memories

 Sometimes I forget the good tines I have had

    Yesterday I posted a memory of me dancing with a total stranger in The Cavern in Liverpool in 2023.  That seems so long ago.

    I looked through my memories from this date, and found some interesting posts.

    For example, Julia moved to Switzerland in 2002.  When she worked at Nestle in DeKalb she gave us a  case of steak sauce.  I still had one in the fridge until Emily told me to toss it in 2019!

    In 2014 e were under a tornado watch.

    In 2001 I backed out of the garage with the back seat passenger door open on myHonda.  The memory says I lost the door, but I honestly do not remember that at all!

    2024 we had seen friend Sam perform un a show in Rockford.  Sadly, we missed the show this year.

    In 2017 Julia and I went to the winery near her apartment in Chardonne and I sampled some wine and enjoyed great views of the vineyard and the lake.

    This evening I was sitting on the porch with a glass of rosê and it was so quiet..... I could close my eyes and almost see Lake Geneva and the mountains behind it, with a lake boat passing.  Then I opened my eyes and saw the trees and grass and had another sip.

    In 2013 I went to my second Jimmy Buffett concert at Northerly Island in Chicago.  That was really memorable for a lot of reasons. Carrie, Chris, Erin, Stacey, Ross and I tailgated on the roof of a parking lot, which had no atmosphere at all.  And no shade either.

    During the concert I went to the bathroom and as I passed a group of people someone grabbed my butt.  I stopped and looked at 3 young people and asked who did it.  The boys both pointed. to the girl in the middle.  I told her thank you, it had been years since I had my butt grabbed and I truly did appreciate it.  We all laughed.

    But what made the night most memorable, and it was not the Stanley Cup making an appearance, was that this was the first concert at Northerly Island and the sod was laid just a few days before the show.  Then it rained.  A lot.  

    By the time we left we were ankle deep in mud.

    But it was still a blast.  And Carrie was comped tickets for Buffett at Alpine Valley later that summer to make up for our discomfort.

    Memories.  Always make the day a little brighter.

Peace and Love

Tailgating on the concrete parking garage deck

I still have these shirts!!!!

Chief Chrishawk

The end was a total mess!

rain?

 Well, 9 p.m. and no. rain

    Notice the . in that?

    My fingers must be pretty big, because I seem to have commas a lot even though I don't hit the comma key.

    And it is not a key that is next to one I would use.  But the commas keep coming.  Also, I have to figure out how to turn off auto correct.  Sometimes it finishes a word for me and I also finish. the word, making for a strange combination of letters.

    I am not a bad typist.  Really.  I can type without looking at the keyboard because I know my home keys.  I learned that in the only class I failed at Lake View High School.  I think to pass the class I had to type 40 words a minute with 5 or fewer mistakes.  I could type 42 words a minute, but I always had 6 or 7 mistakes on the typing tests.  So I flunked,

    That was/is a case of a failure being positive, because I can type.

    Anyway....I did not do much. today.  Watered the porch plants, picked up dog doo, made supper.  I experimented tonight.  I boiled some small white potatoes, mashed them, put butter, rosemary and parmesan cheese on them and served them.  I don't think I had enough butter because they were a little dry.

    But the steaks were not burnt, which is an improvement.

    I also sat on the front porch, nursing a glass of rosé.  Last year I had several French rosé wines I liked, but this year none of them were in the store.  I imagine the tariffs played a part in that.  Maybe a trip to Binny's is in order.

    To the north I could see lightning and I heard the thunder......but we have yet to get a drop.

    Hopefully overnight or tomorrow we get some needed rain. I may have to mow this week, because the areas around trees that I water and the garden are lush and thick while the rest of the yard is brown.

    My heart goes out to the folks in Idaho tonight.  I just don't understand.

Peace and Love

ESP?

 I may have ESP

    That is extra sensory perception, if you forgot.

    We had friends over to play euchre tonight and when they left, Jackie turned on the Cub game.  Before it came on, I said the Cubs were winning 10-1.

    The score at that time was 9-2 in favor of the Cubs!!

    No, it was not a lucky guess.  I sensed that the Cubs were going to bust out the bats tonight.

    Ok, maybe it was lucky.

    Speaking of busting out the bats, it sounds like a war zone outside tonight.  Lots of fireworks going off.  and it is not even July!  Why can't people just control. themselves.  Just because you can buy then and shoot them off does not mean you  should.

    Emily's dogs may be going nuts.  But it seems to be east of us, so maybe the dogs won't be bothered.  But there are a lot of fireworks!

    I was wearing a good Beatles shirt and after cards I went out to do a couple of yard  things.  I did not want to get the shirt dirty, so I said to Jackie, "Maybe I just won't wear a shirt."

    She looked at me and said that my body was disgusting.  I need to wear a shirt.

    I admit my man boobs and significant paunch are less than attractive.... but disgusting?  Humph.

    I wore an old shirt. 

   We have been talking about going to a restaurant in Sycamore for the past year.  

    Today I called to make a reservation for 5 people for one night next week.   They are closed until mid July for vacation.

    Go figure.  So much for my ESP, eh?

Peace and Love

ghosts?

I can only explain it by people seeing ghosts 

    Not everyone, just some.

    The WM parking lot has signs spaced quite frequently that say "Stop for pedestrians."

    Pretty simple.  If someone is walking, don't hit them.

    I was behind a driver the other day who stopped at every one of the signs, despite there not being a person in sight.

    They must have seen ghosts.  Only thing that explains it.

    Maybe they are trying to balance out the people who don't stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk, even though it is a state law.   I mean, there are huge white stripes with signs, and people just drive along while I wait patiently to cross.  And yes, I am standing in the crosswalk at the curb.  Happens frequently when I cross from Jackie's hair dresser to Acres for coffee.

    And if you are undecided, don't stand in the crosswalk.  I have stopped for people and they look at me like I am crazy.  I waved one person to go across, but he shook their head no.  Confused me.

    For you oldies, Petula Clark sang a song echoing that:  "Don't stand in the crosswalks darling, don't look  at your phone."  Or maybe it was subways, I get confused.

    Speaking of confused, neither one of us could think of what we wanted for supper.  We ended up eating plain spaghetti with butter, pepper and parmesan cheese.

    To say it was filling would be a lie.  Noe I am looking around trying to find something to nibble on.

    I did finish weeding the garden tonight.   I also put up a cucumber screen friend Nadine gave me when she moved.  I also planted a row of carrots.  

    It was really nice outside.  Wish that would last.

Peace and Love

c'mon

 Enough of the heat already

    I was soaked just going out to get the mail.  And I had the AC on in the car the whole way!

    I heard of some people from Texas who came up for a visit but left early because it was too hot.  

    People in my hood were cooking lobsters in their pool.

    One of those statements is true, one is totally false, and one is partially true and partially false.

    I got sucked into Reels on FB today. I ended up listening to a hearing of the Texas legislature where a conservative republican wanted to introduce a bill effetely prohibiting school districts from providing litter box for furries.  A Democrat asked the guy how many school districts has this been a problem?  No answer.

    Why?  Because it has never happened in Texas.  The governor also called for passage of the legislation because he heard it was happening in school districts in the state.

    It never happened!  I don't think it has happened anywhere, but for sure not in Texas.

    Yet this dimwits still press on and on with efforts to stop something that isn't happening.

    And they hold office.  

    People need to learn how to verify outlandish statements, not just spread them around.

    I think the heat has affected me.

    I weeded my veggies until 9:30 and then went in to take a shower and do my house work  I waited until after supper to go out and even. then it was still hot and muggy.

    There is not much relief in the forecast either.

    Jackie streams WGN News at 9.  Tonight they had a segment on ?Tom Skilling and Jackie Bange skydiving at Chicago Skydiving Center.  

    We saw friend Bart telling Tom about the win speeds and directions at the various altitudes.  Although they did not identify Bart, we knew it was him.

    Tom went with one of the CSC divers while Jackie went on her own.  I believe she said she has over 30 dives, but I may have miss heard her.

    I wish I had known they were there, my Jackie and I might have gone out to watch WGN's Jackie and Tom gently fall from the sky.

    And no, I have no interest despite what Tom did.

    I like my feet on the ground.

Peace and Love

garage saleing

 This was the weekend for me to declutter

    My New Year's resolution was to go thru boxes and have a massive garage sale at the end of June

    Well, we are at the end of June. I have not gone through boxes.

    Sure, I have piled up stuff to sell, but I have not done the go thru the house decluttering as I had thought I would.

    It's funny the things I have.

    On my first bike trip to Holland, (yes, there have been 2) I bought a pair of wooden shoes. Why in the hell I did that I do not know.  I did not eve. think of them until I was down in the basement with Beth playing tug and throw.  I saw them and thought, "Sell?  Or not sell?

    I have a giant cowbell from Switzerland and a small sheep bell.  In Cuba I bought a hand carved wooden Chevrolet.  I have kachina dolls from Arizona. 

    And going thru my mind is "Sell or not sell?"

    My guess is I will not sell the bells, or the shoes.  But you never know what goes through my mind.

    Emily and Julia are having a garage sale at Emily's house.  I think there will be some really good bargains!  In addition, friend Beth in Kings in having a garage sale and she has lots of neat crafty things.

    They have gone thru stuff.  I haven't.

    Maybe by the end of summer......

    It was hot and humid today.  We had a prediction of thunderstorms, but nothing materialized.  I was outside a few minutes ago and the leave on the trees were as still as if they were glued in place.  Hot.  Sticky. Uncomfortable.

    I watered trees last night, and also the veggie garden.  But we need rain.

    And. that's that!

Peace and Love

Natives are showing some color

The slope

more of the slope

all wet

No, we did not have any significant rain today 

    I think a one point it was a 60 % chance, then 40, and today it was 25 % chance of rain.  We had a spit.

    But that did not prevent me from getting wet!

    I got my hair cut today.

    When I get my hair cut, I have to get home and wash it to get the little hairs off my body.  It was not a complete shower, just standing with the hose held over my head.

    Camryn came by for a visit and we had a nice tine chatting about life, school, work, friends.....we covered a lot of topics.

    After she left, I cook.ed upper and at 7 went outside to do a few "things."

    I anchored my windmill down, watered the 2 newest trees, moved some plants around, filled up the bird feeders, watered the porch plants, loaded some stuff in the car for Julia, and by 8 I was all sweaty and sticky.

    So I took a quick shower.

    The one  thing the audiologist told me about wearing hearing aids is not to wear them in the shower.  Well,  I was standing in the shower wondering why the water sounded so loud.  I realized I still had my hearing aids in. As I went to get out of the shower,  the soap in my hair dripped into my eyes and I could not see.  ThereI was, groping along the shower wall, finding the handles, taking out the hearing aids and wiping my eyes with a towel.

    I know.....deaf, dumb and blind....that was me.

    I was walking too my car from Walmart the first time today.  I hit the open door button and a horn started going off.  I thought I hit the panic button by mistake.  When it went off again I started looking around, but could not see any cars with lights flashing. However, I did see Emily coming from her car mentioning she honked 8 or 9 times and I looked the other direction. 

    That's my problem with a dead ear...everything comes from the left now!

    And why is it I forgot 2 items the first time in the store?  No, I did not write them down because it was an impulse purchase where I needed 3 things.  I bought 1, then had to go back and buy the other 2.

    I know, fascinating story....I bet you are riveted to the page.

Peace and Love

now you know

 Lady Carnarvon, my friend, taught me something today

    Yes, she of Highclere Castle, AKA Downton Abbey, taught me a new word.

    What?  You don't think us friends?

    She has invited me to visit several times.  Lady Carnarvon even mentioned me in one of her live chats.  She sends me an e mail, usually weekly, telling me a little about Highclere and its history.

    I consider us to be friends.

    So there.

    Her blog this week dealt with the various sculptures around Highclere.  She noted some of these were humans, but some were wyverns.

    Wyverns?  I asked myself.

    Well, according to Google they are dragon like figures but they only have 2 feet instead of 4.  They are often found in coats of arms or family crests. 

    My problem now is how can I work this into a conversation?

    "Good morning, Jackie.  Have you seen any good illustrations of wyverns today?"

    "I don't know how you get to there, but I know what a wyvern is.":

    "Sometimes when the sunlight hits your forehead just right, you remind me of a wyvern."

    So you see, it really is a word I will probably only use today.  At this time. 

    There is a chance if I am a museum, or art gallery, and I see a coat of arms I can exclaim, "I love what the artist has done to make the wyvern come alive."  It's a remote chance, true, but still a chance.  Like winning $500 million in the lottery or getting hit by lightning.

    With my memory, I will not remember the word when I see the 2 legged dragon in a count's coat of arms.

    My only consolation is that now you know the word too..... and you will also have an issue deciding how and when to use it.

    Happy wyvern day to you.

    Peace and Love

    

breezy

 There was a lot of wind noise in my van

    I was on my way into town and had the AC on and the windows rolled up.  But it was really loud!  I had just pulled off of our street on to Skare Road and I double checked all the windows.  All were up.    

    Then I looked out my side view mirror and discovered the sliding door was open.  I stopped and closed it, wondering how I did that!  I also looked back to see if anything had fallen out..... but it hadn't.

    I ran the dishwasher last night before I went to bed.  I went to empty it today and put in our morning dishes....and lunch dishes....and discovered I never started the dishwasher.

It takes a little over 2 hours to run the cycle, and when it was done I opened it and discovered the soap pod had not dissolved.  So I ran it again.

    I hate doing that on a hot day when electric demand is high.

    I made a rhubarb dessert last night and we tried it today.  It was not bad!  Now if I can figure out when my rhubarb is r ready I can make plenty of desserts.  We finally have a plant that grows, but I never do anything with it because I don't know when it is ready.  I know when it gets flowers it is too late.

    I came home at 6:20 from the store and the car temp read 91.  I thought  that was pretty warm for that time of day.  I guess tomorrow is going to be another hot one, maybe stormy as well.

    I don't understand people who take babies to baseball games.  There were a lot of them at Wrigley yesterday and today.  I can't imagine taking a baby to a game on a mid 90 degree day and then putting headphones on to deaden the noise.  The kid must have been sweltering!

    And the y have signs:  My first Cub game.  Big deal, the kid won't even remember that he wa there when is was 1 or younger.  Hell, I can't even remember when I went to a Cub game as a kid.

   Of course I can't remember to close the sliding door or start the dishwasher, so I am no example.

    On a positive note, the soap seems to have eliminated my caterpillar problem. I only saw one or 2 today and I doused them. 

    And I am not going to comment on the world affairs.   I think the censors would have to black out everything that preceded moron.  

Peace and Love.  Especially peace.

bugged

 I had a surprise today, and not a good one

    I porch sat some plants for friend Sheri while she was away.

    She came to pick them up yesterday and as we walked down the sidewalk she looked at one of my coral bells and stopped.

    "What happened to this?" she asked.

    I was befuddled.  I swear the plants all looked great Thursday..  Today the plant looked half or all dead.

    Today I  went out to trim it back hoping the would save it.  But I noticed there were caterpillars on 5 of the 7 coral bells in front!

    Yes, they are pretty.  but they are destroying my coral bells.

    Seriously, there were dozens on 2 of the plants and just a few on the others.

    Not knowing what they were, I used Google to discover they are caterpillars of the white tussock moth, a very common moth.  While they may be pretty, the hairs have a resin that can cause minor skin irritations to humans.

    Remedies include using a tool to pick them off and put them in a bucket of water.  As many as I saw, on a day in the 90s, that was not going to happen.

    Another remedy was insecticidal soap.  It is no toxic and safe to use around animals.

    Thus at 5:30 I was heading to Ace.  Despite this being a common item, it was not there.  But we looked for 20 minutes or more.

    I next went to Runnings, walking in the store as their favorite customer of the day.

    "Sir, we close in 2 minutes." said the cheerful voice.  But I know how I would feel when someone came in 2 minutes before closing looking for a particular product.  They did not have it either, and I made it out of the store ion less than 2 minutes.

    Final stop was Walmart and. they had it.  I was totally shocked.

    Came home, put on some gloves per Emily's instruction, and sprayed the plants.  I will check tomorrow to see if there will be a need for a stronger deterrent.

    As much as I love the Cubs, I would not have wanted to be at today's game.  Sitting in a crowded park, on top of the person next to you, sweating like a porker, is not my idea of a fun time.  I imagine there are some sunburned fans. tonight.

    But they got to see win, and that is always good.

Peace and Love  ......especially peace tonight.

stay cool

 We are in for a hot couple of days

    Temperatures are predicted in the mid to upper 90s, with heat indexes above 105.  And I don't think indexes is the right word.  Indices?  Whatever.  It is going to be hot.

    At some point I will check the temperature of a little town in Michigan and if we are warmer than they are, I will say, "It's hotter than Hell!"  And I will be correct.

    Funny, I think us humans also say it's colder than hell, but that isn't possible.  Unless it is Hell, MI.

    Knowing being outside will not be top on my list of things to do, I mowed and trimmed today.  I started at 4, after watching the Cubs lose.  I mowed the field, the yard, went for dinner, trimmed and watered my porch plants.

    I finished about 9.  I could have finished a lot earlier if I didn't have to go to town for gas.  

    As I was mowing, I got hungry fro a calzone.  I thought maybe I could talk Jackie into getting mostaccioli from Alfano's while I got a calzone.  I went into the house and she said, "I would like mostaccioli for supper."

    It was like I had ESP and was communicating with her.

    Anyway, I decided for a small stuffed pizza instead.  It was yummy, and I have enough for another 2 meals!

    I forgot to mark the summer solstice today.  

    It has been my tradition to go outside at the exact time and turn 4 times to the left and 2 times to the right.  Then I hope up and down 6 times.

    But alas, I missed this time.  Next solstice I will be more prepared.

    Stay cool.....check on us old folks.  Don't walk your dogs or leave them in a car.  Same with kids and grandkids.  Be safe.

Peace and Love

yada yada

 Jackie had a library board meeting tonight

        Normally that means I sit in the library and work on my smash best selling novel from 7 to 8.

        But tonight she had a committee meeting at 6, so I had an extra hour to kill.

        What did I do?

    I stopped at the newest ice cream store in town and had some ice cream!

    This is a Mexican store, so you could get piñon nut and a variety of other flavors.  I settled for one I can'r remember or pronounce, but it was very good.

    I saw a young friend in there and tried to ask how her parents were.  But it honestly sounded like I was having a stroke!  "How day are?  I mean, dow are day?  I mean...... "  I think at that point I stopped , took a deep breath, and started over.

    Turns out they are fine.  I am fine.  The ice cream is fine.

    Actually, I was surprised at how busy the store was.  There was a steady stream of people in and out, all licking cones or drinking shakes.

    I sat down to watch the Cubs play, but fell asleep.  It was a 1 run game when I sat down, and they were down 5 when I woke up.  I kept hoping for a come back, but it was not meant to be today.

    Sometimes when I have trouble falling asleep at night, I try to remember characters on tv shows.  We used to watch Keeping Up Appearances, a British comedy that WTTW used to air.   I enjoyed the show but last night I could not remember all the characters.  I remembered Daisy, Hyacinth, Rose, Violet... all the girls, but only Bruce in the male cast.   And you very seldom saw Bruce!   This morning I woke up and Richard and Onslow popped into my brain.  I still don't remember neighbor Elizabeth's brother.  I bet that comes to me at some point.

    I did the same thing with As Time Goes By, another Brit com.  Then it all came back in a flash:  Lionel, Jean, Judy, Sandy, Allister, Penny and Steven.

    But I wonder.  Does thinking about it make it harder to sleep?  Maybe tonight I will try mountains and lakes for inspiration.

    May all your dreams be happy.

Peace and Love

Rain!!

 We are finally getting some rain

    We had a church fellowship dinner in Rochelle tonight.  The good folks from St. Paul Episcopal in DeKalb come here sometimes because it is easier for Jackie.

    Unfortunately, I got her into her wheelchair and out the door just as the skies opened. It poured.

    "Take me back inside,"  she said.  "Go by yourself."

    So I did.

    No, she won't melt if she gets wet.  But it takes about 35 seconds for the car seat to pivot and descend to where I can lift her into the wheelchair.  Then the seat has to go back up into the car, another 35 seconds.  Then we have to go from the handicapped parking space t the front door, which is about 40 feet.

    By then we would both be soaked.  An umbrella?  I can't hold it and push, she can't hold one without poking my eyes out.

    It was a nice gathering.    I had the grilled cheese at Acres, which was very tasty. And I did bring her home a burger.

    Funny thing (part 1).  When I pulled into the parking lot, I saw Emily's car.  She was not in the restaurant, so I texted her, asking where she was. She said she was eating at Acres Bistro.  I said I'm eating at Acres and don't see you.  She was down in the Scalehouse.  After she finished dinner, her and friend Kim from work came upstairs to say hello.

    One of the people in the church group knows Emily because they worked at Walgreen's in Sycamore several years ago.  Small world, eh?

    Funny thing (part 2)  There are 2 adorable little ones across the street.  The girl always says "Hello Terry" whenever she sees me  I was sitting on the porch and she and her brother came running across the street and up to my door.  They each had a bag of cookies.

    "We made you some cookies," she said and her brother gave me a bag.

        Then they ran off to another neighbor's, but a minute or two later the little boy came racing back and said to me, "I ned my cookies." 

    So I gave them to him.  

    As he ran off I just started laughing.

    Pretty soon the grandmother came over and asked if the boy had taken the cookies back.  I laughed and said yes, she laughed and gave me another bag.

    The are very good white chocolate chip cookies, by the way.  They came at a great time because I was just finishing a Cypress House coffee and needed something to tide me over until dinner.

    It's June 18 and this is the first time I have sat on the porch with a beverage in the afternoon.  

    It was long overdue.

Peace and Love

happiness

 Jackie sometimes complains about my choice in music

    In the car I usually have either the Beatles channel or Margaritaville on the radio. They are the first 2 presets.

    There is one simple reason:  The music makes me happy.

    I was late in becoming a Buffett fan.  Very late.

    Friend Carrie invited e to my first Buffett show.  I think it was because I had a van and could take 6 people.  Plus, I don't drink when I drive.  So I am a safe choice.

    I had a ball.  Tinley Park, if I remember correctly.  After that it was Northerly Island, and Alpine Valley for several years.

    Not only were the concerts fun, just hanging around with people 20 years younger than me was great.  We rented boats on Lake Geneva, got caught in downpours, wallowed in mud and I loved every minute of it.

    Listening to the music brings back those memories.  Plus his songs are darn good!  

    One of the best rips I have taken dealt with the Beatles.  A group of us went to London to see the Cubs play and they we went up to Liverpool to do Beatles sightseeing.  It was a great group of people to travel with.  We were at the Cavern in Liverpool, where the lads performed 300 times, and I wound up dancing like a 16 year old....even danced with a total stranger!  I felt so young, I thought I was developing acne again.

      Buffett and the Beatles bring me joy.  And great memories.

    

Peace and Love

what????

I took my hearing aid to Sycamore today

They said it could take 2-4 hours to repair, so I hit the grocery store and came home.

As soon as I walked in the door, they said it was ready.

    Seriously.

    Oh well, another trip tomorrow.

    At the grocery store I was checking out and the young man asked me if I qualified for the senior discount.  I. told him yes, and thanks for asking.   I am attributing that to my youngish looks.

     A few days ago I bought some cherry chocolate chunk (Thanks, Wendy for turning me on to this) ice cream.

    But I noticed the package does not say it is ice cream.  It is a "frozen dairy dessert."  What the hell does neat mean?

    Whatever, I like it, ice cream or not.

    Sadly, I yelled at my dog tonight.

   I decided to finally weed my veggies.  I figured an hour or so.....but it took me that long for the carrots!      My gosh, I am a terrible gardener this year!  I better get on the. stick or summer will be over and I will have bunch of useless seeds.

    I was weeding in my lowest garden and she jumped up into it and started walking around.  I told her to get down and guided her to the side. Then I firmly said, "No." A few minutes later she was back in it and I yelled "Get!"  

    She looked at me with hurt eyes and went up to the back door and sat.

    Funny thing is, I have a flower garden in the front and she was told once not to go into it, and she never has.  

    And as I am typing this, it just doesn't look right. Must be my imagination.

Peace and Love

    

    

    

    

get it?

I understand fifth graders and fractions 

    Fractions were hard to get.  

    Lowest terms, equalized fractions, adding unlike denominators..... all met with blank stares.

    Of course so did long division.  And 2 digit by 2 digit multiplication.  I wonder if that is still taught, or do we just rely on calculators for everything.

    I digress.

    I got my fifth or sixth lesson on how to put a cd onto the computer, then onto my phone.  It's still a blur.

    Luckily it was Fathers' Day, so both girls were over to help the old man.

    First we assembled the patio table.  Next we rolled up the rug, pulled up the old padding, vacuumed the floor, mopped the floor and eventually put the new pad down and unrolled the rug, making sure it covered the pad.

    Both are tasks I can not do by myself.  Julia and Emily were a big help.

    They also brought gifts.... some neat garden decorations I will take pictures of at some point.

    I grilled pork chops and Julia made a pasta salad and we had corn.

    Afterwards we all sat out on the porch enjoying the coolish evening air.

    It was a great day.  Even the Cubs added some sunshine with a win.

    I just love spending time with all my girls.....Jackie, Julia, Emily and Beth. 

    I am a lucky SOB!

Peace and Love

handy man

I did some work at Julia's house today 

    I know!  What work would she possibly need?

    How abut hanging curtain rods.

    I think she has 4 windows to hang rods for drapes or curtains, whatever you call.them.

    A friend is coming to visit next week and Julia thought it would be a good idea to have coverings on the window of that bedroom.

    This is a huge double window.  So we had to get the brackets equidistant from the trim on both sides and in the middle for the support bracket.  Plus, every thing had to be level.

    In my younger years, this would have been a snap.

    But.... and that is a big butt..... it ain't so easy now.

    I got up on the step stool/ladder and found the center of the window.  I marked it, drilled the hole, popped in the drywall anchor, and dropped the screw.

    Got the screw, screwed it in part way so I could mark the bottom bracket.  Dropped the pencil.  And the screw. 

    This process was repeated several times.

    In a record time of slightly over 45 minutes, I had the rod hung. 

    45 minutes .  I think everything is level and straight.  I think.  But I always see crooked lines instead of straight lines.

    But all is well that ends well.

    Got all my hoses hooked up, watered my 2 newest trees, hooked up the porch hose and watered porch plants, swept the garage floor and cleaned off my golf cart before filling the batteries with water and putting it on the charger.

    I even managed to get to the protest in Oregon for 30 minutes.  We got there late and left early...about 10 minutes before the official ending.  There were a lot of neat signs.

    Tomorrow......table out to the deck, final scoops of mulch spread, pine trees get water and I am going to have my first glass of rosé.  The girls are coming over and I will be burning pork chops for supper.

    I hope you all have a great Sunday.

Peace and Love

people....

 Just some observations about people

    I was at the hardware store looking for a couple of screws and wall anchors for a project at Julia's.

    I found the screws, but could not find the wall anchors.  There was another couple in the fastener aisle looking for something too.

    The helpful hardware man asked if I needed any help.  I said I was looking for the screw in type drywall gizmos.  The lady shopper said, "Top row in the middle."

    Sure enough, there they were.

    Then I lost my little bag with the samples.

    "On the counter on your right by the ruler." she said.  I immediately wanted to hire her to keep track of my stuff.

    As I was approaching the checkout counter, there were 2 people standing there.  A  young girl left and the woman that was talking to her said, "I love you!"

    I looked at her and said, "That's nice, but I don't even know you!"

    She laughed and said she was talking to her daughter.

    Went to a tavern in Ashton for some chicken Wednesdaysnight.  The young man behind the bar took my credit card, walked to the machine and then came to a dead stop.

    "Did you teach at Tilton School?"  he asked.

    I told him yes, and asked what his name was.  He told me he remembered me because my fifth graders were reading buddies with his second grade class.

    Then he turned to the girl working behind the bar and said, "You went to  Tilton, didn't you?"

    She said yes, but only had me for a substitute because I left when she went into fifth grade.

    I love it when I see kids and they remember me for something.  Hopefully positive.

    I was on my seemingly daily trip to Walmart when I saw a man on one of those battery powered scooters.  He rode up to a cart, looked down the aisle,  then took a purse out of the cart and started on his way.

    "I hope you know. that person," I said.

    He said it was his wife's purse and he always tells her to never leave it alone for a second.  He was taking it to teach her a lesson.

    But after talking to me, he turned around and went to where his wife was shopping and held up the purse.

    Then I watched 2 healthy young people wheel a cart out of the store containing 2 bags.  2.

    This old man carried out 3 without a cart.

    Of course I could not find the damn car and my arms about fell off, but that is another story.

Peace and Love

oops

 Sometimes I forget things

    I don't believe it is anything serious.  I just forget.

    For instance, I went out tonight and realized the inpatients I had planted never got moved, so they sat in the sun for 2 days.  Also, I did not water them.  I might have killed them.

    I reprogrammed my hose timer.  The first sprayer  was to go off at 6 p.m. for 1 hour.  Then the second was to go off at 7 p.m. for 1 hour.

    Neither one went off.

    Why?  I forgot to turn the water on.  Well, not exactly true.  I thought I turned the water on.  But there is a turn on/off knob on the timer and I had it in the off position.  

    Jackie asked me for cashews today.  Twice.  I f forgot the first time.

    I keep saying it is because those things are not important to me..... but the plants were and the garden is.  I just plumb forgot.

    I sometimes forget that Beth is outside.  I will be busy doing something and Jackie will ask where the dog is and I will look and she will be outside laying in the sun or sitting at the door.

    Beth got me up at 5:30 today.  A.M.!!! She barked.  I heard her, miracle of miracles, and let her out the front door and then the back door.

    I did not forget her. We both went back to bed and slept until 8.

    That's about all I have.  I just hope the world is a better place tomorrow.

Peace and Love

Air Ands

I ran a lot of errands today 

    Friend Sheri was going to Texas to visit family, so I gave her a ride to Rockford, where she caught the bus to O'Hare.

    While in Rockford, I went to Target to buy Jackie some shampoo and conditioner.  I have to go to Target because our local Walmart does not carry the large sizes, only the small ones.

    Next I went to a battery store to buy sone batteries for our hone security system.

    Right across the street is CherryVale Mall and a Macy's store.  Jackie ordered a top she did not want and I had to return it.  Yes, we could have mailed it.  But returning it to the store aves the postage.  And yes we were beyond the return time, but the nice lady at the counter fully refunded me anyway. 

    Of course, Starbucks was next, followed by a stop at Gensler's Garden Center for a Big Boy tomato plant.

    I left the house at 11:30 and got home at about 2, which was not bad.

    But I goofed, a big goof.  I destroyed my new I Pass sticker.  I thought there was a sticky layer where there was not and the zebra code got damaged.  

    I also had a Foundation meeting tonight. 

    Funny thing. 

    Our May meeting was the same night as a wine and cheese event at the museum.  I planned on going to the wine and cheese event for a little while, then bop over to the Foundation meeting.

    I don't know how, but I missed both.  By a week.  And nobody is surprised.

    I also had a strange experience registering my battery powered lawn mower.

    The registration asked for the serial number for the mower, charger, and 2 batteries.

    Using my handy magnifying glass, I was eventually able to get those numbers.

    I entered them on the registration form, double checked them, and hit enter.

    The response was "thank you for registering your product with the serial number.....and it was a totally different serial number!  Not even close!  And the batteries and charger were not listed at all.

    I tried it again, and the same thing happened.

    So I e mailed the company

    Either their directions were incomplete or I did not understand.  I think it was their problem.  Hopefully I find out tomorrow.

Peace and Love

fun day

Today was just a super nice day 

    The weather was beautiful. friends came to visit, and the Cubs won.

    To top it off, I actually saw the strawberry moon!

    John and Kathy came out from Chicago and we had a great afternoon visiting, nibbling, visiting and nibbling some more.

    We trekked out to Julia's house for a tour.  The house is coming along.  She is almost to the point of getting final grading done and work on a driveway and sidewalk started.  There are still a few little projects to do in the house, but she really enjoys living there.

    I have known John since we were wee lads attending Ravenswood Elementary School in Chicago. 

    The first time Jackie and I met Kathy was unforgettable for all four of us.  We had gone out to eat at George's Manor in Claire, a whisper of the town near DeKalb.  

    As the meal was sitting on the table, I believe Kathy asked me to pass the rolls.  I passed them right over the candle and before I knew it, the bread basket was on fire.

    I tried blowing it out, but ashes went onto Kathy's meal.  John picked up a water glass an emptied it on the flames.

    The waitress came over in a tizzy and asked if everything was all right.  I said it was, but we needed more rolls because these were soggy.

    Not saying I gave anyone ideas, but the restaurant did burn down after that.

    He opened another one in Rochelle and...... that one burned also.  If I remember, some kids broke in to steal alcohol and set the fire.

    That was a digression.

    Anyway, Julia did an excellent job with a charcuterie board andKathy and John brought a delicious assortment of cakes and cookies from a German bakery in their neighborhood. Should have taken a picture of those!

   Emily came over and it was quite a fun afternoon.

    I wish there were more of those.

Peace and Love

I picked my first strawberry from my planter!

I could actually see it...no clouds!

wondering

 I am wondering about a couple of things tonight

    Probably the biggest wonder has to deal with age.  Or getting old. 

    I was on my way to the store today and saw these 2 old folks pushing a cart to their car.  The man was trailing, and at first I thought he only had 1 arm, but his arm was behind his back.

    I looked at her and then at him and kept walking.

    After about 10 steps it hit me:  they were people I have known probably since we first came to Rochelle.

    I did not recognize them because they were...... old.  They had aged, and I did not recognize their ew faces.  I had seen them a few months ago and recognized them right off the bat.  But today I did not.

    This also happened to me a couple of months ago.  If. I had not heard the person speak, I would not have known who they were. And I have known that person for years.

    So, when do people become old looking?  Do we notice it in ourselves?

    I thought of taking a nightly picture of myself to see if I can pin point the exact day I became old, but I don't have the stick-to-it-tiveness that I would need to complete such a project.  Nor do I want to store a couple of thousand (he says optimistically) pictures of my face.

    I don't mean grey hair.  Or balding.  I mean looking old.  

    In a sense it scares me that I will become old looking.  It also makes me wonder if I will notice.  Will I wake up one day and look in the mirror and wonder who the hell that person is? 

    Another thing is bothering me. 

    I have. this image of a young bo stuck in my mind.  He has a triangular face, lots of freckles, brown short hair and ears that stick out.  He is always smiling.  

    I think he was a student.  In fact, I can almost hear him asking me a question.

    Why is that face haunting me today?  What made me think of him?

    Anyway, some wonders have no answers.

Peace and Love

odds and ends, again

 Just a lot of disconnected thoughts today

    Jackie and I were fortunate to visit Omaha Beach and Port du Hoc twice.

    June 6 always conjures up ideas of bravery, sacrifice, allegiance, freedom..... The invasion in Normandy was simply amazing.

    We have wandered the cemetery where so many are buried.  I have stood on the beach and was amazed at how var the beach was from the cliffs.  I wondered how anyone could have survived the landing.

    But they did.

    The first time we went there it was s foggy you could not see the channel from the cemetery.

    The second time we went it was perfectly clear.  That was even more frightening.

    Looking at the thousands of white crosses made me realize these folks were The Greatest Generation.

    Went to a plant store today.  Bought 2 plants and had a Big Boy tomato plant in my cart, along with other plants.  Decided to swap out one of the 2 for a different plant.  Got home and discovered I now have 3 plants but no Big Boy.  Must have put that back by mistake.

    Every morning I put out Jackie's clothes.  Then I put the hanger in the closet and the wheelchair in the bathroom.  Today I put the hanger in the bathroom and the wheelchair in the closet.  Go figure.

    Discovered that of the 4 rows of peas I planted, only 6 plants appeared.  That ends the pea experiment.  I have no idea why I can't grow peas.  Hell, I take enough of them!

    I am following several pages on Facebook.  One of them deals with before and after pictures of WW II.  It's amazing to see villages like St Lo in France almost leveled, yet rebuilt to look like it did before the war.

    Wonder if leaders think how much it is going to cost to repair roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, or railroad lines after they bomb the hell out of places.  Somebody has to pay.

    They sure don't think of the human suffering.  Only their own power.

Peace and Love

if only

I need to check things before going  to the store 

    I keep a list by the sink.  When I see we need something, I write it on the list.

    Carrots gone?  On the list.  No bananas? On the list.

    And yes, sometimes I buy things not on the list.  Call it impulse buying, if you will.

    And sometimes I forget the list at home.  And no, I don't put it on my phone.

    Today I took stuff in to a shred day event, went to Walmart,, and then to Headon's for some meat.

    I got home and had lunch before going out to mow.

    Before jumping on the mower, I opted to fill the gas tank.  Picked up one container....empty.  Picked up the second container....empty.

    Well, that's a pickle!

    I started mowing and got the field, east side, back yard done and then ran out of gas.

    Now it is not just the 10 minute drive, or the fact I used half a gallon of precious fuel, but that I had already been in town once and could have, should have, checked my gas supply before I went.

    I finished the mowing in a light rain.  As soon as I put the mower into the garage, it started raining harder so I guess I am lucky.

    Tomorrow I hope to go plant shopping.

    I have 3 butterfly bushes behind the house....but only one seems to be growing.  That is a huge disappointment to me. I love butterfly bushes....but wonder why they are not alive?  I don't cover them in winter, but maybe I should.  I guess it can't hurt.

    Anyway, missed the CNN presentation of the play tonight because I thought it started at 7 our time, but it started at 6,  Hopefully they re run it at some point.  I did want to see it.

    That's all I can say about that!

Peace and Love

the grim reaper

 I was almost killed today

    I barely avoided some poisoned food.

    True, I ate most of it before I realized it was bad.  I am convinced finishing the bag would have done me in.

    And I blame Julia.

    For 2 reasons.

    First, she left a small bag of sea salt and vinegar chips in the pantry.  At least that is what I thought they were.  The label was in German, I think.

    Second.  She wasn't here to tell me not to eat them.

    They tasted strange, but I figured it was the German cooking process.  But as I ate a couple of more, they just didn't seem to have a good taste.

    So I looked at the bag.

    It said best used by August 2022.

    They were almost 3 years old for cripe sake!!!

    No wonder they tasted terrible.

    I tossed the remainder.  I am glad I did not toss something else.

    Jackie asked for a slice of rye with peanut butter for breakfast.  I gave it to her, PB lightly spread, as requested.

    That was at 8:30.  (Yes, we were up early.  Matt the window guy brought his crew at 9 to wash our windows.  The windows look great!  There was even a former student on the crew!)

    At 12:30 I offered to make Jackie a sandwich.  I was going to make one for me too.

    Took out bread from the same bag and noticed huge green spots on the crust of all the remaining slices.

    So I made  tortilla wraps instead.

    Since  the windows were being washed, someone had to take down all the curtains and wash them.  I have not put them all back up yet.

    I just feel so exposed.

    I did go down to the museum tonight because they had a Cut the Square night and a car show.  (You have to be a Rocheelian to know what cutting the square means.  Truthfully, some of them can't agree,.)

    It was a huge turnout, which I thought was great.  Music, a food truck, an ice cream truck..... and beautiful weather.

    It was a nice way to spend some time.

    Next up:  Hanging curtains.  Mowing.  Trimming.

    No rest for the wicked.

Peace and Love

TC....he didn't mind me calling him Connie!

hodge podge

 Just a weird assortment of thoughts

    Commercials really bother me.

    The one that gets me the most right now is a car commercial.

    Lady is driving down the road, puts the signal on to pass a car in front of her but she has aside warning lights that tells her a motorcycle is there. So she doesn't pass.

    Makes sense.

    About 5 or 6 motorcycles pass her and. then move in front of her. 

    Jackie saw nothing wrong with it until I asked:  Where is the car she wanted to pass?

    The worst genre of commercials is the betting ones.  My gosh, Pete Rose was banned from baseball because of betting and now baseball is cashing in!

    The one site offers no limit betting.  NO LIMIT!!  I wonder how many people will lose their house when a bet goes bad....which it will.

    And the commercial where the guy is running a race with a mini fridge on his back?  Bleech!

    Jackie had her hair done today, so I went to Acres for coffee and cookies.  Her hair looks nice!  I even brought home 2 cookies, but I ate the rest along with the serving of whipped cream that came with them.

    Afterwards we stopped at Hicks BBQ where I got a brisket sandwich  and half slab of ribs for supper.  His ribs are far superior to the ribs I made.  Jackie enjoyed the brisket and I loved the ribs.

    I got a new tree today.  It's a London Plane tree.  They are very common in Europe and are closely related to sycamores.  They grow well in our climate.  

    Unfortunately, I did not look at the tree from all directions when I picked it out and it has a little bend to it.  Hopefully that will not be a problem in 20 years.

    And if it is, it won't be mine.

    Beth enjoyed a Frosty Paws tonight.  That was making up for not playing with her today.

    Cubs won.  On to Detroit.

Peace and Love

Looks like an S curve

no sweat

 It stormed last night

    Two people said it stormed in the middle of the night....thunder, lightening, wind.

    I didn't hear a thing.

    One advantage to not hearing well is sleeping with my good ear down blocks out most noise, including thunder.  Plus, I wear a sleep mask, so lightening isn't an issue either.

     And Jackie?  Out like a light.

    Beth doesn't seem bothered by the storms, or at least if she was we didn't hear her.

    We had over an inch of rain, so I took advantage of that to pound in tree fertilizing stakes around my trees.  I did that last fall and the directions suggested doing a fall and spring feeding, so I bit the bullet and  bought some stakes.  But the ones I used last year were so much better.  These did not have "points", although the package said they did.  And after I pounded them to ground level, the pounding cap still had a chuck of fertilizer in it that had to be dug out.

    If I was more energetic, I would write the company and complain.  But that probably won't happen.

    We did have one injury due to the wind last night.  Tyson the Bison was blown over.  I have not picked him up yet even though I was right next to him feeding a tree.

    Huh.

Peace and Love

uh oh

 We have some bad weather in the area tonight

    I just called Julia and told her she may want to check out her tornado room tonight.  There is a severe thunderstorm heading toward Oregon with 60 mph winds, hail and the possibility of a tornado.

    I hate nights like this.

    I have made 5 trips from the den to the bedroom to listen to weather radio updates.  I think it is 25 steps, but I am not sure.  I bet I will count next alarm.

    On positive notes, I crossed off a couple of things from my humungous to do list today.

    I completed my secret project!

    I took Jackie to see it and she liked it.

    Emily bought me some strawberry plants.  I did not have a place to plant them.

    So I bought a stainless steel water tank  to use as a planter.

    I put it on top of a furniture roller so I dan roll it in the garage in the winter to prevent the plants from freezing.

    I drilled holes in the bottom for drainage, put in some rock, dirt, fertilizer, cow manure and compost and then some more dirt.  Tomorrow I may put mulch over the dirt part to hold in moisture.

    I may have spent $475,000 putting it together, but it will be worth it when I get fresh strawberries.

    We had a storm today. 

    Lots of wind and a fierce, heavy rain.  But it did not last long.

    My rain gauge only had 2 tenths of an inch.  Which makes me wonder how they measure rain when it is blowing  sideways.

    Enough of my drivel.

    I hope everyone is safe out there......summer storms always give me a bad case of nerves.

Peace and Love

Strawberry fields, forever.    I just hope there are not too many plants!

drats

 Close only counts with hand grenades

    I came so close to working on my secret project.  

    To be honest, the heat got to me.

    What I thought would  take an hour took almost 3 times that.

    We have a magnolia tree in the back yard.  When I went to mulch it I noticed a lot of sucker branches, so I trimmed those off.  Then I noticed the existing mulch was weed filled and smaller than it should be.  So I spent over an hour enlarging the circle and digging out weeds.

    How bad was it?

    I HAVE A BLISTER ON THE PALM OF MY HAND!

    Why yes, I do have garden gloves.  Several pair as a matter of fact.  Thanks for asking.

    No, it never occurred to me to put them on.

    That would have prevented the blister, a sliver, and a cut finger that hurts like heck.  Yes, I know it looks like a paper cut, but it hurts.

    But.....all the trees are mulched.  I have a little left over, but will probably use that tomorrow.

    The mulch is the most difficult item o my list.  I am happy to say I am done with it.

    But we need rain.  Depending on the forecast, I will water my sugar maple in the next 2 days....if I can figure out the hoses.

    I have 3 hoses hooked up to 2 sprinklers that go on automatically.  I usually have 2 hoses hooked to use on the front porch, 1 hose to use on the back porch, and a hose reel with hoses on it on the garage side.

    Yes, that is a lot of hoses.

    My problem is always finding the right configuration.  

    And I am a little frustrated right now because I can't undo a hose from one hose reel....which puzzles me because as I write that I wonder why I want to undo it in the first place.  Hmm.....

    I just have not hooked up the front porch hoses.  That should be a 3 minute job, but I just have not done it.

    And my new hose reel has 2 hoses....but they leak at the connection, so I have to unroll them and tighten the connection.

    None of these jobs takes a lot of talent or time.

    I just keep putting them off.

    And that means I can't strike "hoses" off my jobs list.

    But by the end of this week, my list will be done.  That is my goal.

    Then I will start another.  And yes, I will complain about that one too.

Peace and Love