55 years later

 This is a political post, so read or not

    I don't often do a political post.  In fact I don't remember ever doing a political post.

    Ogle County is a pretty republican county.  Usually. there are no Democratic candidates on the ballot for any of the county offices.  The red ness was all out in the last presidential election.

    But today seemed different.

    There was a "Hands Off" rally in front of the courthouse in Oregon.

    I promised Julia I would clean up her basement, and on the way over to her house I wondered how the crowd was in Oregon.  So I drove over.

    There were a lot of people.

    I honked to show my support, then went to Julia's and told her.

    We then both went over to the courthouse and joined the crowd.

    Actually, we ran into a lot of Rochelle area friends and talked with them.

    But there were people from all over the county.

    One guy went around counting and came up with 406 people.  406!!!!

    It was a diverse group.  Old people, young people with little kids,  middle aged people with dogs.  But there was one common thread..... a dislike for The Felon President  and that other guy.

    Julia was surprised by the number of cars that honked in support as they drove past.

    There was one yahoo in a pickup truck with a trump flag  who blared an air horn at people as he drove by.... at least 5 times.  

    I thought it was a great turn out.  There were lots of clever signs and people were united.

    The last demonstration I went to was in downtown Chicago.  We chanted "Dump the Hump" during the 68 DNC  It got a little crazy and tear gas was involved.

    Today's demonstration was much better, and the stakes are higher.

    We can't be silent.

Peace and Love

She is referring to the cats

opening day

I have never been to an opening day 

    Hard to believe, right?

    I mean, I grew up 6 blocks from Wrigley.... yeet I never went to an opening day.

    And believe me.  There were plenty of tickets available when I was growing up.  The first year Leo Durocher was manager he took over a team that finished 8th in a 10 team league.  He said, "This ain't an eighth place team."  And he was right.  They finished 10th that season.

    I went to Cubs games before it became fashionable.  Games when the upper deck was closed off because not enough seats were sold.  

    Digression:  I remember the upper deck having a moving sidewalk to get there.  It was a big conveyor belt.  I remember it.  Don't I?

    I also remember when I was in college I went to a game at Wrigley in September and there were about 700 people in the park.  I sat in the bleachers and could hear the infield chatter.  It was surreal.

    I also remember playing pinball with some drunks who wore umbrellas on their heads.  They were the paddles and I was the ball, being. bounced from on to the other as we walked down the street.  

    Back in the early days you could smell the cigar smoke mixed in with the beer and hot dog aromas. 

    It was great to go to a game.  It still is.  

    The ballpark has been improved.  Better food, no smoking, most if not all of the stainless steel urinal troughs are gone, and there is more room on the concourse.

    But the main attraction is the team on the field.  I like PCA and Matt Shaw.  I think they will be stars in the future.  The rest of the team is solid, but relief pitching is always suspect.

    Anyway, opening day is when all the fun begins for the home team. And the fans.

    I just wish it was warmer.  And I was there.

Peace and Love

the road to .....

 Emily took me to a play tonight

    To be honest, I wasn't keen on going. 

    For one, I had never heard of Hadestown.

    For another, I was a little tired.

    Turns out, I liked the play.  A lot.

    And a noon time nap plus some Earl Gray tea at 3 has given me a boost.  After all, it is s little after 11 and I am pretty wide awake.

    We saw lots of people we knew!  Dan and Linda, TC and Jeanie, Don and Dee, Sally and Steve, Ken and Becca, and some others that Emily saw but I did not.

    All in all, it was a fun time and I am glad I went.

    Hopefully I will get some sleep.

Peace and Love

A little reno work is taking place

The stage is set

another doctor??

We had another doctor visit today 

    It was Beth's turn to visit the vet!

    It was her annual checkup and vaccination  day.  She shook like crazy when we got there, but was fine during the exam.  She lost a little weight, a d the good doc said she was in great shape.

    I was supposed to bring a sample of her poo.  But it was raining today and I did not get a chance.  I did not try yesterday either.

    When we came out of the vet she dropped a load on the grass.  Luckily niece Laurie had given me a poop bag to stick in my pocket.  So I scooped it up and took it back into the vet's office.

    As a reward, we went to Starbucks and she got a puppy cup.

    

What?  There is some on my chin???  I'll get it.

    That pretty much sums up my day.  We had rain overnight and most of the day, but it ended by the time we went to the vet.

    That's it!

Peace and Love

we voted

 Our election was a waste of money

    There was 1 contested race.  5 people filed for 4 positions on the high school board.

    Hell, they could have drawn names out of a hat for that.

    But we voted.  That is our right to do so.

    Believe me, it is not easy!  I have to get her into the car, out of the car, into the polling place, back into the car, back out of the car.  And the polling place is the fire station, which has a 300 pound steel door that my friend Curt can open with ease but I struggle with. 

    I think elections should be fun.

    Like the presidential one.  Why not have that on Feb 29 and declare that day a national holiday?  Elections and Leap Year happen every 4 years, so that would be a natural.

    Did the Founding Fathers know about Leap Year?

    If so, they missed a chance.

    Or have voting week, or at least a 2 day period.  Employers must give a worker one of the 2 days off so they can vote and then goof around.  But workers have to prove they voted, or else they get their pay docked.

    And limit how much can be spent on a race.  And list who is contributing to the elections.  We need to be transparent.  

    Speaking of transparent, I found my missing magnifier.  It was on the desk.  In plain sight.  Geez.

    I think tonight might be a tough night for sleep.  The wind is pretty strong right now, and rain and windy conditions will continue through the night.

    Throw in some thunder and lightning and I will be awake most of the night.

    Digression.   When dog Beth eats, she drags her ears into her food.  I was sitting on the couch with her tonight, and got up to get a wet cloth and a brush.  

    She knew!!

    She trotted off downstairs.  I am going t try later.

Peace and Love