hot, hot, and hot

 Our forecast for the next week is calling for heat

    I don't like that!

    Give me a day with the temps in the mid 70s and low humidity and I will be as happy as a monarch on milkweed.

    When. I was younger, the heat didn't bother me at all.  We would play baseball and it would be 124 outside and we would not even sweat.  We'd play all day, in the heat, and never complain.

    And we did not have the luxury of air conditioning.  I would have to get some ice cubes and stick them down my shirt for any cooling benefit.

    Now I can't even walk out to the mailbox without griping.

    Warm streaks are not uncommon  in the fall. But this summer seemed to be hot enough that we don't need more hot days.

    I don't think this is an Indian Summer.  Those usually happen in October or November and if I remember correctly from my  youth, usually after a freeze or frost.  So this hot spell coming up is not a real Indian Summer.  I don't think.

    Made a quick trip to Julia's house to take a dead ground squirrel out of one of her window wells. Yes, he was dead, not napping.

    She said  it  ran under the cover as she was walking around the house yesterday.  Today it was dead.  I just wonder if it was one of the ones we fished out of the well last week.

    In Casablanca Rick says a line that goes something like:  "Yesterday they were just 2 German couriers. Today they are the honored dead."

    Today the ground squirrel is among the honored dead who have sacrificed their lives in window wells.

    And life goes on.

Peace and Love

    

Mr. Clean?

 I had to catch up the past 2 days

    Usually, not always, I do a  pretty good job at keeping up with laundry.

    Towels on Wednesday and Saturday, sheets on Monday, the rest as needed.

    Well, I was surprised to see I had 3 loads to do in 1day!

    I wasn't paying attention until I noticed my underwear supply was running low.

    And Jackie was getting short on jeans.

    So I  did a load of jeans and discovered something about myself.

    Personal grooming isn't high on my list, evidently.

    Jackie wears jeans for 1 or 2 days. In my load of jeans she had 8 pairs.  I had 2.  

    I must not be putting on clean jeans often enough!  Sigh.

    I cleaned our bathroom today.  We do have a cleaning lady every other week, so I clean it on the week she is not here.

    I picked up my cleaning bucket and there was liquid on the bottom.  I picked up my spray bottle of cleaner and it was leaking profusely from 2 spots on the bottom.

    How does that happen?  It had not been touched in 2 weeks!  How can it leak?

    Because I never throw stuff out, I did have an empty spray bottle of the same cleaner into which  I transferred  the leaker.

    We have a Nest thermostat.  When it got cold, Jackie told me to set it on the heat/cool option, so when it hits a certain temperature the AC or heat will come on.

    I have had trouble sleeping the last three nights. Last night I put the AC back on, the house got cool, and I slept like a baby.  I think it was just too warm in the bedroom.

    Since Jackie has allergies we can't open the windows at night.  I could sleep in our spare bedroom, and open the windows, but there is no guarantee I would hear her if she called in the middle of the night.  The AC helps.

    I think it would have gone on today anyway, and for sure this weekend.  Are we really going to hit 90 on Sunday?  Yikes.

    There.  More information about me you will never have to wonder about again.

Peace and Love

Beatles said it

 I should have known better....

    Emily gave me this super huge mug for Christmas.

    I have had tea in it almost every morning since then.  It is heavy, holds the heat, and is big.  I love this mug.

    Alas, all is not well that ends well.

    For the first time, today, I skipped my morn ing nap and took my tea on the porch, and nestled in my red chair.

    My tea was on the ground next to me, but Beth wa approaching it with that look in her eyes.

    So I picked up the mug, took a couple of sips and placed it on the railing.

    Yes, it did.

    And yes, it did.   It's a fine crack but it goes through the mug.  I cursed myself for being so careless.  I could have taken a plastic, insulated mug, but noooooooo.  I had to take my favorite.

    Damn.

    It was busy around here today.

    Guy came to look at the floor and the scratches.  He outlined some remedies, none that he recommended, so the scratches remain.

    Another guy came and checked the furnace for the winter.  

    And we had morning help.

    Beth was in heaven with all the people.

    I think she thinks they all came to visit her.   And maybe they did.

    Tomorrow should be a little quieter....may even get a nap in.

    But I won't have tea on the porch.

Peace and Love

dag nab it

 I have a mystery on my hands, again

    My carrots have disappeared!

    I have 3 or 4 left.  The rest look like they have been pulled out of the ground.

    I had 2 rows last week.....in fact, I think I checked Sunday and there were carrots.  I should have dug them then.

    I'll pull the rest tomorrow.  I like carrots.  We usually put up several one gallon bags of carrots for the winter.  Now I 'll have to buy carrots and I don't like that because they don't taste as good as the fresh ones.

    Sigh

    I have a trail cam, but it does not pick up the garden.  And it does not show any deer going thru the yard, so I am confused.

    Deer?  Rabbits?  Ground squirrels?  Squirrels?  Beth?

    Tis a mystery to me.

    The past 2 days have been productive for me.  Today I watered porch plants, vacuumed the car, rode my bike, cooked upper, did dishes, placed flags for the trees, got recycling out in time, read for a while, went to the store.......like I said, pretty productive for me.

    I tried adjusting Jackie's wheel chair so both brakes work, but I can't seem to do that.  The handle on one side is either bent or put on backwards, but I can't figure out how to get it off.

    We have a wheelchair in the van at all times.  That way I don't have to keep lugging one in and out, plus I don't have to worry about the wheels being dirty and tracking it into the house.

    I also  tried to replace the base on a lawn sprinkler.  I can get one nut off, but the other does not want to turn.  I keep thinking I am going the wrong way, but lefty loosey and righty tight  just confuse me.    And my hands are not strong enough, which makes the chore even harder.

    But the weather has been beautiful.  There is a bit of fall in the air.  Rochelle has dipped into the 30s several nights this week.

    In keeping with that, Walmart has Christmas candy on one of the end aisles.  

    It's only 4 months away, so start saving for my presents now.

Peace and Love

  

negative nellie

 I have a really bad taste in my mouth

    No, it was not anything I ate, more what I saw.

    The Bears did not win.  The Cubs did not win.  The Sox did not play.

    I really thought the Bears would win.  Really.  Especially after the first drive, when they scored a touchdown.

    It was all downhill after that.

    Same old Bears.

    I know, it was only the first game.  They played a tough team.  Ya da ya da ya da.

    Minnesota started a rookie QB and I think he outperformed our QB.

    And the Cubs?  Pffft.  Flat as a tire on an abandoned car.  I think the Sox have a better record over the last 2 weeks than the Cubs do.

    In other words.......

    I managed a bike ride today.  I have a real physical problem.  My right hand has some nerve damage, and after a few minutes it goes dead.  I have to shake it awake.  That makes riding a bike a bit of a challenge.

    Next time I go to the doc I will ask for some options....but I think I did that once before and opted to stay with the tingling.

    And for those of you reading closely, it was a BLOCK party I went to.  Damn eyes missed that one.

    I have been working on my desk top, trying to get it organized and cleaned.  It seems I have several cables and cords I have no idea where they go, or what they do.  One end is plugged into the computer or an auxiliary port, but nothing is on the other end.  Huh.

    My trees are coming next week.  I have to go out and plant flags so JULIE can check for utilities.  I know there are none, but gotta follow the steps.  I am excited about this.  

    I know, it seems crazy to plant them on an empty lot...but like I said before, they are an investment that will turn out treemendous in the long run.

    It's been a day.

Peace and Love

blocked

 I stepped out of my comfort zone a little today

    There was a block party on our street.

    Jackie did not feel like going, so I went by myself, always a danger.

    I did something I find very hard to do:  I talked to strangers!

    Our street has had a lot of change in the past year.  Several new families moved in, and I don't really know many people beyond the houses around us.

    But I did go and introduce myself to people from four different houses.  Folks, that is big.

    Usually when I am in a situation where I don't know a lot of people I stand off in a corner and just watch.  Today I mingled.

    I survived.  

    Which is more than the Minnesota Vikings will do tomorrow night when they face the Bears.  I predict Chicago wins 75 to -4.  That's right!  -4!!!  Complete and utter domination.

    I only watched 1 inning of Cubs baseball today.  Correction;  1/2 inning.  I watched the top of the ninth when Washington, with the third worst record in baseball, scored 5 times to win. 

    I just don't get this team.  

    Topic change:  The flies have been awful!  My fly strips have been up for a few days in the garage and they have lots of flies stuck to them.  I have been swatting them in the house.

    When I was younger, I could easily get the fly on the counter or on the window.  Now I find myself missing.  Once, twice.  Several times.

    It reminds me of a scene from the original Magnificent Seven where Robert Vaughn's character is sitting at a table and there are  or 7 flies.  He shoots his hand out and the men watching him say he is very good....he caught 4 of. them.

    Vaughn gives this chagrined smile and said, 'There was a time I would get all of them." or something like that.

    I guess everyone's reflexes start t slow down at some point.

    Either that or the flies are getting faster.

Peace and Love

Am I sexist?

 I have noticed a lot of women are running for office

    Their ads pop up on Facebook. for the Senate, as Representatives , for governors all over the country,.

    And I think it is awesome!

    Is that sexist?

    For years when we look at higher political offices we see mainly white guys.  And in Congress we see a lot of old white guys.

     It's time for a change.  Our Congress needs to get younger and diversified because the United States is a country made up of many peoples from many lands.  All of them have added rich traditions to our way of life.

    My favorite ads so far have been from South Carolina, where a pediatrician is running for Lyndsey Graham's senate seat.  I hope she wins.

    I have also  seen many ads for younger men running for office.  Again, it is a welcome change.

    But there are people who will only consider a candidate from the party their parents voted for.  

    And there are people who will not vote for a woman.

    And there are people who will not vote for a person who does not have blond hair and light skin.

    Hopefully someday they will change their minds about candidates.

    Jackie and I made cookies and 3 bean salad for tomorrow's block party.  I forgot to RSVP, so I hope they have a couple extra burgers.

    Are you a Frasier tv show fan?  The original show, not the later show.

    I swear, I saw an episode where Frasier and Niles were in the coffee shop discussing their father and what to do with him when a young woman comes over and asks if she can borrow the sugar.  She has a British accent, in my memory, and as she bends over, Niles inhales deeply.  I think that was Daphnie.

    But,  and here's the big butt, we watched episode one, season one, and it did not happen there.  Daphnie was hired in that episode, so the incident had to come before then.  I can't find a reference to a pilot.

    Now I am wondering:  was it my dream?  was it in a flashback episode?  should I watch the last episode of season 1 which features Niles and Frasier taking in the coffee shop about the past year?

    Sadly, that is my life now days.

    I need sine stimulation.

Peace and Love

AARRAGH!!!!!!!

 My day was very peaceful until it wasn't

    Jackie had her hair done, soI went to Acres Bistro for some coffee and cookies.

    That was fine.

    I stopped at the museum and visited for a while

    That was fine.

    Watched a minute or two of the Cubs game.

    That was fine.

    Sat on the porch with Beth at my side, reading.  Not sleeping.  The sleeping part was this morning.

    That was fine.

    Let out Emily's dogs.

    That was fine.

    We had a bird in the garage.  Don't know how it got in.  Opened all the doors and 45 minutes later, it was still in the garage.  Bird Brain is an actual diagnosis.  It kept flying into the window, into the ceiling , and sitting on the garage door track.  It shit on our van.

    Not so fine.

    Eventually the bird flew the coop.

    That was fine.

    Went to try out Paramount +.

    That was not fine.

    I could not log in.  Whenever I tried on the bedroom tv I got an error message.  Whenever I tried on the family room tv I ended up being taken to the pick your plan page.

    The AI chatbot was no help.  It directed me to a person.  There was a 1 minute wait, from 7:54 to 8:06.  Long minute in AI land.

    Man helped me for 45 minutes and then I said I quit.  I had enough.  I still can't log in.  It may be my fault, it may ge a glitch, but  we can't watch anything on Paramount +.

    I quit the chat.  Turned off the tv and said a few choice words.

    That was fine.

    Now  my BP has returned to normal.

    And that is fine.

    Good night.

    That is fine too.

Peace and Love

odds and ends

 My mind is full of weird thoughts tonight

    Not weird in a perverted sort of way, just weird.

    Browsing Facebook today, I saw a promo for a castle in Savanna IL!

    It is open for tours and looks pretty interesting.  I have been in Savanna and had never heard of a castle, just a biker bar.  Once there was an antique store connected to the tv show of guys traveling around and buying antiques for their Iowa shop.  Can't remember the title.  Or the Iowa town.  Maybe LeClair?  By the way, that is the boyhood home of Buffalo Bill.  Or not?  Maybe Wyatt Earp.  

    Th US military blew up a boat with narco terrorists.  Now that we have abandoned the principals of law and order in that people are charged, tried, sentenced, what comes next?  We already see the people being rounded up without warrants or cause, who is next on the list?  What if they were just fishermen?

    If my Comcast e mail disappears tomorrow it is because I have ignored numerous warnings to update my account with personal information.  

    The Bears game Monday night is the most important one on the schedule, in my humble completely incompetent football mind.  Division rival, first showing of the new offense under a new head coach with a new  offensive line.  I see it as a make or break game.

    Yes, I wore a sweatshirt mowing today.

    Yes, I have to get rid of the shirt I wore because it no longer covers my belly.;..hence the sweatshirt.

    Yes, I have eaten a lot of cookies in the past 2 weeks.

    No, I will not complain about the cool temperatures.

    No, I have not yet cleaned my desk.

    Yes, I have piled more on it.

    I signed up for Paramount + because it was $60 for the year, ad free.  Now if only I could remember the password I used to create the. account.  And that was less than 45 minutes ago.

    Yes, I should have written it down.  But I did not.

    Still have not figured out how to fill my peppermill.  If I could find the directions, maybe I would be a able to figure it out.

    Can't help wondering if a house burns down or up.

    My grill is working fine.  Replacing the spark igniter was the solution to my problem.  That and a full gas tank.

    Discovered if I am going to nap or read on the porch, I need my hearings aids in.  Otherwise I can't hear my phone when Jackie calls.  With my hearing aids, the call goes right to the device stuck in my ear.  Lesson learned.

    Leap and a net shall appear.

Peace and Love

dang it

 I need a kick in the butt

        I did nothing today except hang fly strips in the garage.

        That's it.

        I thought I would mow, but it rained. 

        I took a nap on the porch with Beth at my side.  It was not comfortable, but I still slept.

        I also read for a while.

        I could have worked on cleaning up my desk, which has been a mess for the past 48 months.

        But I didn't.

        I could have taken some time to clean up the back seat of the van.  

        But I didn't.

        I could have worked on my great American novel.

        But I didn't.

        I could have organized my pictures from Key West, London, Liverpool and Switzerland.

        But I didn't.

        No motivation today.  Zip.  Zilch.  Nada.

        Hopefully tomorrow I can get back in the groove of doing something.

        At this point anything would be progress.

    Peace and Love

brain fart

I messed up on the Cubs game tonight 

    They were leading 4-3 going into the top of the ninth.

    I said to Jackie, "I'm going to do the dishes."

    She thought that was strange that I would not watch the top half of the inning with the Cubs having a 1 run lead.

    I planned to watch the bottom of the ninth.  Why?  I thought they were tied, even though I knew they were ahead.

    I did go back and watched the last out.

    Some days I just get confused.

    I got a bike ride in today.  It was only 4 miles, but that is about all I seem able to ride these days.  I am not in the biking condition I was in 3 years ago, although I have ridden more this year than last.   That is not a boast, it is an expression of frustration.

    No one in Rochelle won the billion dollar lottery, so I guess that includes me.  With the odds 1 in 122 million, it would have been rare.  Nice, but extremely unlikely.

    Saw another commercial that bothers me. 

    It's for an insurance company.  A young man is going into his dorm carrying a plant.

    Seriously, how many guys going to college are bringing a plant?

    Is that sexist?  I don't know.

    That about sums up my mind tonight....don't know, and confused.  Sounds like a comedy routine in the making.

Peace and Love

Labor Day

 This was a darn interesting day

    I made the choice to have  our helper here today.  She said she did not have anything planned and would be glad to come.  So I asked her to come.

    Once Jackie is out of the shower and ready to do her hair, I migrate to a comfy spot for a nap.  I always need a nap in the morning.  I can't explain it, I just wake up tired.

    I have a red porch recliner and I settled into it and little Beth jumped up and snuggled next to me.

    That was probably around 9 or so.

    We both slept very soundly.

    How do I know?

    UPS left a package on the porch.  I did not hear them.  Beth did not hear them, otherwise she would have barked.

    I had a plan for the day.  Go to Julia's and hep her put the covers on her window wells, put some light bulbs in her garage door openers, buy corn, plant my 3 mms on the side of the house, ride my bike, and finally, buy a winning lottery ticket.

    I got to Julias and we got the bulbs in her openers, but I think we are missing something.  When I walk out an open garage door, I break the light bean and the light goes on.  Hers doesn't. I plan to look for my owners manual tomorrow to see if there is a setting that needs to be changed.

    We went to put the window well covers on and discovered 2 ground squirrels in one of the wells.  

    That began a 30 minute attempt at getting them out and freed.

    At one point one of the little devils ran up my arm!  I did not want it in the house, so I flipped it off.

    Eventually we captured them in a plastic tub, hauled them out to he yard, and freed them.

    I went to plant the mums and hit an ants' nest. By the way, ants do bite if they are made at you!

    It was almost like they launched a counter attack!

    They were on my arms, on my pants leg, on my tools so when I picked up the spade I also got a bunch of ants.

    Luckily I did not have ants in my pants.

    I bought the winning  Powerball ticket.  So did 3 other people before me.  I could be a billionaire this time tomorrow.

    Or I could be bitten by a radioactive spider and have super powers.  I think the chances are about even between the 2.

    But a fella can dream.

Peace and Love

If you buy $20 in museum raffle tickets, you get a year membership, 24 chances to win a 50/50 prize and as an added bonus, I will.treat you to a drink at Cypress House.  Call me for tickets!

There is one of the varmints.....they would not take the board up.

This plant is beautiful.  It is a chenille plant, but I have a problem.  Directions for care say it is a tropical plant and has to be kept moist and in air temperatures of 80 degrees.  That will not be possible in the winter.  Any suggestions?