Election Day

 We have to go vote tomorrow

    I shouldn't say it that way.  We have the opportunity to vote tomorrow.

    Granted, looking at the ballot there are not many contests for us to decide.  Looking at the information guide, it seems a lot of offices where 1 person is running, or no one is running.

    I guess that baffles me a bit.

    People need to run for office.  People need to vote.

    I read that in the last presidential election, 39 percent of registered voters did not vote.   That is astounding.  A privilege that thousands of men and women have died for and people don't use it.

    When we first moved to Rochelle I ran for a township commissioner spot. I filled out a questionnaire from the newspaper and said the township should be consolidated into the city.

    Needless to say, I did not win.  I think I came in 8th in an election that only had 5 candidates.

    But I did run and serve on the library board and the park district board, both times elected.  Jackie has been elected  to the library board several times but is not on the ballot this time, despite her term being up.  I think 1 person is running and there are 4 openings.  But I can't read the sample ballot because the print is small and I can't find a magnifying glass.

    But we will vote.  

    And I bet the turnout will be less than 10 percent.

    Oh well.

    I took Beth for a short walk today.  I don't think she is used to leash walking because she pulled constantly.  Lucky I am as heavy as I am or else she could have dragged me down the street.

    That's all I have.

Peace and Love

Oh my gosh

 We had a busy day today

    Jackie and I went to see Shawshank Redemption presented by  VCCT, our local theater group.

    I thought it was a really good show.  Well acted and well directed, with lots of  people we know in the cast.  All of them were great.  

    Human friend Beth joined us, and we had a few minutes to ketchup.  Get it?  Razor sharp humor, huh?

    Anyway, Jackie and I are some of the few people who have never seen the movie.  I ran into a friend the other day and he said it was his favorite movie and that he was watched it dozens of times.

    Guess I should watch it.

    We got home in time to watch the Cubs take a 6-2 lead, then give up 8 runs in the bottom of the eighth to lose the game.  That was discouraging because the bullpen is supposed to be better.  

    Yes, I realize we only did 2 things.  But it was busy.  By the time we ate and everything it got to be 8 p.m.  And yes, I could have not watched a 90 minute tv show.  And maybe I should not have, because I miss half of what is being said, even with the tv blaring.  I need the subtitles.

    The shocking happening of he day was when we went into the theater it was warm and sunny.  Then we came out the temperature had fallen about 10 degrees, it was cloudy, windy and I was damn cold. At least it was not raining.

    So ends a busy weekend.

    But every week seems to have something we have to do.  Doctor tomorrow, meeting Tuesday, vet appointment Wednesday......it's a constant whirl wind of activity lately.

    And the good folks at Cologuard said I passed the test....everything is normal.

    They are talking physically, not mentally though.

Peace and Love

Yah, yah, yah

I saw the Beatles tonight! 

    Ok, not the real ones, but a tribute band  called the Fab Four.

    They were at the Coronado in Rockford and friends Linda and Dan invited me months ago,  and truth be told I did forget until Linda reminded me.

    In a funny sort of way, Julia came up to me last night about 5:30 and asked if I was supposed to be somewhere.

    I said no.

    Everyone is painfully aware of how I screw up dates and times, and she asked if I was going to see the Liverpool Legends.

    I said I thought I was.  That's when she said it was tonight (Friday) in DeKalb, not Saturday in Rockford.

    I knew it was Saturday.  What I did not know was Liverpool Legends were playing in DeKalb on Friday!

    I got the names mixed up, but the dates right.

    The neat thing about tonight, well, one of the neat things.  They said feel free to take pictures or videos during the show.

    They also said feel free to sing along, just don't come up on stage.

    We sang, waved hands, yelled, and remembered what it was like when the lads hit the USA.  The music brought back a lot of memories and happiness.

    I just wish I had seen them back then.

    And it was great to see young people there......proving again, they made the music that will never die.

Peace and Love

The rooftop concert, their last appearance as a group

Geporge's hear comes the sun

I guess I am a dreamer too.

Sgt. Peppers

Footage of the audience at the Ed Sullivan show, I believe

I don't think I ever watched the cartoon!

A fun time was had by all

Lost???

Saying I am disorganized is an understatement 

    There are no limits to my disorganization.

    For instance:  I frequently use a magnifying glass to read stuff.....like really small print.  I guess glass is a misnomer, be cause I broke the only glass one I had and the rest are all plastic.

    If I can find them.

    At one point I had 7 (Thanks, Darci).  Now I have 1.  

    Where did they go?  

    I have one I always put in the top right drawer of my desk, except when I don't.  I have not seen that one in several days.  It replaced the one I had on a lanyard that I could hang up so I could always find it, except when I can't.

    I even got so desperate I cleaned off the top of my desk, but I did not find it.

    I am getting a little frustrated with my "habits."

    For instance, I play spider solitaire.  I am trying to limit it to 5 games a day, so I have been keeping track for a few days.

    Playing 2 suit, I have won 11 times.  Pretty good, huh?  But when you consider the 43 times I lost, it is not such a hot record.

    So I changed to 1 suit.Over 3 days I have played 9 times and won every time.

    One is too easy, 2 is too hard.

    As I was shuffling papers, I found my to do list in the yard.....from 2022!  Seriously!!

    I have done all but one thing on that list, but I still kept the list.  Good heavens.

    I think I have sorted and tossed all the lists I made about books to read, movies to see, and things to do.  I am tired of lists.

    And I am tired of being so disorganized.  

    But, my curse in life is that I am unorganized.  Always have been, always will be.

    And that's that for today.

    Hopefully the Cubs can win another out there in Arizona tonight.

Peace and Love

Play ball!!!

 The quest begins tonight in Arizona

    Will all the Cubs moves pay off in a division championship and a trip to the playoffs?  Can anyone beat the Dodgers?

    Will Matt Shaw prove adequate at 3rd base?  Will King Tuck provide the power everyone says he has?  Will PCA wow the fans with his speed and bat?

    We will find the answer to those and other pressing questions over the next 160 games and 6 months of baseball.

    I think we need baseball to take our minds off the other shit going on.  Not that we should ignore it, but everyone needs a break now and then.

    We celebrated Jackie's birthday with a cook out.

    I grilled some steaks and Jackie, Julia, Emily and I had a nice time.  The girls got her a blanket for when she is sitting in her chair and freezing.  I got her a card.  

    No, I am not insensitive...... but there is nothing I can think of that she needs.  

    In a bit of miscommunication, both girls brought desserts.  We had choices of various cheesecakes or mini bundt cakes.  And no, I did not eat both.  Yet.

    Julia got her occupancy permit yesterday, so she will be taking up residence sooner than later.  I am going to a concert Saturday night, so she is staying here until at least Sunday to be with Jackie.

    Then we will be empty nesters with a broken hearted dog.

    Speaking of broken hearted, the heart doc's office contacted me and said my test results were all within normal limits and had not changed since the last test.  I was happy to hear that.

    Now, c'mon Spring!!!  And Go Cubs!!!

Peace and Love

TMI!!!

 I am bringing up a delicate subject

    I will try to be discrete, but....... and that is a big butt.

    When I went for my yearly health check up, it was brought to my attention that I was due for a colonoscopy.

    I winced at the thought of having a camera inserted in an area where cameras don't normally go.

    Plus the preparation for an exam of that nature leaves me somewhat hesitant.

    So the good doctor also said I could opt for a Cologuard at home test which I gladly said yes too.

    Sparing you the details, the "sample" was to be sent UPS.  So I went to a local UPS drop zone at Petro and found the UPS box and put my "sample" into the box.

    I closed the lid and did not hear the box drop.  But I could not open the lid.  My sample was stuck in the drop zone.

    I told a lady working there about it and she came and did the American response to the situation.  She banged the sides of the drop box, then rocked it back and forth.  Just like we do with vending machines that don't work.

    After a few minutes she said it was really stuck and that the UPS person will "probably" check when he does the pickup.

    I can somewhat proudly state my shit plugged a UPS drop box!!

    Not a lot of people can say that.  Or would say that.  But I am not like a lot of people.

    I just hope the sample makes it to the lab on time.

    Digression.  In the Sunday Tribune there was an article in the world news section about the problems with tourism in Barcelona.  Crowded streets, apartments being bought and converted to short term rentals, thus driving locals out; littering, noise, pollution from the cruise ships.  The article even pointed out that last year residents went around squirting tourists with water pistols and telling t hem to go home.

    Over in the travel section, there was a Rick Steves article describing how great Barcelona was to visit, and pointed out the same locations the locals said were overrun with people!

    It just seemed ironic.

    Finally, I saw something that bummed me out today.  Students planted 3 trees on the west side of Tilton School when I taught there.  The hope was the trees would provide some afternoon shade for the classrooms plus make the Earth a better place.

    Well, over 25 or 30 years things change.  An addition is going on Tilton and when I passed  today I saw piles of limbs and trunks of the trees. I know progress is important and expanding Tilton is necessary.

    But I hate to see those trees go.

Peace and Love

greek to me

 I had a heart test today

    It was like an ultra sound.  I said to the technician, "Maybe there's a baby in there which is why my stomach is so big."

    She said if there was, then I was going to be a rich guy.

    I already have the results, although it is all in Greek to me.  The only thing I can see is mild regurgitation of an artery or two.

    I have had a heart murmur for years.  It is barely detectable.  In fact, once I mentioned it to a doctor and they said they didn't hear it, but they went back and did.  They said it was very minor.

    But the heart doc wanted to see if there was any deterioration since the last test.

    Got me.  Hopefully he will call and explain it in ways I can understand.

    At least there was no "get to the hospital immediately" message.  That's a blessing.

    My niece from Ohio was in visiting her mom, Ruth, in Rockford.  They came down for dinner tonight and we had a nice visit with lots of laughs.  It was a great time and we really enjoyed seeing them.

    I have the Target circle app on my phone.  Twice now I have lost out on gift cards because I did not have it set up correctly.

    I stopped at Target today because if I bought 50$ with of cleaning supplies, I got a 15$ gift card.  So I bought 3 laundry detergents and some paper towels, because you can always use laundry detergent.

    I went to the register with my phone in hand and opened the app.  Then I just gave it to the person running the checkout lane.  They hit a few buttons and my gift card was approved.

    I looked at them and said, "This is not the first time you have been helpful to me."

    And he said, "Yes, I remember you."

    They remember me because I tried to get gift cards without downloading the app, which did not work very well.  They spent several minutes with me trying to get it downloaded, but it all came to an end when it asked for the password.  

    Today all went smoothly.  I thanked them and they said they were always available to help.  I told him good, because I was always going to look for him.

    I don't know if that was taken as a warning or a compliment.

Peace and Love

dang it

 I have had a hard time getting to sleep

    Last night was no exception.  Nor was the night before.

    I am tired, but can't fall asleep.

    Our helper came at 8 this morning.  I was already tip, but I told her I was really tired.  I know I went to bed before 11:30, but I heard the little cuckoo hit 12, 12:30, 1 and I was up at 1:30 wandering around.

    I think I fell asleep about 2, but thinking about it, I don't know if I heard the cuckoo chime 2 or not.

    Anyway..... I said I was going to sit in my recliner for a little nap.  That was 8:15.

    When I woke up the house was eerily quiet.

    Jackie was sitting at the breakfast nook table and I asked her what time it was.

    12 noon.  I got up at 12 noon!!!  Holy Toledo!

    Our help leaves at 11 and Jackie told her just to let me sleep.  And I did.

    But I was still groggy later in the day.

    I went to the store, and when I got home I made a cup of decaf tea.  I also poured a small bowl of raisins and peanuts. 

    I sat down and the computer and reached over for some peanuts and put my hand into my hot tea!  Damn, that did sting!!

    But it woke me up.

    Now it is almost 9.  I am full of energy despite a lack of caffeine. 

    But really, all I want is to sleep 8 hours tonight.

    I hate taking a sleeping med because when I have done that I am so groggy the whole next day.  I did not like that feeling.   I do take 2 nighttime Tylenol, which has Benadryl in it, but that does not seem to do much. 

    I guess I must not have a clear conscience when I go to bed.  So if I offended you in anyway, about anything, at any time in my life, I do apologize.

    And I hope you are sleeping better than me.

Peace and Love

my fault

 I was responsible for Illinois losing today

    I watched my first complete college basketball game this year.  I had hoped Illinois would win, but I am convinced they lost because I watched.

    I thought at one point I heard the announcers say Kentucky had a whole new starting line up from last year, made up of transfers from other schools.

    I guess the portal in basketball has made for freer movements for college athletes.  I am not sure I like that.  I like the old days, where a student accepted a scholarship and it was harder to move from school to school.  I remember when Kenny Battle moved from NIU to the U of I and how big an uproar that caused.  Times have changed.

    Illinois has a freshman guard with a long name I can't spell or pronounce who is supposed to be really good.  So good, he will probably declare for the NBA draft.  I did not see that today.  I think his draft stock may have dropped.

    Enough.

    The wind is picking up again, I can hear it very clearly without my hearing aids.

    Jackie was having trouble with her soap today.  She could not pump it.  She gave it to me and I promptly pumped it, squirting a whole mess of the stuff on to her.  At least it works.

    We moved some of Julia's stuff to a gathering point today.  My basement does not look so bad after all.  The movers will come Wednesday to take it to her house.  

    Did you know that fortune cookies are not a part of the Chinese culture?  They are only given out in the US, not China.

    Huh.

Peace and Love

closer

 Seems like we are getting closer to lots of things

    A lot of unpacking got done at Julia's today.

    In addition to the unpacking, her dining room table was assembled, a hutch moved into place, and things put where she wants them.  It's looking like a house ready to move into.

    Next will be working on the garage so she can put her car in it.  We have found a home for the boxes, but we have to break them down.  I think I can work on that a couple of nights this coming week.

    The Cubs open play in the US in a few days.  I still think the LA series in Tokyo seemed like an exhibition. But they are 0-2 in the Central Division and in last place.  Not a good omen.

    Warmer weather seems to be heading towards us.  I think we have a couple of snows in between warm ups, but the weather changes so much it is hard to predict.

    I have sprouts in my gardens.   The lilies seem to be coming back to life.  It can't be long before  daffodils start popping up.

    Like I said, a lot of. things are getting close.

    Today my niece's daughter and fiancee stopped and are spending the night.  They even got to help unpack a few boxes.

    We had Portillo's beef for supper, and Lewis, Charlotte, Sheri, Julia, Emily, Jackie and I had a nice time sitting around and talking and laughing.  Lots of laughing, which is good for the soul.

    It's always great to see relatives and friends.

Peace and Love

stats

 I am not sure how accurate this is

    According to my stats page, this blog has over 400,000 visits!

    I find that amazing, since I was not anywhere near that at the start of the year.

    Could the stats be wrong?

    According to the stats, the number one country for viewers checking my blog is ...... Singapore!  Followed by Hong Kong, Mexico, the US, and the Netherlands.

    I find that really hard to believe.

    Just imagine....some schmuck  in Singapore logs onto this and reads about my boring life and comes away with a false impression of what the US is like.

    I could be harming the US image around the world.  If that is possible in. this day and age.

    Anyway there has to be a mistake.  

    And that, folks, was the highlight of my day.

    Check that.  Sheri came out and walked us through setting up on line SS accounts.  We were able to review stuff and discovered that Jackie actually worked in 2012, earning enough to push her past the 40 quarters.

    We are not sure what she did, although I think she subbed as a school secretary a couple of times.  But she doesn't remember doing anything.  l2 years ago was a long time, so who knows?

    We have another weekend of unpacking boxes ahead of us.  And the movers are coming Wednesday to move furniture from here and her wine plus some assorted plastic tubs.

    I guess it won't be long beforeJulia is actually gone, which will mean Jackie and I have to change our ways.

    Julia feeds Beth around 7:30, so I will have to be up earlier than 9:30 to keep the pup happy.  That will be a major adjustment.

    But I also realize we will have to make other adjustments as we get back to being empty nesters.

    It will seem strange.

    Don't get blown away this weekend....still windy out there!

Peace and Love

    

crappers

 Today was a busy day

    Not necessarily a great day, but a busy day.

    The person who cleans came at 11. which means I had to get up earlier to clean.  

    I know!  Jackie, therefore by extension me, wants things "picked up" and I oblige that request, although not willingly.

    Jackie had a 1:15 eye appointment in Sycamore to get her new glasses.

    We got in the car and I did not have any money.  Not a cent.  So I stopped at the ATM.

    It was there I noticed we were really low on gas.  So I stopped to put a little gas in the car.

    Now that might have been a blessing.

    As we approached Willret Road on 38 we came upon an accident!  One car was in the ditch on 38 and the other was on Willret Road.  Both drivers were just getting out of their cars.  2 vehicles had also stopped, so we didn't, but I always second guess myself about that.

    As we approached Kiss College a sheriff's squad car with lights flashing pulled off Malta Road.  As we hit Malta, we pulled over for an ambulance.

    If I had no stopped for gas, that might have been us in the ditch.

    Anyway, got to the eye appointment, went to the grocery store, bath shop, Kohl's, Portillo's and Starbucks then headed home.

    Jackie had a library board meeting tonight and when we got to the meeting I could not find the one leg for her wheelchair.  The last I saw it was on the ground in front of Hauser Ross, but I was positive it went into the car.

    Sherie and Darci both looked in the car and could not find it.  I was resigned to going back to Sycamore tomorrow and picking it up.  And yes, I would have called first.

    Got home, looked in the car again, around the garage, in the house....no leg.

    As I went back to close the car I looked down and there it was!  When I took the bags out of the back end, it must have caught and fallen behind a gas can.

    And yes, my garage is that muck of a mess.  If an elephant hid  in there, you would not be able to find it.

    I made supper tonight.  I made what Julia makes.

    The one difference is she makes it right.

    I forgot to season the ground beef.  And I forgot to drain off the grease before pouring the soup into the skillet.  And I undercooked the pasta.

    I will do better next time.

    Because when she leaves  I will be a full time cook and bottle washer.

    Luckily most places deliver.

Peace and Love

eh

 Not much to say today

Rainy day.  Miserable outside.

Jackie has an infection on her foot and is taking an antibiotic for it.

Beth got groomed.

I ate too much crap.

There is a possibility lf 1-3 inches of snow tonight.  

And we watched the Cubs drop another one in Tokyo.  We watched a replay, no way am I getting up at 5 to watch a game!

And we got 4 calls, with 4 voices messages, on our land line.  All 4 said they were testing an emergency network and to hit 1 if we received the call.  But there are so many scams going around, I have ignored them.  The calls all came from different numbers too, which made me suspicious.

Anyway, that pretty much sums up a crappy day.

Peace and Love

here we go

 Ever get up at 5 a.m. to watch a ball game?

    I have not either.  Luckily, Comcast kept replaying the Cub game all through the day.

    They played the Dodgers in Tokyo, hence the 5 a.m. start for us in Illinois.

    So, I suffered through a 4-1 loss.  Crappy way. to open the season, eh?

    At least the Bears are still undefeated in 2025.

    Julia is moving to Oregon.  The city, not the state.

    A couple of days ago I ran across a Yahoo article that ran in Rolling Stone. 

    It seems there was/is  a church in Oregon considered as a cult!  Really!  Tiny Oregon.

    It started in 1981 and continues today.  Funny thing, I was working at the Life newspaper in 1981 but never heard a whisper.  I did leave the paper that year, so maybe I just missed it.  Or as a journalist, I just missed the story.

    If you get a chance try finding it on line.  It was kind of scary.  Title was something like How a cult church took over a small midwestern town.

    I told Julia not to accept any invitations to attend a local church, not that she wouldanyuway.

    I am almost embarrassed t say this, but for the first time in 8 days we had a home cooked meal.  I made brats and carrots while Julia made mac and cheese.  It felt good to eat home cooked food, although the meal wasn't terribly healthy.  Except for the carrots.  I love. carrots.  I grew them.

      And for the first time in many months, I went to a Rotary meeting!  I think I called everyone by the right name, but there is always a chance I did not.

    3 former students are in the club.  I did not have all of them in my class, but I did have all of them for social studies since I taught that for both fifth grades.

    It's nice to see the "kids" grown up and doing well.

    Speaking of doing well, in the past 4 days we have had high winds, 80 degree temps, rain, and snow.  It's like Mother Nature has become bi-polar.  I think I heard rain, thunderstorms, windy and more snow over the next few days.

    I think the planet is telling us something.

Peace and Love

hot pots

We had a surprise t his morning 

    We have an electric tea pot.  You put water in it, turn it on, and it heats the water.

    I had a small one, but Jackie got me a bigger one for Christmas,

    Today I did what I do everyday:  filled the pot, gout out tea bags and mugs, wandered around the house aimlessly while the water heats ...

    But Julia called me half way through all that and said the pot was not turning off.  In fact, the handle was too hot to touch.  She unplugged it.  I wonder what might have happened if she had not been paying attention to it.  Would it catch fire or just short out?

    I next did something I very seldom do....I tossed it out!  I don't want to risk electrocution or a fire over a cup of tea.

    Luckily I still had the old one.  Although it is smaller, it hasn't gone crazy hot on us.  Yet.

    And since it is Monday, the day before garbage day (garbage day eve?), I spent some time outside scooping the poop.

    At some point I have to take a sample to the vet.  I really hate doing that.  I have to follow Beth around with a plastic spoon and baggie and wait for her to drop a load, then scoop it up and bag  it.  It is not one of my favorite things to do.  And rest assured, I do use a plastic spoon and then I wrap that and toss it also.

    Strange thought.  Why do we say six dollars, but when we write it is $6?  Why doesn't the dollar sign go where it should, behind the amount, so it looks like it reads?

    Inquiring minds want to know.

    Second thought   What happened to all the paper straws?  The ban on plastic straws is over, but the paper ones seemed to have disappeared overnight.  

    Final thought.  Why does my computer keyboard run out of charge so quickly?   Seems like I have to charge it every day.

    I guess that is enough thought for one day.

Peace and Love

Sunday ??

 This was a weird 24 hour period

    I was so intent on telling about the power being off for 16 hours, I forgot the "highlights" of the day.

    Julia said Saturday was a day of protest in that people were supposed to send 5 post cards to the president.

    So I trucked off to the post office a little before noon and went to buy 15 post card stamps.

    The nice lady said they only had them in rolls of 100.

    I had a common sense dilemma a that point:  Buy a roll of 100 or use first class stamps on the post cards.

    Lacking common sense, I bought the roll of 100.  I SHOULD HAVE just bought first class stamps and used those.  

    Following the post office fiasco, I went to the ATM and got money for the week.  I put the money and my card in my wallet and set it on the console.

    I went to Walmart and put several things my cart  and got in line with a real person checking people out.  Put all my stuff on the belt, reached for my wallet...... and I don't have it.  

    I load everything back in the cart, tell the lady supervising that I forgot my wallet, and went back to the car.

    The wind was howling.  The wallet was not in the console.  The wind was howling (just to emphasize the point that it was windy) and it kept blowing the door, so I moved to a spot where there were no cars around me.

    I looked under the seat.  I looked in the back seat.  I looked between the seats.

    I  felt my front pockets, where I ALWAYS put my wallet, for the tenth time.  I realized then I must have dropped it going into the store, so I headed back, with my eyes on the ground.  

    I took about 10 steps and for some reason patted my back pocket and there was my wallet!  I never put it in the back pocket!  Yet there it was.

    I was emotionally drained and mad at myself.

    I did go to Julia's and helped her unpack a couple of boxes and when I went home I was tired.

    How tired?

    I got up at 9:30, Jackie was still sleeping, so I lay down for a few minutes.  She woke me at 11:15.

    And for the rest of the day I did nothing.  Nada.  Zilch.  Except laundry and dishes.

    Now tomorrow I have to go buy some postcards to randomly mail to people.

Peace and Love

    

windy?

 Last night was, well, interesting

    We had severe thunderstorm warnings and a high wind alert.  So my little weather radio was pretty busy telling me about the bad weather.

    I think it was around 10....but I don't remember.  Jackie was brushing her teeth and I was standing next to her and the lights went out.

    It had been pretty windy right before then.  We felt a strong burst and the lights flickered and died.

    3 years ago I bought a generator.  It has only run once or twice because our utilities have been pretty reliable.  We bought the generator because when power does go out, we can't just hop in a car and go use somebody's bathroom.

    Power went out, the generator kicked on, and it all worked like it was supposed to.

    I was up at 1:30 and the generator was still running.  There was very little light or reflection of light when I looked toward town.

    I got up at 3:30 and the generator was still running.

    That generator ran until 2 p.m. today.

    The wind  that shook our house  took down 14 power lines along Flagg Road, knocking out power and making the road impassable.

    Power lines were also down along Queens Road, in Creston, along Jack Dame Drive, and some other places in the area.

    I felt bad because our neighbors went 16 hours without power.

    We live in a rural area.  Homes have their own wells, not city supplied water.  If there is no electricity, the wells don't pump.  Toilets can't flush.  Laundry can't be done. Even cooking can be an issue.

    But we were ok, with lots of power and the ability to flush at will.

    We were till pretty conservative though.  I did not do laundry.  I kept lights to a minimum.  I took a very fast shower.

    I knew the wind was strong, because when I took Beth out after the generator kicked on the hose carrier that had been on a pad at the back of the house was now in the middle of the front yard, along with a downspout.  But that was the only issue we had.

    Julia's house was fine.  She did not lose power.

    This was not a tornado.  It was a straight wind that did the damage.

    I have not seen a report on the wind strength, but it took down 14 utility poles in a mile stretch, so it was pretty localized.

    After everything got restored to order, I went to Julia's and helped unpack a couple of boxes. 

    I drove into Rochelle and when I started home I had to take a detour because Flagg Road was till closed, and that was about 4:30.  I looked like the crews were down to putting the lat new pole in place.

    There you have it.  Warm day, storms, high winds and tomorrow a chance of snow. 

    As Abe Lincoln once said, "If ye don't like the weather in Illinois, stick around a minute or two and it will change."

    At least I think it was him.

Peace and Love

ticky tacky

 Little boxes, little boxes.....remember that song?

    It kept running through my mind at Julia's today.

    We had a crew!!  People unpacked, washed, organized, assembled, sorted, triaged toss or save.  It was a well oiled machine.

    Thank you Cindy, Renee, Wendy, Sheri,  Emily, Jackie..you all did yeomen's work today!  Julia's garage is full of empty boxes, and she still has several rooms and lots of boxes to unpack.

    Julia has a lot of neat things that she collected while in Switzerland for so many years.  Now it's where to put them.

    Most of the kitchen items are put away, but I imagine there are a couple more boxes stuck someplace.

    Jackie had a doctor appointment this morning, so we had to get up earlier than normal.  When we got back at about 12, I took a  quick nap, which really helped me make it through the day.

    We were at Julias' from about 2 to 5, then invited everyone over for pizza and we had a nice time visiting and chatting about all things in life, including movies, tv shows, theater, my Dumbo like ears.  It was a nice time.

    But I think we are all tired.  Hopefully the storms will not keep me awake, worrying about wind, hail, lightning...the usual things I worry about in spring.

    I was up at 2:30 to look at the moon, but it was high in the sky and I could barely see the reddish color.   I took a picture with my phone and it shows better there, but it is not a great picture.

    That's life in Rochelle.

Peace and Love

it takes a village

 I helped Julia unpack today

    I joined the party late and left early.  But Sheri, Cindy, and Wendy did great work in putting dishes away, putting the work station together, and putting the bed together.

    I was tasked with tightening the connections on the bed, a job I did admirably.

    But there are still a lot of boxes to unpack and put away.

    I will go over again tomorrow and do what I can, although I admit it is not as much as I wish.  

    That was my major accomplishment for the day.

    In fact, it was my only accomplishment for the day!

    I did go downstairs and play with Beth on the carpet.  She does not get traction on the word floors, so when I throw a toy and she chases it, she frequently slides into a wall or door.  Downstairs the carpet is a great surface for her.  

    I enjoyed the beautiful day but already am stressing out about possible storms tomorrow night.

    Every year I get worse.  So do the storms.

    I might try to go out and catch a glimpse of the lunar eclipse.  I read the best viewing time is about 2 a.m., or as I call it:  Bathroom break.

    Hope you get a chance to see some of it.

Peace and Love

yikes!!

I got my hair cut yesterday 

    I had a  terrible shock this morning.

    With my hair cut, I look like Dumbo!

    You know, that baby elephant with giant ears!

    Holy crap....I did not know my ears were so huge.  Either that or my head is shrinking.  That would explain my lack of coherent (or any) thought recently.

    Paint some freckles on my faced I could be Alfred E. Neuman, the Mad Magazine cartoonish character.

    Holy cow.  

    The movers emptied Julia's storage shed and delivered it to her house in less than 4 hours!

    I went over this afternoon to help.  She has boxes everywhere.

    I was there about 90 minutes and managed to help her unpack 1 box and unwrap 2 pieces of furniture.  

    Yeah, I don't work that fast anymore.

    She has people coming to help tomorrow, but this is a long term project.  

    In 2 weeks the movers come back to our house to move her items.  That would include about 200 bottles of wine and several pieces of furniture.

    I had my last Physical therapy treatment today.

    I came home with some exercises to help with balance and dizziness.  I just hope I have the sense to do them 2 or 3 times a week.  It would be good to set days, like Monday, Wednesday, and Friday......but sometimes I am not too good at being good.

    My therapist was a former student.  It was funny when she gave me homework!  But the exercises and activities have lessened my dizziness and improved my balance.

    So, I guess I will carry on.

Peace and Love

Here's lookin at you, kid

 Casablanca is my all time favorite movie

    I must have been in high school the first time I saw it.    

    In my room on Belle Plaine, I had a poster of Humphrey Bogart on one wall, and Ingrid Bergman on a door.  She was the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.  And Bogey, well, he was a man's man.

    I love the way the music adds to the drama, and how the shadows add to the mystery.  And I like the humor, there is a surprisingly a lot of it in a WW II drama

    I remember reading how they filmed the ending at the airport on a studio stage using a mock airplane and vertically challenged actors.  On screen it looked like a full size plane with regular height people.

    I have seen it in a real theater a couple of times and it is much better there than at home.  The smaller screen does it no favors.

    I was browsing through the Sunday Trib when I saw an ad for an auction house that featured posters, including advertising and movie posters.  There was a picture of Bergman and Bogey, together, from Casablanca.

    Last night I went on the auction site, hoping to put a bid in on what would be my favorite poster of all time.

    I am not the only one who likes it.

    The  bid was at 25.  Thousand.  25,000.  Needless to say, I will not be buying that movie poster.

    Put on clean jeans and after my haircut, put on a clean shirt.  That didn't last long.

    For the second night in a row I dropped food on my shirt and pants.  Geez, I am a slob!

    A big thanks to neighbor Joe who noticed my recycles had blown over and picked them up.  I looked out to see him readjusting my bins and went out to finish what the wind had started.

    The big move starts tomorrow....hope it goes well.

Peace and Love

drips

We got our toe nails trimmed today 

    Don't worry.  I am not going to go into detail, except to say my feet feel great.

    I get a pedicure, Jackie just gets a trim.  That way we don't have to move her out of the wheelchair.

    We stopped at Ollie's custard for lunch.  

    She could not finish a her cone, so she gave it to me.  I then proceeded to drip chocolate custard all over my shirt and pants, creating a sticky mess on my hands in the process.

    Lucky thing we have a couple bottles of water in the car, not to drink, but to wash hands with.

    When we left the house I was going to text Julia to tell her we were going.

    I hit the button, but never said "Siri, text Julia."

    All I did was hit the button and say, "We have left the house."

    Jackie and I were both surprised when Siri replied, "I'll keep an eye on it for you."  And then we laughed.

    But I wondered how much Siri can hear?  

    Our morning help came today and I went into the den, put my eye shield on, and sat in thy chair with my security blanket.

    That was about 8:15.  She woke me up at 11.

    I did not think I was that tired, but evidently I was.

    This is a big week in our house.  Julia has the movers coming Wednesday to empty her storage shed and our  basement.  There is a lot to move.  I just hope it all goes well.

    And on a sad note, Emily had a dog pass away last night.  Little Ciri crossed that rainbow bridge and is now running free with the other dogs.

Peace and Love

what time is it?

 I do not adjust well to time changes

    I don't sleep well when we set clocks back, and I don't sleep well when we set them ahead.

    Time loses any meaning.

    For example, I generally get Jackie to bed about 10:30.  Then I read for about half an hour, sometimes longer. I may take the dog out too.  But I usually go to bed at about 11:30.

    But last night 11:30 was 12:30.  Which eventually became 1 because I was not yet tired.  

    So this morning we got up at 9:45.  Or maybe 10:15.  I don't remember.

    I do know I ate breakfast at 2.

    I am trying something different at meals.

    When I t aught, I had 30 minutes for lunch.....sometimes less.  I got used to eating fast.

    Last week I decided to eat slower.  After I swallow food, I count to 20 before eating more.  I hope that fools my stomach into thinking I am eating a lot.

    When we had snow, I put a plastic sawhorse in front of my heating pipes to direct the plow guy away from the pipes.

    It has been sitting out there for a while, but today I found it in the front yard.

    The wind could not have taken it.  Beth saw it in the grass when she left, so it moved sometime during the afternoon.  

    Julia didn't touch it.

    Maybe it's those darn ghosts.

Peace and Love

OMG

 Sometimes I can't think right

    I lose track of days.  I think because I am retired, I don't always remember what day it is.

    If I remember to take my morning pills, that helps because they are labeled M T W.....you know the rest.

    But I admit to forgetting once in a while. 

    My elbow has been hurting lately.

    (I know.....TD is going to complain about another body part failing him.  Let's just humor him a while.)

    I went to Walmart and bought a wrap around Velcro elbow brace.

    I discovered it is darn hard to wrap your elbow with one hand.  If I could find the receipt, I would take it back.  Just so happens it is the only receipt I can't find in my pile of printed paper.

    I went to Walgreen's  for another brace.  But I could not decide on a small or medium, so I didn't buy either one.  I did go home and have Jackie measure my arm right above the elbow.  It was 11 cm.

    Went back to Walgreen's and discovered the brace comes in small (up to 11 icm arm) and large (over 11cm arm).

    So I bought the large.  I have been gaining weight, so who knows.

    I put it on and it kept falling down my arm.  After about 5 minutes I would have to pull it up.Wearing it over a shirt is fine, sort of.

    I went back and bought a small.

    Put it on, worked great.

    We have a cleaning person come every other Thursday.   Before she comes I pick up al the stuff not put away and put it away. (OK, it is a pre cleaning cleaning.)   I put my new arm support away.

    Could not find it Thursday afternoon.  Or Friday.  Or Saturday morning.

    I went to get our doggie a treat and the support was sitting right in front of the treat bag!  I had put Jackie's tray there, dog treats there,  looked at that area dozens of times and never once noticed it.  

    Ahhh......such is life.

    Human Beth came over and we had pizza and conversation tonight.  It is always great when someone visits.....keeps the house a little cleaner and we get to talk to someone besides each other.

    And I had a great night's sleep, to the point I did not even take a nap today!

    Now all I do is set the time ahead.  I wish I could do the same for the country, seems like it is going backward.

Peace and Love

what happened?

 Today was a not so very good day

    Yes, the snow was pretty to watch.   It did not stick.  But it was pretty coming down.

    I don't know what happened to me.

    I have been in a fog all day.  Tired.  Listless.

    I took a nap for a little over an hour and woke up more tired than before I closed my eyes.

    I  did not eat supper until almost 8.....and I don't remember eating lunch.  

    We were supposed to go to a play tonight, but I just could not do it.  

    How bad was it?

    I ran the dishwasher last night.  I emptied it before I ate dinner tonight.  In the meantime, dishes piled up.  Julia worked and then had to go into town to pay some bills, and I don't think I knew she was gone until she came home.

    I put jeans in the washer last night and the drier this morning.   It is almost 9 p.m. and they are still I the drier

    I have no ambition......not even to play spider solitaire.

    I think I will just make a hot toddy after I get Jackie in bed and read for a bit.  That would be the most I have done.

Peace and Love

ouch

Pardon my typing tonight 

    I will probably have more than my share of misspellings.

    Two of my fingers on my left hand have cracks by the nails.  Whenever I press down on w,e,r,d,f,s,c,x,v and other keys my fingers hurt.

    I may rely on phonetic spelling  for some words, especially those with a d or s.

    I have put on creams during the day, but I wash my hands so often they don't help.  

    At night I take a plastic glove and cut off the fingers.  Then I put Vaseline on the sore parts and slip the cut off fingers onto my sore fingers.  Make sense?

    Like condoms, only for my fingers.

    But sometimes they slip off at night, like they did last night.  Tonight I will use take to hold them on.  I think I will look like a monster.

    The Blue Fingered Man!  Saving the world one soul at a time! Bringing happiness and biting humor to those wanting a few laughs.

    Now that would be a super hero during these times.

    At least I won't have to worry about the transgender mice the government is creating.

    Talked to friend Linda today and she commented that she and Dan would see me at the Beatles concert.  I was confused.  She reminded me that months ago I said yes to seeing a Beatles tribute band at the Coronado in Rockford.  Meanwhile, Liverpool Legends, another Beatles tribute band, is in DeKalb.  I was confusing the two, but now I am straightened out.

    If I don't write things down right away I am lost.

    Like today.  Went to the store and did not buy fruit or bread.  Now I have to go again tomorrow.

    This time I wrote it down

Peace and Love

pick ups

Well, another Lenten season is here

    I went to AshWednesday service tonight in DeKalb.  Jackie did not go because the wind was howling and she did not want to be out in the rain in a 90 mph wind.

    Well, maybe not 90.  But it was strong.  Still is.

    So I went.  

    Seeing as we Episcopalians follow some of the Catholic traditions, this was a no meat day for us.  Julia, however, does not follow in our footsteps.

    We usually have shrimp dinners on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.  The plan for me was to leave church, call The Dog Hub, and order 2 shrimp dinners.

    I pass a Popeye's in DeKalb.  They have a shrimp basket.

    I bought one there, and ordered on from the Dog Hub for Jackie.

    Why? you ask.

    Jackie does not like spicy food.

    At this point you are probably thing:  Why am I reading this drivel?

    Fitting, because I am writing:  Why am I writing this drivel?

    Shot story long. ...  we both enjoyed the shrimp, but I have been burping a lot.

    I am not sure it that is from the shrimp of the tv show that was on last night that I did not watch but read about.

    Enough.

Peace and Love

let it go

Sometimes I make a bad decision 

    And it bothers me for a long time.

    I should just let it go, but I don't.

    Today, for example.  

    Jackie had a doctor appointment in Sycamore.  After that we had some errands to run.

    On the way home, about 3:15 or so, she asked me to get her a hamburger and Shamrock Shake.

    Pretty simple request.

    I thought a hamburger sounded good, so I went in and ordered 2 Happy Meals.  

    All we needed was 2 burgers and a small fry along with the shake.

    But we also got 2 small drinks, apple slices and a toy.

    I realized I did the wrong thing but instead of shrugging my shoulders I cursed myself all the way home.

    Why couldn't I just let it go?  

    I do that a lot.  Things I buy, or say, or do and then curse myself for whatever it was I did.

    Heck, I am still yelling at me for things I did 60 years ago!

    I can't remember the tv show where one character said to another something like picture the problem as your pen.  All you have to do is let it go.

    My thought is always a boomerang.  I let it go and it comes right back and smacks me in the head!

    Speaking of that, I have a boomerang I have never tried.  My goal this year is to go out into my field, toss the boomerang, and watch it come back.

    Like what I do with my bad decisions.  

    One of which is drinking coffee at 3 p.m. today  and expecting to sleep at 11.

    Excuse me, I have to go yell at myself.

Peace and Love

not again

I know I have mentioned ghosts before

    I know people don't believe in ghosts.

    And I know I have a vivid imagination and bad hearing.

    But twice this week I felt Beth licking my knee.  My left knee.  When I was working (ok, playing to be honest) on the computer.

    I reached down to scratch her head and....... no dog.  Not in the room even.  So, what was licking my knee?  Or better put, what was giving my knee the licked on sensation?  Tremors?  Spasms?  Spirits?

    Yesterday I was in the pantry.  When our pantry door is open you can't open the door to the basement.  Sometimes Julia  comes up and if she can tell the pantry door is open she will talk to me.

    I think it was yesterday, again.  I was in the closet when I heard her say, "I won't open the door until you tell me."

    So I closed the pantry door and opened the basement door and nobody was there!  Jackie said she didn't say anything, so who did?

    Then I am thinking:  Maybe I am not forgetful!  Maybe a spirit is moving stuff on me, like my phone, glasses, car keys and anything else I can't find.

    Here's another puzzler.

    I needed to find my box cutter to cut up some boxes.  I have not used it in 2 weeks, but I knew exactly where it was..... on the back ledge of the golf cart.  I did not have to look for 10 minutes and complain about how disorganized I am because I knew exactly where I left it.

    My mined is just weird.

    I can remember where I left the box cutter, but not where I put my phone or car keys.

    Life can sometimes be confusing.  Maybe even haunted.

Peace and Love

    

Oscars

 I am once again out of it

    I am not watching the Oscars because I have not seen any of the movies.  Not a single one.

    In fact, I don't know the last time I went to a movie or watched one on tv.

    So to watch the Oscars is pretty much a waste of time for me.  I don't know who to root for and I am not sure if I would be  disappointed in the winner.

    But I would like to see Wicked and A Complete Unknown.

    Speaking of unknowns, at the Christmas market last November a company was giving out Cirkul bottles and some flavored inserts.  

    Ours have sat on the counter since then. Unused, except to use the container to water plants.

    Well, one day I put the insert into the bottle and took a sip.

    The water in the bottle was crystal clear, but when I drank, I tasted a fruit punch.  A really strong fruit punch.  I did not like it.

    We had 3 samples between Emily, Julia and me.  I still had 2 samples, so a week ago I tried it again.

    I noticed there were spaces on a dial on the insert, so I started trying them.

    Different spaces gave me different strengths.

    Dragging this boring story out even longer, I eventually e mailed the company and asked them how to use it.

    I got a nice e mail back explaining the numbers and the setting  that just lets water pass through the dial without flavoring.

    Guess what?

    I love it.

    It's a 20 ounce bottle and I drink 6 fillings on one insert.  

    Walmart has the inserts for $3,47, which works out to about 50 cents for a 20 ounce bottle of water.

    But I am not using plastic bottlers once and tossing them.  Plus, I am drinking a lot more water during the day. So I am counting this as a double win.

    How about that?  I was afraid to try something new and now I like it.

    Take that, Mikey!   (referring to 1970s Life cereal commercial)

Peace and Love

hairy

I need a haircut

    No doubt about it.  My hair is getting a little long on the sides.  And back.  And on top.

    I just keep putting off calling the barber.

    I only go t o Sandy.  She has been cutting my hair for at least a quarter century, if not longer.

    In fact, I knew her when she was a youngster competing in judo. I often took pictures of the judo people when they were in tournaments or practicing.  I worked for the paper then, I was not just a weird person taking pictures.

    Well, I was weird.  But with a purpose.

    I watched an episode of Wild Travels today and they visited the Donora Smog Museum.

    In October of 1948 a temperature inversion incident trapped the emissions from some zinc factories. The town of Donora, PA,,  was covered in smog.

    Because of the chemicals in the air, emitted by the zinc factories, there were 20 fatalities over.the 3 day smog even and another 50 who died from respiratory illnesses over the next month.

    There is a sign on the museum that says "Clean Air Began Here."

    The event was a catalyst for the clean air movement in the US, which eventually resulted in the EPA being formed.

    Think of it.  A killer smog, a river that caught fire, toxic wastes dumped willy nilly..... boy, those were the fun days, eh?

    Thank heavens our government functioned for us, and not the industries, and set up standards to improve air, water, and soil quality too.  I hope we can maintain the standards that forced companies to be better stewards of the environment.  Because they sure as hell won't do it on their own.

    The smog wasted 3 days before the mills shut down, turning off the poisons.  It rained, and they started up the next day, just like nothing happened.

    Long live our environmental warriors of today.

Peace and Love