Blank

This might be a first 

    I don't have much to say.

    Friend Nadine stopped over today and we had a nice visit.  Se brought some apple bread, and I can already taste that for breakfast.

    I watered 3 trees....one more to go.

    I am not very imaginative or talented when it comes to cooking.

    Jackie suggested impossible cheeseburger pie, a Bisquik recipe we have made in the past. 

    To be honest, I love it!

    So that's what I made for supper.

    Luckily Emily had not left work yet, so she bought some Bisquik for us.  I was positive we had some, but nope.

    I found some yellow peppers and green peppers hanging on in the garden, so I chopped them up and threw those in the pie.  I thought it was good.

    Cubs have gone into hibernation until next February a the Bears play tomorrow night.  So I did not even watch sports today, which was weird.

    I did get 2 items checked off my to do list.  Only 2,5,52 left.

    No rest for the wicked.

Peace and Love

c'est la vie

 All good things come to an end

    Tomorrow I will take all my Cub stuff downstairs.  I was hoping to keep it out a little longer, but that didn't happen.

    Yes, I am a little disappointed.  Milwaukee seemed to get hits with 2 outs, the Cubs did not. They had their chances, but came up empty.

    But life goes on, doesn't it?

    I have another frustration.

    I have put on a little weight over the years.  I once wore 36 in waist pants, but I can't button them very easily.  So I went to 38 in waists, but I have to use suspenders because they keep falling down.

    I finally found some 37 inch waist pants, with elastic on the sides so they can stretch.  I bought 2 pairs, tried on the first pair and thought they fit pretty darn nice.

    Washed them, wore them, and now I can't keep those up!  I am not losing weight, things just don't fit.

    My next step is to buy 36 inch waist with the elastic sides.  When this is done I will have 3 sizes of pants in my dresser.

    I also met be shrinking.  I got 30 inch inseam and they are about 2 inches too long.  But I am afraid if I buy 28 they will shrink and I will look like I am waiting for a flood.

    And another frustration.  I have always hated climbing ladders.  At my age, I hate it even more.  

    I had a motion detector security light burn out.  Julia was over and I had her hold the ladder while I climbed up and removed the bulbs.  I figure replace both, since they were put in at the same time.

    Bought new bulbs.  Julia was over yesterday and she held the ladder while I climbed up and put the new bulbs in.

    Last night I went out and......one of the damn bulbs does not light!  Either I did not screw it in tightly or the new bulb is dead.

    Now I have to get someone over here when it is dark so I can climb the ladder and check.

    Like I say, life goes on.

Peace and Love

No, those are not fake spider webs....they are the real thing!

This was at the place I got pumpkins....very neat

at the pumpkin place

I went here for the first time last year.....huge pumpkins for $5!

Still some color in my native patch

Every year I just shove stuff into the garage.  This year I am cleaning pots before I put them away.  I had no idea I had so many huge buckets.

    

late nights

 We had a late night last night

    The Cubs started at 8 and ended around 11.  It seemed to be a long game.  but it was well worth watching!  Now it's on to Milwaukee and a game 5 win!!

    I hope.

    We didn't get up until after 10.  That put the whole day askew.

    I did get to Cypress House for a coffee.  It was nice to sit outside and sip a pumpkin latte...hot...and watch the world go by for a few moments.

    I had my grocery list in hand, and when I finished coffee I spent over $60, but I forgot one item on the list:  an Almond Joy bar for Jackie.

    It was right there on the list!  I even read it as I headed toward the checkout lanes.

    Damn.

    I also got a bike ride in.

    Here's where I get picky.  I rode 6.98 miles.  If I had ridden to the corner and back, I would have hit my goal of 7 miles.  I checked my mileage after I got off the bike and went into the house.  My butt is not as sore as it was 2 weeks ago, so it must be toughening up.  My goal is to get some 7 + mile rides in before winter.

    Julia stopped and held the ladder while I put in bulbs for the motion detectors.  I hate ladders, hut the job is done.

    I went to Acres Bistro for supper.  I had a grilled cheese and Jackie had a burger.

    The food was great!  I also got the autumn soup, which was a creamy base squash soup with sweet potato,  red potato, and something else.  It was good, but was way too much food for me.  Tomorrow I will have to ride 100 miles to work it all off.

    I have about 20 chores to do before cold sets in, and hopefully this weekend I can get 1 or 2 of them done.    Some are short,   some easy, some time consuming, some boring,  and one that may be beyond my pay grade.  We shall see.

    I am back to making lists, but my experience with the grocery list leads me to believe that is pointless.

    I was getting a grocery cart at Walmart when this lady approached me.  I did not recognize her, do not know if I know her, but I think she was complete stranger.

    Here's the conversation:

    Her:  "You know if you put shoes and socks on a bear he still has bare feet."

    I laughed.  I bet you did too.  Or maybe you groaned.

    As she walked away she said, "Have a great day."

    And she meant it.

Peace and Love

Catching up

 Had a quick visits with friends today

    Dan and Linda were down in Rochelle and I met up with them for a nice chat.  I have not seen them much since they moved to Rockford.

    Had a nice phone chat with friend John, catching up with all his news.

    I enjoy the chats, although they are not often enough or long enough.  And as the years go by that is an important factor in life.

    I think I finally figured out how to program our new thermostat.  The test will come today when the temps go up or down as programmed.  

    I don't sleep well in hot environments.  Last night when I went to bed it was 73 in the bedroom, way too warm for me.

    I could not figure out how to program the thermostat. 

    I played around with it today and I think I have I so it is set at 70 at 9 pm. and 72 at 8 a.m.  We'll see.

    I ordered something from Amazon only to find out I already had the item.  Now I have to send that back.  The advertised item did not look like what I had, but they are the same.  Go figure.

    Win or go home for the Cubs tonight.  I am pretty sure they will win.  After all, Wrigley Field has some magic in it.

    Maybe Ernie and Ryno can push some of those fly balls off Cub bats into the bleachers.  

    Only drawback is the game does not start until after 8.....it will be a late night.

    And my porch plants seem to have decided it is time to shrivel. Must be the cooler nights.

Peace and Love

somethings burning

 Chicago burned over 150 years ago today

    The fire started Oct.8 and burned until Oct. 10.

    I just watched a Heather Cox Richardson video on the fire.   It was short, but summed up the situation nicely.

    There were 5 major fires in the midwest that day.  Chicago burned, but the deadliest fire took place in Wisconsin, centered in Peshtigo.  That fire claimed over 1500 lives while the Chicago fire claimed about 350.

    We all know about Mrs. O'Leary amd her cow.  What started as a rumor was soon legitimized  by the people o f the city.

    But she didn't start it.  Nor did her cow.  Possibly a discarded cigar, or a drunk who fell asleep with his cigar were the culprits.....maybe.

    There is a theory that debris from a comet may have caused all the fires, spread throughout the Midwest.

    But there is no evidence that was a cause.

    I used to have a book written by a survivor of the Peshtigo Fire. He was a minister and he and his family jumped into a well one their property as the flames roared overhead.  It was a truly frightening read.

    Others jumped into the Peshtigo River, unfortunately some also drowned trying to escape the flames.

    There is a mass grave in Peshtigo, next to the Fire Museum.  If I remember, some 300 unidentified victims are buried there.

    Jackie and I stopped at the museum twice on our way up to Mackinaw Island.  It is small, because very few items survived the inferno.

    This is the week I traditionally change batteries in all our smoke detectors.  I suggest you do too.

    And if your smoke detectors are older than 7 years I think experts recommend replacing them.

    And stop blaming Mrs O'Leary and her cow!

Peace and Love

unreality

Did you ever know you did something, that you didn't?

    Welcome to my world!

    Emily drove to the play Sunday night.  When we got back to her house I got out of the van and she gave me the key.

    I lost it.

    I spent 15 minutes looking for my car key last night. Under the car seats, under the bed, in the dirty laundry, on the counters, tables, dressers....any where there was space to put something,  I remember her giving it to me and me getting back into the car with the key in my hand.

    No luck. 

    So I texted Emily and asked her to look in the driveway, maybe I had dropped it there.

    She texted back that she never gave me the key!

    I had imagined all of that!!! Good grief!!!

    I went to empty the dishwasher this morning and the first dish I picked up was dirty.

    I looked at the rest and they were all dirty.  Last night I loaded the dishwasher, turned it on and never hit the start button!!

    Good Grief Again!!!!!

    The mind is a terrible thing to waste.

    A couple of days ago I mentioned getting a note about the bank loan on our house.

    My cousin Bob said not to ignore that.  People have had their property hijacked and never knew about it until it was too late.

    I contacted our attorney, Dennis, and he said I should go to the recorder's office in Oregon and have them check.  He also said this was a scam, which I thought it was.

    Today I went the recorder's office and there are  no loans or liens against our property. (Properties, actually.)

    I also picked up a flyer that tells how to register to be notified if something does get recorded on our deeds.  It is a free service, and I will do that.

    I looked around at the stacks of neatly shelved books and asked if those were all deeds.

    The answer was yes, and some of the deeds go back to 1831.  Amazing.

    After I left I wondered how they digitalize all of that. It would be a massive undertaking.

    It seems fall has arrived, finally.  Donned a jacket just now to take Beth out.  It's cool!

Peace and Love

so many issues

 I got my new hearing aids today

    I seem to be hearing better, but it's only  been half a day.  I do get a slight ringing in my one ear sometimes, not sure why.

    Jackie just asked me why I wasn't watching the Cubs.  I said because I was just damn pissed.  They had a 3-0 after the top of the first, then blew it in the bottom.  Not a good omen.

    I can't find my  van key.

    Emily gave it to me last night and I thought I put it in may pocket. 

    But today I could not find it.  No, I did not put it in the basket, which I should have done.  But I have looked on the dresser, counter, under the car seats, in containers in the car, in the pants I wore.....noting.

    I think I need to get air tags for them.  Maybe that will help.

    But right now I am using Jackie's key and when I started the van I got a low battery in key fob message.  

    Now I have to find out how to replace the battery.

    Damn.  Now it's 4-3 Brewers.  Damn.

    And when we came home from a visitation, Beth was noticeably limping.  She seems ok now, but we are going to keep an eye on her.  It could have just been a cramp in her left hind leg.  I worry about her every time she jumps up on the bed or off the bed.

    Guess I do another search for my key.

Peace and Love

trick or blach!!

 This was a pretty darn good day

    Emily, Jackie and I went to the Paramount Theater in Aurora to see Come From Away.

    Emily has seen the play several times, this was my second.

    It's based on the Sept. 11 events when thousands of people were diverted to Newfoundland and Gander Air Base after air space in the US was closed.

    It's a wonderful musical.  It focuses on the town of 6,000 people feeding, housing, hosting and greeting passengers from 200 airplanes that were diverted there.

    What made this show tonight extra  special is knowing a main character!  

    Russ did a tremendous job as the town mayor and a host of other characters in the show.  Each cast member had several roles as they played the townspeople and the passengers.  I did not realize he had such a good voice!  It was a pleasure to see him on stage.

    As a side note....I believe my brother Denny went to Gander while he was in the Air Force and stationed in Bangor ,Maine.  He was at a Strategic Air Command (SAC) base, and Gander was also a SAC base, and I think he went up there once or twice.  But that would have been in the 1960s......

    Anyway, glad I got to see the show again.  It's a very positive, uplifting show that honors what happened that and the following days.

    Julia, Emily and some other folks went to Autumn on Parade  in Oregon on Saturday.

    They stopped by and left some goodies....apple fritters, small pies, and a little bag of orange treats that looked like Cheerios.

    Those were sitting on the table where Jackie sits in the morning.  They were open and when I went to move them this morning, several fell out.  I picked them up so Beth would not get them. and popped them in my mouth.  (FYI..there is no 5 second rule in my house.  If it hits the floor, it's either me or Beth that eats it.)

    They were terrible!  Yes, they were cheddary, but they were dry and blach!

    I asked Jackie if she liked them.  She looked at me and said, "Those are dog treats.  Julia got them for Beth."

    I don't know how long I rinsed my mouth....but it wasn't long enough.  I can still taste them.

Peace and Love

Great job, Russ!!

It's almost bedtime??????

I think I just lost a day 

    Holy crap.

    I had a good night's sleep, woke up fresh and ready to go.

    Put a load of towels in the washer, loaded breakfast dishes into the dishwasher, made the bed, got Jackie ready for the day, and watched the Cubs.

    Well, for about 2 innings anyway.

    I still have to fold the towels, empty the dishwasher, and reload the dishwasher with supper dishes.

    What did I do all day?

    I don't know.

    Seriously.  

    I sat on the porch to read about 4:30 and I was still reading at 5, but then I drifted off for a quick naps, which ended at 6:15.

    I fed the dog, watered porch and patio plants and went into town for take out.

    Julia did come over and hold the ladder while I unscrewed a dead security light.  We went to the store to get a replacement, but I could not find one that seemed to work.  I went home and dug out the owner's manual for the light so I could double check the watts.  

    And yes.....13 years I still have the owner's manual and I knew where it was!

    Now I know what I am looking for.

    But I also need to borrow some wood clamps.  One of my pillars on the porch is loose and I want to glue it, clamp it, then shoot some finish nails into it. 

    When I am done I will call a contractor to reattach the porch roof to the rest of the house, because I sure as hell will screw that up!

    Another day wasted.  At my age I have to stop doing that.

Peace an d Love

up roars

 Little doggie Beth went ballistic tonight

    At about 7l:15 she started pacing, then went to the front door and barked like crazy!  She even jumped on the door to go out.

    I put her flashing collar on, turned on the porch light, and opened the door, expecting her to run and take a dump or pee immediately.

    Instead we were hit by a wave of skunk odor!

    I could tell Beth was agitated, so I called her and we went back into the house.  Last thing I want is an encounter with a skunk!

    She is still a little wound up, but not as bad as before.

    Peee you!!!!

    I have to start riding my bike earlier in the day. 

    I went out at 6 tonight, and by the time I was finishing it was getting dark.  

    We had help today and I should have gone in the morning when they were here.  But I was really tired and tried to sleep on the porch for an hour.  The little bugs were so bad, they drove me into the house, fully awake but still really tired.  I still should have ridden then.

    On my way into town today I saw some really creative hay bales.  I can't wait to go around and look at them.  I might even take some pictures for those of you not in Rochelle.  Basically, groups and businesses sign up for a hay bale and then decorate it. It's a neat little. thing the city does.  People can be very creative!

    I try not to be political in these little notes, but today I called my congressman's office and listed 6 things that I feel are unAmerican and undemocratic.  I don't know if it makes a difference, but I feel better!

    Back to my ride.

    It was hot, near 90, but when I rode I would hit pockets of cool air.  It was kind of funny, feeling autumn air when the temps were July's. 

    I could also smell at least 3 houses where people were grilling out side.  That is a lovely smell, and it made me hungry.

    Of course everything makes me hungry.

    I think I'll go fix a snack.

Peace and Love

    

odds amd ends

 Just a lot of loosely jumbled ideas tonight

    We were on pins and needles in the ninth inning,  but the Cubs held on and will now play Milwaukee in the next series.

    My cousin Bob called toward the end of the game and I called him back after the Cubs won.  It is always great to talk to him, and if it takes a series of Cubs wins to talk again, I am all for it!  And yes, I should call.  

    But he was ahead of us.  He said a player grounded to short, and he was just being pitched to on our TV.  Wonder if I could use that to get rich on the betting sites.

    Emily got me a new cover for my I phone.  It was her phone, but she passed it on to me.  Her cover,  a Harry Potter theme, was still on it.  She bought me a new cover that has the Beatles on it.  What is really neat is if you tilt the cover, the lads' images change color.

    I got a new dish strainer for th kitchen sink.  Our old one was pretty gross, but I could not find one that fit!  They were all too large.  I found one at Target and it works nicely.

    I didn't think it would be that difficult to find a dish strainer.

    We got a mining today that had what looked like a $195 check.  It was am "allocated waiver."

    It is their final notice.  It says that this is an important matter concerning our "property secured by our current lender."

    Well, can't be that important.  We. paid off our mortgage a couple of years ago, so we have no current lender.

    I just wonder what the scam is behind this.

    There was an art show tonight, sponsored by the RACF.  All week I told Jackie I was going 6.. But the Cubs were on, and I did not go until 8.  The event was to end at 9. but when I got there almost everything was packed up.

    I was told it was a successful night, which is great.  I enjoyed my conversations with some people.

    We have lived here almost 13 years.  Today I saw a squirrel in my front yard for the first time!  Last year we saw one in the back yard.

    I have 3 oak trees, and 2 of them produced acorns. this year.

    I just hope Beth can control herself when she sees a squirrel .  Last thing I want is a half dead squirrel dragged int the house.

    Or even a dead one.  Or live one!

    Pretty nutty thought, eh?

Pete and Love

idiot? c'est moi!

Being hard of hearing is a challenge for me

    

    Sometimes people tell me something and I just grin and say, "Yeah.  I know."

    Fact is, I may not have not understood  anything they say.

    

    They could have said, "Your pants are on fire," and I would grin and say, "Yeah, I know."

   Or it could be serious like, "My best friend was hit by a car and is in critical condition," and I would grin and say, "Yeah.  I know."

    I have had a hearing issue for years.

    

    When I was teaching, kids would come up to me and ask if they could read a book and I would say yes.  Five minutes later they would be coming back from the bathroom and I would ask where they went.  They would answer, "You said I could use the bathroom."  I thought they wereasksing to read.

    

    When I don't have my hearing aids in it even more of  a struggle.  

    Tonight Jackie asked me for something three times and I still had no idea what she was saying.  I was standing next to her!

    It all makes me feel like an idiot.

    Hopefully that changes next week.  I get my new hearing aids and I will be able to hear better.  I hope. 

    

    Of course, I may still feel like an idiot, but hopefully I will hear better.

    Changing topics, I have to shower after every bike ride.

    It's not sweat.  It's the damn bugs that get in my hair and on my skin.

    When I was riding Monday I said hello to someone and a bug flew into my mouth.  Now, I don't mind a little extra protein, but unless there is chocolate on that bug I don't want to eat it.

    Speaking of bugs, those little black ones you can barely see really bite!  Seems I am always squashing them after they bite, not before.

    

    And soon. those stinky Asian lady bugs will be abundant.  I was told they feast on aphids on soybeans, and when the soybeans are harvested they have to go somewhere.

    I don't know if that is true.  But I am sticking with that concept because once I believe something is true, I never change my mind.

Peace and Love