and slick when I went to the store.  Keep warm.  

    That's it!

Peace and Love

brrr...it's cold inside

 I normally don't get up at 6:30

    While I do take a couple of night time pee breaks, usually the last one is about 3.  Not 6:30.

    But when your daughter wakes you up with the dreaded words, "It's cold in here," you have to get up.  6:30 or not.

    We have the  heat  down to 68 at night.  Julia woke up a little chilly, because the house was at 62.

    Yes the furnace fan was running, but the heat was not.

    Me. being the experienced DOIY person I am, looked out the back garage door and saw that the guy who plowed piled up snow on the heating pipes.

    No problem.  

    Put on some shoes, pants, heavy coat and go out and shovel the snow away.

    I did that.

    And the heat.... did not come on.

    I went back outside, felt up into the pipes in case snow packed into the pipe. Nope.  Got a flexible piece of plastic and poked it in.  No clog.

    And the heat ..... did not come on.

    Called the friendly folks at Anderson, only to find their emergency hours started at 8 a.m. and it was now only about 7.  I left my name, number and a brief message explaining what happened.

    I was cold.  Third.  Hungry.  Thirsty.

    I was downstairs when the phone rang and Julia answered.

    We missed his name, but he told us what to do:  Make sure the vent is clear.   Turn the unit off.  Turn the unit on.

    We did.....no heat.

    I did not have my hearing aids in, so Julia was talking to him.  I went back outside to be sure the snow was not blocking the vents.   I had already checked it twice, so I don't know why  I went again except I was tired, hungry, and cold.

    When I cam back in Julia had the front of the furnace off and was watching a light.  It was orange, and then went off.

    We were instructed to turn the unit off again, and wait 30 seconds.

    We did that, I changed a light bulb, and then the test: We turned the unit back on, the orange light appeared and then it turned to blue, meaning the pilot light was lit.

    Heat!!!

    When Jackie got up, the house was comfortable.  We had an expensive breakfast;  I made crepes and used 2 eggs!!!

    It wasn't a real busy day.

    I have remarked the area around the intakes for the furnace, so if we get plowed again that area will be off limits.   I now know what to do if it happens again  I also took a nap and helped Julia take some things out to the house. 

    I am still. tired.  But I am warm!!

Peace and Love

winter

 We are finally in a snowy period

    Years ago I would welcome that. I would strap on my cross country skis and head out to Skare Park. Once I went to Nachusa Grasslands, before the bison, and used my snowshoes to walk out to a huge rock, where I sat in the freezing cold and had some hot chocolate from my thermos.

    It was so peaceful and beautiful.

    But I was younger then.

    I don't remember the last time I went snowshoeing.  I know it was at this house, but we have been here 12 years.  

    I could try to stomp around the yard tomorrow, but it is going to be cold and windy and my balance is still not the greatest.  I could literally become a pop sickle by the time anyone missed me.

    I suggested Mexican food tonight, and Julia came to me at about :15 and said if I planned to go into town, look out the window.  

    The usability was near zero!  Snow was blowing like mad.

    So, of course I went into town for supper.

    Julia ordered, I fired up. the car and went.

    It wasn't so bad.

    But the return trip was horrible.

    The wind was not blowing from one direction, but all 4 directions at the same time!  I could barely find the road.  

    The snow seems to have stopped for now, but the cold will follow. 

    Emily gave me a battery operated snow shovel for Christmas.  I had a chance to use it tonight and it was really slick!  

    It's basically a 12 inch snow blower.  It  throws the snow a good distance and is ideal for the porch and sidewalk.

    The biggest news is we have a lead on help.   I'll know tomorrow.

Peace and Love

brrrrr

 I just can't get warm tonight

    I got back from a museum board meeting and I was freezing.  

    Not even having the heat turned up in the car and the seat heater on helped.

    I just finished a can of soup and sandwich for super and that has not warmed the innards sufficiently.

    My friend Siri says it is 6 outside, but it was 1 on the car thermometer when I came home.  I guess a 5 degree difference doesn't matter much when it is cold.

    I saw a woman coming up to the door and I recognized her as, let's call her Cruystal to protect everyone's identity.

    She looked like Crystal, although she seemed shorter.

    As she approached the door I yanked it open and said ,"Yeeeesssss?" in a deep voice.

    The totally unknown woman. who in fact did not look like Crystal, took three steps backward as if she was afraid I was going to grab her and drag her into the house.

    She was a solar system salesperson and said our house was ideal for solar panels.

    I know it is .  I also know that the payback far exceeds our life expectancy, which is why we don't have solar panels.

    Among the other surprises of the day was the Fed Ex guy drove past the house. That was the first time this week.

    Also a first:  Driveway was plowed.  We finally had enough snow to get it plowed.

    Now it is cold.  Very cold.  Too cold for thes guy, who will be going to bed early and huddling under several layers of coverings.

    At least early in my mind.

Peace and Love

not again

Oops, I did it again

    I was surprised when I walked into my PT appointment at exactly 12:15 and I was the only patient there.

    There were 4 staff people standing around the front desk, and I said, "I see the hospital now has maternity ward with OB-GYNs."

    All 4 of them looked at me like I was nuts.

    I said, "There's a sigh outside that says delivery dock!"

    They thought it was funny.

    Then they said, "Terry, you are early.  Your appointment is at 1:15."

    How did I screw that up?  

    Nobody was there because it was lunch time.  DUH!!

    I told them I would go to wander around in the snow and freezing winds for an hour, but they said wait a minute.  They asked Ashley what I should do, and she told them to have me wait, she was just finishing up her lunch.

    So I did my therapy early.

    Last night I visited the school district's web site and saw a school closed due to weather announcement.  So I posted on FB that there was no school.

    The announcement was from 4 years ago!

    OMG was I embarrassed!  I immediately deleted the post and reposted that there was school, not to listen to me, that I had posted fake news.

    And a couple of weeks ago I posted that Exit 99 was doing a comedy show, and I listed the wrong date for that!

    Holy crap!!

    Tonight I had a meeting on Google.  At one point during the meeting I hit a button and muted myself and hid my picture.  I could not figure out how to recover and a message came up that I had to exit the meeting and re enter, changing my settings to display image and play sound.

    I did that but nothing changed.  So I did it again.

    I don't know what I did the third time, but I was back, with my beautiful face showing and my wonderful, melodious voice projecting nicely.

    The good thing is I did not have to call Julia, the bad thing is I had no idea how I lost the picture or regained the picture.

    As you locals know, snow is falling but nowhere near the amount that had been forecast, although they said 2-4 or 3-6, and we may be on the bottom end of those ranges.

    And I don't know if there is school tomorrow.  I am not going to say, either way.  Just to be safe.

Peace and Love

waiting

Well, we may be getting our first real snow tomorrow 

    It's predicted to be 4-6, or 5-8 inches.  

    Of course, if a dog farts in Iowa, it may push the storm north or south and we would not get anything.

    What concerns me is the cold that will follow.  Wednesday night it is going to be 10, Thursday 15 and Thursday night -5 o something like that.  The snow doesn't bother me, but the cold does.

    I went to Headon's for meat today.

    Jackie asked me to buy lunch meat when I was there.

    As I was unpacking my $130 worth of meat at home, I realized I forgot to buy the lunch meat!  I really have to write things down,

    The other day I had some water to toss in the bathroom.  For some reason I threw it in the garbage can, not the sink.  That was a mess.

    And this  is day 3 of organizing the Christmas stuff.  Well, at least 3 days where I said I would organize the Christmas stuff.  So far I have looked at it once, and that was while I was putting away the meat.

    There has been a lot of talk about the half time show.  I was told something to the effect that rap is king and the other stuff is out of style.

    So on the Sirius channel today, I was surprised to hear Naughty by Nature talking about the Beatles and the influence they had on them and how their music is still relevant in today's world.

    The Naughty guys sounded like a fun group.  I enjoyed listening to them introduce their favorite Beatles songs.  But I have a feeling their music is not my style.

    I wonder what the music will sound like in 40 years.  Granted, I won't be around to hear it, but I still wonder.

    Speaking of wondering, Emily and I went to Key West a few weeks ago.  While there, I had a crazy dream.

    I am haunted by some of the images of the dream:  running across grassy fields to see the next attraction, swimming in a pool green with algae, staying in a hotel that was a dump......

    Why do those images stick with me, especially when I am awake?

    And how do I let them go?

    Any advice would be appreciated.

Peace and Love

    

huh????

 I don't understand what I did wrong

    I started to write this drivel, but the html format kept coming up...which is darn hard to read. 

    I tried again and all the words had lines thru them, again making it hard to read.

    I sure as hell don't know given my limited understanding of computers.  Every. time I look up in the sky I see a cloud and wonder  how it holds my data.  

    We had a FedEx delivery today.  

    Julia, in her never ending quest for values, orders a lot on line.  The FedEx guy and the UPS woman seem to know us now, In fact, I think we are invited heir family reunions this summer.

    Anyway, thy guy gives me 2 little packages and then says, "I have a wheelchair for you" and disappears back into the truck.

    Jackie has a transport chair that does not lock tightly.  Yes, I have tried tightening the locks, but for some reason (limited ability?  limited knowledge? too much wine?) I can't see to tighten the locks.  That may be a contributing factor in my dropping her.

    Anyway, he hauls out this huge box and I say, "I can take that."

    Without a beat, the guy says, "No, you have worked along enough and deserve a break."  He then carried it into the garage.

    I thought that was a nice way of saying, "I don't want to be responsible for some old guy carrying a box and having a heart attack on my route."

    Statistics don't lie, right?

    Well according to the weekly  stat page the Feb. 7 entry on fortune cookies had over 500 page views!  The leading 3 countries were Singapore, the US, and Hong Kong.

    But according to my daily stat page, that same entry had a little over 50 views.

    I wonder why the folks in Singapore think of all. this.

    I don't think I will ever learn.

Peace and Love

Stupor Bowl

 I lost interest early in the Big Game

    I was hoping the Chiefs would win, but it was obvious from the get go they were not going to.  They looked like me after a Thanksgiving dinner and the left overs come out.....I had already eaten so much, I don't care if I eat again.

    At some point, one of the announcers was talking about a specific player and he said, "He really wants to win,"

    That got me thinking.  Are there really professional athletes who play and don't want to win?  When I buy my lottery tickets it with the intention of winning, and I think that is the sam with pro athletes.

    I missed some of the commercials, but I did have two favorites.

    I loved the Ultra pickle ball commercial.  And I loved the Lays chip commercial where the cutest little girl in the current world picks up a potato, plants it, nourishes it and finally harvests the perfect potato for Lays chips.

    I did not like the Dunkin' commercial. 

    I also liked the messages of inclusion, participation, and acceptance I saw.

    And the half time show?

    I am wondering how many people over 60 enjoyed it, although the dancing was amazing.

    That brings a close to the season in NFL football.

    I would like to point out the Bears are still undefeated in 2025.

    Now it's time for baseball.  Go Cubs!!!  This is the year!!!

Peace and Love

some pictures too

I saw these decorations in the Anderson's Book Store in Naperville.....neat way to recycle old books and paper

Julia took this picture on Monday or Tuesday

I took this on Friday.  Same bird?  I am not sure.  Tail looks different.  But it is a , different gargoyle. 

31-23

I already know who Weill win the Super Bowl 

    The team with the most points!!  (rim shot)

Why did the GM of the Bears give $1 for a 75 cent drink?

    He wanted to get a quarterback!  (rim shot)

Why did the cash strapped team owner introduced Travis Kielce to Mike Ditka?

    He was trying to make ends meet!  (rim shot and explanation.  Kelce and Ditka are  famous tight ends)

Why did one side of the offensive line smell so good?

    They had Right Guard!!  (you got it...rim shot)

What famous speech dealt  with a team down 28-0 and facing a fourth down with 7 yards to go?

    Gettysburg Address.....Four score and 7 yards to go.... (feel free to groan)

    As you can tell, I am psyched up for the Big Game.  I hope to see fantastic plays, great commercials, a half time show I understand, and certain people with VIP status booed.  And I don't mean Tay Tay.

    I am kind of leaning toward the Chiefs.  I like the QB, but I also like Philadelphia's QB.  I would rather have seen the Lions, Bears, Packers or Vikings in the Super Bowl just because they are all Central Division teams.  But I think it will be a couple of years for the Bears to make it.

    In case you missed it, Virginia McCaskey died the other day.  She was 103 and the daughter of George Halas, one of the founders of the NFL and Bears owner.  A few years ago she told her son she was "pissed off" at the way the Bears were playing and the GM and coach were fired.

    I just can't imagine all the things she saw in life....The Depression, WW II, the Roaring 20s, Prohibition, The Korean War.......all things before most of us have missed.  Luckily, in many cases.

    I like to think her last football memory was being in Green Bay when the Bears beat the Pack for the first time in 74 tries, or something like that.

    I think she would die with a smile on her face with that memory.

    It's almost time for the pregame shows to start......

    By the way, pitchers and catchers report Sunday for. the Cubs.  Play Ball!!

Peace and Love

oh yeah?

 I found some strange fortune cookies

    We have ordered out a lot of Chinese food lately, and I have found some strange fortunes in the cookies.

For exa ple:

Your lucky numbers are 5 7 13, 22 and 0.  Play all 6 and millions will come to you.

Staring at a solar eclipse will cause dementia.

Don't trust hedgehogs speaking Dutch.

You will find money in a public roadway and suffer severe injuries.

Sun may follow the storms  except where you live.

Wear your baseball cap backwards to achieve youth.

When brushing you teeth, avoid going up your nose.

Smoking a Camel is harder than smoking a brisket.

When one bottle of wine is empty, open another.

When 2 bottles of wine are empty, seek help.

Do not expose yourself in a flash mob.

Pay attention to idiots for they are in command.

Fortune cookies may come with Chinese food, but they are made in the US

Often times people write fortune cooky messages to make their friends laugh.

Dark tines will become brighter days.

Peace and Love

alums

 We received exiting offers exclusive to alums today

    They were exciting insurance plans from University of Minnesota and UC Davis, sent to Jackie and me because we are "devoted alumni" of the 2 universities.

    I wonder what degrees we got since we never attended either one!

    All 4 letters used the same language and forms.  I know it is just a marketing ploy, but think of the money they wasted by sending them to us.  On the bright side, it does help the postal system.

    We didn't get the ice and snow that was predicted.  We did have a glaze, but areas around us had more, if I understood the reports.

    I have used may snowblower once.  We have not seen the guy who plows our driveway at all, except for when he stopped by and said he was plowing again this year.    Snow is a no show this winter.

    But, there are still a few days until spring, regardless of what the groundhog predicts.

    The message of "end racism" has been removed from the Super Bowl stadium.  Guess somebody did not want to offend The Orange Felon, who is planning to attend the game.  I know lots of players had that message on their helmets, it will be interesting to see if they still do.

    It will be interesting to  if Tay Tay gets more exposure than the felon.  If so, she will be on his enemies list.  Of course when the felon tells it, he will have more exposure.

    Sorry to be rambling.  

    We had an incident this morning in the shower.  I missed the chair and Jackie slid to the floor.  Luckily Julia was here, something I won't be able to say in about 6 weeks.

    No injuries, and we got her up easily.

    But I had a meltdown.  

    Julia found a chair that may be better because the arms lift, something our transfer chair does not.  This is also a transfer chair and I hope irt makes it safer, and easier, for me to move her.

    A downer note to end tonight, eh?

Peace and Love

Me. crazy??

Sometimes I t think I am losing m mind 

    Stopped at Cypress House for a coffee and when I was standing at the counter I heard a voice say, "Hi Terry."

    But I could not see anyone!  I looked around and there was no one in sight...just me and the dress dummies.

    Was a dummy talking to me?

    No, Krista was in the corner arranging something and I just did not see her.

    I have been doing some exercises at home to help with my balance issues.

    The other night I did them sitting on the edge of the bed, when I was done I lied  down.  I felt like I was in a rocking chair!  My body felt like it  was going back and forth but it was not moving.

    I asked about that at PT today and was told that can happen if I change positions too quickly, going from sitting up to on the bed.

    I had always done the exercises sitting up. 

    Again, I thought I was going cuckoo.

    I ate a fortune cookie tonight and forgot to take the fortune  out.  I wish I had read it first.

    Maybe it said something like, "Good things are coming your way."  Or "Don't give up hope". Or "It's always darkest before the storm."

    The last one is right.  It is dark outside and a storm is supposed to be coming.

    Maybe I'm crazy, but I still have my mind.  For what that is worth.

Peace and Love

snow?

 We have a winter weather advisory

    I think that is a first for this year.

    Imagine that!  Feb 4 and it has been an almost snowless winter!

    I think the forecast is calling for ice and snow and rain and sun and clouds and earthquakes and volcanoes and possibly a hurricane or two.

    I have stocked up on the important things.....bananas and milk.  If it is really bad and we are stuck inside for more than a week and run out of food,, we do have Beth to fall back on.

    Just kidding.

    Had a heart doc chat today.  He said I seem ok, but he is only looking at the physical side.  Yes, he said I should walk more or exercise more.  Do something besides sit on my ass playing spider solitaire.  I like playing solitaire.  I don't like exercising.

    We did get some bad news tonight.

    The folks providing home care called and said they were not coming anymore.

    They felt the lifting situation was putting. their workers, and Jackie, in unsafe situations.  

    So..... no more relief for the time being.

    It is frustrating, both for me and her.  

    I need. the time off to recover physically and for a mental break.  But right now it is not meant to be.

    That bit of news put me in a bummer mood, so pardon this rather subdued rambling.

    I sort of wish President Musk would take over my house.  

    Know anybody who wants a part time job lifting and caring for my wife?  

Peace and Love

American Pie

 This was the day the music died

    I was just a kid in 1959, but even then I knew the world had lost some pretty great talent.

    Buddy Holly. Ritchie Valens ,and The Big Bopper,  Perry Richardson Jr.,  all died in a plane crash near Clear Lake Iowa.

    If you listen to the early Beatles, you can pick up the Buddy Holly influence in some of their songs. 

    My Today in History e-mail reminded me of the accident.

    I was 11 when they died, but I remember Peggy Sue and That Will Be the Day from Buddy Holly and the Crickets, Chantilly Lace by the Big Bopper and LaBamba by Ritchie Valens.  Still great music.  

    And of course, The Day the Music Died, by Don McClean, paid tribute to the singers. 

    E-mail can bring all sorts of useful information.

    For instance, today I got an e mail that said they had hot pictures of my wife...naked!   No, I did not open it.  

    I was also notified I had 45 complaints about a recent e-mail.....and I did not open that either. 

    Same goes for the Endurance ones that promise to expand my manhood, if you know what I mean.  

    And of course the usual ones telling me a package can't be delivered, my computer has been compromised, a bill is late.

    Kinda of sad when your most investing e-mail involves 3 deaths.

    But I guess that is the world today....scams and scammers galore.

    Hell, they seem to be overrunning Washington DC, but that is another story.  A scary one at that.

Peace and Love

 

bump, thump, stump

 I did a good deed today

`Yesterday Jackie heard a bump noise in the kitchen.  I did not find anything.  A little later Julia went to let Beth out and found a bird on the patio.

    The little sparrow was alive, but not able to fly.

    I am guessing the noise Jackie heard was the bird flying into our patio doors.

    I picked it up, carried it into the garage, put a towel in a box and set the birdie in the box.  I put some bird seed in as well.

    This morning the bird was gone.  Sort of.  I found it sitting on the windowsill.  Then it flew to sit on my bicycle.  I had all the garage doors open but it took a while to leave.

    I felt good about that.

    And today was Groundhog Day.  Little critter is predicting an early spring or 6 more weeks of winter, depending on where it lives.

    I think early spring.  I know it is early pothole season because they are showing up everywhere.  I have hit a few thumps already.  And yesterday I stepped in what I thought was water on the pavement when in fact it was. 3 inch deep pothole.  My socks got wet.

    I had an e mail I wanted to print.

    It was about 6 pages, so I hit the print button.

    I did not realize there were an amazing number of pages after the few I wanted.  The printer kept printing, and printing, and printing.

    I went into the icon and clicked on the x, cancelling the printing.

    It kept printing and printing.

    I opened the paper drawer, but when I closed it, it started printing. And printing.

    I can't find a way to stop it from printing!

    What I have been doing is taking the already printed pages with lines on them and feeding them back into the paper tray.

    But how do I end the print job? 

    I have tried everything.  I am stumped.

    I finally turned it off.  Maybe that will end the nightmare.

    Otherwise I guess I will be printing the rest of my life.

Peace and Love

Peace and Love

a gala time

 We wet to From the Heart tonight

For those of you not familiar with the event, it is a fund raiser for 9 different not for profit agencies operating in Rochelle.  Jackie, Emily and I went, as we have done for several years.

Tickets are expensive, because it is a fund raiser.  And during the event there are games, raffles, silent auction items and a live auction of various things.

    For example:  Tonight live auction  items included  beef  packages, pork packages, a vacation package to Gatlinburg TN, jewelry, autographed sports items and a CD autographed by.......Taylor Swift.

    Some of the sports items sold for around $1,000, although some were below that.

    But the Taylor Swift CD?  Holy crap.

    I asked Jackie if she remembered how much it sold for, because in muymind it was just about $2,000.  She did not think it was that much, but to be honest, I had gone to the bathroom and was just getting back when the bidding was about over.

    You have to be a big Tay Tay fan.  I did not see Travis Kelce in the crowd, so we can rule him out.  Besides, I bet she just gives him CDs when he wants them.

    We saw lots of former students who are now bankers, businessmen, teachers,  and city department heads.  It is always great to see former students doing well.

    We sat with some people we did not know.  I am lousy at making conversation, mainly because I can't hear their end of its very well.

    But one man showed me his name tag and asked if I remembered him.  He said he wrote me a couple of times when I was doing my column.

    I said the name was familiar and about 5 minutes later I looked. at him and said, "You wrote me about road construction and how Illinois doesn't pave highways in a way that makes them last."

    He said he did.

    I don't think I have done a column in over 3 years.  The fact he remembered me is dwarfed by the fact I remember what he wrote me about!  For cripes sake, I can't remember yesterday!

    It was a fun night.  We did not buy anything, but Emily did.  In the past I bought an autographed Ernie Banks picture and  another year I bought a base ball autographed Ernie Banks HOF.

    We had a good time.  I admit we got a little tired toward the end, but we were some of the first to leave.

And that's the way it is.

Peace and Love